Biophilia Explained

I recently read "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv, and although I felt a push to get my body out in nature more, I still haven't succeeded much towards that end.  My children are a great example to me, and so I did agree to running around outside in the freezing wind last evening to do a Treasure Hunt that Toveli had arranged for Mother's Day.  But its still hard to get me out the door away from the kitchen/laundry/books/computer.  I admit to feeling soooooo much better after having spent some time out in nature, but I just don't respond well to even kicks to get me out the door.

Something I'm working on.

Anyways, here's something to speak to me (and maybe to you, too!).

Save the Frogs Day

I LOVE FROGS!!!  especially the little green tree frogs.  Oh my, my heart melts almost every time one of my littles brings me a cute little frog.  I've even let them come into the house, for a short time.  They must always be handled gently, respectfully, and sent back to where they found it in almost pronto.

I remember when Layne and Rauchelle were still little and we lived out on acreage.  It was raining one night when we arrived home and walked into our log house.  Right after we clamoured through the back door where we proceeded to remove our rubber boots and hang up our jackets, we caught eye of a frog that must have hitch-hiked in on our boots.  I picked him up gently but almost drop this little guy when he surprised me with a bulging throaty R-i-b-b-i-t!!  He was promptly sent outside to play in the mud.

This past schoolyear we purchased The Digital Frog for all the children's sciences and included was information on how to help save the frogs, and let me know that today is Save the Frogs Day.  So I decided to share some of the tips they give on how we can help to protect frogs.

Slow Down when driving on wet nights.  That's to dodge the frogs, not to target them ;)

Don't use Pesticides

Don't eat frog legs .  (I've got that one down-pat)

Don't purchase wild-caught amphibians as pets (OK.)

Turn off the tap.  (been working on water conservation all year)

Build a frog pond in your backyard.  (not sure our landlords would like this, but the kids sure would)

Conserve resources (working on that)

Don't purchase bottled water.  (we don't)

Use Rechargeable batteries (yep, but not solely)

Vote for the Environment (ah, politics.  Never an easy choice)

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle (yup.  And be Minimalistic)

Become an amphibian biologist.  (not planning to be, at least not in this life hehehe!)

Go vegetarian.  (basically, already am.  But not vegan)

Eat locally grown, organic food.  (easier in warmer climates with more diversity, but we do what we can at this point)

Spread the word:  use email, tell your friends (that's what I'm doing!)

(Their last 3 items are about getting their free newsletter, become a member, and donate.)

Treasure Hunts & Outside

The children in the neighbourhood have been busy over the long weekend creating Treasure Hunts for each other.  It shows their creativity both to create the clues, and to decipher both what the clues might mean & how their environment could be perceived.

 Here they are looking for clues they think are under somebody's shoes.

Seems the children like to congregate in our yard since its the largest on the block and not full of stuff.  Its a great place for tag, soccer, Dead Ant Tag,  and just goofing off.  But then the neighbours' draw is that most of them have trampolines and a bunch of stuff.  So they wander between the yards, playing well together and having a lot of fun.

Slightly different topic:

I was shocked, to say the least, when one of the moms stopped by the other day to say "It is such a beautiful sight to see your children out in your yard playing."  She was referring to our children playing out there on a daily basis when the other children are off to school or stuck in their houses doing homework.  Our children love to play outside and are often seen out there even when the weather isn't exactly the nicest (in my estimation, anyways).

The compliment came just as I finished reading "LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS: SAVING OUR CHILDREN FROM NATURE-DEFICIT DISORDER   by Richard Louv  and was feeling like my children don't get into nature enough.  They could get out into creation more, do more hiking, more sitting under a tree to watch the squirrels, etc and I don't set a good example in that department, but nonetheless it was nice that somebody took the time to encourage me that I'm on a good path.  Thanks, Britt, you blessed me.

War on Cancer

Wikipedia:

The War on Cancer refers to the effort to find a cure for cancer by increased research to improve the understanding of cancer biology and the development of more effective cancer treatments, such as targeted drug therapies. The aim of such efforts is to eradicate cancer as a major cause of death......

