The invisible menace that’s threatening unborn babies

If you or someone you love is expecting a bundle of joy, you know that the world now revolves around whatever it takes to ensure that baby comes out healthy and happy.

That’s why a shocking new study from a team of researchers at Kaiser Permanente should be required reading for every mom-to-be and her family.

It turns out that exposure to a type of radiation — one we’re bombarded with daily — can more than double the risk of suffering a miscarriage.

And that’s not all.

According to the researchers, these daily exposures are having “adverse biological impacts on human health.”

That’s right, human health — in other words, not just babies.

All of us are at risk.

While it’s impossible at this point to avoid this invisible menace entirely, there still are some important steps you can take that will make your immediate environment far safer — especially if a baby’s on the way.

Don’t cut the cord
The bad news about the harmful effects of non-ionizing radiation, which we’re exposed to from Wi-Fi and lots of other sources (I’ll tell you more about that in a minute), just keeps on getting worse. (By contrast, ionizing radiation is the type that comes from sources such as X-rays and cancer treatments)

In a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, Kaiser Permanente researchers had over 900 pregnant women wear small monitoring devices designed to measure their exposure to this type of radiation.

The results, after just 24 hours, were shocking.

The women who were exposed to the lowest measured level of non-ionizing radiation had a miscarriage rate of slightly over 10 percent. While that may sound high, it’s considered to be well within the expected rate for lost pregnancies in the U.S.

But for the moms who were exposed to the highest levels of this kind of radiation, they tragically miscarried over 24 percent of the time.

What made this study particularly significant was that rather than looking at results such as potential cancer that might take years to develop, it measured the effects that took place within a relatively short period.

If you’re wondering where all this radiation is coming from, well, it’s all around you. For example: Wi-Fi routers, microwave ovens (when in use), cell towers, close proximity to power lines, and, of course, your trusty cellphone.

And while we keep hearing again and again that there’s no real evidence such low-level, constant exposure can harm you… and that the danger hasn’t been truly established yet… that’s nothing more than just a boondoggle to err on the side of industry.

Why, even the World Health Organization has listed this kind of radiation as a “possible carcinogen.”

And if it could possibly cause cancer, then it’s not a far leap to suggest that it might endanger an unborn baby.

If our federal health watchdogs aren’t going to wake up and smell the coffee (the chances of which are slim to none), we’re simply going to have to start taking matters into our own hands.

And some of the best ways to do that include:

• Ditching Wi-Fi whenever possible and plugging your computer directly into your modem, as we all did back in the early internet days! Anytime you can pick up a wireless connection on your phone, computer, or tablet, non-ionizing radiation is in your immediate environment.
• Not sleeping with your cellphone on your nightstand, under your pillow, or anywhere near your head.
• Using a headset or the speakerphone function as much as possible. The last place a cellphone should go is next to your brain!

And if you’re expecting, never rest that laptop or tablet on your tummy, and keep that cellphone as far away from your baby bump as possible.

Remember, whenever a cellphone is turned on, it’s emitting radiation. And the weaker the signal you have, the more radiation it’s sending out.

Another good way to lower your radiation exposure is to start making more phone calls on one of those antique devices from the dinosaur days called a landline. As an added bonus, you can actually hear a lot better on them — and they won’t drop your call!

“New Kaiser Permanente study provides evidence of health risks linked to electromagnetic field exposure” Kaiser Permanente, December 13, 2017, share.kaiserpermanente.org