For those sensitive to light bulbs (any type)

[Davsey27]

That is what I did. And the incandescent measured less than the LED light.


Perhaps this is why it registered so high? And perhaps this is why it bothers me so much. I don't know but my body can tell the difference.


I'm not sure how I subconsciously notice when my husband stays up to watch tv at night (in another room) requiring our wifi to be on and I am asleep. I also usually have to be dragged out of bed in the AM. Plenty of time for him to turn it off and pretend as he has tried. Each time he's been caught and admitted to forgetting.

I'm sorry you don't believe it to be true but I am sensitive to this. You can explain facts about it as much as you want. It doesn't change the fact that it bothers me. My Dr's are aware that this is an issue I'm dealing with. I wish it wasn't so because life is really inconvenient and frustrating having to deal with this. I get sick at other people's houses and at work because of this.

Since you are so educated about electricity could you tell me why you think this might be happening? I thought copper levels could be it but I had mine tested and they were in normal range. I wondered about calcium levels in cells and if that might have an effect. I know calcium levels affect the charges of cells. Other than that I'm not sure why this is happening, but there has to be some explanation...

@Kelly

Yes the emf thing is real. I'm sorry to hear you have gone through this.I too as well as others on here are sensitive.Some are sensitive and aware of it,while others are sensitive and may not be aware of its effects and others who may not be as sensitive to modern emf

Perhaps you can try phillips 250 watts infrared lights with a clamp.Turning the circuit breaker off at night can help .And I think its wise that you are measuring with a meter.Some people have resorted to only candles night.I do believe that if you have me/cfs and emf sensitvity,supporting recovery may be difficult without being mindful of the environment


Some things that may help are baking soda and
Himalayan salt baths as well as hips method on here
that you can search to make your own Epsom salt spray bottle.I used this to help me get through a flight
and think it was helpful.

I dont think we fully know the cause though there may be clues like heavy metals,calcium efflux,etc

I think for those who are sensitive it may be altering cell and mitochondrial functioning

Ultimately, i think humans have evolved and adapted to many things introduced by technology but this doesn't mean everyone adapts and there are some who have changed environments as a result

 

[PatJ]

hips method on here
that you can search to make your own Epsom salt spray bottle

Hip's post on that can be found here.

 

[Wishful]

• Researchers performing in vitro work have used electromagnetic fields to induce oxidative stress in living tissues, to study ion channels in cells, or merely to heat up tissues.
• People with no history of electromagnetic hypersensitivity have reported neurological disturbances after undergoing an MRI using the experimental 7T machines, which use electromagnetic fields that are much more powerful than current MRI machines.

That is completely beyond the levels of EMF that people claim to be sensitive to. A gigawatt laser is "EMF", and causes harm to human flesh, but that doesn't mean that typical moonlight is going to crisp your flesh. I'm not sure how many orders of magnitude the 7T fields are higher than the fields from house wiring, but it's a huge difference. Magnitude does make a difference. Some physical effects will simply not occur below a certain threshold of power level.

Some animal studies found a slight increase in tumors in some animals exposed to electromagnetic fields.

A slight increase in some, but not all, and I suppose other similar studies showed no increase? Maybe it's a real effect, but maybe it's bad science in some studies. Maybe not even bad science, but something simply overlooked, such as the EMF generator causing slight mechanical vibrations which stress the animals, leading to worse response against cancer.

In a broader sense, there are plenty of epidemiological studies over the years that have failed to find any strong correlation between electromagnetic fields and human disease.

To me that's stronger evidence than a theoretical effect based on in vitro studies using abnormal conditions. Theories and labwork are often only a partial simulation of reality. If EMF sensitivity had significant effects on human biology, it should show up in lab testing (but that's not 100% proof) but more importantly it should show up in large scale epidemiological studies, and as you point out, it hasn't.

That's something that annoys me about the 'magical energy flows' of some eastern medical systems: they might claim that science just doesn't know how to detect the energy, but they're also claiming that this energy has a strong effect on biological systems, yet scientists can't even detect those supposed effects under properly controlled conditions. They might claim that it shrinks tumours--and provide lots of anecdotal evidence--but if a tumour is measured before and after, somehow shrinkage isn't measurable. If there are powerful biological effects, those effects should be measurable.

 

[Pyrrhus]

I'm not sure how many orders of magnitude the 7T fields are higher than the fields from house wiring, but it's a huge difference. Magnitude does make a difference.

