Referring to a situation where a RF-broadcasting meter has been intalled,
Stephanie asked:
"If that has happened - and your GS filters are maxed out what can you do
then?"

#1   Become an extreme activist.
#2   Move
#3   Redo building wiring so it's shielded.   (Expensive!)   Cover all
appliance and extension cords with conductive fabric that you then ground to
outlets.    Check to see if it worked.
#4    Pray

We need to get clearer about the idea of GS filters getting "maxed out."
The present GS filters cover the range of frequencies present in "dirty
electricity" from household electronics.   They do not cover the frequency range
of communications signals.     If your GS filters appear to be "maxed out"
it is probable that what your Stetzerizer meter is showing remains on your
circuit is frequencies the filters were not designed to deal with.
Looking at the frequencies present with an oscilloscope is the way to know if
that's so.

Dr. Graham and Dave Stetzer may develop new filters to take out the
communications frequencies, but they have not even started on that project yet.
I asked them both about it recently and they had not even discussed it
together yet.

A far better solution, of course, would be for the "smart" meters   not to
add frequencies to wiring in the first place.   This may be possible.   Dr.
G would like to look into it, but needs to have some meters to look at, to
begin with, to see how they are made and what can be done.    (And the
utility companies would have to agree to use the better design.)

If you have a "smart" meter on your home, please send me the name of the
manufacturer and their contact info., which appears on the meter.

Shivani Arjuna
www.LifeEnergies.com











.
 


**************
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have lined up a new place to live to get me away from the poor conditions
where I currently live which includes a cell tower 1 block away (and a bunch
more close by) and all the electricity for the apt complex coming in on the
outside of my living room wall.

The new place however is a manufactured home with a metal shell. I can't afford
to rent any of the newer vinal sided ones. I feel though that while this may not
be perfect it is the best I currently can do. Does anyone on this forum live in
a home with a metal shell? I would love to hear any feedback good or bad, that
someone has actually experienced about EMF and a metal shelled manufactured
home.

So far I have only put down the money for a credit check, but once that goes
through (in a few days) I will be putting down a deposit so they will hold it
for me until the end of July.

I also need a more private space to live in. The apartments here sometimes have
college students that are so generous they make sure everyone can hear their
'music'. So there are other pluses for me to move to the senior park where it
will be quieter. (At 54 they will let me in!!) The trailer actually looks quite
good inside, lets a lot of light in and has reasonably thick walls, enough to
insulate for winter (or at least thicker than walls I have seen on other old
trailers). I will even have a yard where I can plant things!!

> What was the purpose of this visit? Did he know you had ES symptoms? That
> sounds like a nightmare trip. Sorry you had such a rough one. I've never
> heard  of a tool like that.

I've never heard of such a tool either, however, doctors have all sorts
of electronic gadgets which can cause major problems for sensitive folks.

I had a rather unpleasant experience last year when I went to a new dentist
who was using an ultra-sonic teeth cleaner.  That was really unpleasant...

Marc

> Thanks Marc~It is an LCD one, so I'll keep that in mind. Interesting that
> you say you like it better low, but say other people recommend to keep it
> at a high one.

Usually when people are recommending high frequencies, it is to reduce
flicker on a CRT (tube) monitor.  With an LCD, the frequency doesn't
matter much, as LCDs don't flicker, and you may even be limited to just
60 hz.

> keep the processor in a cabinet, not  right next to my face, so maybe
> that is helping too, but I thought it was just the screens that caused
> people symptoms.

The computer can be a huge contributor.  Earlier this year I bought and
returned a new computer, because the computer caused me such bad symptoms.
In this case, I was using the same keyboard, mouse, and monitor as before --
the only thing which had changed was the computer.

Marc

What was the purpose of this visit? Did he know you had ES symptoms? That
sounds like a nightmare trip. Sorry you had such a rough one. I've never
heard  of a tool like that.
Amy


No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while  the congress is in
session.

Mark Twain


In a message dated 4/30/2009 6:10:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
haggisisscotsfood@... writes:






Went to chiro.  He uses a computerized diagnostic tool consisting of a  U
shaped
probe that straddles the spine.  It is electric, of  course.  I thought I
was going to die.  It felt as if my entire  neurological system/brain was
shorting out.  He said I was the most ES  person who had ever come to see him.
I wish I had asked before I made the  trip.   Josie

[Non-text portions of this message have been  removed]






**************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and
Desktops!(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219491521x1201306563/aol?redi\
r=http:%2F%2Fad.double
click.net%2Fclk%3B214102108%3B35952091%3Bs)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks Marc~It is an LCD one, so I'll keep that in mind. Interesting that
you say you like it better low, but say other people recommend to keep it at
a  high one. I'll have to play around with it and see which one I feel
better at.  Already, a lot of my computer symptoms are not affecting me at all
with this new  one. Now it is farther back than the other one; because it is
a flat one I can  push it all the way back, but it's also bigger so that
might equal out. I bought  a new desk at the same time and am able to keep the
processor in a cabinet, not  right next to my face, so maybe that is helping
too, but I thought it was just  the screens that caused people symptoms.
Amy



No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while  the congress is in
session.

