Are your gadgets making u sick

Remember the old Stephen King flick 'Maximum Overdrive,' in which all machines suddenly go berserk and start murdering humans? While we're not quite there yet, lots of casual technology users are paying a very high price for the modern conveniences that their gadgets afford them: Their health, and, in some cases, even their lives, are in jeopardy. The next time you visit the doc (or a mortician) for one of the following ailments, you may discover it's your electronics that are to blame.


Sore Thumbs
The condition: The diminutive keyboards on BlackBerrys, Treos, Sidekicks and other QWERTY phones can wreak havoc on one's ability to signal approval with a good old "thumbs up." Pain, numbness, swelling and tendinitis are all symptoms of what the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) officially recognizes as "BlackBerry Thumb," caused by overworking the one digit that separates us from the apes.

How to prevent or cure it: Avoid BlackBerry Thumb by typing with your fingers instead of your thumbs, and not typing for more than few minutes at once. If you're already stricken with the ailment, several massage therapists now offer massages specifically for the treatment of BlackBerry Thumb. Engadget founder Pete Rojas went for one, which he chronicles here. Pete's assessment: "I don't think a single massage can remedy years of abuse!"
DO YOU USE EAR PHONES REGURALY: YES/NO




A Pain in the ... Hands:The condition: Though carpal tunnel syndrome's shining moment in the media spotlight may have come and gone, the ailment is still very much real for many a hobbled keyboard jockey. According to AOL Health, carpal tunnel occurs when the median nerve in your forearm becomes pinched due to swelling. The effect is numbness, tingling and pain in the palm side of your thumb, index and middle fingers.

How to prevent or cure it: You can avoid carpal tunnel by taking frequent typing breaks and using a splint to keep your wrists straight. For more, check out 26 Home Remedies for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from Howstuffworks.
The condition: Missile-locking your eyes to a monitor all day can lead to Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), the symptoms of which include blurred vision, light sensitivity and headaches. That's because we humans weren't built for computer work.

"From an evolutionary standpoint, our eyes are designed for prolonged use at distances and for short term activities up close in three dimensions," says Dr. Andrea Thau, spokesperson for the American Optometric Association. "Hunting is an example of how they'd be used over distances, while working with tools is how they were meant to be used up close. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and we're using our eyes in the entirely opposite way. Most of the work our eyes do is up close and on flat, two-dimensional surfaces like screens or papers. This is very confusing to our visual system."

How to prevent or cure it: According to Dr. Thau, you can save your eyes by positioning your monitor 18 to 24 inches away from your face. You also want the very top of your screen at eye-level so that you're looking down on your work area. And every 15 to 20 minutes, give your peepers a rest by turning away from the screen and looking at something else -- like an angry boss wondering why you're slacking off.

The condition: Like just about everything else that's fun in this world, the Internet is a magnet for compulsive types. Whether it's in the form of a poker site, role-playing video games or even eBay, online addiction is estimated to affect between five and 10 percent of the population, ruining lives and relationships along the way. Think we're exaggerating? Check out eqdailygrind.blogspot.com for tales of breakups and divorce at the hands of massively multiplayer online games like 'EverQuest', 'World of Warcraft' and 'Second Life'.

How to prevent or cure it: The first step in curing online addiction is to take this online self-diagnosis test. The other 12 steps can be found here, here, here and here. And if traditional treatment options don't stick, you can always book passage to China for shock therapy.

Low Sperm Count : >

The condition: Despite repeated reassurances from the FCC to the contrary, those invisible electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by cell phones, Wi-Fi networks and other wireless devices are being blamed for a whole host of health problems, including nausea, upset stomachs, tinnitus, brain fog and short-term memory loss. The most disturbing charge, however, is the link between cell phone use and dwindling sperm counts.

According to a study by the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, men who gab on their cell phones for more than four hours per day crank out 40 percent fewer baby makers than their non-cell phone–using counterparts. Yikes!

How to prevent or cure it: The EMF Safety Superstore sells silver-lined underwear, which reportedly blocks harmful EMF radiation. Otherwise, there's always pay phones.
Seizures, Blood Clots and Death

The condition(s): Here's a medical mystery worth at least one 'House' episode: A 14-year-old British boy is rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment on a blood clot that had developed in his leg. A teenage girl in Iowa is hospitalized after lapsing into a violent seizure. On the other side of the planet, a 28-year-old South Korean man collapses and dies of exhaustion. What vicious and mysterious strain of bird-borne illness is responsible for striking these young people down? Actually, it's video games.

Dominic Patrick, the British boy, spent a rainy day inside playing games. Tucking his legs underneath himself for 10 straight hours caused Deep-Vein Thrombosis, a serious condition that often affects long-haul air travelers who sit in one place for too long.

After five hours behind the controls of a game called 'True Crime: New York City,' Amy Kopaska of Iowa was found by her mom thrashing around, eyes dilated and foaming at the mouth. According to her doctor, long-term exposure to light patterns in the game had triggered Amy's seizure.

The South Korean man, identified only as Lee, spent 50 straight hours playing the game 'Starcraft' in an Internet café, pausing only for toilet breaks and brief naps. Lee had eaten next to nothing in that time, and his death following a collapse was attributed to heart failure caused by extreme exhaustion.

How to prevent or cure it: So, how can video gamers avoid ambulance trips? In all three cases the answer is simply to limit the amount of time you spend gaming, and take plenty of breaks. As we recently reported, the Chinese government is actually writing this bit of advice into law.