There are many potential health risks to mental and physical well-being related to overuse of cell phones, especially low IQ & improper mental growth in children, sleep deprivation, brain tumors and psychiatric diseases are hot-button issues. Till date, studies related to radiations generated by mobile phones have been inconsistent and results have been conflicting. These wireless devices are now part of our everyday life, but they can be used in a manner that is safe enough, the most important point is the distance, holding a cell phone few inches away from our ear provides a thousand times reduction in risk. Unless a cell phone is turned off, it is always radiating, so when not in use, it should not be kept on the body. The best place to keep a cell phone is somewhere like a pouch, purse, bag, or backpack. These devices should be kept away from a pregnant woman’s abdomen, and a mother should not use a cell phone while breastfeeding and nursing, and baby monitors should not be placed in an infant’s crib. Children and teenagers need to know how to use mobile phones and wireless devices safely. Cell phones should not be permitted in children’s bedroom at all.

Can cell phones cause cancer?

In fact, there are solid grounds to believe it really is so. The cause for that is radio-frequency of electromagnetic fields given off by wireless and mobile devices. They have an adverse effect on our body, especially on growing skulls of kids, toddlers and teenagers, which can trigger the development of brain cancer in the future. According to a recent research conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, excessive use of mobile phones may lead to the formation of brain tumors as glioma and acoustic neuroma. First and foremost, this is an issue for those adults and children who are virtually glued to their cell phones.

Pew research center has reported, that 75% of preteens and early teens keep all day their cell phones in their front pant pockets, which is way harmful for their reproductive health. Boys should not keep their cell phone in their front pants pockets. There is a potential harm to sperms, and girls should not place their cell phone in their inner wears. This recommendation was based on a case study of four young women with a history of keeping their cell phones in or near their inner wears, and who subsequently developed breast cancer. It’s obvious that more radiations are absorbed with more hours of use, so children should be taught to use their mobile phones as little as possible. Landlines, Skype, and computer phone services, when connected to the internet with a cable, don’t give off radiations, therefore the parents should encourage their kids to use those. Moreover, the Wi-Fi routers in the home should be placed away from where people, particularly children, spend most of their time.

Good health is above wealth, but majority of us undermine our personal health, and become more careless about our children’s mental and physical state day-by-day, caused by the excessive usage of cell phones. A recent survey found that 92% of world population has mobile phones today. Among which 31% admit that they never turn off their mobile phones. More than 90% of parents provide their kids cell phones, so they can easily keep in touch whenever they want to. All of this gives sufficient ground to talk about a cell phone addiction, specially about the possible dangers of cell phones on children’s health.

Why cell phones should be a complete ‘No’ to kids?
Checkpoints

Cell phone overuse has many severely bad side effects on children’s health primarily and adult’s health generally. We strive to be constantly connected and available. This makes us feel tired, nervous, and absent-minded. We hardly realize that a cause for our tiredness and fatigue is hidden in our pocket. It’s high time to determine more about the negative influences of mobile phones and other wireless technologies.

From time to time, many children and a few adults have a false feeling that their cell phone is vibrating in their pockets when it’s not. This situation is called a phantom pocket vibration syndrome. A study conducted by Dr. Michelle Drouin revealed that 89% of teenagers had experienced this type of sensation. This especially relates to the teenagers and undergraduates having a social media addiction. They are more anxious and nervous. Missing a text message from other side feels like a real tragedy to them. Reducing overall usage of mobile phones, and shutting off cell phone’s vibration is a good way to combat and to deal with this syndrome.

When texting someone or reading an article on the Internet, we all have to stare at a small-sized screen of our cell phone. This can put a lot of strain on kids’ eyes; they can dry out and hurt when blinking. Eventually, this may result in visual deterioration. To maintain clear sight, one needs to keep the device at least 12 to 16 inches away from the face.