Mark Twain


In a message dated 4/29/2009 9:42:45 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
marc@... writes:






> I just hooked up a new monitor right now, and I forgot if it's better
for
> the refresh rate to be lower or higher. (My speciality is in  Motherhood,
> not electronics: not electronics:<WBR>) I think it goes all the way up to


Is this a CRT (tube) monitor? For myself, I like  to keep the refresh
as low as possible, as long as the image doesn't  flicker (which is
annoying). For a CRT, I would usually put it at 72-75 hz,  and for
an LCD, you can even go as low as 60 hz.

I know that some  people suggest to make the frequency higher, but
higher frequencies always  made my symptoms worse.

Marc





**************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and
Desktops!(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219491521x1201306563/aol?redi\
r=http:%2F%2Fad.double
click.net%2Fclk%3B214102108%3B35952091%3Bs)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Went to chiro.  He uses a computerized diagnostic tool consisting of a U shaped
probe that straddles the spine.  It is electric, of course.  I thought I was
going to die.  It felt as if my entire neurological system/brain was shorting
out.  He said I was the most ES person who had ever come to see him. I wish I
had asked before I made the trip.   Josie




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I just uploaded the EMS proclamation from Governor Charlle Crist.
It is in files.

I also uploaded a document I created for the Sebastopol Mayor called EMF/R World
Concerns Summary. Its packed with news and reports. I use it to educate others
on the weight of world concern. feel free to print it up and wave it around to
policy makers!

Sandi

--- In eSens@yahoogroups.com, Jsverdlove@... wrote:
>
> I'm wondering about a good replacement and source for fluorescent tube
lighting (i think spectrum was mentioned?) - also, what exactly is bad about the
lights?  i suggested replacing them to my boyfriend and he claimed that the new
are just as bad as the old kinds.  Hopefully there is a safe brand out there,
and a good source that's not too expensive...also, do they increase electricity
costs?
>
> thanks
> jill
>

Hi
the alternative is LED bulbs.
They are safe for ES persons. There're tests also available in www.Next-Up.org.

Of course this is valid only at your home, and, maybe, in the office ...

Best regards
Giorgio

If it is 10-100 ohms from the wall paint to the outlet ground, then
there is a ground path already.  I expected it to be Mohm or too high
to register.  Check with an AM radio, especially around the edges.
If there is buzzing, you want to find that ground and disconnect it.
Conceivably you may find it by noting where the radio buzzes more,
or with a very sensitive gauss-meter or buzz stick.  It may be easier
to find after you connect your ground rod, as there could be a more
obvious current.  10 ohms is a decent ground, but not ideal for safety,
and if have buzzing it may make a big difference to switch to the
ground rod.  But if not, adding a second ground rod could make the
buzzing worse, so if you can't find the first ground, you may be better
without the second.  But just make sure nothing ever electrifies the wall.

To whoever asked:
The paint will reflect microwaves but is supposed to absorb as much
as it reflects.  So in most cases you come out ahead, and if put
in the right place, can be a huge improvement.

On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 10:09 PM, sweetchild323 <sweetchild323@...>wrote:

>
>
> Hi Bill I checked each socket to the wall it with an ohm meter and it
> mesures around 10-100 ohms (not M or K just ohms) what does this mean?
>
> Cristian
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

No Bill Bruno,

you are wrong, I must contradict you..

EMS stands for Electromagnetic Sensitivity, as is clearley stated by the
governot Charlie Crist.

Greetings,
Charles Claessens
member Verband Baubiologie
www.milieuziektes.nl
www.milieuziektes.be
www.hetbitje.nl
checked by Norton



----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Bruno" <wbruno@...>
To: <eSens@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 4:11 AM
Subject: Re: [eSens] ES AWARENESS MONTH IN FLORIDA


> Ah I found it.  EMS stands for Emergency Medical Services (*EMS*) Week.
>
> Bill
>
> On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 8:10 PM, Bill Bruno <wbruno@...> wrote:
>
>> I get file not found.  Can someone paste in the text of the one about the
>> governor?  I have the one with the Mayor...
>> Bill
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 3:23 PM, Marc Martin <marc@...> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> > HERE IS THE LINK - Florida 2009 EMS Proclamation by Governor Charlie
>>> > Crist
>>> > _http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5672268/_
>>>
>>> Well look at that... I thought ES was too obscure to be recognized
>>> by anyone in the USA...
>>>
>>> Marc
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

