EMF Detox and Tech Wellness, with August Brice

If you have a genetic tendency towards hypertension, high blood pressure, if you use the cell phone to talk. This was all self reported over five years, a 12% increase in high blood pressure.

If you want to live like you matter, ditch the pills, look great and feel freaking amazing. You're in the right place. I'm Dr. Wendy Trubo.

And I'm Dr. Ed Levitan. Welcome to the Feel Freaking Amazing podcast.

Where we empower you to live a vibrant and healthy life by optimizing your structural, chemical, emotional, social and spiritual lives.

Hold on to your hats.

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Feel Freaking Amazing five Journeys health podcast. I'm Wendy Trubo, my host is Ed Levitan and we have a really special guest today. Her name is August Bryce. She is the founder of Tech Wellness EMF and and Digital Wellness expert, award winning journalist, EMF instructor at the Digital Wellness Institute. And her passion is to bring mindfulness and balance to our relationship with technology. Because I think all of us can agree we are on a runaway train with no brakes. So, August, welcome. We're really excited that you're here, especially in the theme of detoxing your life and detoxing from social media and detoxing from technology. So thank you.

I hope we're not detoxing from zoom.

We're not detoxing from podcasts.

There are things that we just have to do right? And this is one of the great benefits of technology. First of all, thank you so much for having me, you guys. It's such a thrill to be with you and I do love that your theme is about toxins as well, because that's just one. It's just one toxin that we're overlooking, I think.

Yeah, we don't talk about this enough, Bruno.

We don't talk about it.

So what is tech wellness? Because I don't think that's a word that's really out there.

Yeah, that's such a good way to put it. Because what is tech wellness? It's about being well with our technology because like we said a minute ago, it's a runaway train. It's not going anywhere. We're all jumping on, so let's jump on in the healthiest manner possible. So basically it's a platform of information. I have wonderful experts that basically help me with everything that I post. They look at it, they read it, they make sure that we're on track, it's science backed and we have solutions in the form of things like this, talking podcasts and products that can help you be empowered to live safer and healthier with technology. And there's so many benefits of living well with technology for your mind, your body, your spirit, and your safety. Because if we don't have those things, then we can go towards being unwell. And that just for everyone who isn't well right now, because I know you have a lot of people that really just have their health in mind when they're listening to your podcast. Addressing all of these things will help you in your health journey.

So what are things that you consider to be toxins in the realm of technology?

I love that because so many people are becoming aware, right, of the chemicals in our food and the toxins in our environment. So the tech toxins start with pulsating light. Now, pulsating light can really affect your neurology. And then blue light. And we know the effects of blue light affect our sleep and our metabolism and so many other body functions. EMF. So EMFs are the electromagnetic fields, the invisible energy that come from everything, wireless, emotional. And then we have to be concerned about privacy issues and cybersecurity issues, because nothing feels more toxic than having someone know everywhere you're going or stealing your identity. So those are what I call the tech toxins.

Can we talk more about EMFs? Because I remember, I have to tell you, August, when I was pregnant with our first child, I mean, I was pretty sick and didn't know it. I had celiac. Except what's crazy is we lived in a house that was really close to these towers. And I didn't sleep in that pregnancy. And the only thing I could come down to was that it was some weird EMF thing that I was reacting to these radio towers. I couldn't figure out anything else because I slept in my second pregnancy, but I was downright nuts by the end of the first one because I didn't sleep for. Well, I didn't have a full term pregnancy. So that was kind of helpful. She was a preemie. But, you know, it was really. I didn't sleep and it was awful.

So your cell phone towers, you were near cell phone towers?

Radio cell towers?

Sure, radio cell towers. That's, you know, a cell phone makes the connection from the tower to the phone or the WiFi or your Bluetooth device. So that's the main. That's the mothership. That's the main source. And so that source being close to it, of course, you were probably getting exposed to so much more than most of us. But one of the number one symptoms of what we call emf, hypersensitivity syndrome. Those are people who can feel the energy. And usually you can feel the energy when maybe you have an autoimmune issue, maybe you have chemical sensitivities because the two run together. So perhaps you were feeling it because one of the number one symptoms is anxiety and insomnia. So insomnia is number one, but also anxiety from what you were talking about. Right.

He always jokes that this podcast is not about me, and yet we always wind up to, like, every issue I have is something we end up talking about. Because it's an issue that a lot of people.

