by Nick Jacobs
Cell phones prohibited in our hospitals.
About five years ago, on a visit to MIT, we had a casual discussion with a physician leader, and asked why we hadn't seen signs banning cell phones. His response was fast and simple, "They don't bother anything." Ever since that visit, we lifted the ban on cell phones in our hospital, and nothing has happened to anyone.
In March 2007, Mayo Clinic researchers published the results of a study in which they attempted to deliberately create interference in medical devices through the use of cell phones. They used them near 200 different medical devices in 75 patient rooms at their facility. They also tested BlackBerry models as well. The paper published in March of '07 in the "Mayo Clinic Proceedings" says there are no "clinically imprortant interferences" when cell phones were used in a "normal" way.
According to Mayo Clinic researchers, Jeffrey Tri, Rodney Severson, Linda Hyberger, the long-held notion that they are unsafe to use in health care facilities is not valid. Three hundred tests were performed over a five-month period in 2006, without incurring a single problem.
You can look this up at www.mayoclinicproceedings.com or on Snopes.com.
Makes you wonder if cell phones are safe to use on airplanes? Maybe they're banned because the phone companies can't track you down to bill you? Any studies out there on that one?
Comments:
Technology evolution always makes ones day interesting!
Go to my website at
www.laviniaweissman.com/publications.php
and read my article on Cell Phone Health Hazards: Threat or Opportunity.
The interesting part is that EMF contributes to the vicious cycle of disease and its contributing factors to childhood leukemia, autism, brain tumors, FMS, MS and Parkinsons.
Yet radiation is an fact of life as part of how we test and help people with those diseases.
last year I had a wonderful conversation with a doctor in pediatric oncology in Santa Barbara when a EMF remediation expert misunderstood him at a talk when he said radiation is too dangerous for children with cancer. What he said was this was a conversation of difficulty when the exposure that may have caused the problem may also be part of the solution and for many families a threshold to last hope.
We have so much to learn about the impact of technology on the environment and disease. Hospitals could have a full agenda, if the conversations were not so difficult and exercising precaution was not something that invited so much skepticsim and cynicism.
I don't know about the electronic info, but I sure HATE when my staff use phones while caring for a patient. Staff are to care for patients, not hook up a date for that night!!!!
NO PHONE USAGE DURING WORKING HOURS. Breaks are ok, but not working hours!!
Thanks for letting me rant.