There are many things not in our control. (Our environment, for example.) Often these things bring out the child in us and spark the same feelings we had when we truly had no control over what happened to us. Today, our anxieties and sense of helplessness can make us think we have no power over our situation. Not so.
This week, my husband, Frank, had a heart pacemaker implanted (two wires rooted in his heart sending electrical impulses every third beat, which was missing before surgery.) He came home a day later, feeling bruised, but clearer in mind and stronger in body. Along with him came a heart monitor designed to do just that, record his heart beats and email them to his doctor’s office during the night, while he (and I) sleep. Easy, yes?
The first time we plugged it in, lights and beeps went off like fireworks. What’s worse, something happened in my body, far beyond any startle response. It was pressure, unfamiliar and uncomfortable, a vibration starting in my chest and moving down my arms and legs. Oppressive, red in color, the feeling made me want to run out of the room. This monitor, this gift for him was not going to work for me. I was about five years old now, knowing it was me against him, my health or his, the end of our sleeping in our comfy bedroom together, and the beginning of the end. This was the monitor that would break our marriage.
My feelings of loss and helplessness grew as the day went on, and soon we were enemies, entrenched in our fears. I called the monitor’s manufacturer and asked some vague questions about how the thing worked. Frank had already read the 40 page manual that came with it. I didn’t have the patience for that and needed to speak to someone who knew something. I learned we could expect the monitor to take about 10 to 15 minutes to hook up with my husband’s pacemaker (beeping and lights until then.) It would emit radio waves 12 to 18 feet into the room reading my husband’s pacemaker’s chip all night while he (and I) sleep. I called my doctor’s office to ask if such a thing was OK for me, how it would effect my adrenals, my circadian rhythms, my autoimmunity. (No call back yet.)
I went on line the rest of the day researching electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and the effect of the shorter wave radio emissions on human cells. This is a controversial topic (as is the effects of heavy metal toxicity on the body) with the mainstream wisdom holding with a resounding “no problem” for the past 30 years. Recent research raises more questions than answers, especially in light of what we are learning about chronic diseases and the increase in hours human beings are exposed to EMFs; in the home, outside, at work, and now at night. Dr. Mercola has an excellent site for advocates of their own health, and has archived articles on the effects of cellphones, wifi, and electrical towers http://search.mercola.com/results.aspx?q=radio%20waves%20and%20cells. Earthcalm has a great introduction to EMFs and autoimmunityhttp://www.earthcalm.com/do-you-have-an-immune-system-disorder.
The best news is that there are numerous products, with anecdotal research and others with trials to back them, for neutralizing the effects of EMFs on our bodies, or simply to protect us. Here are a few: http://www.earthcalm.com/emf-protection-products/#, http://www.safespaceprotection.com/products/emf-protection-home-office-safespace_ii.aspx, http://emfblues.com/emf-devices/.
Frank and I are back inside our adult selves, thank goodness. We are waiting for his next meeting with the doctor to find out the worst case scenario for eliminating the monitor, or in compromise, the minimum number of nights the doctor needs to gather information from his pacemaker (with me in another room.) But the monitor and EMFs are no longer threatening our marriage. Just one more reminder that it’s not what happens to us that makes us feel helpless, but how we respond. Our responses to events and circumstances have and always have been within our power.
Thank you for reading my adventure. Dig in for yourself to see how you can reduce your exposure to EMFs. Limit electrical appliances and gadgets in your bed room for more restful sleeping. Be sure you spend time outside, walking near trees and bushes each day, breathing. Be gentle on yourself and I will, too.