Yes, I suffer with that too. Five minutes or less is usually about all I
can take of it. I have  had some luck with detoxing heavy metals though, and
can tolerate a bit longer  now.
I hope you have a good Dr.  who takes you seriously. My own seemed a bit
put off by my wearing sunglasses in  the office and just wrote I'm sensitive
to lights in my chart.
Some stores are worse than  others, if they are placed lower, and have
more, and have no cover. Some pet  store is like that to me (forget the chain
name) and the other day when I went  into Big Lots for the first time in ages,
even wearing a hat and sunglasses  didn't help that much, but you can try
that. Try both and see if they help.  DEFINITELY the sunglasses!
Sorry you are  suffering~
Amy
  suebaroo@... writes:






Hi
I have been sensitive to fluorescent lights for years. It has only  gotten
worse in the past year to the point I can only stay in a store 5  minutes
before I really start to suffer. Lights in stores and offices give me
migraines, make me tired, trouble focusing, nauseous. I don't even want to go 
to
the doctor anymore because the lights are everywhere. The lights that  people
use in their homes bother me too, but not as bad. Has anyone  experienced
symptoms like this? What can I do to overcome this or is there a  specialist
I can see? It's becoming a big inconvience on my  life!
Thanks.






**************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and
Desktops!(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219491521x1201306563/aol?redi\
r=http:%2F%2Fad.double
click.net%2Fclk%3B214102108%3B35952091%3Bs)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Bill I checked each socket to the wall it with an ohm meter and it mesures
around 10-100 ohms (not M or K just ohms) what does this mean?


Cristian

Ah I found it.  EMS stands for Emergency Medical Services (*EMS*) Week.

Bill

On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 8:10 PM, Bill Bruno <wbruno@...> wrote:

> I get file not found.  Can someone paste in the text of the one about the
> governor?  I have the one with the Mayor...
> Bill
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 3:23 PM, Marc Martin <marc@...> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> > HERE IS THE LINK - Florida 2009 EMS Proclamation by Governor Charlie
>> > Crist
>> > _http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5672268/_
>>
>> Well look at that... I thought ES was too obscure to be recognized
>> by anyone in the USA...
>>
>> Marc
>>
>>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I get file not found.  Can someone paste in the text of the one about the
governor?  I have the one with the Mayor...
Bill

On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 3:23 PM, Marc Martin <marc@...> wrote:

>
>
> > HERE IS THE LINK - Florida 2009 EMS Proclamation by Governor Charlie
> > Crist
> > _http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5672268/_
>
> Well look at that... I thought ES was too obscure to be recognized
> by anyone in the USA...
>
> Marc
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I used something years ago that was probably similar.  It was not a
capacitor
(if the literature with it was correct) but a computer controlled switching
supply,
designed to lower voltage until the motor almost stalled.  This can work,
but
is awful in terms of dirty power (a proper filter would fix it, but would
cost
about $200 minimum, and would be rather large and heavy).  Also, the
unit I had burnt itself out within a year, and the fridge died about the
same
time (but it was rather old and cheap).

Bill

On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 7:52 PM, Gary Johnson <gjohnson@...> wrote:

