An electrosensitive is looking for help

A public's summary of the knowledge note Electrosensitivity Suppose you are a general practitioner and a patient consults you with the following health complaints: headaches, muscle and joint aches, cardiac arrhythmia, skin problems, fatigue and concentration problems. The patient specifies that he or she experiences these complaints when he or she approaches high-voltage power lines, broadcast transmitters, mobile telephones and the WiFi modem at home. The patient proceeds to explain that the health complaints severely hamper his or her daily activities by now. He or she is sick at home from work for a number of weeks now and hardly ever goes out any more. You examine the patient, but this does not lead to an apparent cause for the complaints specified by the patient. The patient clearly explains that there is a relationship between his or her complaints and electromagnetic fields (EMF). You know that science gives no clarity on the health complaints of the electrosensitives yet. Moreover, you know that any short-term clarity is not to be expected from studies underway or starting shortly. Overall, you are not able to establish the cause of the complaints. You can only depart from the three possible explanations: - The complaints are being caused by EMF. - The complaints have a psychological origin. - The complaints are caused by other environmental factors or certain illnesses. A combination of any or all of the above is also a possibility. Besides the establishment of the cause of the complaints, your patient wants you to help him or her in reducing the complaints. Measures to help reducing complaints The electrosensitives themselves indicate that limiting exposure and learning to manage the health complaints help to reduce the complaints. Limiting exposure The Knowledge Platform is of the opinion that it is worthwhile to support electrosensitives by providing them with information on the effectiveness of available measures to reduce exposure. Then, people can take themselves the most effective measures to limit their exposure. Measures for reducing exposure to EMF from sources in peoples private sphere usually are the easiest to implement. Measures like removing DECT telephones and replacing WiFi with cables are easy to execute. Part of the exposure to EMF, however, originates from outside the private sphere. Shielding measures can be both far-reaching and costly. Moreover, in actual practice, such measures not always appear effective in reducing exposure levels. In addition, there are products on the market that claim to reduce, but in fact have no effect on exposure. Learning to manage the health complaints and exposure The central issue in the help for the electrosensitives is learning how to manage the health complaints. On the other hand, when you diagnose that there is probably another cause for the complaints, it is learning to change the way in which the exposure to EMF is experienced (less threatening). These elements are an important part of the SOLK guideline*, intended for both physicians and patients. Just now, there is no unambiguous scientific explanation and the degree of effectiveness of treatment has not been scientifically determined.

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What is electrosensitivity? There is no generally accepted definition of electrosensitivity yet. Various terms and descriptions are used, both in the scientific literature and in societal discussions. Therefore, it is difficult to describe and investigate electrosensitivity. Despite the lack of a generally accepted definition, it is obvious that electrosensitivity is related to the phenomenon that some people experience health complaints when they approach sources that produce EMF. These people report complaints when exposed to levels of EMF far below the applicable limits. Examples of indoor sources of EMF are electrical appliances, including radio alarm clocks, electric blankets, DECT telephones, and mobile telephones. Examples of outdoor sources of EMF are base stations for mobile communication (transmitter masts), broadcast transmitters, and high-voltage power lines. * SOLK guideline = Multidisciplinary guideline on insufficiently explained somatic complaints and somatoform disorders (in Dutch: SOLK-richtlijn)

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