Love The Girls. I take care of my breasts--I'll bet you do too. I self-check monthly. My go to bra has no wires and doesn't bind so I don't pressure and block my lymph glands. I use an organic natural antiperspirant, because my doctors told me a long time ago that chemicals in some deodorants mess with my endocrine receptors and my body's general well being. And I'm mindful, very mindful, of wireless energy also known as EMF.
That's Why I Don't Recommend Putting Your Smartphone In Your Bra!
Why would we put potentially cancer causing, man-made RF radiation right next to some of your most precious and important tissues? (If you know someone who does this, do them a favor and send them this information.)
Quick note: RF or Wireless Radiation is non-ionizing. X ray radiation is ionizing. The difference? Ionizing radiation can split an atom and is widely known to contribute to cancer. Non-ionizing radiation can come in many forms, from electronics like pagers to cellphones and to medical lasers. Non-ionizing radiation from Wireless Man-made EMF has been linked in thousands of studies to health effects from infertility to cancer. This type of non-ionizing radiation-emitted by the wireless signal in cellphones, smart devices, WiFi, cell towers--basically any wireless device that provides data-- uses a blend of EMF that messes with our bodies own electronic signaling.
I always try to avoid wireless EMF radiation whenever I can.
And since I know x-rays can cause cancer and that a mammogram is an x-ray, when I heard that there was a brand new way to check breast health without using a mammogram- and that was superior to regular ultrasounds, I was thrilled. My friend, Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy ofthe Center For New Medicine and Cancer Center For Healing in Irvine is one of the handful of offices that now offers the OT Scan. We talk about that later in this article, after I share the research that directly applies to keeping your cellphone away from your precious body.
Here is my very important list of scientifically researched reasons to keep your most personal, personal possession as far away from smartphone EMFs:
1. When a smartphone is next to your breasts, you're being exposed to 3 to 4 times more than government recommended levels of radiation.
Please note ladies--and men (the NBCA also pointed out the breast cancer in men is not a myth) that when the phone touches you--even when it's in your bra, your sports bra or your pocket--with just a thin layer between you and the radiation from the phone--OG EMF researcher Devra Davis pointed out these extreme exposure levels in her presentation to the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Association. You can find the video on YouTube.
2. There is solid, undeniable scientific research on EMF and its connection to breast cancer. In Case You Need More Reasons To NEVER, EVER Stash Your Smartphone In Your Bra:
The first study, found that carrying your phone close to your body, as well as excessive smartphone use "significantly increased the risk of breast cancer, particularly for participants with smartphone addiction, a close distance between the breasts and smartphone, and the habit of smartphone use before bedtime"
3. You also need to leave your phone out of your bedroom if you want to lower your risk of breast cancer.
This study, "Association Between Smartphone Use and Breast Cancer Risk Among Taiwanese Women" is important. 1,000 women were interviewed about the quality of their sleep, how much they used their smartphone and whether they might actually addicted to it. Surprisingly, they found that the risk for developing breast cancer increased when women used their phones within 5 minutes of going to bed.
The study found that the "closer the distance between the smartphone and the breasts when using the smartphone, women had a significantly increased 1.59-fold breast cancer likelihood. Now that is bad. But there's also this: Participants who carried their smartphone near their chest or waist-abdomen area had significantly increased 5.03-fold and 4.06-fold risks of breast cancer, respectively, compared to those who carried the smartphone below the waist."
4. You might assume that putting your smartphone on airplane mode before you slip it into your bra will fix everything, but there's another type of EMF, Magnetic, that's also a concern.
This next study specifically looking at the kind of EMF that comes from the screen of your cell phone-even when it's on airplane mode.
I found a study that just looked at what is called ELF-EMF or magnetic EMF. This kind of EMF comes from your screen and new studies show another possible links to breast cancer. If you're on airplane mode but bluetooth is still on, powered with Bluetooth, there is radiation still coming. There's always magnetic EMF right at the screen and it dissipates or goes away when it gets one to a few inches away from the phone. But in your bra, that magnetic EMF is right next to your breast.
Thia 2023 paper found that just 4 hours of this magnetic EMF exposure increased breast cancer cells when they were compared to the same cells that didn't get exposed.
5. The same study also found that cancerous and healthy breast cells actually decreased after 24 hours of exposure.
What does that mean? It means that putting your cellphone in your bra is particularly bad if you have any cancer cells hanging out in your tissue as it will "feed them" and make them move viable. It also means that putting the phone in your bra all day and all night could decrease the health of all cells, those that are healthy and those that are not. So it's not a good idea to ever have that phone touching any of your gorgeous, fabulous body. "The 0.1 mT ELF-MF exposure showed an increase in viability compared to the control in breast cancer cell lines. The increase in viability is associated with an increase in breast cancer live cells after 4 h exposure compared to the control. Exposure to 1.0 mT ELF-MF produces an increase in viability of breast cancer cells limited to short exposures, while in all three mammary cell lines there is a decrease in viability with an exposure of 24 h."
