Alzheimer and Electromagnetic Fields

In these days of hand-held cellular phones, personal computers, and an abundance of other electronic devices, the general public seems to be at least marginally concerned about the possible health risks of electromagnetic radiation exposure as evidenced by articles appearing not only in alternative medical publications, but in mainstream journals as well.

In 1995, the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers at the University of Southern California School of Medicine confirmed a direct relationship between occupations exposing individuals to higher levels of electromagnetic radiation and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The December 1996 issue of Neurology, revealed a substantial increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in individuals whose occupations exposed them to higher than average levels of electromagnetic radiation.

How exposure to electronic devices may lead to Alzheimer's disease is unclear. Several authors have indicated that the electromagnetic radiation produced by electronic equipment enhances the formation of beta amyloid, a protein known to be prevalent in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. It is clear that this protein enhances brain inflammation, now known to be the primary cause of brain degeneration in this disease.

Somehow it seems that articles linking environmental factors with disease, much like research dealing with the impact of nutrition on health, are generally overlooked in favor of concentrating on pharmaceutical approaches to treating the illness they cause.