Electromagnetic hypersensitivity facts for kids
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a condition where some people feel unwell. They believe this feeling is caused by being near electromagnetic fields. Other names for it include electrohypersensitivity, electro-sensitivity, and electrical sensitivity (ES). Sometimes, people call a form of EHS a Wi-Fi allergy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that EHS is described by symptoms that are different for each person. These symptoms are real and can be mild or strong. For some, they can even make daily life difficult. However, there is no specific list of symptoms to diagnose someone with EHS. Also, scientists have not found a clear link between electromagnetic fields and how people feel. This means EHS is not a recognized medical diagnosis.
People who say they have EHS often blame it for problems like headaches, feeling very tired, stress, trouble sleeping, skin issues (like prickling, burning, or rashes), and muscle aches. Even though strong electromagnetic fields can make the body warm, people with EHS say they feel sick even at very low levels of these fields.
Most scientific tests show that people who claim to have EHS cannot tell if they are truly near electromagnetic radiation or not. Because of this, doctors and scientists do not consider EHS a real illness. Many double-blind experiments have been done. In these tests, neither the person nor the researchers know if the electromagnetic fields are on or off. These studies suggest that people who say they have EHS are just as likely to report feeling sick after a fake exposure as they are after a real one. This makes scientists think that the feelings might be due to the nocebo effect. The nocebo effect is when someone feels sick because they expect to feel sick, even if there's no actual harmful cause. It's the opposite of the placebo effect, where someone feels better because they expect to.
EHS in Popular Culture
In the TV show Better Call Saul, a character named Chuck McGill stays at home. He believes he suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
Related Information
See also
In Spanish: Hipersensibilidad electromagnética para niños