>
>
> Gary Johnson wrote:
> > I suspect the unit is just a capacitor. When plugged into a wall
> > receptacle, it will draw a few amps of capacitive current. This
> > capacitive current will cancel the same amount of inductive current
> > being drawn by motors in the house. The measured current at the
> > electric meter will decrease, perhaps up to the factor of two shown in
> > the video, under just the right conditions. The capacitor will
> > definitely act as a surge suppressor, and might lower the amount of
> > dirty electricity in the house. (There are situations where it will
> > increase the amount of dirty electricity, similar to a hole in the
> > earth collecting garbage flowing over it). Utilities use such
> > capacitors regularly, to improve the system power factor and reduce
> > heating losses in distribution and transmission lines.
> >
> > That was the good news. The bad news is that the utility does not
> > charge residential customers for the amount of current, but only for
> > energy, which is power in kilowatts times the time in hours. Your
> > household motors use the same amount of energy whether there is a
> > capacitor in the system or not. So your energy bill stays the same.
> > (It might decrease by a fraction of one percent). So if you are
> > thinking about buying one to save money, forget it. The simple payback
> > time is close to infinite.
> >
> > This concept has been taught to every electrical engineering student
> > for the past century. If it really saved money like the ad claims,
> > there would be plenty of similar devices available at your local big
> > box hardware store.
> >
> > Gary Johnson
> > Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering, Kansas State University.
>
> >
> > christine_hoch wrote:
> >> I recently learned about the power-save 1200. Home appliances draw
> >> in more electricity than is used. This unit stores the wasted power
> >> for future use and saves money on electricity. Doe anyone have
> >> information about this product? Has anyone tested the power-save 1200
> >> for dirty electricity? It has a surge suppressor, but I question if
> >> it is safe.
> >> http://www.powersavestore.com/power-save-1200/
> >> http://www.powersavestore.com/power-save-videos/
> >>
> >> Thanks for your help.
> >>
> >> Christine Hoch
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Gary Johnson wrote:
> I suspect the unit is just a capacitor. When plugged into a wall
> receptacle, it will draw a few amps of capacitive current. This
> capacitive current will cancel the same amount of inductive current
> being drawn by motors in the house. The measured current at the
> electric meter will decrease, perhaps up to the factor of two shown in
> the video, under just the right conditions. The capacitor will
> definitely act as a surge suppressor, and might lower the amount of
> dirty electricity in the house. (There are situations where it will
> increase the amount of dirty electricity, similar to a hole in the
> earth collecting garbage flowing over it). Utilities use such
> capacitors regularly, to improve the system power factor and reduce
> heating losses in distribution and transmission lines.
>
> That was the good news. The bad news is that the utility does not
> charge residential customers for the amount of current, but only for
> energy, which is power in kilowatts times the time in hours. Your
> household motors use the same amount of energy whether there is a
> capacitor in the system or not. So your energy bill stays the same.
> (It might decrease by a fraction of one percent). So if you are
> thinking about buying one to save money, forget it. The simple payback
> time is close to infinite.
>
> This concept has been taught to every electrical engineering student
> for the past century. If it really saved money like the ad claims,
> there would be plenty of similar devices available at your local big
> box hardware store.
>
> Gary Johnson
> Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering, Kansas State University.
>
> christine_hoch wrote:
>> I recently learned about the power-save 1200.  Home appliances draw
>> in more electricity than is used.  This unit stores the wasted power
>> for future use and saves money on electricity.  Doe anyone have
>> information about this product? Has anyone tested the power-save 1200
>> for dirty electricity?  It has a surge suppressor, but I question if
>> it is safe.
>> http://www.powersavestore.com/power-save-1200/
>> http://www.powersavestore.com/power-save-videos/
>>
>> Thanks for your help.
>>
>> Christine Hoch
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

> I just hooked up a new monitor right now, and I forgot if it's better for
> the refresh rate to be lower or higher. (My speciality is in Motherhood,
> not electronics:)  I think it goes all the way up to 120.  So please  tell!

Is this a CRT (tube) monitor?  For myself, I like to keep the refresh
as low as possible, as long as the image doesn't flicker (which is
annoying).  For a CRT, I would usually put it at 72-75 hz, and for
an LCD, you can even go as low as 60 hz.

I know that some people suggest to make the frequency higher, but
higher frequencies always made my symptoms worse.

Marc

I just hooked up a new monitor right now, and I forgot if it's better for
the refresh rate to be lower or higher. (My speciality is in Motherhood, not
  electronics:)  I think it goes all the way up to 120.  So please  tell!
Thanks~
Amy


No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while  the congress is in
session.

Mark  Twain
**************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and
Desktops!(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220631276x1201390200/aol?redi\
r=http:%2F%2Fad.double
click.net%2Fclk%3B214101948%3B35952020%3Bv)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I'm in Florida and did not know that! Very cool.


No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while  the congress is in
session.

Mark Twain


In a message dated 4/29/2009 4:44:35 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
paulpjc@... writes:






The governor of Florida has declared ES awareness month but I guess youall
knew that ?

Paul UK

[Non-text portions of this message have  been removed]






**************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and
Desktops!(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220631276x1201390200/aol?redi\
r=http:%2F%2Fad.double
click.net%2Fclk%3B214101948%3B35952020%3Bv)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> HERE IS THE LINK - Florida 2009 EMS Proclamation by Governor  Charlie
> Crist
> _http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5672268/_

Well look at that... I thought ES was too obscure to be recognized
by anyone in the USA...

Marc

In a message dated 4/29/2009 9:55:06 P.M. GMT Daylight Time,
marc@... writes:

The  governor of Florida has declared ES awareness month but I guess
> you  all knew that ?

I didn't know that... I found a reference to a mayor  (not governor)
in Florida:

_http://www.americanhttp://wwwhttp://www.amhttp://www_
(http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/95811)

That's  a bit surprising to me... is this story for  real?

Marc



HERE IS THE LINK - Florida 2009 EMS Proclamation by Governor  Charlie Crist
_http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5672268/_
(http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5672268/)




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> The governor of Florida has declared ES awareness month but I  guess
> you all knew that ?

I didn't know that... I found a reference to a mayor (not governor)
in Florida:

   http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/95811

That's a bit surprising to me... is this story for real?

Marc

The governor of Florida has declared ES awareness month but I  guess youall
knew that ?

Paul UK


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hey, Steph!
 
Great to see you, dear!  I guess you are doing "fairly" well, since you are
back with us so soon after your surgery! 
 
