SAN ANTONIO — Ever since the invention of the cell phone many rumors have gone around about various illnesses you may get from excessive phone use. According to screen time stats for Americans, the average person spends over five hours on their phone every day. That leads us to tonight's claim submitted by Juan Marquez
THE QUESTION
I've been hearing alot about using the cell phone for a long period of time triggers seizures for people who have epilepsy. Is this true?
THE SOURCES
- Dr. Anthony Alvarado-Ortiz, an interventional vascular critical care neurologist and chair of the Department of Neurosciences with the Baptist Health System
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
THE ANSWER
WHAT WE FOUND
Dr. Avarado-Ortiz told us, "We do not have the evidence to say that is definitively true. This is very, very low end research. There are animal models to suggest that, if anything, the electromagnetic interference from cell phones actually heightens the seizure threshold."
The threshold is the minimum intensity of a stimulus required to induce a seizure.
On the CDC website under cell phones and your health it reads, "At this time we do not have the science to link health problems to cell phone use. Scientific studies are underway to determine whether cell phone use may cause health effects."
So no, it is not true. There is no evidence that using the cell phone for a long period of time triggers seizures for people who have epilepsy.
Dr. Alvarado-Ortiz also told us anyone who has epilepsy to make sure they have stabilizing medication to live a fairly normal life.