Yeah, and they're common symptoms from sensitivity, things that you. That might run in other things that, you know, other illnesses, but they're things like numbness, tingling heart palpitations, high blood pressure. In fact, a research study just came out last week done In Europe, over 300,000 people participated in that study. And they found out that especially if you have a genetic tendency towards hypertension, high blood pressure, there's a 12% increase. And the first time you get it, the first time you start talking about having high blood pressure, if you use the cell phone to talk, they only study talking and receiving and sending calls. They didn't talk about gaming, they didn't talk about scrolling, just these things in particular. This was all self reported over five years, a 12% increase in high blood pressure.

So is there a theory of how that works?

Oh, wow. Yeah, there are a few things. We don't know exactly all the different ways that this invisible radiation affects this. But we do know from several studies highlighted by Martin Paul, that studies that were done way before he looked at them and put them all together, they all said the same thing. Cell dysregulation. Funny. Not cell phone, but cell. Our cell. Our cells in our body dysregulate from, of course, the electrical charge, because we're electrical beings. And they don't open and close the way that they should. And so that leads to a cascade of oxidative stress. So we know that for absolutely sure. But we also know that men who carry a cell phone in their pocket will be much more likely to have fertility issues. We know for sure from a huge study from our government that it's exposure from cell phone radiation that was just nine hours a day. And the study said, the FDA said it's fine because, oh my gosh, no one is exposed more than nine hours a day. But really, I don't know, we were talking about this runaway train. It usually comes with a lot of time online. But they found that There were heart tumors and heart cancers in the rats that were exposed to cell phone radiation for nine hours a day. That's a big deal. We've got cancer, infertility. And this is interesting, Wendy, that you talked about being pregnant, because Hugh Taylor, who runs the OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences Department at Yale, he found out, he exposed all these pregnant mice to a cell phone, put it in their cage, and just during the term of their pregnancy when those little mice babies were born, they showed what looked like ADHD behavior, and their brains were different than the mice that were not exposed at all. So we know these things. And to answer your question, this is terrifying, August. It is. Especially if you're trying to heal from any of the states of disease that you talk about. It's like all the toxins you talk about. Right, Wendy? Right, right.

Well, I hate to ask, but I'm going to ask anyways.

Oh, go ahead. Be a buzzkill.

What generation phone did they use?

And that's such a good question because they were at least two GS behind. They used 3G technology.

How much more is the 5G? And it's a whole different logarithmic difference.

Exactly. It's a. It's a way higher. Well, it's EMF is kind of complicated, really, because it's different spectrum. It's different sets of spectrums of the big electromagnetic spectrum. And that 5G accesses a new wave that we're only exposed to when we walk through those airport security, you know, shells that we have to go through, that I don't go through, I pat down. But that's called the millimeter wave, and that's part of 5G. And another part of 5G is that they're just, if you haven't noticed, more antennas everywhere. So we're all being exposed to probably a heck of a lot more than just a cell phone.

Ignorance is bliss, August. I have to say this conversation is horrifying. I never thought about walking through or not walking through in the airport, but that makes sense, especially traveling. What. Where are you going on this?

I have to.

Do you have to take your phone out of your pocket?

Well, I have to admit something here because so I have here, people that are listening won't be able to see. But I had a conference. I had somebody put one of these little things on and they did a muscle test before and after. And the muscle test actually made a big difference when this was on. When it's a little tag for the people who can't see a little.

It's like a sticker.

Sticker, basically. Yeah, it's, it's.

I mean, as a kid I would have bought it, right? I was totally into stickers. I would have bought a sparkly sticker like that.

So do these things. And there's like a lot of things out there. And I have my little, my phone case, which I know says it's blocks part of it, but it doesn't really because it goes around. So what works? What doesn't work is this. All BS like crystals.

