Case Histories—Marc Martin (December 2006)
I’ve been a heavy user of computers since 1985, both at work (where I’m an aerospace engineer and programmer) and at home (where I run multiple websites and discussion groups).
In 2000, I got some sort of chronic “flu” which refused to go away. The doctors kept giving me more and more antibiotics, and at some point it became obvious that this was doing more harm than good, as I started getting environmental, chemical, and food sensitivities. I also became less and less tolerant of my workplace, and was exhausted by the end of each workday. Eventually I had to go on disability from work.
After finally figuring out that exposure to computers and florescent lights were causing my exhaustion, I initially tried all of the conventional EMF solutions. I bought a glass EMF shield for my monitor. I used an EMF meter to minimize my exposure. I experimented with a variety of EMF shielding materials. I bought an LCD monitor. None of these helped enough to make much of a difference.
Meanwhile, my overall health was terrible—I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. My immune system was obviously not working, as I caught every illness going around. I needed tons of sleep. I eventually got fed up with conventional medicine and switched to alternative medicine. I also started cleaning up my diet, switching from junk foods and microwaved foods to more organic, raw fruits and vegetables. I became a vegetarian.
A naturopath tested me for high levels of mercury in my system (in the past, I had a mouthful of mercury fillings and ate a can of tuna every day). I purchased several books on mercury poisoning, and one of them listed a symptom of being a hypersensitivity to electricity. This book said that these symptoms would eventually go away if I had all of my metal dental work removed and underwent mercury detoxification.
So I had all of my remaining mercury fillings replaced. Amazingly, a lot of my health complaints disappeared immediately, but the electrical sensitivity remained. At that point, my tolerance for sitting in front of my 15" LCD monitor was about 5 minutes, it was painful to watch TV from 10 feet away and also using a regular corded phone.
So, the next step was mercury detox. I found that I had bad reactions to most chelators, but started taking the “NDF” chelator in small amounts followed an hour later by the antioxidant “Microhydrin”. Also, around about the same time, I saw a doctor who recommended that I try some EMF protection devices from “Quantum Products”.
So I tried a Quantum power strip. On day one, I had a huge surge of energy! On subsequent days, I became fatigued, and recognized these symptoms as being the same detoxification symptoms I got when my fillings were removed. But my tolerance was definitely improved. With a few power strips and the Quantum Byte software, I finally went back to work—halftime.
The next few years I took a lot of supplements for detoxification, rebuilding various organs which were impacted (adrenals, thyroid, etc.), and experimenting with many EMF protection devices. My health continued to improve, and by 2003 I was working fulltime and required a normal amount of sleep.
As it stands now (in 2006), I still practice avoidance where practical, I still eat a lot of healthy foods, still take supplements, and still use EMF protection devices. I am, for the most part, symptom-free and living a normal life. I still have electrical sensitivity, but it’s not nearly as bad as it once was, and it no longer gets in the way.
So, after years of trial & error, here are the most important things which have helped my electrical sensitivity so far:
- AVOIDANCE: I react more severely to LCD monitors than CRT monitors, so I’ve kept using CRT monitors. My monitors are a foot or two further away than “normal”, and I have less reaction if I run them at a lower resolution and refresh rate. I don't use compact florescent lighting in my home, and have unscrewed some florescent bulbs above my desk at work. I don’t use wireless phones or Internet in my home. I have a cellphone, but rarely use it.
- FOOD: I’ve found that eating small quantities of food frequently throughout the day helps keep my symptoms down. Not just any food, but healthy food that I buy at a health food store. Foods helpful for reducing my ES symptoms include oatmeal, quinoa, bananas, dates, kelp, prunes, eggs, carrots, and Odwalla “Superfood” bars.
- SUPPLEMENTS: I never had much luck with synthetic vitamin and mineral pills, but there are still some supplements which I’ve found helpful for ES. An MLM product called “Seasilver” helps increase my tolerance for EMF. Also, an antioxidant called “Mega-H” (formerly “Microhydrin”), a probiotic called “Primal Defense”, an antioxidant called “Amrit”, a fatty acid supplement called “Evening Primrose Oil”, and a mercury chelator called “NDF”.
- EMF PROTECTION DEVICES: I never had much luck with shielding materials, and in many cases they are impractical or just plain ugly. However, I’ve had good results from a few EMF protection devices. Unfortunately, I’ve only had good luck with about one in every 10 devices I’ve tried. My favorite devices are from Quantum Products and Springlife Polarity. These days I use the Quantum Power Conditioner, the Quantum Byte software, the Quantum Companion, and the Springlife OM Pendant. I use one or a combination of these at work, home, and elsewhere.
- SKIN LOTION: For the burning sensation I get on my face after spending hours sitting in front of a computer, I’ve found skin lotion to be quite helpful. I use either “Shikai Borage Dry Skin Therapy” or “Burt’s Bees Carrot Nutritive Body Lotion”.
- REMOVAL OF METAL FROM THE BODY: I have found that reducing the amount of metal near/inside the body helps reduce ES symptoms. This includes things like taking keys out of your pocket, replacing metal-framed eyeglasses with plastic frames (or contact lenses), replacement of all metal dental work, and heavy metal chelation therapy.