Can Cellphones Really Give You Cancer?

By Al Sears, MD
"The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat." - Albert Einstein

Some people think Senator Kennedy’s cellphone caused it.

He was diagnosed last year [May 2008] with a malignant “glioma,” a kind of brain cancer specifically considered a risk for cellphone users.

Should you be worried?

The truth is, cellphones have not been around long enough to give us the kind of long-term studies we really need to know for sure.

And the research is conflicting. Some studies show no increased risk. So I’m not ready to tell my readers and patients that cellphones definitely cause cancer. The FDA says, “The available scientific evidence does not show that any health problems are associated with using wireless phones.” But they then add, “There is no proof, however, that wireless phones are absolutely safe.”

Some of the most up-to-date research suggests that there is some cause for concern. Here’s what I know:

• Researchers in Israel found last year that people who used cellphones heavily experienced a 58 percent increase in “parotid tumors” – a cancer of the saliva gland near the ear.
• Another study last year, this one out of Sweden, concluded that cellphone users are 10 times more likely to develop benign cancers of the ear and brain.
• Several animal studies have found that the kind of radiation cellphones use can damage DNA in brain cells. Damaged DNA is one of the things that can turn healthy cells into cancer cells.

Cellphones use microwaves called “radio frequency radiation” (RF) to transmit signals. Their antennae emit most of the RF, and since you’re holding the phone right next to your ear most of the time, a lot of it penetrates the brain – as much as 60 percent, according to some studies.

Depending on the size of your head and the amount of radiation coming from the specific type of phone you use, you may be literally “cooking” your brain. RF energy can potentially cause the temperature of your brain tissue to rise slightly.

To protect yourself from any potential risk from cellphone RF, here are a few guidelines:

• Keep cellphone calls short.
• Go with a “hands-free” headset or a speakerphone. These keep the cellphone from direct contact with your head.
• Don’t carry your cellphone in your chest or hip pocket. Even when in “standby” mode, cellphones continue to emit radiation, exposing whichever part of your body is closest.
• When using a hands-free headset, let the wire extend fully between your head and the phone. This distributes RF in small amounts along the length of your body rather than concentrating it in any one location.
• Look for a phone with “voice-activated” features. These enable you to place calls and perform other commands without having to hold the phone close to your head.
• Use a standard “land line” whenever possible.
• Find out the level of RF emissions for your cellphone. If the level is high, replace the phone.

Cellphones come with emissions ratings known as “SARs” (specific absorption rates). These range from 0.5 to 1.6 W/kg (watts of power absorbed per kilogram of body tissue). Avoid any cellphone that falls within range of that upper limit.

The FDA provides SAR ratings for most kinds of cellphones and other wireless devices online. You’ll need to locate your cellphone’s FCC ID number, which is usually located somewhere on the case of the phone or in the battery compartment.

Meanwhile, my Wellness Research team’s tracked down the SAR ratings for some commonly used cellphones:

Make/model	sar rating
Alcatel OT-256	0.59
Apple iPhone	0.974
Blackberry 8100 Pearl	1.52
Kyocera KX1 (SoHo)	0.99
LG Prada	1.29
Nokia 2300	1.27
Nokia 2650	0.54
Palm Treo 600	1.43
Palm Treo 650 CDMA	1.5
Samsung PM-A840	1.29
Samsung SPH-A900	0.92
Sanyo M1	1.22
Sanyo SCP-5400	1.16
Sharp GX20	0.7
Sony Ericsson A1228C	1.34
Sony Ericsson K600i	0.5
Sprint PM 8912	1.27
T-Mobile Dash	1.34

Don’t wait for proof positive that cellphone use can harm you. Using my guidelines, take steps right now to protect yourself.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor’s Heart Cure. He is also a nutrition expert, a fitness expert, and is board certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine.]

Help Yourself by Putting Your Customers First

By Paul Lawrence

An insurance agent named Tolbert had a remarkable ability to sell insurance. He’d been trained to sell people the most insurance that he could and he did it well, according to Stedman Graham in his book Build Your Own Life Brand. But although Tolbert was very successful, he was not happy.

Deep in his heart, he didn’t feel right about pushing people to buy more insurance than they probably needed. So, he changed his ways and started telling prospects the truth. If they asked him about policies they didn’t really need, he told them why he didn’t recommend them – even if it cost him a larger commission.

Then something happened that Tolbert hadn’t anticipated. His income didn’t drop. In fact, it shot way up. Turns out his clients had learned to trust him so much that they not only took all their insurance business to him, they enthusiastically recommended him to their friends and relatives.

I’m not surprised. I’ve found that whenever I’ve truthfully told a customer that the product he was interested in really wasn’t right for someone in his particular situation, I may have lost that sale… but almost always ended up gaining a long-term customer who bought many more of my products down the road.

Certain people skills are a crucial factor for success in business – and putting the needs of your customers first is one of them. You’ll find that your own interests will get served in the process.

[Ed. Note: Selling is not about making money - it's about solving your customers' problems.
Paul Lawrence is a produced screenwriter and successful small-business entrepreneur specializing in low-capital business start-ups.]

It's Fun to Know: The Coldest Cold

Think it's cold outside? Well, it could be a lot colder.

Theoretically, absolute zero - zero on the Kelvin scale - is the lowest possible temperature. It is the point at which the atoms in a substance are completely at rest, transmitting no thermal energy. Zero on the Kelvin scale is the equivalent of minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 273.15 degrees Centigrade.

Word to the Wise: Exilic

"Exilic" (eg-ZIL-ik) - from the Latin for "wanderer" - pertains to exile or banishment. It can describe people who have been forcibly removed from their native country, as well as those who have voluntarily chosen to live someplace else.

Example (as used by Joseph O'Neill in The Atlantic): "[James Joyce and Samuel Beckett] were glamorously exilic, highly photogenic, eminently stern of artistic purpose."
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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2536, 12-11-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.