What Have You

If you are a heavy cell phone (or cellphone) user, you might want to curb your addiction to cell phones especially if you’re using it mainly for calling and texting is only secondary.  Cell phone use is inevitable in modern societies, I admit.  We use them everyday to call the office, our loved ones, our friends, for emergencies, etcetera, etcetera.

However, modern gadgets like cell phones could pose some health risks.  Studies show that they could cause brain tumor/cancer.  Well, just think about the thousands of cell sites that need to be erected and made operational in your place, and the strength of magnetic fields they send radially outwards to connect one cell phone user and another.

According to Dr. Weil, they really don’t know yet if cell phones can really cause brain tumor/cancer but cellular phones are suspected of causing brain tumors because they generate an electromagnetic field. But the tumors can take many years, even decades, to develop, so it may be a while before experts understand the long-term effects of cell phones.

On one hand, two recent reports suggest there’s no need to worry. After comparing the cell-phone habits of more than 300 brain cancer patients with those of healthy people, Japanese researchers reported last February that they could find no link between the amount of time spent on the phone and the likelihood of developing the disease. And a 6-year study concluded last year by the United Kingdom’s Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme also found no correlation between short-term (less than 10 years) use of cell phones and brain cancer.

However, other researchers have come to the opposite conclusion. Swedish investigators determined in 2006 that you have a 240% greater risk of developing a malignant brain tumor on the side of the head on which you usually use the device. Other research suggests that using a cell phone for more than 10 years may double your risk of developing benign tumors called acoustic neuromas, as well as malignant brain and nervous system tumors called gliomas.

Fertility is another concern: A Cleveland Clinic study of 361 men (reported in Fertility and Sterility, February 2008) found that the longer they spent talking on a cell phone each day, the lower their sperm count and the greater their percentage of abnormal sperm.

Until we know more about the long-term safety of cell phones, I think it’s a good idea to use them with caution. I also recommend keeping the phone away from your body by using a headset or wireless earpiece. For your car, use a phone with a remote antenna outside the vehicle.

Now, to synthesize the two opposing views on the correlation between excessive cell phone use and brain tumor/cancer, bear in mind that cell phones can really pose threat to health.  You may call it bias but I’m inclined to believe the research that found out that there is a correlation between the variables in their study.  As they say, “it’s better safe than sorry”.  An ounce of prevention will always be a lot better than a pound of cure.  The duration of use before the effects can be felt may vary but this can not rule out the possibility that one of us could develop the dreaded condition.  Just regulate your use.  Use your cell phone only when needed.  Take the precautionary measures given above to safeguard your health.

I have also discussed some of the negative side effects of texting before.  If you are interested in reading the article, click here -> Negative Effects of Texting.  Also, if you want to know the news about the Philippine government’s stand on texting, click here -> Philippine Government Pushes for Free Texting.

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Tags: cancer, cell phone use, cell phones, health, nursing education, Nursing Research, Tumor

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