Despite significant progress in the treatment of certain forms of cancer (such as childhood leukemia^[2]), cancer in general remains a major cause of death nearly 40 years after this war on cancer began,^[3] 

Photograph by Moredun Animal Health Ltd/Science Photo Library

I hate that phrase:  War on Cancer.  

I understand the original reference, the commitment to finding a cure, and discovering the causes.  But after 40 years of this 'war' the culprit(s) and treatments have already been discovered, and yet that information continues to be virtually ignored by allopathic doctors and the pharmaceutical industry, and the people who trust them.  They are still looking for 'the cure', but ignorantly reject the clear evidence of an answer that doesn't come in a package they can sell (ie. no money to be made). And so they keep on searching, while people with cancer die because the truth isn't shared, or acknowledged, or embraced. 

I believe that for many, many people, the possibility that the choices that they have made in their own lives might have played a major role in them having cancer is just too much for their pride to handle.  It is easier for them to believe that they just got the short end of the stick.  Or somehow its just the roll of the genes.

I can't say that 100% of cancers are self- or environmentally induced.  That would be presumptuous.  But I do believe that cancer and other diseases are more from our lifestyles then they are by randomness and our genes.  

There's more to read about the War on Cancer over at Dr Mercola's site and The Health Ranger also has something written by Dr. David Jockers about how to prevent cancer in the first place.

An 11yo with a Message

This 11yo homeschooled boy has got it right about Food.

Aquarium

Danaka & amazing jellyfish

Laars and this crab were talking together.

All the creatures are from the Salish Sea which is basically local to the southern regions

 of the Strait of Juan de Fuca & Georgia Strait area.

The fish were incredible and quite colourful, even if they

were basic grey & yellow like this fella.

My fav was a fish with browns, pinks and blues,

but he was a challenge to photograph because he

was constantly on the move.

 I didn't count the legs on this one, 

but I think it had more legs than the one I did count with 21.

 The children could climb under the table and pop up into this bubble and be

right in the middle of the sea creatures!

 After cleaning their hands the children could touch some of the creatures by using their gentle pinkies!
The creatures are On Rotation, so those who need Time Out are in deeper pools here so the children aren't to reach in and touch those ones.

Dancing

In our religious upbringing, dancing was sinful.  So whenever there was dancing as part of our Physical Education at school, we got Religious Exemption.  Both Everette and I.  Different environments (city gal and country boy), different schools, obviously different parents but same religious perspective.

Dancing was wrong.  Along with a deck of cards.  Bowling alleys.  You get the picture.

Well, I've been wanting to learn how to dance for years now.   I even borrowed some videos from the library, once.  Some Country Line Dancing.  And Layne, Rauchelle & I had a hoot laughing alongside Everette as he tried to follow the steps to something like The Watermelon Crawl with his dress shoes sliding along the shag carpet of a house we were housesitting.  I think tears rolled down my cheeks.

Since then I've either had a growing belly sticking way out there, or a nursing baby I didn't want to drag to a dance class and worry the whole time about, or leave a nursing toddler at home with.....whom??  So we just never learned.

One night many moons ago when I had traveled to Minneapolis with my mom and sister for a cousin's wedding, one of my uncles made me get up and 'learn' to dance some waltz or something as he pushed aside some tables and chairs at the back of the empty restaurant we were having a late dinner at.  He said it was to prepare me for the dancing at the wedding reception in a couple of days.  His alcoholic breath didn't actually endear me to the experience, but I still knew that in the right situation dancing could be fun for me.

Well, the time has come, and tonight actually Everette and I took our very first dance class.  "Social Ballroom".

And it was fun.

We suck.  But we have a whole week to practice!

And did I say it was fun?!

Pastured Cows are a Good Thing

We don't eat much at all for meat, and as I've shared recently we aren't actually vegetarians although I can identify somewhat with all the points for vegetarianism here.

But here is a sane (from my perspective) take on raising animals for meat.

