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Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Caused by EMF from cell phones, games and computers?

Frickly

Senior Member
Messages
1,049
Location
Texas
This popped up on my google and I thought it was interesting. It is unfortunate that I am addicted to my computer and that my sister calls me constantly on my cell phone. :eek:

http://www.bioelectricshield.com/in-the-media/children-in-the-news/126-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-caused-by-emf?utm_content=Social%2Bmedia&utm_term=Social%2Bmedia

"Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Caused by EMF from electrical equipment, cell phones, games, computers?

From Gauss Tsushin (the newsletter of Japan's Gauss Network), No. 68 August 15, 2004

"About 70% of withdrawn children have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) with reduced blood flow to the brain," says Kumamoto University Medical School Professor Teruhisa Miike regarding his investigation of cerebral blood flow among children failing to attend school, which showed reduced blood flow in 75% of the cases. He says that their failure to attend school is not a "psychological problem," but a serious illness accompanied by disorders in central nervous system function and immune function. "If you force them to go to school, they risk having real psychological problems as a result," he says."

"This chronic fatigue syndrome may be caused by electromagnetic waves according to a study by Ryoichi Ogawa, a physician in Kobe, whose view that "Reduced cerebral blood flow may possibly result from the influence of electromagnetic waves from IT equipment" was introduced in the Sunday Mainichi weekly of May 4-11, 2004. An excerpt from this article is given below."

"Dr. Ogawa noted that about 80% of his CFS patients were frequent users on a daily basis of cellular phones, personal computers, TV games and other IT devices, and decided to conduct a clinical investigation into a possible cause-effect relationship of cellular phones and desktop-style personal computers to CFS, a "poorly understood condition" in which general clinical tests show no abnormalities."

"The subjects were 40 young people, 20 male and 20 female, ranging in age from 12 to 32, who had received treatment for CFS, and an additional 25 male and 25 female healthy family members of the patients, ranging in age from 15 to 35, for a total of 90 people. The investigation was performed using the "Super Doppler Method" to measure the speed of blood flowing during a period of one second in the ophthalmic artery located in the upper part of the eyelid. This artery branches off from the internal carotid artery, which carries blood from the heart to the brain, and this method of testing was established for clinical investigation of blockage of cerebral blood vessels."

"The subjects were asked to use a cellular phone, holding it to their left ear for 30 seconds. Prior to use, all of the subjects showed normal blood flow of 10 cm/sec. in the ophthalmic artery of both left and right eye, but after using the cellular phone, this dropped to less than 5 cm/sec. in all of the subjects. When blood flow in this artery is less than 5 cm/sec, it is considered a sign of reduced cerebral blood flow."

"The subjects were also asked to use a personal computer, sitting within one meter of the screen for 15 minutes of normal use. When measurements were made directly afterward, it turned out that the blood flow was reduced to less than 5 cm/sec in both eyes among all of the patients who had been treated for CFS. Even among the healthy group, about 78% showed a reduction to less than 5 cm/sec in both eyes."

"In addition, the subjects were tested again for speed of blood flow in the ophthalmic artery 30 minutes after finishing their use of these devices. The results showed all of the healthy subjects to have recovered normally to 10 cm/sec, so in their case it was learned that the reduction in cerebral blood flow was temporary. Among the subjects who had received treatment for CFS, however, only 60% had recovered normally. This demonstrates a possibility of some kind of effect on cerebral blood flow by IT equipment, and that these patients will need to take care regarding electromagnetic fields in their daily lives after treatment."
 
Messages
71
Well, since I got this in 1984 as a teen, someone who hated video games, I'd say this has zero merit as far as research goes.
 

Sam Carter

Guest
Messages
435
Hi Frickly,

ME / CFS was reported long before the age of mobile / cell phones and computers. The earliest report I can find is an outbreak at Los Angeles County General Hospital in 1934 which affected 200 members of staff.

It's certainly possible that electromagnetic radiation could worsen symptoms but it can't be the cause of ME.

Sam
 

Frickly

Senior Member
Messages
1,049
Location
Texas
My take on this study was that ER temporarily reduces blood flow and effects persons with ME/CFS for a longer period than a healthy person. I am not agreeing or disagreeing with this study but thought it was interesting.
 

BEG

Senior Member
Messages
1,032
Location
Southeast US
Interesting article, Frickly, if somewhat odd.

I was told by my physician to avoid electromagnetic waves as we are sensitive to them. I do believe that because we have CFS, we're more likely to use these devices rather than it being any kind of cause.
 

kurt

Senior Member
Messages
1,186
Location
USA
Actually this study proves that temporary reduced bloodflow to the brain does NOT cause CFS, because the controls also had that reduction but no CFS. The slower recovery of CFS patients must be an effect of having CFS and not causal, because normal healthy people who sit at a computer all day probably spend significantly more time with restricted bloodflow from EMF exposure. They are not spending hours resting each day.

Before CFS I worked for years in professions requiring heavy computer use. When I got sick I stopped sitting in front of a computer for more than an hour or two daily for the first few years. Most of my friends from that era are still working and still spending enormous hours daily in front of a computer, and to my knowledge I am the only one of that group with CFS.

But the slower recovery IS something interesting, that suggests to me that normal people recover from EMF exposure and we have a type of dysautonomia in that area. Maybe related to the pineal gland, or RBC problems? Those are the systems that logically are most sensitive to EMF. (pineal is magnetic and RBC contains iron) Or maybe due to some neurological problem, where a charge builds up.

My take on this is that while EMF is not likely causal, if we do not recover well from exposure we should probably limit computer use and EMF exposure to the minimum levels reasonable. And maybe there is something that can be done to help our brains adapt better, EMF blocking or use of magnets after computer use? Or using grounding strips during computer use.
 

Frickly

Senior Member
Messages
1,049
Location
Texas
I just realized the title on this article "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Caused by EMF from cell phones, games and computers? " Is a bit deceptive. Not my title, just copy and pasted from the article. I agree with Kurt, this research does not suggest that EMF causes CFS, rather it's effects, reduced blood flow, last longer for ME/CFS patients than the healthy controls. Therefore, if you have ME/CFS, it would be prudent to limit your time on computers and cell phones. As you can see....I am still on my computer.:Retro smile:
 

Robyn

Senior Member
Messages
180
I came down with this in 1995 and did not use cell phones or play video games. I was on computers at work but only a few hours during the day. I had no personal computer.
 

helsbells

Senior Member
Messages
302
Location
UK
They deffinately make me feel worse but I think that is for reasons that my own electrical field is weakened through ill health and therefore more suceptible to interference form other sources. I do know lots of people with quite marked EMF/electrical sens (as in no lighting or TV) as I go to an environmental hospital. That said occasionally I have met people who are sens to that only and don't have other issues if they can avoid them although the one I am thinking of still did develop it after being very porrly with a virus.
 

beesknees

Senior Member
Messages
117
Interesting idea. I wonder if the blood flow issue comes more from holding their arm up for 30 seconds than from the cell phone.
 
S

sunlady

Guest
I'm with you Mithriel, when I got ill in 1974 emf was a distant dream for scientists, not something you were exposed to in the ordinary course of life.
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
Interesting idea. I wonder if the blood flow issue comes more from holding their arm up for 30 seconds than from the cell phone.
Yes.

Similarly perhaps the mental effort of being on a computer might have caused the lack of recovery. They'd need a control method like reading a book for the same period. A lack of blood flow to the brain has been found following exercise studies (I'm not sure which studies but experts have mentioned it in talks).