Jackie Lindsey the woman with electromagnetic hypersensitivity on HWN HIGHLIGHTS

Jackie Lindsey, 50, claims she has electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).
Says the condition - not recognised by doctors in the UK - means she is allergic to electricity and Wi-Fi and phones could cause shock.
Has ditched all electrical products and uses candles and gas in her home.
Wears a suit and veil woven with silver to reflect magnetic current and doesn't leave home without an electromagnetic field testing device.

On the rare occasion Jackie Lindsey goes outside, she wears a full silver suit complete with a veil to hide her entire body and face.

Neighbours have said the 50-year-old’s outfit makes her look like a ‘demented bee keeper’.

But rather than tending to a hive, Ms Lindsey, 50, claims she needs the suit as she is allergic to electricity.

She has diagnosed herself with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), and says anyone using Wi-Fi or a mobile phone signal around her could cause her to have an attack similar to an anaphylactic shock.

This is an extreme, often life-threatening allergic reaction.

She carries the EMF tester with her to check her surroundings if she feels unwell or in pain.

On a good day she can run into a shop for five minutes without being too badly affected by things like fluorescent lighting and checkout scanning devices but most of the time she relies on deliveries or family bringing her shopping.

She said: 'I was relieved when my research brought up the disorder of EHS because it made sense with the symptoms I had been suffering on and off for years.

But it's difficult to be taken seriously. Lots of sufferers lose friends and family because they can't understand it and think the person has gone mad.
One person described my outfit as a demented beekeeper suit, I thought that was quite right.

I do feel insulted by GPs when they tell you it's in your head.

It's not that long ago that the medical profession told people with ME it was all in their heads.

I've lost everything in life that makes you feel human.

I can't go on holiday and feel sad at Christmas and festive times when I want to join in but can't.

I have to live by gas which means waiting 12 hours to get hot water and using candles to light the place.

I wear the suit whenever I leave the house, it has 20 per cent silver woven into the fabric which reflects the magnetic field. It doesn't give that much protection but it allows me to be out a bit longer.

When I wear it people usually treat me like I'm highly contagious, but I'm past caring. One person described it as a demented beekeeper suit, I thought that was quite right.

If it means I can sit in a pub garden, have a glass of wine and feel human again then I don't care if people avoid me or look me up and down.

The main thing is knowing what to look out for, when I moved I avoided areas with phone masts, street lamps and power cables.

I do miss normal life, I miss being able to visit friends and Christmas time. It is isolating but unfortunately that's the way it has to be.

Sarah Dacre, trustee of ES UK which helps people who have become sensitive to everyday electrical appliances, said: 'The symptoms of EHS are becoming increasingly common.

Four per cent of the population are severely affected by the condition while 30 to 40 per cent are mildly affected.

There are a range of symptoms but the most common are headaches during the day when using technology, vertigo, sleeplessness digestive intolerance, rashes and an irregular heartbeat.

In some cases, sufferers can feel the effects of someone using a smartphone for 40ft away that might even result in collapse.

It is a similar reaction to an anaphylactic shock.

Across the NHS the condition is not recognised but an increasing number of doctors are starting to become aware of it.

Source: Mailone, HWN Africa.