Pastured cows enrich soil, improve the environment, and make better meat

I don't believe that its wrong nor inherently unhealthy for people to eat meat.  But many of us grew up with a meat-and-potato diet  (along with dairy products) and America's health seems to be a picture of dis-ease as a result.  We are what we eat.  And most of that seems to be processed and a chemical-cocktail.

It doesn't have to be an All-or-Nothing proposition.  Eating meat can be an occasional (guilt-free) event, if that's what you are wanting.

But the mass raising of animals is not necessary for good health nor is it environmentally friendly.

Also see Why Most Natural Disasters Aren't Natural At All

Collaborative Consumption

(DPP) Nature Journalling

Gaelyn observing her environment.

Finding Farley

If you check out this interesting documentary of one young family's journey by canoe, foot and sailing from Canmore, AB to River Bourgeois, NS (where we lived for 1 year!) you arent likely to be disappointed.  As lovers of Farley Mowat s writings, they push through their challenges of rapids, too many portages, millions of bugs and achy body parts to follow the trails of Farley and experience the nature of Canada that Farley wrote about, to end up at the home of their new-found friend.

Near the end of the video when they are getting close to their destination they show Church Point, where we actually lived.  Our house was just over the hill on the other side.  As a matter of fact, the picture I have at the top of my blog here, is taken at that churchs cemetery where Layne and Rauchelle loved to go, and many of the children rolled down the hills there. 

We aren't fanatics of Farley Mowat s writings.  We ve read a few, and watched "Never Cry Wolf", and drove past his house to see where he lived. Everette even ran into him at the post office, and my friend s husband won a bid when the Farley Mowat was up For Sale (but he cancelled his bid, cuz what does one do with a big ship like that in your backyard, hey Jennifer?) but I was taken more by the fact of them doing a cross-country journey more difficult than ours, and ending up in the very same town.  I thought that was cool, and we could identify with much of the scenery that they experienced except for the up-north and Newfoundland aspects.  Obviously theirs was a much slower paced journey fraught with bugs beyond belief (right there, I'd bail) and were more fit, likely, than when they began.  I wouldn't be doing that journey with our children, that's for sure, but maybe one of our children will want to do it themselves when they are older.  They certainly enjoyed the film, and identifying with some of the scenes. They have a good taste and feel for this big land, and I'm so glad we have given that experience to them. And experienced it for ourselves too.

Walk at Dusk

The Sooke River

We spotted some otters, an almost-dead spawning fish

and this humungous Maple Tree.  Cape Bretoners.....take notice of its immense size!!

Say No to GMO (video)

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Non GMO Shopping Guide

Months back we rented 'Food, Inc', a highly recommended documentary on how much of our food stuffs are being handled, and the control that the Big Guys are trying to impose on the farmers raising our foods.  It's not Business as Usual.  And after talking to one of my cousins who is an Organic Farmer in Saskatchewan, he verified that what is talked about in Food, Inc is most definitely happening.  There is much pressure, blackmail, etc happening to our farmers to produce foods in ways that are neither natural nor healthy for us, our animals nor the environment.

Anyways, whether we like it or not, there are already genetically modified foods in our supermarkets and likely in our cupboards.  What are GMO foods?  GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms.  They are made by forcing genes from one species of life (ie animals, bacteria, etc) into the DNA of a food crop or another animal in order to introduce a new trait to the host.  In other words, its mixing genes between different life forms.  So you could be getting pig genes within the DNA of your carrots.

And the reasons you want to avoid GMO foods is because "The American Academy of Environmental Medicine reported that 'Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food' including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system."

If you aren't yet sure how to shop and avoid these foods, here's a link for a guide to help you become informed and make wise choices with your dollars spent.

Non-GMO Shopping Guide.

The #1 foods to avoid are soy, corn, canola and cottonseed, followed by Hawaiian papaya, and some zucchini and yellow squash.   But be aware that even if the animals themselves are not GMO's, the food that they are fed might be.

Thankfulness

(Us Canucks are celebrating Thanksgiving.......

Always anxious to eat turkey and pumpkin pie, we cant wait until November to celebrate.)

