Protecting Ourselves Against Electronic Pollution

The other night I asked my husband if we had an old transistor radio in the house that I could use. He gave me an odd look, but he said he'd dig it out for me. While I am still waiting for it to turn up, I intend to use it to find out if my family is being zapped. According to best-selling health author Ann Louis Gittleman, a transistor radio is a cheap and easy way to determine what electromagnetic forces are polluting my home.

Gittleman's newly released book, ZAPPED: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution, which explores the latest research on the hazards of electronic pollution, is a wake up call for our modern world. It made me ask the questions: how much exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) is my family exposed to on a 24/7 basis right here in my home? And what is it doing to us?

Before reading the book, I had already cut down my cell phone use, but I didn't think my cordless telephones in my home and their chargers were nearly as bad. Nor did I suspect that the convenient dimmer switches my darling husband installed throughout much of our home are a major source of what Gittleman calls dirty electricity--high-frequency waves that pollute 60 Hz electrical system and create very large electromagnetic fields.

The conveniences of wireless technology has come at break neck speed, but could all those gadgets that we've come to rely on be causing harm to our bodies?  According to Gittleman: "You may not be able to see electro pollution, but your body responds to it as though it were a cloud of toxic chemicals. Electro pollution is continually disturbing your sympathetic nervous system."

Having two young children makes this discovery even more alarming, considering that children's developing brains and organs are even more vulnerable to EMFs than adults.

While electronic pollution is cause for concern, Gittleman offers a practical approach to combating electro-toxicity and neutralizing its effect on our bodies, from moving furniture away from EMF sources and limiting cell phone use to taking nutritional supplements and eating specific health foods.

As a disclosure, I was asked by Gittleman's rep to review her book and I gladly said yes after already reading reports about the potential dangers of cell phone use.  Considering that wireless technology has expanded into every aspect of our lives in just the last 15 years and we are now bathed in EMFs on a 24/7 basis, I wanted to know more about its impact on my health and the ones I love. I would definitely recommend this book. It's an eye opener!

An Apple A Day For Better Gut Health

Nothing says fall has arrived like the abundance of apples and cider.  While we all know apples are good for us, new research has found that eating them regularly may increase certain friendly bacteria in the gut.

Microbiologists from the National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark found this to be true in rats who ate a diet high in dietary fiber found in apples, called pectin.

"It seems that when apples are eaten regularly and over a prolonged period of time, these bacteria help produce short-chain fatty acids that provide ideal pH conditions for ensuring a beneficial balance of microorganisms," said co-researcher Andrea Wilcks. "They also produce a chemical called butyrate, which is an important fuel for the cells of the intestinal wall."

Because healthier intestinal tract translates into a stronger immunity, it makes sense why an apple a day keeps the doctor away.