Several studies have demonstrated the significant role of prolonged EMF exposure in developing progressive neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Statistics say that today, “10% of adults age 65 and older have Alzheimer’s. Every 5 years after age 65, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s doubles. And 2/3 of Alzheimer’s sufferers are women.”
These numbers are hardly insignificant, and experts believe that they’ll only keep increasing as today’s generation ages. And the reason behind this rapid growth could be the ever-growing EMF pollution in our environment.
Science is clear. Human-made EMF isn’t good for humans. It can interfere with our natural biological processes and can cause us to face a wide variety of physical and mental health problems.
And since EMF isn’t going anywhere, the problems that tag along with it are only set to increase.
But still, we’re not helpless. And there are things you can do to alleviate your EMF exposure and, with it, the risk of developing EMF-induced health problems. How?
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That’s what we’re going to look at in this post. We’ll look at Alzheimer’s disease and its common causes, the role of EMF in fueling this problem, and the things you can do to lower your chances of developing EMF-induced Alzheimer’s.
So, let’s begin.
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a type of brain disorder that dampens one’s memory and thinking skills as they age, causing the patient to have trouble carrying out even the simplest tasks.
AD isn’t common among the younger population, as statistically, it affects people in their mid-60s. However, there’s something called early-onset Alzheimer’s that affects people aged between 30 and 60 years old.
Though it’s rare, it can affect even younger individuals.
Today, AD is one of the most common causes of dementia among older adults.
Named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer in the mid-90s, this disease causes several changes in the brain tissue of the individual suffering from this problem.
Generally, Alzheimer’s is believed to be caused by an increase of a protein called amyloid plaques and tangled bundles of fibers called tau tangles (more on that later).
Stages of Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers have divided AD symptoms into 3 main stages. Have a look.
Early Symptoms
In the early stages of developing this disease, an individual suffers from severe memory lapses.
For example, someone with early Alzheimer’s tends to:
- Have difficulties recalling recent conversations or events
- Frequently misplace items
- Have a hard time remembering the names of objects and places
- Not be able to think of the right word
- Repeat the same question
- Show a significant decrease in judgment and the ability to make decisions
- Become more hesitant to try new things
Besides these, there are also often signs of mood changes, like increasing anxiety or agitation.
Middle-stage symptoms
As AD develops, memory problems worsen.
If someone reaches the middle stage of AD, they’ll have difficulty remembering the names of people, including their families and friends. And in some cases, they might not even recognize them.
Other symptoms include:
- Increased disorientation and confusion. For example, they may wander around, not knowing where they are, their destination, or even what time of the day it is.
- The patient may exert obsessive, repetitive, or impulsive behavior
- They may become delusional, believing things that aren’t true. This can soon turn into paranoia and severe suspicious about careers or family members
- Aphasia
- Sleep disorders
- Frequent mood changes
- Difficulties performing spatial tasks like judging distances
- Hallucinations
- And vascular dementia.
Later Symptoms
In the later stages of AD, the symptoms become increasingly severe and can be devastating for the individual.
Hallucinations and delusions take over reality and get worse as the condition progresses.
Additionally, the patient faces new symptoms like:
- Dysphagia
- Fixation of the muscles
- Severe weight loss
- Less control of pelvic floor muscles, causing an unintentional passing of urine or stools
- Loss of speech
- And major problems with short and long-term memory
In this stage of AD, the patient may need full-time care and assistance with eating, moving, and personal care.
Common Causes of Alzheimer’s
So now that you understand what Alzheimer’s disease is and its symptoms, let’s look at what causes this problem.
Age
Increasing age is the most significant known risk factor for AD and other dementias. But this isn’t a normal part of aging. While older age does increase the risk of AD, research has found that it’s not the direct cause.
Family History
Family history is another strong risk factor. Those with a parent or siblings with AD are more likely to develop the disease.
The risk also increases if more than one family member has the illness.