Yes, when talking about the impact of electromagnetic radiation on human tissue, you must always specify which frequency and which power output you are talking about. These two variables will determine whether there is an effect, and if so, how large the effect will be.

For example, microwave ovens generate electromagnetic radiation that quickly burns flesh at the frequency of 2.450 GHz and a power output of 800W.

But a typical WiFi router can also generate electromagnetic radiation at the same frequency of 2.450 GHz, but with a power output of only 1W.

 

[Booble]

I have huge light sensitivity to GLARE rather than direct light. For direct light, it's mostly going from dark to light and light to dark or if a room is very dark and there is an opening or small window with very light.

But glare off a glass, or through a glass of water, or off the TV or off the computer is my nemesis. I get those scintillating scotomas (auras) that last 20 minutes. I hate, hate, hate them!

 

[Wishful]

But a typical WiFi router can also generate electromagnetic radiation at the same frequency of 2.450 GHz, but with a power output of only 1W.

Actually, the legal limit seems to be 1/10ths of that: 100 mW. I'm not sure whether that's measured right at the antenna, or if it's the amplifier output, with the actual transmitted power being lower. The power level from a wifi unit in a house will be much lower at a distance, so while sitting at your computer, you would probably be exposed to several orders of magnitude less. I can't find a simple answer to 'what is the typical power level experienced in a house'. From my setup, I'm guessing that I'm exposed to somewhere around 10 nanowatts of wifi power. No, I'm not concerned about 10 nW, and I really don't believe that any human can reliably sense that level of EMF.

 

[Diwi9]

@Strawberry - This discussion turned to EMF's. To get back to your original question, I have serious problems with fluorescent lighting. I also have problems with any light, like LED, that throw off a lot of blue.

I noticed problems with fluorescents when as a child, before ME, but the sensitivity has increased since developing ME. I used to come home from school as a child telling my Mom that my head hurt from the lights. When I worked and had my own office, I always kept the overheads off and relied on an incandescent standing lamp and desk lamp.

Since developing ME, I developed problems with sunlight. In general, I have difficultly in any lighting situation when there is too much contrast (i.e. a very bright light in a dark setting). This problem extends to black text on a white screen or paper, or even just seeing a pattern on a carpet or clothing...it can be quite disorienting. This affects my reading comprehension as certain letters have a tendency to blur and lines squiggle.

While I'm unable to drive at this time, I have difficulty being in the car at night. Oncoming headlights are not just blinding to me when facing oncoming traffic; I'm left with an afterglow that keeps my vision occluded for a long time after I receive the flash of light. It's like having bright blind spots in my vision.

All of my electronic screens are turned low and I opt for a dark background as often as possible.

My ophthalmologist says my retinas look great, and so the issue is likely neurological...or as he put it, "deeper."

 

[Strawberry]

@Diwi9 Thank you for bringing this thread back around. Arguing makes me just walk away. This thread was never meant for starting an argument, I have another thread for that!

What started this thread was I decided to switch from CFL to LED 3 way lamps in my desk lamps. I’ve never been reactive to fluorescent or anything that I know of, but definitely am allergic to the sun. So after I switched all 3 lamps, I turned all onto high and enjoyed the bright light. Then got a headache. Was it a reaction? I don’t know, but since that day I turn to medium every day and haven’t had a problem. Still does not rule in or out if I have a problem with LED, I don’t have the nerve to try them on full since.

And also to justify this thread to others, when I bought the bulbs, the vendor literally said these lamps don’t cause migraines like the older LED. So apparently it was a problem that was known to the makers. It still might be for me, but I won’t know unless I turn all lamps to high. Which I am not wont to do.........

But it definitely was interesting to hear other’s issues, sorry this turned into such a bickering thread! I enjoyed all said, pro and con. So no hard feelings on my end!

 

[Diwi9]

I know there have been findings of subclinical ocular inflammation in post-Covid patients. It seems like everyone with ME has a bit of a different story, but my onset and relapse both included loss of taste and smell...so definitely some cross-over with sensory issues seen in Covid. So many symptoms related to ME are under-recognized and it's strange to me that the SEID criteria did not include neuro-sensory issues.

 

[Strawberry]

relapse both included loss of taste and smell...s

Ditto that. I was rail thin and couldn’t afford to lose weight, but food was nasty dry and tasteless. I wonder about that when I hear about covid loss of smell.

 

[Booble]

@Diwi9 , Interesting because I'm the reverse about contrast, except in the case of darkness and light in a room.
For reading in a book, magazine or computer, if there is not enough contrast my brain goes a little haywire and I get one of those migraine auras.