I love this time of year, not for the rain and cool weather we have, but for the warm sunny days that you don t sweat in, and the colours of the autumn leaves (more incredible in Cape Breton than BC, I must admit), and the crunch of them under your feet.

Autumn colours are my favourite colour schemes.  So warm, and earthy and serene.

Its a perfect time for making "Mrs. Johnson" soups that simmer away on the stove-top for the morning.  Warming body and soul.  Or making a pitcher of raw Hot Cocoa, a glorified & chocolatified (just made that one up) almond-milk.  And sitting on the couch all snuggled up under blankets and bodies and enjoying the read-aloud book with my little darlings.

And cool nights sliding between cotton sheets, seeking out the warm body of my husband to calm my shivers.

Ahhh.  I love Autumn.  For This I Am Thankful.

The DrySteam Team

 Everette is part of The DrySteam Team--a business on south Vancouver Island committed to cleaning and sanitizing while caring for our environment.

There is such versatility to this commercial machine, and all of the cleaning is done with high temperature steam (5% humidity) and non-toxic cleaners.  Check this out!!

The wad of gum is directly below the wire brush.

While power-washing floods the walkways with water and still can't remove the old wads of (black) gum, The DrySteam Team can clean up quickly.  Although aggregate helps blend the gum in to its surroundings, your customers still see it speckling their walk into your place of business. 






But in just seconds and without puddles of standing water, we basically dissolve the gum and remove it from your premises.

See below how the white paint that was rubbed onto a red Durango in a Too-Close Encounter is efficiently removed without any damage to the vehicle paint.

white scrapes

No more Scrapes

 Many places are washing their tiles, but whose paying attention to dirty and unsanitary grout lines?
When they are totally disgusting some unlucky person might get down on their hands and knees and wear out their backs, knees and arm muscles trying to scrub those lines clean.

 But look how clean The DrySteam Team gets these grout lines with no body pain!

Mattresses and furniture can be sanitized to kill mold, mildew, dust mites and bed bugs (and their eggs) On Contact!! 

Allergies Be Gone!! 

And get the Good Night and Sleep Tight (and don't let the bed bugs bite) that you deserve.

The DrySteam Team works on both Commercial and Residential premises.  We can help you schedule a maintanence plan so your customers are assured of a clean environment when they do business with you. 

For further information please check out www.drysteam.ca or call Everette at 778.977.0418

Food Connection

I was just telling a friend this week about Genetically Modified Foods and Suicides in India by the farmers, and whether there is a connection.  Then Dr Mercola wrote this post, so I'm sharing it.  Maybe others of you are unaware of what's happening with our food supply in North America.

I still recommend you watch Food, Inc.  and Our Daily Bread.  I know there are other good documentaries out there, but honestly I haven't watched all of them so I can't personally recommend them.  But these 2 I can.  Our Daily Bread is without narration, so you form your own ideas completely by what you see the farmers and processors doing with the food.

Another great documentary is The Cove, about the dolphin slaughter.  Our family was appalled about this.

Supermarket Secrets

This is a fascinating (although British) look at the operations behind Supermarkets, including the treatment of animals, the 'perfect' produce, the gases our salads are packed with, etc.

Eye-opening is an understatement.

You can find this video series and others over at NaturalNews.TV

Picture from tolazytodoit.com

Tree Down

The Crowds Have Gathered.......

                     Because the Machine has Arrived

           To Cut Down the Big Tree

                Resulting in This........

I think Everette enjoyed doing the Logging thing, like in the Olden Days!!

Your Mattress Might Be an Antenna

Your Mattress Could be Acting as a Cancer-Causing Radiation Antenna

The rate of breast cancer in Western countries is 10 percent higher in the left breast than in the right. This also is true for the skin cancer melanoma.

Researchers have suggested a surprising explanation for this -- and for the dramatic increase in rates of breast cancer and melanoma over the past three decades.

In Japan, there is no correlation between the rates of melanoma and breast cancer, and there is no left-side prevalence for either disease. The rate of breast cancer in Japan is also significantly lower than in the West.

This may be due to differences in sleeping habits in Japan and Western countries. Previous research has shown that people prefer to sleep on their right sides, possibly as a way of reducing weight stress on the heart.