And research studies have found that genes are heavily involved in the risk of developing this disease.
Head Injuries
Another significant reason for AD development could be head injuries. Research studies have found a tangible link between head injuries and the future risk of dementia.
Cardiovascular Disease
“Growing evidence supports a strong and likely causal association between cardiovascular disease (CVD), and its risk factors, with incidence of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease,” says M J Stampfer of the Harvard School of Public Health.
Other Factors
Besides these, scientists have also found that problems like untreated depression, loneliness or social isolation, and a sedentary lifestyle are also potential causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
EMF Exposure Contributes to Alzheimer’s Development, Experts Say
Many peer-reviewed research studies have found that prolonged EMF exposure can cause a significant increase in the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.
The adverse physical and mental effects of EMF aren’t a secret anymore. There have been thousands of research studies on this subject so far. And in one way or another, they all say the same thing—the human body isn’t designed to face the level of EMFs we face today.
As such, the fact that researchers found a link between EMF exposure and Alzheimer’s disease isn’t really surprising.
Learn more about the many health effects of EMF on my “EMF Health Effects” page.
Let’s have a look at what research studies have found so far about the role of EMF in AD development.
Increased Production of Amyloid
Amyloid is a kind of protein that contains nucleic acids and polysaccharides. This protein deposits in the patient’s brain, causing a plaque layer to form around brain cells.
This protein build-up is known to be the primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
Experts say that prolonged EMF exposure causes a spike in the presence of amyloid in your body, enabling it to make its way to your brain in large quantities.
A study by Feinberg School of Medicine says, “The evidence indicates that long-term significant occupational exposure to ELF MF may certainly increase the risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer. There is now evidence that two relevant biological processes (increased production of amyloid beta and decreased production of melatonin) are influenced by high long-term ELF MF exposure that may lead to Alzheimer’s disease.”
Decreased Melatonin Production
Many research studies have found low levels of night-time melatonin production in AD patients.
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep. And experts say that prolonged EMF exposure disrupts this hormone production.
“How man-made EMFs may influence the pineal gland is still unsolved. The pineal gland is likely to sense EMFs as light but, as a consequence, may decrease the melatonin production,” says Malka N Halgamuge from the University of Melbourne.”
“Furthermore, the results show the significance of disruption of melatonin due to exposure to weak EMFs, which may possibly lead to long-term health effects in humans.”Low melatonin means less quality sleep at night. And as per the National Institute of Health, lack of quality sleep (usually less than 6 hours) for a long time can contribute to dementia problems like Alzheimer’s.
Oxidative Stress Affects Tau’s Functioning
Tau is a protein that helps stabilize the internal skeleton of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain.
Tau plays a crucial role in:
- Regulating microtubule dynamics (that governs cell growth)
- Axonal transport (which is the process of transporting materials to and from the cell body)
- And neurite outgrowth (which helps neurons produce new projections as they grow in response to guidance cues)
And research studies say that oxidative damage—which has been detected in brain tissue from patients with Alzheimer disease—impairs tau functioning.
But what is oxidative stress, and what does it have to do with EMF exposure?
The metabolic process in your body creates something called free radicalsThe concept of "free radicals" in relation to oxidation and EMF (electromagnetic field) exposure is an area of ongoing research and debate within the scientific community. Free radicals are atoms,... More. These are waste products and need to be eliminated from the body. So, to do that, your body also produces something called antioxidants.
The antioxidants prevent free radicals from overgrowing and having chemical reactions that cause damage to your vital organs.
At any given time, there needs to be a healthy balance between free radical and antioxidant production. And your body does a great job of maintaining that balance.
But if your body produces more free radicals than the antioxidants can handle, it can create a health problem called oxidative stress. And oxidative stress has been known to cause problems ranging from diabetes and heart diseases to sexual disorders like erectile dysfunction. Studies have found that prolonged EMF exposure causes a significant increase in free radicals production, which in turn causes your body to develop oxidative stress.
