Mail Online, 26 May 2013
Julia Taylor from East Devon suffers from electro-hypersensitivity (EHS)
Essentially an allergy to man-made radiation
Jessica Sapphire from West Sussex, had to give up her job because of EHS
Hannah Metcalfe believes EHS has prevented her from becoming pregnant
Her headaches were constant and vice-like. So extreme was the pain that it ruined any chance of a decent night's sleep, and left Julia Taylor reduced to little more than 'a walking zombie'.
A sensible, rational woman, the 53-year-old nutritionist went to her GP for an explanation - only to be told her repeated headaches were simply the countdown to the menopause. Yet every conceivable brand of painkiller, alternative remedy, and even hormone replacement therapy failed to help.
'I felt like I was going crazy. Doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me, I was fit and healthy in every other way - a battery of tests proved that. And yet my head felt like it was about to explode. I couldn't work properly because I was so exhausted all the time. Once, I didn't sleep for four nights in a row. I felt like I was living in a nightmare.'
So why did nothing help? Julia is convinced it's because she suffers electro-hypersensitivity (EHS). She believes she is allergic to atmospheric man-made radiation caused by wi-fi, phone signals, mobile phones, TV screens and fluorescent lights. In short, she is allergic to modern life.
The symptoms reported by sufferers of EHS range from headaches to nausea, sickness, severe abdominal pain, heavy bleeding and even blackouts. Yet EHS is a controversial condition. While some countries, such as Sweden, recognise it as a 'functional impairment', here the Health Protection Agency says there is no scientific evidence linking ill health with electrical equipment.