8 Ways to Reduce EMF Exposure

Have you seen Better Call Saul? If not, it’s a spin off of Breaking Bad following the life of Walter White’s lawyer, Saul Goodman.

There’s a character named Chuck who lives in a house with no electricity, and he makes you leave your cell phone and anything battery-powered or electric in the mailbox before you enter. He’s often depicted wearing a foil overcoat, and he’s got blackout shades and lanterns all over the house. 

He does this because he believes he suffers from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity.

He also does this because he’s totally nuts. 

So while we make it our mission to educate and keep you informed of overall wellness deterrents, we never want to make you panic to Chuck’s state, so please consider the following information as a gentle nudge vs. a full-on shove. 

What are EMFs?

Closely akin to the electromagnetic waves haunting Chuck’s dreams are EMFs. Le Google describes them as such:

“Electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as Radiation, that are associated with the use of electrical power and various forms of natural and man-made lighting.”

How are we exposed to EMFs?

• Earbuds

• Anything bluetooth

• Cell phones

• Microwaves

• Powerlines

• Cell phone towers

• Wi-Fi routers

• Baby monitors

Why should we be mindful of EMF exposure?

Research shows EMF influences cellular metabolism. When we start messing with our bodies at a cellular level, it’s never good. Several studies now show the detrimental health effects of EMFs due to this influence at the cellular level with one of the most shocking being the connection between the location of cancerous tumors to where an individual routinely carries their cell phone. 

Other studies have shown noteworthy links to the following:

• Increased brain cancers

• Altered brain metabolism

• Sleep disturbance

• Diminished sperm count and sperm damage

• Headaches

• Fatigue

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Memory + concentration difficulties 

How do we reduce our exposure? 

1. Ditch the microwave.

Yes, we just said that. Think about what you’re making in the microwave… could it be made on the stovetop? Probably. If it cannot, then it’s likely made of preservatives and gunk anyway. 

Heating food in any way will diminish the nutritional value, but microwaves win the prize for nuking the nutrition. According to Medical Daily, “The water molecules rotate rapidly in the microwave and in the food in high frequencies which creates molecular friction and heats up your food. This causes the molecular structure in your food to change, and as a result diminishes the nutrient content in the food.” This is especially true when it comes to breast milk - please for the love, do not ever, ever heat your liquid gold in the microwave.

2. Designate a docking station. 

Find a place in your house you don’t frequent as much, and leave the phones there throughout the day, or at the very least, from 5pm onward. This way you know where it is and can check it if needed, but you don’t have to carry it around in your hand or your pocket.

3. Sleep with your phone in another room or put it on airplane mode.

This is a super easy switch! We also recommend doing the same to a tablet if you have one in your room. Take it a step further and enforce no screen time 2 hours before bedtime. This not only diminishes EMF exposure, but it has also been proven to help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. 

4. Consider a WI-Fi cage. 

These allegedly don’t interfere with signal strength, but they do lessen the radiation. 

5. Use speakerphone. 

Whenever you can, use the speakerphone so the phone isn’t glued to your head everytime you talk. 

6. Skip the earbuds. 

We know they look cool, but the bluetooth feature makes the EMF factor significantly higher than regular ol’ wire earphones. 

7. Get grounding!

Make this practice part of your morning routine! The Earth carries a negative charge. Grounding, aka Earthing, directly counteracts the effects of EMFs.

8. Up your magnesium.

Studies show magnesium’s calcium channel blocking properties protect our cells from damage from EMFs. We’ve got high-quality magnesium supplements in store, or you can create and account and shop here.

Doing all the other daily detox supporters like eating well, exercising, prioritizing sleep and keeping stress in check all help your body fend off the effects of EMFs. At the end of the day, we do the best we can to avoid unnecessary exposure while not falling off the deep end like ol’ Chuck. 

For more on EMFs and great products to help you reduce your exposure to them, check out our friends at Tech Wellness.

Q&A with the Founders of Harvest Farmacy

Grace and Todd Vranac
Founders of Harvest Farmacy
@harvestfarmacy | harvestfarmacy.com

Grace and Todd are the founders of Harvest Farmacy, an elderberry farm on a mission to bring the highest quality elderberry to their customers. The Vranacs built an elderberry orchard in Texas so that they could have access to fresh elderberries and elderberry juice for their products. They crafted their Elderberry Wild Cider Health Tonic with a focus on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich properties to cultivate wellness within their community.

