I am allergic to modern living – and currently, there’s not much I can do about it. Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) are omni-present in everyday life. Everyone has a cell phone, and there are constantly wireless networks, televisions and computers all around.

In May 2006 a conference themed “The right for persons with the impairment Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Disorder (EHS) to live in a fully accessible society” was held in Stockholm, Sweden. A fully recognized functional impairment, EHS is completely attributed to how my body reacts to EMF exposure. European countries are taking measures to protect their people from harmful effects and also, to create environments where those who suffer can have the opportunity to function without EMFs altering their tissues on cellular and molecular levels.

There is a serious lack of knowledge in the United States regarding the effects of EMF radiation on health, and I blame the greed-based system. I’m quite literally sick and tired of being practice for doctors in our corrupt healthcare system. For the past six years, I have been burdened with debilitating health issues. At 17 I found out that I had a benign cyst on my left temporal lobe. At 18 it was extracted, and by 19 I was constantly in and out of the hospital, incapacitated by pain and nausea.

Strategies to facilitate the comfort of hypersensitive individuals are underway in Sweden, ranging from simply switching off assistive listening systems and high-frequency fluorescent lamps (and instead using ordinary light bulbs), to more comprehensive means, like replacing ordinary electricity cables with special cables, changing from an electric stove to gas, and applying special shelter coverings to walls, floors, rooftops and windows.

In a Swedish study, “symptoms of skin and nervous system dominated the picture.” The most frequent symptoms were: skin redness, eczema and sweating, loss of memory, concentration difficulties, sleep disturbances, dizziness, muscular and joint-related pain and weakness, headache, faintness, nose blockade, fatigue, tinnitus (phantom ear sounds), and some suffered from gastrointestinal symptoms. It has been inferred through scientific studies that EHS is a natural avoidance reaction to radiation – “just as you would do if you had been exposed to sun rays, x-rays, radioactivity, or chemical odors.”

“Mast cells, when activated, release a spectrum of mediators, among them histamine, which is involved in a variety of biological effects with clinical relevance. It is clear that EMF affect the mast cell.” Mast cells are found in heart tissue as well and interactions of EMF with the cardiac function have presented changes causing symptoms similar to a heart attack. I’m positive that I would be much more prosperous if EMFs weren’t penetrating my body (according to scientific evidence, at a depth of about 10cm.)

According to present international handicap laws and regulations, including UN22 Standard Rules, impairments are viewed “from the point of the environment. No human being is in itself impaired, there are instead shortcomings in the environment that cause the impairment.” Why do we lack awareness in the USA?

The medical and technological industries are booming. Prospective studies, standardization and continuous surveillance need to be initiated immediately, devoid of commercial interests, and completely independent with a prime focus of public well-being.

As the shock of my brain anomaly passed, I wondered what would’ve been had I not had brain surgery. Less than half a decade later, there are much less invasive processes to eradicate symptoms caused by brain cysts. Furthermore, I wonder if negligent use of my cell phone could be to blame.

I’ve had a personal cell phone since I was 13. When I was 15, my boyfriend and I started sleeping on the phone with each other. I would place the charging phone on my bed, to the left of my pillow. We did this frequently for the next few years, with no true concern of EMF radiation. Reports of links between cell phones and cancer were basically a joke to me and my peers.

Throughout the years I have felt demeaned and guilty because of shortcomings directly related to EHS. I have had to make tremendous sacrifices and lifestyle changes in order to have the quality of life that I struggle to achieve. Every day is an exhausting battle.