I used to think the same thing.  But then I nearly died a half dozen times.  I
finally got a doctor who told me you cannot imagine liver disease and
pernicious anemia.  (Besides I don't have a good enough imagination to come up
with some of my symptoms on my own!  lol)
 
Take care, Steph.  Glad you feel well enough to venture online,
Diane

--- On Tue, 4/28/09, Stephanie Smith <reader41@...> wrote:

From: Stephanie Smith <reader41@...>
Subject: Re: [eSens] Why health warnings can be bad
To: eSens@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 5:07 PM








Hi Andrew
 
From day one this has always bothered me - that somehow I could have wished this
illness on myself. I think there are  a couple of things going on here - they
are trying to do with electrosensitivity what they did very successfully [and
its odd that it should be the same King's College Hospital lot involved!!] with
ME/CFS/CIFIDS - they are trying to portray it as a somatoform disorder which
they maintain can be easily treated with CBT. They did this to ME/CFS etc
because it suited them to psychologise a physiological illness, the proper
treatment of which would involve expensive medical testing and would have
rebounded on the insurance companies. High quality peer reviewed biomedical
research continues to demonstrate that there are complex multiorgan malfunctions
in people with ME which cannot be explained away by a "nocebo" effect or treated
with CBT which can only offer sufferers a coping strategy at best and offers
nothing at all to those who are
severely affected. Iimagine that this type of research similarly suits the cell
phone and electricity utility companies down to the ground because if people are
merely "imagining" that they are ill then they don't have to change any of their
current practices and can still generate huge profits from them without having
to spend multimillions in either making their technologies safer or in paying
off damaging law suits. Just like big tobacco.
 
If I thought CBT would stop me getting the electric shocks and feeling
electrical curren running over my body I'd sign up for it in a heartbeat. But
then you read all the well documented research by people like Neil Cherry etc
and you know that the whole premise on which the CBT argument is based is
flawed.
 
Best wishes
 
Steph

--- On Tue, 28/4/09, Andrew McAfee <amcafeerr@nc. rr.com> wrote:

From: Andrew McAfee <amcafeerr@nc. rr.com>
Subject: [eSens] Why health warnings can be bad
To: eSens@yahoogroups. com
Date: Tuesday, 28 April, 2009, 4:34 PM

Here seems to be a counter attack to poo-poo people with ES.
"Rubin has little doubt that the symptoms exhibited by 
electrosensitives are real. “Something cognitive is going on – 
something to do with the expectation is triggering the symptoms,” he 
says. And the idea of a psychological basis to electrosensitivity is 
supported by the fact that cognitive behavioural therapy can be an 
effective treatment."

Any body know of an effective "cog behav therapy?"
Andrew

Full Transcript:
Why health warnings can be bad
By Stuart Blackman

Published: April 25 2009 01:27 | Last updated: April 28 2009 12:33
http://www.ft. com/cms/s/ 2/0d9499ec- 2d75-11de- 9eba
-00144feabdc0, dwp_uuid= a712eb94- dc2b-11da- 890d-0000779e234 0.html

It is perhaps surprising that scientists behind an experiment conducted 
at the University of California 25 years ago were able to recruit any 
volunteers. The researchers, purporting to study the effects of 
electric currents on brain function, warned potential participants that 
electrodes would be strapped to their temples, and could cause serious 
headaches. Despite this, 34 students came forward. At the end of the 
trial, two thirds of the volunteers did report headaches – despite the 
electric current never having been turned on. Such is the power of the 
“nocebo” effect, the real subject of the experiment. The current had 
not been switched on because the scientists were investigating whether 
expectation alone could make healthy people ill. Apparently it could.

In the 25 years since then, research has been accumulating that the 
nocebo effect – the evil twin of the better-known placebo effect – is a 
widespread phenomenon that affects many aspects of our lives and which 
might contribute to a host of 21st-century ailments, from food 
allergies to obesity, chronic fatigue, back pain and 
electrosensitivity. Some experts are concerned that the situation is 
being compounded by the efforts of health professionals to raise 
awareness of threats. “When someone receives a placebo and they get 
better, it’s because of a variety of self-healing processes in the body 
that are cognition-related,” says Brian Hughes, a psychologist at the 
National University of Ireland, Galway, who specialises in how mental 
stress affects physical health. “One expects to get healed and certain 
symptoms go away.” In the case of the nocebo, it is negative 
expectations that become self-fulfilling prophecies.

When we expect something to make us ill – electrodes wired to our 
temples, for example, or, more routinely, a medicine with known 
side-effects – we start looking for signs of illness. And we’ll 
probably find some, says Hughes, even if the pill is a dummy one or the 
electric field a sham. That is because unpleasant physical symptoms are 
a normal part of life for perfectly healthy people. Headaches come and 
go. Some nights it is hard to get much sleep, and some days it is 
difficult to keep our eyes open. We might feel light-headed one moment 
and in a bad mood another. These are all experiences that we would not 
think twice about were we not looking for signs that things are wrong. 
But when we are looking, it is easy to interpret a bad night’s sleep as 
insomnia, tiredness as fatigue, light-headedness as dizzy spells or a 
bad mood as depression – and then to reattribute those symptoms to 
whatever it was that we expected to harm us. And once we start 
believing that something is making us ill, we get anxious, which can 
itself exacerbate existing symptoms or induce others. “Anxiety 
generally leads to elevations in blood pressure and immune deficiency,” 
says Hughes. And more symptoms mean more anxiety.