VGCC Activation
For almost 25 years, researchers have been studying the role of calcium on Alzheimer’s Disease. This has led to the hypothesis that excessive intracellular calcium is one of the primary causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
There’s something called voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) in your body that regulate the amount of calcium present in your cells. Excess calcium entering your cells causes them to die of necrosis (unnatural death.)
Dr. Martin PallDr. Martin Pall, born on July 22, 1943, is a distinguished scientist renowned for his pioneering research in the field of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and their impact on health, particularly... More says that VGCC is roughly 7.2 million times more sensitive to human-made EMF than to natural EMFs in our environment. So, when you expose yourself to EMF for a long time, it causes the VGCC to not function properly.
This can cause several neurophysiological changes in your brain, resulting in an increased risk of problems like Alzheimer’s.
What Can You Do?
So now that you understand the role of EMF in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, I’m sure you’re wondering if there’s anything you can do to protect yourself from this.
And luckily, there is. You can actually mitigate your EMF exposure to reduce your risk of developing EMF-induced health problems. And you can start right now.
But before proceeding further, I would like to stress that in no way do we claim that the tips below can treat or cure Alzheimer’s disease. If you’re seeing signs of this illness, we recommend contacting your doctor immediately.
These tips are to ensure that your risk of developing AD doesn’t increase because of EMF exposure.
With that said, here are some ways to reduce your EMF exposure and live a safer, healthier life.
Reduce EMF in Your Surroundings
Today, two types of EMFs surround you—Earth’s natural background radiation"Radiation" in the context of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) refers to the process by which energy is emitted and transmitted through space or a material medium in the form of electromagnetic... More and unnatural human-made EMF.
The earth’s natural radiation isn’t a problem. In fact, it’s beneficial for humans in some cases. What you need to mitigate is your exposure to EMF emissions from your electronic and electrical sources.
And how do you do that?
Simple. By using those sources less and by not buying gadgets you don’t need. Doing this is the first step to reducing your EMF exposure. Read my post, “What is the Best EMF Protection? Hint: It’s Free.” for more information.
Besides that, you can:
Educate Yourself
Knowing how EMF works is crucial when trying to mitigate it. Because a minor mistake can cause your efforts to not work, or even worse, to make matters worse.
SYB’s EMF Resources page has a ton of materials to help you learn everything you need to know about EMF, its effects, and mitigation.I recommend starting with the “SYB Healthy Living Tips.”
Advocate About EMF’s Adverse Effects
Protecting the general population from EMF’s harmful effects is a collaborative effort. You can certainly limit your EMF exposure when you’re at home, where you can control the EMF sources. But as soon as you step out, you lose that control.
When you advocate about EMF’s effects, you’ll be doing two things—making your community a safer place for you and your loved ones, and helping people protect themselves from EMF’s adverse effects.
Visit my “EMF Advocacy” page to learn more about talking to people about EMF in a way that convinces them to make real changes in their lives.
Use EMF Protection
Finally, you can use EMF protection products to support your EMF mitigation efforts.
The reason I say “support” is that EMF shieldingEMF shielding refers to the practice of reducing the electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure in a particular area by blocking or altering the electromagnetic waves with barriers made of conductive or... More products should be viewed as a second line of defense. The first line of defense is to make healthy changes to your lifestyle, like reducing your tech use, increasing physical distance with EMF sources, and more.
Visit the SYB store to check out the many EMF protection products designed to support you on your EMF mitigation journey.
Final Thoughts
EMF isn’t entirely bad. It’s only because of EMF that we’re able to enjoy the convenience we have with our devices.
You just need to make some changes in your lifestyle to make it safer for you and your loved ones to live alongside technology.
And those changes start from your home.
Visit my page, “Reducing EMF in Your Home,” to learn more about the changes you can make in your home to reduce your overall EMF exposure level.