6. Women exposed to environmental magnetic energy had a 58% increased rate of breast cancer over women who were not exposed to the energy.
A decades old study also looking at magnetic EMF was done and the results are extremely compelling. The women in this study lived under high tension power lines and the study took place over 10 years. To be clear, although it's the same "type" of magnetic EMF that's highest directly next to smartphone screens, it wasn't looking at the same application, which would be against the skin, instead it was considering only the magnetic EMF in the women's environment because of the high tension power lines: "Women with residential exposure had an odds ratio of 1.58 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30, 1.92) when compared with unexposed women."
Links to all the studies in this article can be found here:Biological Effects and Studies on How RF EMF Effects our Bodies. This one too, looks at women exposed to magnetic energy- not the man-made RF that carries communication signals on our phones.
I've used my meters and seen that there's a good deal of ELF magnetic energy coming right from the screen of my devices. Larry Gust explained that it's result of the electronics used to create screen brightness. When the brightness is dimmed, the ELF levels decrease. They also decrease a lot as you move away from the screen, which is why I use and LOVE my stylus and why I don't put my phone in my bra or my pocket and carry it via a leash or a strap.
A newer, but later retracted study from 2020 published strong conclusions after doing a meta-analysis. A meta-analysis looks at conclusions and methods of other studies and combines the results and makes a new recommendation. This study that looked at 8 other studies has been RETRACTED by the journal it was published in because they included a male breast cancer study and a shift-worker study.
Even so, this part of their conclusion resonates with the magnetic EMF study I just mentioned so I'm including it here: "Pooled estimates revealed that the use of electrical appliances, which emit radio-frequency radiation, such as mobile phones and computers, significantly increased breast cancer development (RR=2.057; 95% CI, 1.272-3.327), while occupational radio-frequency exposure and transmitters did not increase breast cancer development"
The reason the Journal retracted it was this: "Two of the studies were considered to have been based on 50 Hz electromagnetic fields and not on radio-frequency radiation" noted the publishers.
I understand why it was retracted, but I took the opportunity to look deeper and the research studies they meta-analyzed do more then whisper caution.
That's why I made a video pointing out that we should use a stylus instead of our fingers when we use the phone.
So now, Based on all the research I've studied, here's my best advice to avoid getting breast cancer from your smartphone:
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Carry your phone on a leash and away from your body during the day;
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Make sure you charge it outside your bedroom. I use an EMF FREE analog alarm clock like this one and I love it.
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Air Tube headphones
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A purse with straps that you carry
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A case with a wrist strap that you dangle that phone several inches away.
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A Stand for your desk or kitchen counter so you don't have to hold the phone in your hand.
I've known that I'm EMF sensitive for 25 years. You can read my story to find out how it actually happened. I believe and highly recommend the Precautionary Principle when it comes to the invisible wireless energy spewing from our devices. I have a free Tech Wellness Wireless and Health Guide with all the details, but the point is, the energy has been proven without a doubt to have a biological effect. Think of it like smog or a chemical pollutant or toxin, if you could avoid being exposed to it, wouldn't you?
Can you imagine sleeping next to a device that was spewing diesel fumes, DDT or herbicides?
Yeah. Not so much. Well those are a few of the other compounds the World Health Organization has deemed "possibly carcinogenic to humans." RF electromagnetic fields aka wireless energy from your cellphone is also deemed a World Health Orgnaization Class 2B carcinogen. That's "possibly carcinogenic."
Now, let's talk about this exciting new QT No Radiation Breast Scan vs. a traditional mammogram.
Every year, since my first(and only) mammogram revealed I had "dense" breast tissue and needed an ultrasound too. I've opted for only ultrasounds. Honestly, I don't know what I would do if I found a lump or an ultrasound showed something suspicious, and I was advised to follow up with a mammogram. But for certain, they will never be my primary go to or an annual preventative. I avoid radiation as much as possible.
New QT No Radiation Breast Scan vs a Mammogram
I had my first QT breast scan this year. QT stands for “Quantitative Transmission” imaging—a breakthrough technology that uses sound waves (not radiation) to generate detailed 3D images of breast tissue.
You can watch my video where the OT tech shares how the the OT scan works. I promise you, it was a relaxing, pleasant experience.
- It's Non-invasive--you lie comfortably as one breast at a
- Radiation-free
- Pain-free
- Safe for all breast types and ages
This means that QT scan breast imaging can be used more frequently without the cumulative damage that radiation-based tests may cause over time—especially important for women who require ongoing monitoring.