Everyday expressions such as “worried sick” or “scared to death” 
suggest that the link between negative emotions and ill-health was made 
long before the phenomenon was given a medical label. But once in the 
realm of scientific investigation, the nocebo effect started turning up 
with surprising frequency. It is now recognised as a regular occurrence 
in double-blind clinical trials of new medicines, where people taking 
an inert, placebo control pill develop side-effects of the drug being 
tested – if they are warned about them beforehand. If the nocebo effect 
can make us ill in clinical trials, it can also do so in real life.

Placebo and Nocebo effectsJames Rubin, researcher at King’s College 
London, has been following up the early Californian experiments to 
investigate the role of the nocebo effect in a debilitating condition 
that afflicts increasing numbers of westerners, including, reportedly, 
one in every 20 Swedes. Electrosensitivity is supposedly caused by 
exposure to the electromagnetic fields given off by power lines, mobile 
phone handsets and masts, wi-fi and other electrical appliances. 
Sufferers report a range of symptoms, including headaches, tingling 
skin, dry throat, eye irritations, problems with memory and 
concentration, dizziness, inflammation and muscle and joint pains.

Crucially, Rubin’s research provides little reason to think that the 
reported symptoms are caused by the electromagnetic fields. “There is 
no robust evidence that there is a direct link, and there is reasonably 
robust evidence that there is no link,” he says. Experiments show that 
electrosensitive people are no better than anybody else at identifying 
when they are being exposed to an electric field. And when they are 
exposed, sufferers report more symptoms only if they have been told 
that they are being exposed. It is this sort of evidence that has led 
to the failure of court cases brought against mobile phone companies by 
people who believe their symptoms to be caused by their handsets. Rubin 
has little doubt that the symptoms exhibited by electrosensitives are 
real. “Something cognitive is going on – something to do with the 
expectation is triggering the symptoms,” he says. And the idea of a 
psychological basis to electrosensitivity is supported by the fact that 
cognitive behavioural therapy can be an effective treatment.

Even non-specific worries about the state of the world in general can 
be enough to make us ill, according to research from the University of 
Auckland. Prior to a huge pesticide-spraying programme in New Zealand, 
people were asked about their attitudes towards new technologies and 
environmental threats. After the spraying, those who were most 
concerned about the health risks reported the greatest number of 
symptoms.

If negative expectations generate symptoms, what generates the negative 
expectations? John Adams, professor emeritus at University College 
London and an expert on risk, says there is a current fashion among 
health professionals and other authorities for issuing precautionary 
advice concerning the health risks posed by new medicines and 
technologies. And that, he says, is a major contributing factor.

Despite finding a dearth of evidence for a risk to health from mobile 
phones, The Stewart Report, published in 2000 by the Independent Expert 
Group on Mobile Telephones and Health (and named after the group’s 
chairman, Sir William Stewart), recommended that people limit their use 
of the technology, just in case. Adams says that such an ambiguous 
message is an example of just the sort of thing that can encourage 
people to keep an eye out for signs of illness.

A similar message accompanied the UK Health Protection Agency’s 2004 
report on the dangers of exposure to electromagnetic fields. “The 
report found no evidence of an aetiological connection between the 
fields and the symptoms,” says Adams. “And yet at the press conference 
that launched it, they went beyond that and said that people who 
believe they are sensitive should stay away from electromagnetic 
radiation.” Hence the ensuing headline from the Daily Mail: “Household 
appliances such as kettles, computers and microwaves could be health 
hazards, a government expert suggested yesterday.” The Swedish 
government has issued similarly precautionary advice.

“This process is more general than just taking a pill,” says Arthur 
Barsky, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “However you 
induce negative expectations – whether it’s through a pill, a health 
warning or advertising by a drug company – you set in motion the same 
process of symptom reattribution, which then amplifies the symptom, 
which further solidifies the reattribution.” David Wainwright, a 
sociologist at the University of Bath, agrees that health warnings 
issued for precautionary reasons can be bad for our health: “It’s a bit 
like flicking through a medical encyclopaedia and imagining you’ve got 
symptoms of disease X, Y and Z. But this effect has a lot more potency 
when it’s a health professional telling you this stuff.”

