Author Autobahn

People who work with computers generally are aware of the discomfort that comes with the glare but do not associate it with any serious health issues, moreover, the need to meet deadlines overshadows any such thoughts if discomfort does occur.

Computers are here to stay and can never be safe as claimed. The computer use environment makes us look directly at a source of light, which is contrary to our natural way of never looking directly at the sun (our natural source of light).

Most people do not even realize that computer use by its nature generates chemical and electrical imbalances and other stresses every time one uses the computer. They also are unaware of the fact that disorders develop over time and can be easily misdiagnosed because they present themselves in forms that resemble other ailments.

Health complaints to many doctors however do not necessarily lead to a computer related connection. Some doctors usually look for other reasons to explain the ailment because it is not a well-known area in the medical field. People with these complaints however do not respond fully to the treatments given for the ailments they resemble. Consequently people go from one ailment to the other because the root cause has not been addressed.

The medical profession cannot be totally blame as there are no books or papers that bring all the various disorders together as one comprehensive diagnosis of computer related injury or disorder.

What is available are books and research on individual areas of concern such as carpel tunnel, computer vision syndrome (this area is not even know by people outside the ophthalmological or optometric field), neurotransmitters etc. These books and papers take each area but there is nothing that links all of them. In for example, the issue of neurotransmitter, nothing links them specifically to computer use only to general stress amongst several other deficiency symptoms.

There is therefore a need for everyone to know what dangers they are increasingly exposing themselves to and how to manage their exposure to avoid negative health consequences, some of which may be irreversible and possibly fatal in some cases.

As a result, there is no information out there to warn of the inherent health dangers involved in computer use.

G. Jeffrey MacDonald, of the Christian Science Monitor wrote in 2004 an articlein the USA TODAY titled ?Too much computer exposure may hinder learning?. In it he mentioned a mammoth new study by researchers at the University of Munich involving 175,000 15-year-old students in 31 countries that brought some sobering news: Too much exposure to computers might spell trouble for the developing mind. They observed that performance in math and reading had suffered significantly among students who have more than one computer at home. It was also observed that stated that while students seemed to benefit from limited use of computers at school, those who used them several times per week at school saw their academic performance decline significantly as well.

G. Jeffrey MacDonald also stated in his article that the lead researcher Ludger Woessmann said that ?It seems if you overuse computers and trade them for other types of teaching, it actually harms the student. At least we should be cautious in stating that increasing [access to] computers in the home and school will improve students? math and reading performance.?

In December 2006, I had what can be referred to as computer burnout. This gave rise to a host of very serious complications. Neither the doctors seen nor I for about 8 months knew what was going on or how to deal with it. What was not realized was that this was something that had gradually developed over more than 2 decades of computer use and not simply the stress from excessive workload during the months of October to December while trying to meet a client?s deadline.

Since this computer burnout in December 2006, I have carried out a lot of research in a bid to understand what I was experiencing in order to get back my normal self. I was surprised to discover that there were several things that could have been done to avert a full computer burnout. In addition, I also discovered things that could assist in achieving a speedy recovery.

Who knew that working on the computer could result in exposure to lead or development of acute iron deficiency. Who thinks about chemical and electrical imbalances while working with the computer?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to avoiding the unnecessary pain many people suffer today as a result of ?computer burnout.? I share my experiences and years of health research in an easy-to-follow handbook which identifies common symptoms of computer-related injuries. To get a copy go to: Lessons I Learned The Hard Way

Also, take a look at a YouTube video Lessons I Learned The Hard Way