This is most likely the same in both the East and the West, but the futons used for sleeping in Japan are mattresses placed directly on the bedroom floor, in contrast to the elevated box springs and mattress of beds used in the West.

According to Scientific American:

"... [A] 2007 study in Sweden conducted between 1989 and 1993 ... revealed a strong link between the incidence of melanoma and the number of FM and TV transmission towers covering the area where the individuals lived ...

Consider, however, that even a TV set cannot respond to broadcast transmissions unless the weak electromagnetic waves are captured and amplified by an appropriately designed antenna. Antennas are simply metal objects of appropriate length sized to match the wavelength of a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation."

In the U.S., bed frames and box springs are made of metal, and the length of a bed is exactly half the wavelength of FM and TV transmissions. The maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress, so when sleeping on your right side, your left side will be exposed to the highest field strength.
Sources:


Scientific American July 2, 2010


Pathophysiology June 2010;17(3):157-160


Pathophysiology June 2010; 17(3):161 

Dr Mercola's Comments:

This Scientific American article highlights some very interesting research from Sweden -- a country that is on the forefront when it comes to investigating the harmful health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF), and micro wave radiation such as that from cell phones.
Although the US is quite resistant to the idea that our everyday technology might be contributing to epidemics like heart disease and cancer, other countries, particularly in Europe, are facing this problem more head on.
Sweden, for example, formed an association called FEB - The Swedish Association for the ElectroSensitive, to address the emerging problem of electromagnetic hypersensitivity. The association produces and distributes educational literature that has helped raise awareness about the phenomenon around the world. Mast Action UK is doing similar work in Great Britain, as well as the Electromagnetic Radiation Alliance in Australia.
With everything I know about the health dangers associated with electromagnetic fields (EMF) and micro waves from cell phones, WiFi routers and cell phone towers, I'm convinced electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a real and looming health disaster.
I've previously written about the health dangers of EMFs and other types of radiation, especially in your bedroom, but here the researchers are linking two very specific cancers – melanoma and breast cancer -- to commonly used beds, because coil-spring mattresses can actually act as a giant antenna!

Your Mattress – A Restorative Haven or a Disease-Promoting Zone?

In Western countries, the most common type of mattress is an elevated box spring that contains metal coils, while in Japan, people typically sleep on futon mattresses, which typically contain cotton or wool, placed directly on the floor.
According to researchers Hallberg and Johansson, a number of studies indicate that increasing rates of melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer) can be linked to immune-disrupting radiation from FM radio and TV transmission towers, adding that "geographical areas covered by several transmitters show higher incidences of melanoma than areas covered by one transmitter."
Studies have also linked radiation to brain tumors, and DNA damage that might precipitate a number of different diseases and health problems.
These connections are strengthened when you consider the researchers' explanation of how your box spring mattress actually acts like an antenna; attracting and amplifying whatever radiation might be zipping through your bedroom.
Scientific American explains this quite well:

"Antennas are simply metal objects of appropriate length sized to match the wavelength of a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation. Just as saxophones are made in different sizes to resonate with and amplify particular wavelengths of sound, electromagnetic waves are selectively amplified by metal objects that are the same, half or one quarter of the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave of a specific frequency.
Electromagnetic waves resonate on a half-wavelength antenna to create a standing wave with a peak at the middle of the antenna and a node at each end, just as when a string stretched between two points is plucked at the center.
In the U.S. bed frames and box springs are made of metal, and the length of a bed is exactly half the wavelength of FM and TV transmissions that have been broadcasting since the late 1940s.
… Radiation envelops our bodies so that the maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress in the middle of our bodies.
When sleeping on the right side, the body's left side will thereby be exposed to field strength about twice as strong as what the right side absorbs."

Could this explain why Japan has much lower rates of cancer compared to the US and Europe, and why the Japanese do not have higher rates of left- than right-sided breast cancer?
I believe it may be a part of the puzzle, yes.
Naturally, there are many other factors that come into play as well, including diet, chemical exposures, and vitamin D deficiency, just to name a few.
However, the theory that you may be promoting cancer by sleeping on a metal coil-spring mattress that amplifies ambient radiation is quite convincing.