Not even health professionals are immune. Medical students, who flick 
through more than their fair share of medical encyclopaedias, are 
themselves susceptible to a phenomenon known as “medical students’ 
disease”, whereby they develop symptoms of whatever condition they 
happen to be studying. Research has shown that medics display more 
signs of hypochondria than their peers studying law. Today, the 
“worried well” are more likely to go online than to a library to 
self-diagnose, in which case patient websites such as Medinfo or 
NetDoctor could be exacerbating symptoms at the same time as raising 
awareness of them. No research has yet been conducted that directly 
addresses internet health sites and the nocebo effect.

But research published last year by psychologists at Harvard and Yale 
universities raises the possibility that even our weight is susceptible 
to the power of suggestion. The study looked at the health of hotel 
chambermaids over a four-week period. Half of subjects were told at the 
start that their work counted as good exercise that satisfied the 
recommendations of the US surgeon-general. A month later, they had lost 
weight and gained other health benefits such as lower blood pressure. 
Their uninformed colleagues showed no change.

This puzzling finding does not seem to be explained by extra exercise 
prompted by the briefing: this was weight-loss by placebo effect. And 
where there is a placebo effect, nocebo is often lurking in the 
shadows. In an age when health professionals and governments are 
inclined to talk of obesity as an epidemic, of the entire population as 
unhealthy and to demand that we exercise more, such pronouncements 
might be doing more harm than good. “I very much believe that health 
warnings can be adversely effective via a nocebo effect,” says Alia 
Crum, one of the chambermaid study’s authors. “Whether or not this 
overrides the benefit of getting the message out there is another 
story.” Her current research attempts to tease apart these conflicting 
effects.

Not all health warnings are likely to cause what they are intended to 
prevent. Warnings on cigarette packets don’t give anyone cancer, for 
example; in fact, no rigorous research has turned up evidence that 
cancer, or any other serious, fatal disease, can be caused or cured by 
the power of negative or positive thinking – although both might well 
influence the strength of the symptoms. But it is not the cancer 
statistics that many of these scientists fret over. Their concern is 
the rise of conditions such as back pain, fibromyalgia (chronic fatigue 
syndrome) and food allergies, which are characterised by the symptoms 
expressed rather than by the underlying biology. These symptoms may 
have a biological basis in some individuals and a psychological one in 
others. So, while rare and tragic deaths resulting from extreme food 
allergies can be attributed to physiological anaphylactic shock, health 
warnings on food that “may contain nuts” might be contributing to the 
rise of food allergies in general, and to the statistics that less than 
20 per cent of teenagers who believe they have a food allergy actually 
test positive.

“It’s quite remarkable how the illnesses that are increasing at the 
moment are not the big, killer diseases, grounded in real, physical 
pathology,” says David Wainwright. “It’s the subjective problems of 
everyday life that are becoming medicalised, where there’s no actual 
evidence of any physical illness. “Even hassles at work are interpreted 
through the medicalised category of work stress rather than political 
or industrial relations issues” – a practice that Wainwright says is 
promoted by government agencies. “Health policy is promoting this 
belief that we’re all at risk from absolutely everything we come into 
contact with, and that just encourages us to feel more vulnerable and 
to interpret our normal experiences as health problems. It’s all just 
amplifying this epidemic of non-specific illness, which has incredibly 
disabling effects on people.”

Certain changes in doctors’ bedside manner might have been 
counter-productive. “Doctors feel more and more bound to warn patients 
about any possible consequences of taking a drug,” says Arthur Barsky 
of Harvard, which can mean reeling off a long list of possible, albeit 
unlikely side-effects. “There’s clearly a fundamental reason for 
putting out health information,” he says, “but I think it’s become a 
kind of hysteria.” If that hysteria means that more patients stop 
taking a medicine, having been put off by possible side-effects, then 
both the effectiveness of medical treatments and people’s confidence in 
conventional medicine is undermined. It is one reason, says Barsky, 
that people are putting increasing faith in alternative therapies. And 
a loss of confidence in conventional medicine and its practitioners 
might itself induce a nocebo effect that detracts further from its 
efficacy.

We are actually freer from serious illness than our grandparents were, 
and yet we worry about our health more than they did. Barsky calls this 
the “paradox of health”: dramatic improvements in our clinical 
well-being, accompanied by a rise in dissatisfaction with our health 
and a tendency to report more symptoms. He suspects that excessive 
awareness-raising is at least partly to blame.

John Adams at UCL has coined a phrase for the overemphasis on possible 
negative outcomes by health professionals and their political masters: 
compulsive risk assessment psychosis, or more succinctly, Crap. The 
phenomenon has emerged, he says, from a climate of low and declining 
trust, in which the health professions practise defensively. “The 
doctors aren’t trusting their patients not to sue them. There’s all 
this ass-covering going on all over the place.”

