Facing the Challenges of
Cell Phones

There’s no denying it: cell phones are amazing.

They allow us to instantly contact anyone and everyone:

A single tap on our screens can quickly order food, pay bills, and buy almost anything on Amazon. We can learn how to fix something, try a new recipe, take on a new hobby, and search Google for answers to virtually any question that comes to mind.

Because of these benefits, we are attached to our cell phones as if they are another appendage.

This is the twenty-first century human.

Epiphany at the hair salon

I walked in for my appointment and noticed five women and one man sat in the waiting area, heads bowed, reading the screens on their phones. Another woman came in after me, sat down, took out her phone, and began to type. None of them looked up, looked around, met my gaze, smiled, laughed, or even frowned.

I had a sudden overwhelming urge to be rebellious and not take my phone out.

I overheard bits of a conversation between two employees at the counter describing a difficult customer. I watched clients with newly refreshed hairdos walk alongside their stylists towards the counter to pay. I also looked at people’s shoes (I am a bit of a shoe fanatic, even though most of the shoes I wear these days are in the ‘supportive’ category).

Connected and disconnected

For whatever reason, at that hair salon, a realization hit me. I was suddenly remembering all the times I’ve…

Look, I am on my phone just as much as everyone else. No matter what business or industry you are in, cell phones are a necessity. Even managing families, kids, and lives necessitates the use of a cell phone.

The near instant feedback we get from posting, texting, and scrolling hooks us onto the desire to constantly engage.

However, the more connected we are to our phones, the less connected we are to our horses, cats, and dogs.

Wireless radiation and electromagnetic fields

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are not reserved for just cell phones; EMFs are emitted through…

Essentially anything that uses electricity in our homes can generate EMFs.

So, I can’t help but wonder what the daily EMF assault is doing to us and our animals.

Are EMFs affecting my horses and dogs?

Before diving into this topic, I thought about my friends who have sensitivities to EMFs. I don’t think I’m particularly sensitive, but maybe time will tell.

As far as understanding animal sensitivity to EMFs – I wasn’t sure. The not knowing is what got me thinking, researching, starting to pay more attention, and taking stock of my property’s exposure.

I started by adding up the EMF exposure in my house: two wi-fi routers (always running), a handful of appliances, one computer, two televisions, an iPad, and two portable HEPA air purifying machines. While I don’t own a microwave, I do have two ovens.

The horses take shelter in run-in sheds – without wi-fi. I rarely have my cell phone on me when I am out with the horses. When I do take my cell phone, I put it in the back pocket of my jeans (which I have since discovered is a big no-no). I have also been known to stick my phone in the front pocket of my jeans, speaker facing out (another big no-no), while simultaneously conducting a phone call and making meals for the dogs, taking laundry out of the dryer, filling bird feeders, and/or taking the trash out.

Something else I noted: my farm is located several miles away from the nearest cell tower.

Environmental impact

I came across some research outlining the effects EMFs have on the environment. The study, published in May 2021, concluded, “Broad wildlife effects have been seen on orientation and migration, food finding, reproduction, mating, nest and den building, territorial maintenance and defense, and longevity and survivorship” (Levitt et al., p. 81).¹

In July 2021, a subsequent study was released. It noted, “Many species of flora and fauna, because of unique physiologies and habitats, are sensitive to exogenous EMF in ways that surpass human reactivity” (Levitt et al., p. 327).²

In other words: some plants and animals are more sensitive to EMFs than we are.

The study highlighted specific mammals – bats, deer, whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and walruses – that demonstrated effects from low-level anthropogenic EMFs. The study also noted that effects have been observed in birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, microbes, and many species of flora.

Electromagnetic wave

Down the rabbit hole

Most current EMF-related studies focus on rats and mice.

Of which, increased oxidative stress was shown to be influenced by EMFs.³

EMFs have also been observed inducing stress and anxiety in rats.⁴

Other research on rats and mice have pointed to brain cancer, DNA damage, immune dysfunction, damaging impacts on reproduction, sleep changes, hyperactivity, and memory damage.