Now, a couple of my readers have commented that the quote from Scientific American makes little sense because TV and radio broadcast on a number of different wavelengths, beds come in different sizes, and the author is a neurologist, not an engineer, and therefore not equipped to speak on the subject.

These concerns can also be valid, and I make no claims of having the in-depth technological expertise to either support or refute this particular Scientific American author’s explanation. 

However, I believe sleeping on metal is not in your best interest health-wise, (and qualified scientist raised the question to begin with). The total effect will naturally be entirely individual, and dependent on a number of factors, such as the amount of radiation zipping through your room; proximity to transmission towers; number and type of electronics kept in your bedroom and their proximity; your current state of health and your susceptibility to EMF; the material of the rest of your bed… I could go on, but I’m sure most of you are wise enough to get the picture.

Becoming truly health conscious is much like reaching for spiritual enlightenment. It’s not about nitpicking on minor details. It’s about discerning patterns and revealing the big picture. It’s not about avoiding “sins” – in the case of health, avoiding everything that could possibly harm you – it’s about making healthier, saner choices. You can’t make those choices unless you know what’s good for you, and one of the ways you discover better options is by revealing what’s detrimental.

There’s no question in my mind that EMFs can have a dramatic, negative effect on your health, and certain factors may, in some cases, turn up the dial on EMFs and increase it’s harmful effects. Could your mattress do this? I say, “possibly, yes.”

But I digress… 

Sleeping in High Radiation Field May Also Trigger Development of Potent Mycotoxins

In one of my previous interviews with Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, he discusses the research of Dr. Robert Becker, who discovered that electromagnetic fields produce more potent mycotoxins.
When you expose a bacterial culture to abnormal electromagnetic fields, the bacteria believe they are being attacked by your immune system and start producing much more virulent toxins as a protective mechanism!
In your body, these mycotoxins can wreak havoc with your health. Klinghardt believes that it's possible that some 50 percent of chronic infections are caused, and/or aggravated, by electromagnetic field exposure, leading to syndromes like chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes.
When you consider that you spend one-third of your lifetime in bed, it's easy to realize the level of hazard you may be inadvertently exposed to if you're sleeping on a metal coil-spring mattress that literally bathes you in electromagnetic radiation.

Other Potential Health Hazards of Mattresses

In addition, the springs in your mattress can become magnetized, which can also pose a health hazard. In the article Is Your Mattress Making You Sick? Dr. Doris Rapp offers instructions on how to determine whether you mattress is magnetized.
The article also discusses a number of other important concerns when it comes to selecting a mattress, as metal springs is by no means the only health hazard inherent with these types of beds. Many mattresses are treated with a number of toxic flame retardant chemicals, some of which can ALSO cause cancer.

Remember that Your Cells are Driven by Electrical Impulses

I want to stress what might be one of the most fundamental issues when it comes to the potential hazard of electromagnetic radiation, which is the fact that the human body has its own internal electrical system.
All the cells in your body vibrate at different rates, and these weak electrical impulses are used for intracellular communication throughout your body.
Unfortunately, your body can literally act like a tuning fork. An external electrical influence can therefore cause your cells normal frequency or rate to be disrupted as they start vibrating to the frequency of the outside source. James Oschman explains this further in his book Energy Medicine.
Now, in the typical bedroom of a modern home, electrical exposure from external sources (live electrical wiring in ceilings, walls and floors) is thousands of times stronger than your body's own electrical system. Long-term exposure to these high-level electric fields can thus impair your body's intracellular communication, which can impact your health in a number of ways.

