Cell phones and brain changes
The use of a cell phone for as little as fifty minutes at a time causes a 7 % increase in glucose metabolism in the parts of the brain closest to the phones antenna. Which could be a good thing, a bad thing, or nothing to worry about at all.
(Although I have a bit of a built in distrust of anyone who habitually will talk for fifty minutes at a time. It must be a residual from dealing with lawyers and policians. Or my kid sister ! )
It could be a bad thing, because it might be that radiation from the phone antenna is increasing brain cell activity. Perhaps the kind of increase that makes you smarter, but more likely the sort that causes cancer.
It could accidentally be a good thing, because some times of magnetism and radiation actually seem to help brain diseases like depression. There are people running around sticking magnets on their head to try and get rid of their suicidal urges, and it actually may have something to it.
(Although I have a bit of a built in distrust of anyone who habitually will talk for fifty minutes at a time. It must be a residual from dealing with lawyers and policians. Or my kid sister ! )
It could be a bad thing, because it might be that radiation from the phone antenna is increasing brain cell activity. Perhaps the kind of increase that makes you smarter, but more likely the sort that causes cancer.
It could accidentally be a good thing, because some times of magnetism and radiation actually seem to help brain diseases like depression. There are people running around sticking magnets on their head to try and get rid of their suicidal urges, and it actually may have something to it.
Or it may just be that the part of the brain closest to the phone is heated up and using more energy. And the whole thing could mean nothing at all. But who is to know ? Studies on the effects of Radio frequency Modulated electromagnetic fields (RF - EMF's). Some studies have suggested a relationship between cell phones and brain tumors, but the results are inconsistent, and the question is a long way from being settled.
Especially in children, because their brains are still developing and growing. So they might be hugely more vulnerable to the good, the bad, or the ugly ! The 7% change in glucose uptake is not a huge amount - it is roughly the same amount of increase that happens in brain areas involved with speech when someone is using them for speaking.
Especially in children, because their brains are still developing and growing. So they might be hugely more vulnerable to the good, the bad, or the ugly ! The 7% change in glucose uptake is not a huge amount - it is roughly the same amount of increase that happens in brain areas involved with speech when someone is using them for speaking.
It's not the heat and it's not the chatting !
Although I mentioned above that the brain might just be warmed up by the cell phone radiation, scientists don't really think that is the explanation. The regions of the brain that light up are a bit too far away for the result to be from simple heating alone.
And the difference is also not due to increased brain activity involved with speaking. Because the study that showed the 7% increase in glucose uptake ( 23 Feb issue, Journal of American Medical Association ) had subjects who held the phones up to their heads and just listened for fifty minutes, without saying a word. If speaking were added the brain changes might be even more dramatic.
And the difference is also not due to increased brain activity involved with speaking. Because the study that showed the 7% increase in glucose uptake ( 23 Feb issue, Journal of American Medical Association ) had subjects who held the phones up to their heads and just listened for fifty minutes, without saying a word. If speaking were added the brain changes might be even more dramatic.
The pictures aove show the differences between brain scans done while the cell phone was turned on compared to when it was turned off. The red area in the right frontal lobe indicates increased glucose uptake in that area. Which means that cell phones definitely have a definite effect on definite areas of the brain. But what does it all mean ? No one knows yet.
Stay tuned for further developements ! And in the meantime, if you are using a cell phone, try and keep it about a foot away from your head if you can. That seems to be far enough so that none of the radiation can affect you.
Stay tuned for further developements ! And in the meantime, if you are using a cell phone, try and keep it about a foot away from your head if you can. That seems to be far enough so that none of the radiation can affect you.
Italian court accepts cell phone - brain tumor case !
"ROME (Reuters) —Italy’s supreme court has upheld a ruling that said there was a link between a business executive’s brain tumor and his heavy mobile phone usage, potentially opening the door to further legal claims.
The court’s decision flies in the face of much scientific opinion, which generally says there is not enough evidence to declare a link between mobile phone use and diseases such as cancer and some experts said the Italian ruling should not be used to draw wider conclusions about the subject. “Great caution is needed before we jump to conclusions about mobile phones and brain tumors,” said Malcolm Sperrin, director of medical physics and clinical engineering at Britain’s Royal Berkshire Hospital.
The Italian case concerned company director Innocenzo Marcolini who developed a tumor in the left side of his head after using his mobile phone for 5-6 hours a day for 12 years. He normally held the phone in his left hand, while taking notes with his right hand. Marcolini developed a so-called neurinoma affecting a cranial nerve, which was apparently not cancerous but nevertheless required surgery that badly affected his quality of life.
He initially sought financial compensation from the Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority INAIL which rejected his application, saying there was no proof his illness had been caused by his work. But a court in Brescia later ruled there was a causal link between the use of mobile and cordless telephones and tumors. Italy’s supreme court rejected an INAIL appeal against that ruling on October 12 though its decision was only reported on Friday. It said the lower court’s decision was justified and that scientific evidence advanced in support of the claim was reliable. Marcolini’s situation had been “different from normal, non-professional use of a mobile telephone,” it said. The evidence was based on studies conducted between 2005-2009 by a group led by Lennart Hardell, a cancer specialist at the University Hospital in Orebro in Sweden. The court said the research was independent and “unlike some others, was not co-financed by the same companies that produce mobile telephones.”"
The court’s decision flies in the face of much scientific opinion, which generally says there is not enough evidence to declare a link between mobile phone use and diseases such as cancer and some experts said the Italian ruling should not be used to draw wider conclusions about the subject. “Great caution is needed before we jump to conclusions about mobile phones and brain tumors,” said Malcolm Sperrin, director of medical physics and clinical engineering at Britain’s Royal Berkshire Hospital.
The Italian case concerned company director Innocenzo Marcolini who developed a tumor in the left side of his head after using his mobile phone for 5-6 hours a day for 12 years. He normally held the phone in his left hand, while taking notes with his right hand. Marcolini developed a so-called neurinoma affecting a cranial nerve, which was apparently not cancerous but nevertheless required surgery that badly affected his quality of life.
He initially sought financial compensation from the Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority INAIL which rejected his application, saying there was no proof his illness had been caused by his work. But a court in Brescia later ruled there was a causal link between the use of mobile and cordless telephones and tumors. Italy’s supreme court rejected an INAIL appeal against that ruling on October 12 though its decision was only reported on Friday. It said the lower court’s decision was justified and that scientific evidence advanced in support of the claim was reliable. Marcolini’s situation had been “different from normal, non-professional use of a mobile telephone,” it said. The evidence was based on studies conducted between 2005-2009 by a group led by Lennart Hardell, a cancer specialist at the University Hospital in Orebro in Sweden. The court said the research was independent and “unlike some others, was not co-financed by the same companies that produce mobile telephones.”"