I love that you bring all that up because the stickers. So I started having sensitivity 30 years ago and before anybody was talking about it or thinking about it, I was, because I could feel it. And about 20 years ago, onto the market came these stickers that harmonized the wave. And I bought them and I tried them and I thought maybe it was working. But meanwhile, a doctor did a big study where he had people try all these different things. The bracelets, the necklaces, the chips. And by the way, the research on all of these products is very weak. If they're at all. They're usually one person like you that said, hey, I muscle tested better. Okay, well that doesn't get a drug passed, right? So we know that we need to see a really, and I can't wait for it, a wonderful study showing you something that actually does work. Like some globe that you put in the middle of the room or Shungite that you put in the middle of the room or the crystal or something on your phone. But right now, if you just think about it, it's doing nothing to stop the wave. And as far as harmonizing it, how long could it harmonize it? When would the two waves change in texture? We don't know, do we? We're not sure. And then also I know you guys really are into research and studying about health and we know placebo is amazingly, wildly effective. And there are, there is a new company that's starting to study these things with, with, you know, using the, the aura photography. And I don't know, maybe someday we'll say that that's a valid research tool, but right now I don't think that it is. And then when I do see those studies that oh, the aura got so much better when they put the sticker on, then I think, well, what about standing outside and grounding? What about thinking happy thoughts? What about taking a deep breath? I mean, all the things that we know really support our immune system and support our well being. But right now all these things, all these chips are in no Way proven in Europe. You have to back your advertising claims. And so we don't really see these chips advertised. And so that's another clue. And then also because I can feel the effects, I can tell you personally, they didn't help me, I'd be selling them if they did. I want everyone to have one. And now your phone case. And you said it, you said, hey, it's partially covered. We call that partial shielding. And people put blankets on. They put the belly bands on when they're pregnant. Some people like to wear hats. One thing to know is that where that hat is, the absolute, you know, area that it's protected, it's. You're protected. Those hats, those shields, they actually do block emf. Any magnetic, any metallic surface will block the wireless energy. However it reflects, it doesn't go away. It bounces. And when it bounces, it can go anywhere. It bounces off metal corners in the room. It can bounce off metal knobs. We just don't know. We can't control it. Many times we're exposing others or even ourselves to much more radiation on places that are not covered. That's a problem. Like you said, it's coming out. And we know for sure this is just physics, that when you try to stop an antenna and cover it up and its job is to connect, what's it going to do? It's going to work harder, meaning it's going to send out more energy. And when it sends out more energy, it's sending out more emf. So you are many, many times getting way, a way higher dose of the EMF at the source of the opening.

So is it hopeless?

No. You know why? Because you can get away from that phone. Do know that if you that your phone in the. It's called the near field of the wavelength. And just being a foot and a half away from your phone, you've decreased your exposure by 10 times.

Wow.

Yeah, See that? Did you. That's nice, right? To know that just getting away from the source. And so I know you're probably holding your phone, it's in your pocket as much as possible. Take that phone out, put it a couple feet away. Use your headset like you've got on now. Tap the phone, make a phone call. You are so much safer than if you're holding it. You know, all of our manuals now tell us that in order to even meet the really generous safety standards of our government, which, that's a whole nother story, but it's called standard absorption rate. It's just SAR is What you've seen it called, and I'm sure that many listeners have seen that term sar. But even to meet those standards, every single phone says be at least 5 millimeters away. Sometimes they say 15, and that means don't ever touch it. What's that about?

One of the things that we recently implemented was turning off WI fi at night. And I don't know if I particularly noticed a difference, but I know it's good for you.

It's so good just not to have. Now, the way it works is I love my WI FI switch. Every. This is what I want every family to have is just what you said, a way to turn off the WI fi without getting close to that invisible energy. Because the invisible energy, if you think of it like a fire or a cigarette, it's most. It's dense right at the source. So wherever those antennas are, that's where the flame is, or that's where it's happening. And then it dissipates as you get further away. So even getting 25ft away from your WI fi is so important. So wherever the WI fi is in the house, speaking of more things we can do for the kids, get it away from where they hang out. Put it as far away in the garage as possible. WIFIs are so powerful now. We don't need to have them under our desks or in someone's room. Think of them as what they are, very powerful EMF generating devices. And so when you turn them off, you don't want to touch them. You want to have them plugged into an outlet and be as far away as possible and just use a remote.

I think you put it on a timer. Right. Just goes off. It goes off automatically. And it comes on. Does it come on automatically? This was like your thing. So I don't really have a lot of awareness of it happened magically.

What a good guy. What a good guy.

Leprechaun. Leprechaun.

Just. You're a good guy.

It's so important. Yeah. Some people like the timer because they have. It regulates, you know, and they can. They know exactly when it's coming on and off. Other people like to turn it off during the day. People that have young children find that their children nap better when the WI fi is off. So kids go down for a nap, turn off the WI fi.

Our kids, we have four kids, and they're older, and if we turn it off, we're going to be hearing about it.

Mayhem. August, there will be mayhem.

And they can't do their homework and they can't do it in this day and age, during the day. I mean, they're not even home when.

You turn it off when they're not home. But when they're home, they're doing their work. And that, that would, they would go nuts. They go ballistic.

Sure. To be off the Internet, but to be off WI fi and hardwired. Have you guys considered going back in time and hardwiring?

