Cell Phones and Brain Cancer

I'm sure you guys heard that there may be some link between cell phone usage and brain cancer. Of course there are critics saying, "It ain't so!" Dr. Oz (www.doctoroz.com) covered the topic today on his show. There are new studies that say it really could be so. According to higher quality studies of a duration of 10 years or more, using a cell phone or any cordless phone extensively can raise your chance of developing brain cancer by 30%.

One of the common questions by critics is, if it's so, why don't more people have brain cancer. Dr. Oz said the answer is, because brain cancer can take up to 40 years to show up on a CT scan. So, if you begin using a cell phone quite a lot when you're 15, you have a 30% chance of developing brain cancer by the time you're 55 (or sooner if it's aggressive and shows up sooner). If you are an occasional user, you don't have to worry much, but if you're someone who needs to have the cell phone surgically removed from your hear, you might want to heed the warning, according to Dr. Oz and the researchers.

None of us are going to give up our cell phones, so here are some tips to help reduce your risk of cancer:

1. Carry your phone in a purse, not a pocket. Anytime your phone is on, it's transmitting radioactive waves which go thru your body. If you carry your phone in a pocket, you are exposing your organs and bone marrow to these radioactive waves, increasing your chance of cancer or other health problems in these areas.

2. Use the speaker on the phone and hold the phone arm's length from you to reduce your exposure to the waves. The closer the phone is to you, the more exposure you get.

3. If you use a headset, use a WIRED one, not a wireless one. Again the wireless one is transmitting radioactive waves (not as much as your phone does, but enough to matter). If you use a wireless one, take it off after each use and put it in your purse. (I'm guessing no one really wants to do that though. It kind of defeats the purpose of going wireless, doesn't it?)

4. Avoid using your cell phone in areas where you get low signals, like elevators. The phone transmits stronger waves when there's a low signal, so you're exposed to more radioactive material at that time.

5. Limit your use of cell phones. And limit your children's use of cell phones.

6. If you must carry your phone on your body, turn it off until you need to make a call. (Of course then you can't receive your calls.)

There's a push now to get warning labels for phones like there are on packs of cigarettes. I don't use my cell phone much, just for emergencies or when travelling. I do carry mine on my waistband during my morning walks each day in case I need it. But now I'm wondering where else I could carry it. I don't carry a purse on my morning walks as I like to "travel light". I wonder if just an hour or two a day of exposure could harm my organs? I want it within easy reach should I need it. Turning it off is not option since it takes a while for the phone to power on. I guess at least I don't have to worry too much about brain cancer.

After reading this post (or doing your own research), will you change your use of cell phones?

NancyAnn