German/Russian report on electrosensitivity
The other day I was asked to supply what information I had on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) to an organisation in the US that is getting increasing reports of ill-health possibly associated with unknown RF sources. In addition to the material available on my web site I managed to dig up in the files an old half-translated Gernam report on the Russian literature from the years 1960 – 1996 to send off. The following is from the Forword of that report.
Don
Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Humans in the Frequency Range 0 to 3 GHz :
ISF Institute for Stress Research: Research and Development
Summary and results of a study of Russian medical literature from 1960 – 1996
Prepared for the German Federal Ministry for Postal
Services and Telecommunication in order to compare the differences between West European and CIS (former Soviet Union) EMF standards.
Berlin 1997
Editors:
Prof. em. Prof. Dr. med. Karl Hecht
Dr. rer. nat. Hans-Ullrich Balzer
Foreword
by Drs.Hans-Ullrich Balzer and Karl Hecht, The Institute of Stress Research, Berlin Germany.
As presented to the Tenth International Montreux Congress On Stress, Montreux Switzerland, February 28 to March 5, 1999
There is a great deal of controversy about the biological and psychobiological effects of electromagnetic fields on human beings. In the discussions of results of studies of Western countries, which usually take place over a time period of only 1 to 3 years, Russian medical literature is neglected to a great extent. We analyzed about 1500 original works of Russian medical literature from the years 1960 to 1996, in which the effects of electromagnetic fields on humans, animals and plants were studied. The following evaluation summary has to do to a large extent with examinations carried out by company physicians involving several thousand industrial workers subject to effects from electromagnetic fields, radar stations, and high-voltage electrical plants, where the periods of influence spanned a range of up to 20 years. The following symptoms are characteristic and appeared much more often directly in relation to the number of years of service by the worker in the plant.
Objective findings:
* Neurasthema, neurotic symptoms
* Arterial hypotension, bradycardia or tachycardia
* Hypoglycemia
* Vagotonic displacement of the cardiovascular system
* EEG changes (deterioratrion of the alpha rhythm)
* Hyperfunction of the thyroid
* Sexual Potency disturbances
* Passive tremor of the fingers
* Disturbances in the hypothalamic-hypophyseal cortico-adrenal system
* Digestive system disorders
* Sleep disorders
* Slowing down of the sensorimotor system
* Hair loss
Subjective symptoms reported by the patients:
* Exhaustion, weariness
* Lack of concentration
* Headaches
* Dizziness
* Profuse outbreaks of perspiration
* Spontaneous excitability due to hypotonic reaction conditions, especially under heavy work pressure
* Heart trouble
A three-stage symptom complex was determined:
1st stage: Beginning symptoms which can last up to three years without findings or a sympathicotonic reaction level.
2nd stage: Weakly pronounced symptoms lasting 3 to 5 years. A reversial gradually occurs from the normal or hypertonic level to that of hypotonia.
3rd stage: Highly pronounced symptoms more or less distinct replications of the symptom complex mentioned above.
Whereas the symptoms at atages 1 or 2 can subside into remission, they become unremitting at stage three.
In extensive supplementary experiments on test animals, it was determined that the biological effects of electromagnetic fields depend on a number of factors:
* Duration of exposure to influence
* Individual sensitivity
* Kind of electromagnetic field
* Dose
It also depends on the particular wavelength (when the dose is the same): mm-waves cause hardly any biological effect at all, cm-waves very little effect, d-waves a distinct effect, and m-waves a very highly pronounced effect.
It has also been shown from the results of animal experiments that electromagnetic fields (depending on the factors previously mentioned) trigger an unspecific biological reaction over a long period of time (along the lines of Hans Seyle) that later usual remain at a hypotonic level.
Comparisions were made between the symptom complex caused by electromagnetic fields and by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
Prof. em. Prof. Dr. med. Karl Hecht
Dr. rer. nat. Hans-Ullrich Balzer
I.S.F. Institut fÃ…r Stressforschung GmbH
AG Berlin-Charlottenburg HRB 58552
Dr. rer. nat Hans-Ullrich Balzer Prof. Dr. med. Karl Hecht
CEO: Dr. rer. nat. Hans-Ullrich Balzer
Chausseestr. 111 D-10115 Berlin
Tel. 030 28 59 90 29
Fax.: 030 28 59 90 30
e-mail: 101724.3707 @ compuserve.com
Correspondence with Hans-Ullrich Balzer in relation to the Russian medical literature on EMF exposure and immune system dysfunction, characterised by the conditions Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS).
July 1999
Dear Don Maisch
Regarding your interest of the influence of EMF on patients suffering CFS we can affirm, that similar effects like CFS were described in many Russian investigations, which are mentioned in our study. Because CFS was unknown at that time in the CIS (Soviet Union), only the effects were mentioned and it was named a lot of times as Neurovegative Asthenia.
Concerning the difference you have seen between CFS and EHS we think, that the EHS behaviour is similar to the so called unspecific Hypersensitivity, which we found out in our patients suffering from stress and sleep disturbances. Based on our experience in long term studies, we know that Hypersensitivity can exist for both extended and short periods. Hypersensitivity can be the first step of activation of body reserves which could occur after long term activation, e.g. stress influences, or strong stressors having short time effects.
The CFS symptoms are often connected with depressive states, hypotonia a. o. .In the vegeative emotional behaviour the depressive state is described by a loss of body reserves. Concerning your information about the differences between dream behaviour of patients with CFS and EHS we think, that this could be effected by an overload of the CNS followed by hyperactivation in case of Hypersensitivity and following blockage of the memory function of the CNS.
At the moment, the CFS condition is not the main task in our research. But we also think, that many of our patients could suffer from CFS, which in some cases could be based on EMF-influences. In Germany up till now we didn’t have any special test for determination of CFS and of course there is no test to determine the EMF influence on CFS. Usually there is a whole test procedure for determination of CFS by excluding other kinds of illnesses.
In 96 we proposed to the University in Munich to perform a CFS-Study using our experience in chronobiology, sleep research and stress research. Unfortunately this study was not performed. In 97, as you know, we studied the Russian literature on the influence of EMF exposure with human beings and animals. Since 90 we have developed a special stress test in order to determine the stress levels of human beings. This test procedure was performed till now in more than 1000 cases. We think, that such test procedure (measurement of psycho-physiological parameters) could be a good instrument in order to determine CFS, because we can measure the so called unspecific Hypersensitivity too.
Regards
Hans-Ullrich Balzer.
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