If you are like many American’s you now feel naked if you forget your phone at home. It’s hard to remember what it was like before cellular telephones, though it was not really all that long ago.
Long ago, in a galaxy far far away where rotary dial telephones were attached to walls, telephone booths stood on the corners in towns and cities – as the original version of pay as you go phone, which moved to cordless phones where you were free to move about your house as you talked, and on to pagers so you could be reached if you were out of the house or office. But nothing has revolutionized communication quite like the invention of the cell phone. Originally a luxury item for the rich, installed in cars they slowly, as the technology became available, got smaller and more compact until they were manageable enough, small enough, and affordable enough that the general population could obtain them.
These days, nearly everyone has one. Kids, adults, I have even heard whisperings about programs to give the homeless cell phones. And these are not just telephones any longer. Making a call is the very least of what these devices can do.
Is it any wonder it has blown up into a full-blown addiction?
First, let’s define addiction. Addiction is defined as a compulsive need for and or use of a habit-forming substance or item that can be detrimental to your well-being.
How do you know if you qualify as a phone addict?
Answer the following questions to see where you score:
- Are you distressed to realize you have left the house without your phone?
- If you are more than halfway to your destination, do you turn around and go back to get it, even though you are not expecting an important call?
- If the answer is no, you do not go back, do you spend the day/evening complaining to your companions or coworkers that you forgot your phone?
- Do you keep reaching for the phone, even though you know it isn’t currently with you?
- Do you find yourself playing with your phone even though you are in the company of others, avoiding personal conversation and even eye contact?
- Do you compulsively text, even while at work or school?
- Do you hide your phone bill from a spouse or loved one?
- Would it cause you anxiety to have your phone taken away for a week (assuming you did not need it for work)?
- Do you feel somewhat like it has become an electronic leash, allowing people to find you no matter where you go?
If you have answered yes to two or more of these questions, you may want to unplug for a little while!
But…! You say to yourself… It isn’t hurting anyone!
Is this really true?
This national phone and texting addiction is quite the oxymoron… Though it connects you socially to a multitude of friends never before thought possible through social networking sites, our face to face interactions and communication skills seem to be dropping off as everyone wanders through life staring and fixated on the small electronic box in their hands.
Along with this weirdly limiting social aspect, comes the anxiety of not having it when you think you need it. It has become for many the safety blanket of adulthood.
Worse than the perceived psychological needs are the actual physical dangers – cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phone is held. So far studies have been inconclusive as to whether or not the radiation directly causes DNA structural damage which leads to cancer or not, but the American Cancer Society along with The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences are strongly suggesting some steps that cell phone users can take to reduce the exposure to radio frequency energy.
*Reserve the use of cell phones for shorter conversations or for times when a landline is not available.
*Use a hands-free device, which places more distance between the phone and the head of the user. Models available that are mounted on the outside of the car are the most preferred.
When you think about this logically, the frequency emitted is a microwave. Yes, just like the oven. Microwave energy oscillates at millions to billions of cycles per second. It promotes rapid cell aging and heating. The microwave oven has been documented for years as making cancerous cells grow more aggressively and comes with a warning label, yet cell phones so far do not.
Brain cancer rates in the USA have increased by 25% since 1975. Cell phones today seem to be what tobacco and cigarettes were 40 years ago… deemed safe, cool, and fun despite the massive evidence against claims that they are safe for use. All in the name of big business and profit.
Add to that the onset of “text neck” – stiff neck issues from looking at a downward angle so much of the time. It has become a real problem for all age groups and requires regular chiropractic adjustment.
So, next time you forget your cell phone at home. Don’t fret. Rejoice!
You are giving your body, mind, and soul (not to mention your thumbs!) a much-needed break from the microwaves and from a compulsion to communicate every moment of every day. Instead look around you and enjoy the company you are in, and appreciate the experience of being fully present here and now.
Chiropractor in Ft Myers, FL.
Dealing with text neck? Chiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent it as soon as possible?
Dr. Jason B. Kaster, a chiropractor in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.