While talking about cell phones and health, we cannot ignore their influence on the sleeping habits. Most of us including children even, get used to set the alarm and put a cell phone somewhere not far from the head or even under their pillow. In fact, it’s a very bad idea. As already mentioned, microwave radiations transmitted by a cell phone are harmful to a brain specially kid’s brains. Having a mobile device at hand can also end up with insomnia in children. They’ll feel tempted to check it at night. They won’t be able to sleep properly because of its vibrations and beeps. This can cause sleep deprivation, which can lead to serious mental health problems in children less than 19 years of age.

A healthy spine is one of the key factors of well-being during growing age. When our kids are slouching over a cell phone for most hours daily, they ruin their neck and back muscles. So, no wonder they feel the nagging pain in these parts. But wait, there’s more. Pain, strain and aching neck muscles can cause a severe headache to make things worse. So eventually, they’ll feel like a wreck. To keep our children healthy, it’s time to decide, that we should not allow our kids to overuse cell phones and other wireless devices.

About the author

Dr. Faisal Khan is a MRCPCH-UK scholar. He also has SMLE, MPH, MCPS to his credit. He hails from Pakistan and is currently practicing in Al-Dar Hospital Madina Munawara, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

What is COPD?
Know it better

Now that we know the cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which is characterized by narrowing of the airways, it is important to understand how the disease affects our health. In larger airways, the inflammatory response is referred to as chronic bronchitis. At times, it may even lead to the destruction of tissues lining our lung’s passage and cause “emphysema”- a long-term and progressive disease of lungs.

Although smoking accounts for most patients with COPD, exposure to air pollutants play an important role too. Basically, in a patient ailing from COPD, diffusion of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood does not take place which is why adequate oxygen does not reach the bloodstream through lungs and thus more amount of carbon dioxide is retained in the body, causing difficulty in breathing.

About 50 percent of COPD cases remain un-diagnosed during the physical examination and the symptoms do not appear until significant lung damage has already occurred which only worsens over time. But a chest x-ray and pulmonary function test can diagnose and reveal the progression of the disease.

For chronic bronchitis, the main symptom is persistent cough along with mucus (sputum) production for at least three months. However, other symptoms may include shortness of breath, wheezing, tightness in the chest, frequent respiratory infections, swelling in ankles, legs, etc.

Treatment

Much of the treatment for COPD includes things that one can do to manage the disease on their own.

However, the medicines prescribed to treat COPD can be for long-term duration as these help to prevent/ relieve symptoms. If you are a patient of COPD, make sure.

You don’t skip or discontinue medicines without consulting your doctor. Also, there is lack of awareness about non-invasive ventilation (NIV) treatment for COPD even though it reduces respiratory distress and risk of death considerably. A patient in moderate or advanced stages of COPD can be treated with an NIV machine, which aids in bringing down the carbon dioxide level in the blood thereby enabling the patients to breathe normally.

Measures to Combat COPD
Because people with COPD or the ones who are susceptible to having respiratory diseases are recommended to stay indoors, it is important they improve their surroundings at home and take necessary precautions listed below:

• Stay Indoors: Stay away from smoke and air pollution. Even though you quit smoking, it’s important to avoid places where others smoke because passive smoking can be equally harmful for the health of your lungs. As a cautionary measure, you can avoid stepping out without wearing a mask.
• Invest in Right Mask: Make sure you buy only N95 mask which can filter about 95 percent pollutants in the air. Surgical and other masks available in the market are ineffective so avoid wasting money on those.
• Keep your Indoors Smoke-Free: As a rule, do not burn mosquito coils and incense sticks at home as the smoke/soot emitted from them can cause further breathing problems.
• Keep Hydrated: It is advisable to consume at least 2 litres or more water in a day.
• Exercise Daily: A little bit of exercise/yoga everyday will improve your respiratory muscles. Avoid strenuous exercises and discuss with your doctor to know which activities are safe for you.
• Have a Healthy Diet: It can help to boost your immunity and strength. Make sure you don’t step out without having meals. Also, have fruits which are rich in antioxidants regularly.

About the author

Dr. Rakesh Chawla is a Sr. Consultant for Respiratory Medicine, Critical Care and Sleep Disorders and Interventional Bronchoscopist with Saroj Super Specialty Hospital, Delhi. He has published approx. 54 papers in national and international Journals.