But if they don’t look out, health professionals and policymakers might 
find that this strategy has left them dangerously exposed to attack 
from other directions. Legal cases brought against mobile phone 
companies by people who believe that the electromagnetic radiation 
given off by their handsets is making them ill might have failed, but 
cases brought against those who issue health warnings, on the grounds 
that it exacerbates illness through the nocebo effect, might prove more 
successful. At least they would have some scientific evidence to 
support their claims.

Stuart Blackman is a freelance writer with a focus on science and the 
environment

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

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Some lights put out lots of UV if there is no plastic cover.
Flicker can be a problem, and maybe sunglasses could help.
There are also magnetic fields, and often electric fields.
With electric fields just slight changes in position can make
a difference.  I'm starting to think that if one can keep changing
direction and not stand still it might help.  But  also reducing
exposure at home and B-6 and B-12 can help.
Bill

On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 11:59 AM, Marc Martin <marc@...> wrote:

>
>
> > Hi I have been sensitive to fluorescent lights for years. Has anyone
>
> > experienced symptoms like this? What can I do to overcome this or is
> > there a specialist I can see?
>
> Oh yes, I *used* to be this way -- I'd have to get in and get out of
> stores within a few minutes. as those lights seemed to be draining my
> life energy away. If you're looking for a specialist, it'll likely be
> an "alternative health" type doctor (naturopath, chiropracter) rather
> than a medical doctor. You'll probably want to focus on improving
> nutrition (via diet and supplements), reducing toxins (both your current
> exposures and eliminating accumulated past exposures), and possibly
> killing off chronic low-level infections (viral, bacteria, fungal,
> parasites), plus you may also want to experiment with
> EMF protection devices which may provide some immediate relief if you
> can find one that works for you.
>
> I'm no longer bothered by the lighting in stores at all. I don't even
> think about how long I'm in the store...other than boredom because my
> wife is taking too long to shop!
>
> Marc
>
>


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> Hi I have been sensitive to fluorescent lights for years. Has anyone
> experienced symptoms like this?  What can I do to overcome this or is
> there a specialist I can see?

Oh yes, I *used* to be this way -- I'd have to get in and get out of
stores within a few minutes. as those lights seemed to be draining my
life energy away.  If you're looking for a specialist, it'll likely be
an "alternative health" type doctor (naturopath, chiropracter) rather
than a medical doctor.  You'll probably want to focus on improving
nutrition (via diet and supplements), reducing toxins (both your current
exposures and eliminating accumulated past exposures), and possibly
killing off chronic low-level infections (viral, bacteria, fungal,
parasites), plus you may also want to experiment with
EMF protection devices which may provide some immediate relief if you
can find one that works for you.

I'm no longer bothered by the lighting in stores at all.  I don't even
think about how long I'm in the store...other than boredom because my
wife is taking too long to shop!

Marc

Hi
I have been sensitive to fluorescent lights for years.  It has only gotten worse
in the past year to the point I can only stay in a store 5 minutes before I
really start to suffer.  Lights in stores and offices give me  migraines,  make
me tired, trouble focusing, nauseous. I don't even want to go to the doctor
anymore because the lights are everywhere.  The lights that people use in their
homes bother me too, but not as bad.  Has anyone experienced symptoms like this?
What can I do to overcome this or is there a specialist I can see?  It's
becoming a big inconvience on my life!
Thanks.

Hi Christian,
You are supposed to use a special grounding strap thingy that your paint
supplier will have in stock. But if its works,,,,,,,why worry?

Helen

On Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 2:14 PM, sweetchild323 <sweetchild323@...>wrote:

>
>
> Hello everyone, I just finished painting my room with y-shield paint, after
> we were done painting I tested it with my body voltage meter and and I found
> that its grounded, I cant find where its grounded to, Im positive its not
> touching any metal from the outlets, light,smoke detector, and air duct, I
> spent 3 hours making sure of this. Where else could it be grounded too?
>
> Cristian
>
>
>



--
Helen A Murphy

Environomics.com.au
0448 877 384
03 9372 3217


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In a message dated 4/28/2009 7:27:49 P.M. GMT Daylight Time,
wbruno@... writes:

Any body know of an effective "cog behav therapy?"
>  Andrew


Paul replies  -




Personal Cognitive volution -
Co behav therapy in many cases is a waste of time, another  jobs for the
boys ie phychologists, they are constantly looking for new market  shares like
everyone else so ESsers are open season. If you are a  reasonably rational
person it should not take long to work out whats good and  whats bad in
terms of everyday ES intiators, balanced and reasoned  behavoural adaption then
should regulate your cognitive response and  prevent you from pre-empting
the worst case scenario, suck it and see as opposed  to complete avoidance can
reap rewards and keep you in the real world, therefore  in the face of some
very real symptoms your own cognitive bahavioural therapy  exists minute by
minute..the trap for us all is not to fall into this state of  withdrawal
and pessimism, so by constantly re-evaluating and re-moddelling our
perception of the threat to keep it real.
Things could be worse to  boot.


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