July 10, 2019

Nick Pineault: The Dangers of EMFs – Kyle Kingsbury Podcast

Check out the Kyle Kingsbury Podcast website

Key Takeaways

• The EMF safety standards don’t protect us
• Our exposure to microwave radiation from cell phones, Wi-Fi, and bluetooth has increased a quintillion fold (a billion billions) since the 1950s
• Tips to reduce your EMF exposure:
  • The greater the distance between a cell phone and your head, the less radiation is absorbed by the body
  • Unplug your Wi-Fi router at night or put it on a plug-in timer which sets it turn off when you go to bed and turn on when you wake up
  • Put your phone on airplane mode at night
    • At the very least, keep it as far away from you as possible when sleeping
  • Use wired headphones rather than bluetooth 
  • Connect your computer to an ethernet cable instead than Wi-Fi
  • Avoid using a laptop on your lap 
  • Never keep a phone in your pocket 
• Useful to know:
  • The closer you are to a Wi-Fi router, the more your sleep will be disrupted
  • Some people are more susceptible to the negative side effects of EMF exposure than others
  • Children absorb twice the radiation from devices than adults
  • When a phone doesn’t have service, it emits up to 1,000x the radiation

Products Mentioned

• Either unplug your Wi-Fi router at night or put it on a plug-in timer to go off when you go to bed and turn on when you wake up
• Use one of the specially designed phone cases which reduce EMF exposure – here are some repeatable brands:
  • DefenderShield
  • SafeSleeve
  • Pong
• If you prefer to work with your laptop on your lap, use a Belly Armor shielding blanket to separate yourself from your laptop 
• To measure the EMF levels in your home or office, Nick recommends the ENV RD-10 EMF reader
  • The CORNET ED-88T is a little more advanced/accurate

Intro

• Nick Pineault (Facebook, Website, YouTube) is an investigative health journalist and the author of The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs

What are EMFs?

• EMF is short for electromagnetic field (AKA radiation)
• EMFs are given off from cell phones, laptops, bluetooth headphones, Wi-Fi routers, and many other electronic devices and have been proven to be harmful to the human body

The EMF Safety Standards

• In a sense, we’re in a long-running experiment with the way people expose themselves to EMFs
• “When I dove into this topic, I realized the safety standards were so ridiculous”
• How are cell phones tested for the the level of EMFs they give off?
  • They’re tested on a mannequin head (equivalent to the head size of a 250 lb., 6’2″ man)
    • The temperature increase inside the brain is measured – this is then converted into a measurement known as the SAR (specific absorption rate)
  • Get this – 97% of all cell phone users have smaller heads than the mannequin used in testing
• The last time the safety standards for EMF exposure were updated was in 1996
  • (The SAR is supposed to be a maximum of 1.6 watts/kg)
• The greater the distance between a cell phone and your head, the less radiation is absorbed by the body
• To sum up – we need better safety standards

EMFs in the Household – Be Weary of Wi-Fi Routers (EMFs and Sleep)

• There are several studies that link a reduction in melatonin, an increase in adrenaline, and the activation of the fight-or-flight nervous system (which all hinder sleep) to EMF exposure from Wi-Fi routers
  • In simple terms – the closer you are to a Wi-Fi router, the more your sleep will be disrupted
    • In the future, Nick plans to use the Oura Ring (purchase a ring using our link for a $50 discount applied at checkout) to monitor difference in his sleep quality when sleeping close to/away from a router
  • Nick’s advice:
    • Either unplug your Wi-Fi router at night or put it on a plug-in timer which sets it turn off when you go to bed and turn on when you wake up
      • Even if your sleep improves 10-20% from unplugging your router at night, it’s worth it
• Cordless phones also give off EMFs
  • Nick has gone so far, when staying in hotels, to wrap them in tinfoil (which reduces the EMF levels given off)
• Absolutely put your phone on airplane mode at night
  • At the very least, put it as far away from you as possible when sleeping

What else can we do to mitigate damage from EMFs?

• Use wired headphones rather than bluetooth 
• Connect your computer to an ethernet cable rather than Wi-Fi
  • Many people report feeling “less exhausted” at the end of the day if they work on ethernet rather than Wi-Fi
• Use a corded landline instead of wireless
• Be weary of living/working near cell phone towers
• Use one of the specially designed phone cases which reduce EMF exposure – here are some repeatable brands:
  • DefenderShield
  • SafeSleeve
  • Pong
• Never keep a phone in your pocket 
• Avoid using a laptop on your lap 
  • 4 hours of laptop use has been shown to reduce sperm quality in men by 50% 
  • If you prefer to work with your laptop on your lap, use a Belly Armor shielding blanket to separate yourself from your laptop 

How do you know if EMFs are effecting you?

• At the very least, some level of oxidative stress is occurring from EMF exposure
  • And realize, ALL stress is stress to the body – whether it’s physical stress from over-training, stress from work, stress from alcohol consumption, or stress from poor nutrition, etc.
    • All the above leads to higher levels of inflammation and reactive oxygen species within the body – both of which can lead to disease
• Some people are more prone to negative side effects:
  • Particularly those under chronic stress or have chronic fatigue related conditions
  • Also those with fibromyalgia, ALS, Parkinson’s Disease, and other nervous system disorders
• Here’s how you can determine to what extent EMFs are effecting you:
  • Go camping for 3-7 days in a remote area and carefully monitor your anxiety levels, stress levels, sleep, and overall life optimism
    • If all the above improve, you might be on to something

How much of the burden is on the cell phone companies?

• One thing cell phone companies could do to reduce the EMF problem – put the antennas more towards the exterior of their phones and not directed at the human body
• “If users only demand speed and not health, the companies aren’t going to follow” – We need to ask companies to be accountable
  • Apple responded with night shift mode when users demanded it – that’s how it works
    • Once they have enough complaints, they’ll invest in innovation to create the necessary changes

Measuring EMF Levels

• Nick carries and recommends a ENV RD10 EMF reader
  • It gives you a good idea of the EMF levels in your home/office
  • The CORNET ED-88T is a little more advanced/accurate

Digging into the Science – Why are EMFs harmful?

• They tend to increase the amount of calcium that flows into our cells through our calcium channels (this is supposed to happen, but in much smaller quantities)
  • These channels are voltage-gated (and thus activated by EMFs)
  • This increase in intracellular calcium results in oxidative damage
• For more on the science of how EMFs affect the human body, check out Dr. Martin Pall’s videos on YouTube

Let’s Sum Up

• The EMF safety standards don’t protect us
• EMFs are affecting you whether you feel it or not
  • Some people are more sensitive than others

Additional Notes

• Paul Check has famously said – “Sooner or later your health will be your number one concern”
  • Don’t put it off
• Ben Greenfield, and many others of the biohacking/health community, wear blue light blocking glasses (use the code “PodcastNotes10” for 10% off at checkout)  at night to reduce the amount of blue light they’re exposed to
  • Blue light exposure in the evening can inhibit melatonin release
• Our exposure to microwave radiation from cell phones, Wi-Fi, and bluetooth has increased a quintillion fold (a billion billions) since the 1950s
• Children absorb twice the radiation from devices than adults
• When a phone doesn’t have service, it emits up to 1,000x the radiation
  • This causes the phone to heat up and the battery to change
• Xbox and Playstations emit radiation 24/7 even if they’re connected to an ethernet cable and even if they’re turned off
  • You have to unplug them
• Nick teaches an online curse on EMFs
• Kyle is very sensitive to nail polish – he’ll get a migraine immediately if he smells it
• France is banning cell phones in schools for kids up to age 17 to limit distractions, online bullying, and EMF exposure