The Problem with Traditional Mammograms
While mammograms have been the standard screening tool for decades, they come with several big drawbacks:
- Radiation exposure, which may pose risks with repeated use
- Compression discomfort, which can be painful and deter women from scheduling exams
- Limited accuracy, especially for women with dense breast tissue
- False positives, leading to unnecessary biopsies and stress
I went to the Center For New Medicine in Irvine California. My good friend Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy has built an amazing Cancer Treatment Center so of course she would have the latest, greatest and safest way to get a detailed scan of our breasts without nasty, cancer fueling, radiation.
I'm not surprised that mammograms were Not invented by a woman.
If you've ever had a mammogram, you know the drill. It's sooo uncomfortable and equally embarrassing as the tech takes your naked breast and puts it on the imaging tray and then it's literally squished so it can be pressed and flattened so the the x-ray can be made utilizing the greatest amount breast surface! OUCH!! A German surgeon Albert Salomon is credited with inventing it in the 30's.
UGGG! There's even a National Mammography Day! It's "celebrated" in October as mammograms have been credited by the medical community and manufacturers with diagnosing breast cancer and as a result, saving lives. My sincere hope is that within the next few years we'll celebrate National Breast Imaging Day and anyone who chooses, will enjoy the benefits of a safer and more thorough scan utilizing sound waves.
Here's more information on the QT Scan.
I first made that video above in 2015 and updated it with new stylus shots a year ago--at the end I say,
"Doctors aren't really sure what the wireless energy is doing to our bodies."
That's Now Changing And A Doctor who IS Sure About What Wireless Energy is Doing To Our Bodies is Dr. John West, founder of the The Breast Care Center and an advisor to Physicians for Safe Technology.
He told me that with all the research that's currently available he urges women and their young teen daughters to exercise the Precautionary Principle:
"I am convinced that teenagers represent a high-risk group for developing cell phone induced breast cancer. It took 30 years to prove that teens are at high-risk for developing breast cancer when exposed to radiation (example: multiple chest X-rays unless protected by a lead shield). It is likely to take decades to prove that cell phone can or cannot cause breast cancer. Until we have proof of safety, the prudent thing to do is to make the bra “a no phone zone”.
Another prominent researcher and EMF Expert, Devra Davis from the Environmental Health Trust made a long, super informative presentation to the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition in September. In this video, among other very interesting learnings, she goes over an MRI study of four women who got cancer directly under where they put their phones--in their bras. There's a link to the study in our Research Section under EMF Health Effects Breast Cancer. Dr. Lisa Bailey who was of the scientists pointed out that the women in the study who had the breast cancer could have been effected from the heating of the tissue. They were:
- Healthy
- No Known Risk for Cancer
- Tested negative for inherited risk factors
- No Family History of Breast Cancer
Dr. Bailey encouraged more studies on the direct connection between cellphones in the bra and breast cancer.
Devra explains that the way electromagnetic fields effect our biology is through the non-ionizing radiation. Unlike ionizing radiation these fields are too weak to break the bonds of DNA directly- but through many research studies, she points out that wireless EMF does damage DNA bonds indirectly. Damage to DNA can lead to out of control cell proliferation- which can result in cancer. Healthy DNA allows our bodies to repair damage from everyday assaults- because our DNA is effected by so many things- even water, so it's important that we do what we can to keep our cells from getting damaged.
Many types of studies on non-ionizing radiation- from those done on cell cultures from humans and animals to those done on the whole animal in standardized studies to those done on humans that have diseases like cancer and are compared to those who have the same age and experiences and we attempt to see if cellphone or wireless usage may be a factor- like the published paper on four women with cancer we linked above.
Finally, Devra comments on how Microwave radiation, blue light at night, and EMF can suppress melatonin and increase cancer risks.
Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
Her theory, as a toxicologist is that blue light and RF alters pineal function which decreases melatonin secretion which in turn effects the hypothalamus and the ovaries--which in turn connects to how our hormones are regulated through our reproductive organs and ultimately leads to follicle stimulating hormones--which along with other factors actually increases breast tissue stimulation. This prolonged stimulation can lead to breast cancer, says Davis.
At Tech Wellness, we know about Blue Light
And the importance, for many health reasons, of protecting yourself from digital blue light. You can learn more about how blue light it effects your health here.
And, if you're ready to do something about curbing your blue light exposure--visit our Blue Light Blocking section of the Shop section of Tech Wellness.
As always, thank you so much for visiting. I love to hear your comments and questions and if there's anything I'm missing, I welcome learning more.
Be Well!
August
