There are 3 types of electricity:

• Electric fields
  
• Magnetic fields
• Electromagnetic Radiation

Electric & magnetic fields are area's in which there is an electric force being exerted on whatever is in the field. An easy way to think of them are that Electric fields are produced by the forces of an electric charge. Magnetic fields, on the other hand, are produced when electric charges are in motion

Electromagnetic radiation is a wave of energy being emitted in a straight line away from it's source. Electromagnetic Fields (EMF's) is the collective term for all 3 types.

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Introduction
There are two types of electric field - Direct Current (DC) and Alternating Current (AC).

DC electric fields are known as static electricity. This includes electrical energy in the air and on synthetic fabrics. Static electricity contains both positive ions (bad for your health) and negative ions (good for your health).

AC electric fields are produced from the mains, and sometimes other devices. They effectively energize the space surrounding electrical wires. They exist even when an electrical appliance is turned off! In fact, they emanate continuously from electrical wires around the house and workplace, unless they are unplugged from their sockets.

Electric fields are measured in volts per meter (v/m).

Natural Sources
AC Electric fields are generally just man-made. However, DC Electric fields - static electricity - exist all around us. 'Fresh Air' is full of negative ions. this is due to cosmic rays from the sun and other sources coming into the earth's atmosphere and breaking apart molecules in the air

Imagine how good it feels standing right next to a waterfall. One of the reasons it feels good and fresh is because there is such a high concentration of negative ions there. Contrast this with a stuffy room containing lots of electrical equipment. This is likely to contain a high amount of positive ions.

Man-made Sources
As already mentioned, AC electric fields are generated wherever there is an electrical wire connected to a socket, which includes pretty much all household appliances.

Man-made devices can also generate static electricity. For example, computers and televisions can create imbalances of static electricity in the air, i.e.. negative ions are attracted toward the screen and positive ions are thrown away from it toward the user. This is sometimes what is meant by poor air quality - high levels of bad positive ions, and low levels of negative good ones.

You can also buy negative ion generators - appliances which are designed remove positive ions from the air whilst injecting negative ions!

Shielding
Electric fields are generally easy to shield. You just need a conductive fabric which is connected to earth/ground. The conductive fabric attracts the electric field and sends it to earth. If, however, it isn't grounded it will actually attract electric fields and won't get rid of them, creating higher levels! (more about shielding later)

Introduction
Magnetic fields exist wherever electrical current flows. They surround electrical wire in a circular fashion.

Example: A kettle when switched off (i.e.. there no current running through the wire), has no magnetic field around it. As soon as it's switched on, a magnetic field surrounds the wire.

The unit of magnetism is Gauss.

Natural Sources
The earth has it's own magnetic field surrounding it! This is due to large amount of metals in the earth's core. As the earth rotates, large amounts of current flow through the metal and generates the magnetic field.

Man has lived with this weak magnetic field (max 0.7Guass) for millions of years and it isn't harmful. This existence of this magnetic field allows us to use compasses to tell which way is north & south. Birds & dolphins also use it to navigate.

Man-made Sources
Wherever current alternates (such as in an electrical wire plugged into the mains), there is a magnetic field surrounding it. Electric motors, transformers, loudspeakers and monitors are examples of appliances which can generate high levels of magnetic fields.

Direct current (as opposed to alternating current) generally doesn't generate magnetic fields.

Shielding
Magnetic fields are difficult to shield, primarily because they are not stopped whatsoever by walls or most objects. You cannot just 'stop' them! You can only try and absorb the field! This can be done using specially made metals which, although quite expensive, can be very effective. (more about shielding later)

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Electromagnetic radiation is a wave of energy being emitted in a straight line away from it's source. Each wave of Electromagnetic radiation travels precisely at the speed of light and has it's own unique frequency. The higher the frequency of the electromagnetic wave, the more energy is has and the more damage it can do to a human cell. The Electromagnetic spectrum puts all the possible frequencies into groups.

Ionizing/Non-Ionizing
We can see that the electromagnetic spectrum contains everything from radio waves and microwaves all the way up to dangerous x-ray and gamma rays. The latter are classified as ionizing radiation because they have so much energy that they can change the chemical structure (i.e.. ionize) of things in their path.

Natural Sources
Electromagnetic radiation is all around us and has been since the beginning of time. Light and Ultraviolet radiation are both electromagnetic radiation and come from the sun. In fact, all hot objects emit a wide range of frequencies of radiation. Radioactive decay also generates gamma and x-rays.

Man-made Sources
Radio stations broadcast radio frequency electromagnetic radiation, mobile phone masts emit microwave radiation, hospitals use x-rays to look at our bones & teeth. The remote control for you TV probably uses infrared radiation to communicate with it. As previously mentioned, anything that gets hot emits electromagnetic radiation. Computers, mobile phones, masts, power lines and a whole host of other electronic equipment emit them.

Shielding
A lot of electromagnetic radiation, particularly naturally occurring, is completely harmless. However, other types can be adverse to your health and there are a range of methods & products you can use to shield yourself from certain types of radiation. These include mobile phone shields, demand switches, harmonizers and shielding materials. see Measurement & Shielding below.

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Our bodies are mass of chemicals and electromagnetic signals. This incredibly complex mass communicates using very subtle yet very specific electrical and chemical messages.

For millions of years we lived with the magnetic field from the earth, with the light and ultraviolet coming from the sun and with the relatively small amounts of naturally occurring electromagnetic radiation in nature. It wasn't a problem. Our bodies have natural defenses against invaders, be it chemicals, small amounts of electricity or bacteria.

But in the last 20-30 years our environment has been been swamped with electricity and chemicals like never before! Our air is filled with electromagnetic radiation from radio stations, TV transmissions, microwaves from mobile phone masts and electric and magnetic fields from all our home & work appliances. Add to this the toxic chemicals in the water we drink, the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the cosmetics & grooming products we use, and we begin to see that our natural body defenses are overloaded!

Never before have we seen such a huge shift in our environment as we have in the last 20 - 30 years.

As a result we are starting to see the effects that electricity can have on the body.

It's long been known that ionizing radiation from EMF's can kill off living tissue and is therefore highly dangerous on the human body (this is why x-ray exposure limits are placed on people in hospitals etc.). So we can forget about this for now.

What we are instead concerned with is whether non-ionizing radiation and the lower frequency electric & magnetic fields can have an unhealthy impact on the body. This has been the topic of heated debate amongst scientists for decades. It's also obviously the main focus of this website. See Interactive Human Model, or any of the links on the left for more information!

ElectroSensitivity
Someone suffering from one more unhealthy short-term sensitivities to electricity (as opposed to long-term - cancer etc.) is known as being ElectroSensitive.

Measurement & Shielding
Measurement & shielding can be a complex topic of discussion and is beyond the scope of this article. There are many companies out there who can provide measurement tools, shielding materials and advice on how to shield specific appliances. Some of these can be found on the links page. go to Links: Shielding & Measurement

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• Aiding in the healing of Skin Wounds
  
• Accelerating bone growth in fractures
  
• The killing of cancerous cells in the body

There are many more! The book Body Electric is recommended for more information!