Biological Problems Associated with Electromagnetic Stressors

In the book Cross Currents, Dr. Robert Becker (whom I mentioned earlier) states that biological problems associated with external electromagnetic stressors fall into two major categories:

1. Brain (behavioral abnormalities, learning disabilities, altered bio-cycles and stress responses)
2. Growing tissue (embryos, genetics and cancer)

More recent studies seem to confirm his conclusions, as most of the health problems researchers now associate with EMF and microwave radiation exposure fall neatly into these two categories. One good source that demonstrates this is the 2009 special EMF issue of the Journal of Pathophysiology, which contains over a dozen different studies on the health effects of electromagnetic fields and wireless technology.
Cancer has been high on the list from the beginning, and at least as far as cell phones are concerned, the evidence is overwhelming that cell phone use significantly increases your risk of certain types of brain tumors.
Since cancer can take decades before manifesting, children are particularly at risk, as they are now growing up in an environment saturated with radiation. (Even toddlers are now talking on cell phones!) Today's children will be exposed to previously unimaginable levels of radiation over the course of their lifetimes.
The BioInitiative Report also includes studies showing evidence for exposure to electromagnetic fields and:

• Effects on Gene and Protein Expression (Transcriptomic and Proteomic Research)
• Genotoxic Effects – RFR and ELF DNA Damage
• Stress Response (Stress Proteins)
• Effects on Immune Function
• Effects on Neurology and Behavior
• Brain Tumors, Acoustic Neuromas, and childhood cancers like leukemia

It seems quite clear that sleeping on a bed that can amplify the amount of radiation you're exposed to night after night is simply not a good idea.

Shopping for a Safe Mattress

Taking into account that metal coils can act as an antenna and be potentially magnetized, and that most box spring mattresses contain toxic flame retardant chemicals, your safest bet is to look for an organic, chemical-free mattress that does not contain metal coils.
One way to find a safe mattress is to have a doctor or chiropractor write you a prescription for a chemical-free mattress, and then find a manufacturer to make one for you. You can also search for 100% wool, toxin-free mattresses. Many of these mattresses also contain latex for support in lieu of coil springs, giving you the best of both worlds.
You can also avoid the toxins by finding a mattress that uses a Kevlar, bullet-proof type of material instead of chemicals for fire-proofing. I got mine from Stearns and Foster. I'm quite happy with this mattress as it is FAR more comfortable than a number of the organic mattresses I had purchased in the past.
Also keep in mind that metal frames and headboards can amplify and distort magnetic fields, including the natural magnetic field from the earth, which can lead to non-restful sleep. Use natural materials, such as a wood frame, instead.

Five Steps to Create a Sleeping Sanctuary

Once you have addressed your mattress, you'd be well advised to address the amount of electromagnetic radiation in your bedroom – especially if you are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant.
As discussed by Dr. Klinghardt in this previous article, electromagnetic fields interfere not only with your biology, but with that of your unborn child as well. He performed a small study showing that autism can actually be predicted based on the EMF levels of your sleeping quarters while pregnant! He found that if you sleep in strong electromagnetic fields during pregnancy, your child will likely begin to exhibit neurological abnormalities within the first two years of life.
Here are several guidelines that can help turn your bedroom into an EMF-free zone suitable for health-promoting restorative sleep:

1. Use only battery devices near your bed -- Many electric clocks produce high magnetic fields so use a battery powered clock instead.
2. Turn off the fuses to your bedroom at night
3. Eliminate radio frequency (RF) sources -- Radio frequency signals from portable phones, cell phones, and wireless devices have been shown to interfere with your body's immune system so don't keep cell phones or charging stations in your bedroom. It's also recommended to turn off the Wi-Fi in your home at night.
4. Shield your bed with a special metalized fabric, to protect yourself from harmful frequencies that can disrupt cellular communication. This recommendation may be particularly important if you're pregnant.
5. If you are remodeling you can also use material called 'radiant barrier' between the dry wall and the frame of your home. This is a strengthened aluminum foil that will reflect most of the radiation from coming into your home. It should also be applied the ceiling. It is relatively inexpensive and will also pay for itself in reduced heating and cooling bills. However, it isn't cost effective if you have to tear out your current walls, so it's really only practical in new homes or remodeling projects. I installed this in my home when I renovated it and it virtually eliminated all external EMFs. The downside however is that it is VERY difficult to get any cell phone reception in my home.