Why Your Cell Phone is Dangerous

Healthy SELF, SELF Magazine

By Ashley Mateo,SELF magazine

Like her sister, Kourtney Kardashian uses her Twitter account to invite fans even deeper into her life than on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and even Kourtney and Kim Take New York.She also regularly posts adorable uploads of her son, Mason, and hawks products like QuickTrim and her own DASH Collection. In fact, it seems like the reality star might be a little addicted to her phone.

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Today, she posted: KourtneyKardash: "Does anyone else get scared that being on their phones too much or sleeping with your phone near u is so bad? Or am I paranoid?"

You're not the only one who's concerned, Kourtney--there are studies that link cell phone radiation to everything from heart irregularities to brain tumors, and physicists who say it's impossible for cell phones to cause such ailments because they simply don't emit enough energy. To stay safe rather than sorry, we've got tips from Devra Davis, Ph.D., author of the new book Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family, and founder of the Environmental Health Trust in Wyoming.

1. Don't shove your cell phone into your sports bra (or keep it pressed against your body, period).
Davis has been contacted by several doctors who have diagnosed breast cancer in women who tuck their cell into their "girls" while they work out. Coincidence? Maybe. But the fact is that the closer the phone is to your body, the more radiation you're being exposed to. If you must carry it this way, put it on "airplane mode."

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2. Children should not use cell phones.
Young children have thinner skulls and undeveloped brains, so cell phone radiation may more easily penetrate their brains. Carrying a kid? Make sure the phone isn't pressed against their body, and consider sending a text rather than making a call. In fact, whenever possible, it's a good idea text rather than actually talking on your cell.

3. Float the phone.
According to Davis, most of us don't read the fine print in our cell phone manuals, but they do recommend holding the phone away from our heads, rather than pressed up against our ears.The waves are one-quarter the strength at two inches and 50 times lower at three feet (hello, speakerphone!).

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4. Be antenna aware.
If you must carry your phone in your pocket, or anywhere else on your body, make sure the keypad is turned toward you, says Davis. By positioning the antenna this way, any electromagnetic fields are moving away from you rather than through you. Check out Davis' Campaign for Safer Cell Phones for more information about how to protect yourself.

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Photo Credit: Condé Nast Digital Studio