The rates of autism spectrum disorder, commonly shortened to ASD or autism, continue to rise among America’s youth. According to Autism Parenting Magazine, about 1 in 36 children are now diagnosed with this condition. To paint a different picture, the frequency of autism is now 241% higher than statistics recorded in 2000.¹

Back in 2017, I interviewed Martin Pall, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Washington State University, regarding how electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can affect human health via the stimulation of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs). Through the years, he has continued to build on this research, and has recently published an extensive study that digs deeper into the role of EMFs in our VGCCs, and how it can give rise to autism.

How EMF Exposure Contributes to Autism

In Pall’s study,² published in Brain Sciences, he elucidates “a causal/explanatory model which explains the neurodevelopmental, physiological, biochemical, environmental and genetic causal mechanisms of ASDs.”

According to Pall,³ autism may occur via synaptogenesis dysfunction in the developing brains of children. The central mechanism around this phenomenon is the activation of VGCCs exacerbated by EMF exposure. This raises [Ca²⁺]i, also known as intracellular calcium, causing autism.

For those unfamiliar, synaptogenesis is another term for synapse formation.⁴ Synapses are sites wherein neurons communicate with each other, similar to a telephone cable connecting two phones together. As your child interacts with the environment, their brain forms new connections (synaptogenesis). “Essentially, your child’s brain is adapting to their unique environment, and learning to process it more efficiently,” according to Yale Baby School.⁵

The autism-inducing EMFs referred throughout Pall’s research refer to the manmade variety, meaning they are generated via electric currents. He refers to these as “coherent” EMFs, which are “emitted in a particular vector direction, with a particular frequency, polarity and phase.”⁶

On the other hand, he refers to natural EMFs as “incoherent,” as they are made up of photons emitted in various directions, polarities and phases. Due to this incoherence, they only create a miniscule amount of magnetic force that likely won’t pose a threat to your health.⁷

Six Nerve Mechanisms Affected by Excessive Intracellular Calcium

Pall outlines that during the perinatal period (before and after birth), there are six neuronal mechanisms impacting synaptogenesis, and the likely cause is — you guessed it — excessive intracellular calcium. In his words, the flooding of calcium “causes abnormal regulation of each of the six mechanisms,” which are outlined below:

When the functions of these six mechanisms are impaired, synaptogenesis dysfunction occurs, which may result in autism. According to Pall:¹⁴

“Synaptogenesis dysfunction produces tissue connectivity changes in the autism/ASD brain which are thought, in turn, to produce many autism symptoms. It may act, in part, to disrupt and change neural network formation, a possible central causal mechanism of autism/ASDs.”

Pall says that the six mechanisms “have been shown to be abnormal in autism/ASD patients.”¹⁵ How, specifically? Again, evidence points back to excessive intracellular calcium via the VGCCs. His paper cites two previous studies, published in 2007 and 2009, showing that intracellular calcium has a strong link to autism.

For context, VGCCs, which are found in high concentrations in the brain, play a role in intracellular processes, such as neurotransmitter release.¹⁶ Once they’re exposed to EMFs, calcium floods inward, which, based on Pall’s collated research, may cause synaptic dysfunction ultimately resulting in autism.¹⁷

In another study, similar findings were observed. According to the researchers, coherent EMFs “can cause irregular gating of electro-sensitive ion channels or VGICs on the cell membranes,”¹⁸ which can lead to DNA damage resulting in infertility and cancer.¹⁹ Like Pall, these researchers also noted that incoherent EMFs, regardless of intensity, will not cause health issues.²⁰

Babies Are Already at Risk for Autism Even Before Birth

Based on the six affected mechanisms described by Pall, it seems that autism may begin even before a child is born. In his review, he came across a study that compared EMF exposure levels of women who gave birth to babies diagnosed with autism compared to normal controls. From here, he noted that babies born with autism were at risk because of where the mother slept during her pregnancy, as well as where the baby slept in the months after birth.²¹

If you’re pregnant, it would be wise to minimize your exposure to EMFs, as it’s paramount to protecting your unborn child’s health. Pall emphasizes the following recommendations:²²

“Pregnant women should not use cell phones, cordless phones, should avoid Wi-Fi fields and should use wired connections to the internet, avoid Bluetooth, should not spend time near smart meters, cell phone towers, avoid high voltage powerlines, etc.

Pregnant women should avoid being in buildings with high dirty electricity in their electric powerlines. Such avoidance is very challenging. A second choice is to use shielding to protect the fetus and the young baby after birth.

You can get large, shielded T-shirts to protect the fetus, wearing a regular cloth T-shirt underneath to minimize body contact. Such shielding materials have large numbers of metal (often silver) fibers. I believe that shielding mostly acts by disrupting the coherence of the EMFs, therefore greatly lowering any electric or magnetic forces.”

Another option is to apply shielding paint to the walls of your home. They usually come in black and can be painted over once dry so you can maintain your home’s original design. More importantly, shielding paint protects your home from EMF sources from your neighbors, which is something you may have little control over. Pall also advises buying an EMF meter to identify the hotspots in your home.

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Via https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/09/26/emf-exposure-autism.aspx