Yeah, we'd have to hardwire our house. That's the problem. And some places are hardwired, but not every.

No, but I think that's a great thing for people who are, especially people who are in construction and looking at that, to make sure that you build in hard wiring and try to future proof it as much as possible so that you have that ability to get off WI fi and connect directly so that it goes through the wires instead of wireless. That's great.

It's so great. Oh, I just love living in my wired home. I just, you know, the only thing that I would wish more is to have more outlets. We have, we have a WI fi kit that wires up your WI fi and then you can operate just from 1 wi fi 8 different items at a time. But if you, if the outlets were everywhere in your home on a new build, you could just plug them in and not have to have so many wires running through the house, which to me say health and well being, but to my husband says too many wires.

Well, the other problem with that is these days telephones and iPads don't have any. Can't be hardwired.

Oh, no, no. I hardwire my phone and I have these great dongle adapters that plug into the Lightning Source or the Thunderbolts that go into Androids and most iPads. And just like you hardwire your laptop, you can hardwire your phone and your computer and do everything with it except make a regular phone call. But because I'm such a privacy net, I love signal and I can phone call. I can connect and chat and quote, unquote, facetime with signal using my phone while it's wired.

Interesting. I did not know that. That's really cool.

That is really cool.

Because part of my challenge is I'm on call for our practice and I can't actually turn off my phone at night. But if I hardwire it, that's a very different story.

Actually, you can't get a phone call. You can, but for some reason Apple, you know, doesn't program it that way. You can get. If you've got, you know, you could Forward it to an app. Your phone forward to an app that would tell you you could use. Like we use Vonage. We have voiceover Internet protocol, which seems like the phone's ringing. So there are workarounds and that's one of them. So, yeah, you can do it. But as far as just getting an AT&T phone call or a Verizon call, that's the one thing you can't do when your phone is hardwired. I just want to make sure people know that so that they don't buy them and call you or me.

I think this is fascinating, August. I like this. So if we take a step back and we say, okay, we're all being bombarded, it's another form of the toxic waterfall that we're standing under and death by a thousand cuts. So you're never going to be free of tech toxins. What would be the top three things that you would say or recommend people do right now to start having more balance in their technology, exposure and life?

I love that. Well, you can kill two birds with one stone. When you turn off that WI fi because you're blocking, you're not getting the EMF exposure. But remember, also turn off your devices, turn them off, put them away, put them on airplane mode. At the very least, turn down that screen color so you won't be exposed to blue light while you sleep. Just these little fixes can help so much to feeling better. Put the amber glasses on at night to block the blue light. And then when you do not use the WI fi and your phone's not on, you're not being tracked because your location can't be seen, your photos can't be accessed, you can't be hacked. Those are other things. We talk a lot about privacy and cybersecurity at Tech Wellness, like the air tags. I think one of the things that people ask me most about or find out and are shocked about is the EMF radiation coming from airtags and the fact that they're constantly on and the fact that you don't know if one's around you. You have to go into your app and search for those air tags really on a daily basis to make sure that no one put one on your car or in your bag. So they're a huge, huge tech toxin. So anyway, and then use a wired headset whenever possible. Put your phone on speakerphone and get as far from it as you speak on speakerphone as possible. Just knowing that in that foot and a half radius, if you get out of that radi you're getting 10 times less exposure. Right? And here's my final. When you're not using Bluetooth on your phone, turn it off. When you're not using WI fi on your phone, disable it. You're avoiding at least two antennas if you do it that way.

So where can people find more information? Because where can people find you? Yeah.

Techwellness.com we have over 250 articles right now. We have video, about 100 videos that help people through this journey to put tech in perspective. Show you how to do a digital detox, which is basically just being away from your phone, even for 15 minutes a day, and your devices. And then we have tech wellness on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and, and I love to give little bite sized pieces of information on a daily basis. So every day there's something new and that you can hopefully incorporate into your life. And if you can't do it that day, then you come back the next day.

That's great. August, I love, I love what an expert you are at this and I'm very grateful that you've boiled it down to actionable items people can take because it's, you know, everyone listening. Do what she says. This is, this is for your health. So. All right. So August, thank you for being here. Our guest for the listeners. Our guest is August Bryce, the founder of TechWellness.com you can find her there. We'll put everything in the show notes. And thank you all for listening to another episode of the Feel Freakin Amazing podcast. And August, thank you so much for being here today. This is fantastic.

Thank you both so much and be well.

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