ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => AN Issues => Topic started by: kelli on May 27, 2008, 08:52:15 pm
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Hi everyone,
I watched Larry King tonight and his program is about cell phone use and brain tumors. They specifically mention acoustic neuroma as having a possible link to cell phone use. I always wondered about that because I for years had my cell phone glued to my left ear. I wonder if there is a link to cell phone use and my left AN. It is a very interesting program and will be on again at 9pm pacific time tonight and probably replayed this weekend.
Health and happiness to all,
kelli
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Yes, I watched it too. But, my doctor said I probably had my AN for 20 years. And I've only had a cell phone for probably 5 or so years.
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My AN was very large so I probably had it for awhile. I still will take the dr's advice on the show and use a wired earplug for my good ear. I've had enough radiation to my brain with the cyberknife! :)
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I didn't get a chance to see the program tonight, but this has been a debate for some time now.
IMO the possibility of a connection is hard to believe. I only got a cell phone about 2 years before I was diagnosed with my AN and I only used it sporadically. My AN was 2.5+ cm at the time of my surgery.
Jan
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Kelli,
There are numerous posts on this site about cell phones. i have read a couple of research tests and there doesn't appear to be any hard evidence that cell phones cause AN's.
personally, i reckon there is something in it.
the last research paper i saw was done in Sweden. Can't remember if it was a privately funded research or not. This is important, as you know that smoking research tests backed by the tobacco industry all say that smoking is fine - yeah right!
Anyway, the only inference to a suggestion that there may be a link came from the old analog phones, not so much from the digital phones. Its still early days and don't forget that MRI's are the bst way of spotting AN's and they have only been around en masse for about 20 years. Thats not really a long enough time to get a complete research test done.
Laz
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kelli,
I'm with Laz. But then I not the smartest cookie. I had my AN 8 years ago and I didn't get a cell phone until about 4 years ago.
But my 25 year old son did yell at me last week to use the ear piece because of radiation of the cell. So who knows.
eve
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I didn't see the Larry King show but I've looked at the literature on this subject (studies) and I haven't seen any hard, scientific evidence to support the cell phone/brain tumor link that some believe exists. However, I'm open to accepting real proof of that connection, if it can be scientifically proven. I doubt that it will be. Acoustic Neuromas were discovered over 100 years ago (during autopsies), long before cell phones were invented. I think the error some folks make is to assume that because the AN grows on the sheath of the hearing nerve, the cause of the AN must - somehow - be hearing related. I think that assumption is wrong. Also, the fact that a cell phone is held next to the ear/head, doesn't prove that the radio waves it uses are somehow entering our brains and causing tumors. That is a bit of a stretch, to be polite about it. This theory looks like a conclusion seeking to be proven and cell phones are a handy culprit as they are ubiquitous. Unfortunately, even now, in 2008, some folks still think low-frequency radio waves and a 3-watt receiver are just like radiation and inherently harm the body. I do not accept that premise.
I'm not a scientist or a doctor and of course, this is simply my opinion. I could be wrong and I realize others differ. So be it. To paraphrase John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my opinion". (Keynes bitingly added: "what do you do, Sir?). :)
Jim
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Hey kelli,
cross-posted in AN Community as well.
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=6575.0
IMO, regardless of how long ago AN's were first recognized/diagnosed, to me, its interesting that the debate is on as to whether cellphones/cordless phones can or cannot (not does/doesn't, but can/cannot) play a role. I am in agreement wih the guest discussion panel on the show last night that more longer term studies need to be put into place and reviewed down the road.
Doesn't matter to me... I have an AN... I deal with my AN... I can or cannot get cancer from this or that (heck, I already have it, so at this point, I'm not even going to 2nd guess how I got it, although they claim, in my case its heriditary)...... to me, the topic of discussion was an interesting one.... regardless of what I thought of it's correllation after the show aired.
Just my 2 cents/pence (for the UK gang).
Phyl
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Hi, All
I know that my cell phone is not the cause of my 1.5cm rt-side AN. I've had my cell phone for about 4 or 5 years and use my other ear for phone conversations. My AN has probably been around longer than my cell phone.