In search of ways to reduce EMF exposure

The first recommendation I encountered was to simply turn off the cellphone. I thought to myself, “That isn’t going to happen.”

The next suggestion was to forward all cell calls to a land line… I literally laughed out loud.

There had to be more practical and realistic approaches.

Some simple tips on reducing cell phone radiation that I’ve found include:

Keep the phone away from our heads and body, and use the speakerphone function whenever possible. This can also double as interesting entertainment for other shoppers in the grocery store, especially when on the phone with a vet and phrases like ‘hock flexions,’ ‘omeprazole,’ and ‘inject the coffin joint’ can be heard!

If we put a cell phone in our pocket (as I often do), it is best to turn it off. Some researchers have stated that we can absorb up to 50% of the radio frequency radiation when a wireless phone is close to us. Radiation is emitted constantly when the phone is turned on, even if it isn’t being actively used.

If the cell phone signal is weak, radio frequency radiation will increase in order to reach the nearest cell tower. This is another instance in which turning off your phone is a viable solution (especially if you aren’t receiving texts or calls due to spotty cell service!).

Use airplane mode; it turns off most transmitting antennas.

 

Turn off mobile data when not using the internet, and turn bluetooth off when not in use. Otherwise, all the antennas are transmitting all the time.

 

Set up a low-EMF sleep sanctuary in the bedroom: use a battery powered alarm clock, and don’t charge a cell phone near your bed.

 

Do not rest laptops or tablets on your lap; they emit the same radio frequency as cell phones.

 

Turn off wi-fi routers at night, or get a timer that automatically turns it off and turns on at specified times.

The addiction

The addiction to cell phones – and the instant feedback/gratification – doesn’t allow us to immerse ourselves in the reality we live in. When we are sucked into our cell phones, we miss out on the rhythms and life forces of the plants and animals we share space with.

Reconnecting

Unlike humans, animals always live in a present state of consciousness, focusing solely on the now. Their ability to live every minute in the moment is one of the greatest lessons they teach us. Every second we spend with them, they are showing us what it means to be present.

Tigger and two of her Aussies. Photo courtesy of Mane Source Media for Phelps Media Group

I’ve started giving myself ‘timeouts:’ no devices, just being present with the horses and dogs, and taking a walk in the field to clear my mind. Nothing exists except for the ground under my feet, the environment my eyes see, the scents I smell, and the feelings in my heart.

When I give myself a ‘timeout,’ I notice little things I’ve been missing while being preoccupied on my devices. I’m suddenly aware of the wild milkweed and calendula, the berries on the cedars, and the occasional raccoon scat. I hear the blue jays ratting out my presence on the edge of the woods. I breathe in the smell of fescue, oak bark, sycamores, and a wild patch of pennyroyal.

And you know what? I feel better after I’ve had a ‘timeout.’

Being present

It is incredibly challenging to be present in our uber technological, always multi-tasking, instantly communicating world. Distractions happen simultaneously: a new email, incoming texts, the ring of a phone call, someone commenting on our social media post…

Our daily calendars are full of appointments, lessons, and meetings. Our lives revolve around dealing with problems and finding solutions: the tractor tire needs replacing, the barn hose is leaking, shavings are running low, the vet is running late, show entries need organizing, appeasing upset clients, figuring out what to eat for dinner, making space for a friend having a rough time, trying to make time to vacuum the house tomorrow…

There is no doubt in my mind that horses, dogs, and cats appreciate when we are present with them, especially when we aren’t distracted and they can acknowledge our gratitude for their beingness.

Maybe animal welfare begins with us being present and making the most of the quiet times with our animals, sans cell phone. We can be with them, holding appreciation and respect and amazement, as they tolerate our twenty-first century distortions.

References

1 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34047144/

2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34243228/

3 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8038719/

4 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019701861830634X

About the Author: With over 30 years experience in the equine and human supplement industry, Tigger Montague knows nutrition from the synthetic side as well as the whole food side. She started BioStar US in 2006 with formulas she created in her kitchen. Before she started the company, she was an avid rider and competitor with eventing and show jumping, until she got hooked on dressage in the late 1980’s. She has competed on horses she’s owned and trained all the way from training level to Grand Prix.