Are Cell Phones Safe? Q
uestions about how cell phones might impact our health have sparked significant controversy. The World Health Organization Interna- tional Agency for Research on Can- cer (IARC) has now classified radio frequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on an increased risk for glioma, a ma- lignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use. Caution was also urged in an article about cell phone safety published this past October in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine. It reported that cell phones that are switched on and carried in shirt or pants pockets can exceed U.S. Federal Communications Commission ex- posure guidelines, and also that adults and children absorb high levels of microwave
radiation from the phones. According to the paper, children are at greater risk than adults, absorbing up to triple the amount of microwave radiation in their brain’s hypothalamus (which links the nervous and endocrine systems) and hippocampus (vital for memory and spatial navigation) com- pared to adults. Absorption into their eyes was also greater, and as much as 10 times higher in their bone marrow than adults’. The IARC concludes that these findings call for cell phone certification consistent with the “as low as reasonably achievable” approach taken in setting standards for using radiological devices. “It is important that additional research be conducted into the long-term, heavy use of mobile phones,” says IARC Director Christopher Wild. “Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure [directly to the head], such as hands-free devices or texting.” Additional resource: Epidemiologist Devra Davis, Ph.D., reports on this topic in Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation.
healthbriefs
National Start! Walking Day
I
mproving overall health can be as simple as putting one foot in front of the other—
and April 6, National Start! Walking Day, is the ideal opportunity to begin a regular walking routine. American Heart Associa- tion (AHA) research shows that individu- als can gain about two hours of life for every hour engaged in regular, vigorous exercise—a two-for-one deal that’s hard to beat. Walking just 30 minutes per day, five days a week, can also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, pro- mote better sleep and assist in maintaining healthy body weight. Visit
StartWalkingNow.org for
resources to kick-start a heart-friendly regimen. The site offers links to local walking paths, heart-healthy recipes, an online progress tracker and an app that helps walkers find and create paths while traveling. To find walking buddies or start a walking club, visit AHA’s MyWalking-
Club.org.
Sweet Stuff Combats Infections
H
oney’s use as a
medicine on Sumerian
was described clay tablets
dating back 4,000 years, and ancient Egyptians made ointments of the sticky substance to treat wounds. Now, contem- porary scientists have shown that manuka honey, which comes from New Zealand, could be an efficient way to clear
12 Broward County, Florida
FtL.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
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