What does wellness mean to you?

To us, wellness means supporting our bodies with nutrient dense foods and building a strong immune system to support our body. We love incorporating anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich foods into our diet.

Your fave Instagram accounts to follow?

@thedefineddish @roamranch @madisonviningblog

Morning routine?

G: I start my mornings with a cup of warm lemon water and then quickly move on to my mushroom coffee. I cherish my morning coffee and it's something I look forward to. T: My morning consists of feeding the horses and our dog, Crawford. Then I enjoy a cup of coffee outside overlooking the farm.

Evening routine?

We enjoy slow evenings. We always make a nourishing meal such as grilled cedar plank salmon with roasted vegetables or the Defined Dish Meatballs with @jovial cassava pasta. We also love wine and recently have been exploring different biodynamic wines to enjoy with our meals.

Travel essentials?

Bison Epic Bars, Todd always has a Waterloo Sparkling water with him and all of our vitamins

Instant energy boost?

A walk around the farm always gives us energy. Walking the orchard rows and seeing the growth reminds us that we are cultivating wellness for our community and it always gives us excitement.

Most used condiment?

G: Dijon T: Aioli

Favorite smoothie recipe?

Our current favorite is: 1 Fresh Banana, 1 Cups of Frozen Berries, 1 Cup of Orange Juice, Handful of cilantro, 1 Scoop of Barleygrass and 1 Scoop of Spirulina

How do you take your coffee (or tea)?

G: No sugar, but with a splash or two of a vanilla nutpod T: Straight but with a teaspoon of raw cane sugar

Go-to cocktail?

We love a glass of prosecco with a splash of our Elderberry Wild Cider. The flavor is vibrant, the color is beautiful and it tastes delicious.

3 ingredients/foods you can't live without?

Harvest Farmacy Elderberry Wild Cider, Himalayan Pink Salt and Einkorn Flour

Go-to gift?

The Defined Dish cookbook

How do you reset?

An epsom salt bath or a good infrared sauna session

When you feel sickness coming on you...

Take a shot of our elderberry wild cider!

What's valuable to you?

Cultivating wellness not only for ourselves, but through Harvest Farmacy and for our customers by growing nutrient dense foods to support and nourish the modern diet. We love being able to connect our customers to the farm and the passion behind it.

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Thank you, Grace and Todd! We love learning more about you guys, and we are thrilled to offer Harvest Farmacy Elderberry Wild Cider at R+R for $28. Come and get it!

4 Tips to Fight Allergy Season

Before we hit you with some great tips to send allergies packing, it might be helpful to know allergies are caused by a combination of an over-reaction of the immune system, inflammation, gut issues and/or candida overgrowth.

Ipso facto, we want to focus on improving the immune system, cleaning up the gut, and lowering inflammation by understanding the root cause of the allergies.

Here's how to fight allergy season:

1. Clean up your diet. We know it's not sexy, but it will help. By limiting inflammatory foods - processed sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol - inflammation will lessen and your immune response will improve. Win-win.

2. Check your indoor air quality. We all know the pollen outside is CRAY CRAY, but did you know our allergies are also greatly affected by INDOOR AIR? Yep. @molekuleair air filters are incredible, and we suggest saving your pennies to put one in your bedroom. Replace air filters often, and we know it seems counter-intuitive, but open a window for at least 15 minutes a day to improve indoor air.

3. Ditch synthetic fragrances. Sure that Tide smells good, but it's not doing anything for your inflammation threshold. In fact, it's making it worse. We promise making the switch to safer cleaning products, personal care products, candles, etc. will make a difference!

4. Stock up on the following goodies at R+R:

• Elderberry: This has been used for centuries to improve immune response + fight inflammation (aka the name of the game to fight allergies!) We've got both @cassiegreenhealth and @harvestfarmacy elderberry in stock. Run, don't walk.

• D-Hist for adults and D-Hist, Jr. chewables for kiddos are on the shelf ready for YOU. These contain a targeted blend of flavonoids,antioxidants, proteolytic enzymes and botanicals designed to provide comprehensive support for seasonal challenges.

• Peppermint + Lemon Essential Oils: Carry in your bag and put a dot of each on your palms, rub together, and cup your hands over your nose and mouth while you breathe deeply. Diffuse & dot on temples or wrists.