Syl
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I wish I had watched Larry King last night. I saw something recently that indicated having a cell phone next to your bed at night could very well impact your sleep habits. The cell phone gives off "something" and it interferes with sleep. Makes you wonder if it interferes with stuff in your head....like your BRAIN!
In my jobs over the years I have used a head piece since the early 80's and I do believe that our environment does have an impact on our bodies. I bought a cell phone in the early 90's and now I use only a speaker phone as I am fearful of putting anything next to my head. When I use my cell phone I talk very little and I try and text when I can.
My entire life up until age 18 I lived in a house with parents that both smoked and then I smoked as a teenager and when I quit smoking at 18 and moved out and was married I started feeling much better. No longer got colds and I actually stopped coughing on a regular basis. Years ago there was not a big concern about second hand smoke and now we realize that it is "bad". We turn around and it seems that everything we are told that does or does not cause cancer we find out later that maybe the studies were wrong and this new finding does or does not cause cancer.
My husband's mother had cancer of every organ and she never smoked, drank or ate wierd foods or was overweight. She got her first cancer of the female organs in 1956 and then every few years got cancer of the lungs, breast, brain and eventually died in 1975 of lung cancer in her other lung. The only thing we are aware of is she lived on a farm as a child and they used some strong pesticides so that makes you wonder. Her brothers and sisters all got cancer and most have died but they did live into their 50 and 60's. There are a few left but their health problems have been severe. None of them smoked, drank or were overweight.
Of course none of this really means anything except I am not as gullible as I use to be. I don't believe half what I read, I think common sense is our best medicene and I think we should question most everything we are told.
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Phyl posted a link to the show's transcript on another subject; I think it's under AN Community. I had a chance to read the transcript this morning. I still don't believe that cell phone use causes ANs (I think Jim's last post makes a whole lot of sense) but the transcript was interesting.
Jan
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I always use my left ear to talk on the cell and my AN was in my right ear - oh no! I am a very frequent cell phone user.
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i came across this video about cell phone and found it very interesting - just want to share with the group. When the infra-transmitter (?) on the cell phone is pointed towards the popcorn, it was able to pop the popcorn! even though the infra-transmitter is not directly in line to our ear, i really wonder what else it can do to our head???
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/portable/video/x5odhh_pop-corn-telephone-portable-microon_news
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Hi,
The cell phone popping popcorn is a hoax I believe. So it's not that bad....but we should all have an earpiece anyway. Just in case.
M
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This is a hoax.
laz
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This is a hoax.
Bummer. I actually thought it would be kind of neat to be able to pop popcorn with my cell phone.
Guess I'll have to stick to the microwave :D
Jan
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i'm with you jan about popping popcorn with cell phone - but has it been confirmed it is a hoax? It looked so real - on second thought....... is LADavid still bored? maybe he can do an experiment?? ;D
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Hey all...I just had to chime in on this as the national cancer society has issued the following warning labels to parents..re cell phones and children....and officially along with I believe the AMA, that cell phones should not be used by children under the age of 16 due to possible cause of brain cancers and other similar growths..ie ANs brain tumors etc.
I am most apologetic as I cannot remember what news this was on, however I found these announcements on several news mediums...such as Yahoo, the local paper...definately remember those two and I think NBC nightly news. So if it is recommended that children not use cell phones due to possible brain tumor links..what is it doing to us?
Anyone feel free to look further into this news..I am sure you can find it just doing a basic search,,sorry, but right now I am very time limited.......curious though isnt it.....
Ceecee
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The American Cancer Society has heard about the cell phone issue, of course. Their current view is here:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3X_Cellular_Phones.asp
There are lots of other reports floating around, of course.
The popcorn video was a hoax, admitted to by the company that sponsored it, as a so-called "viral video" advertising gimmick. The company, called Cardo, makes a Bluetooth headset you can use to keep a cell phone away from your ear.
http://www.cardosystems.com/pop/
Steve