As a healthy man in his late 40s, Kevin Byrne couldn't understand what was causing his chronic back and hip pain. X-rays by his doctor yielded no results.

"The pain was so intense, it just didn't seem right," said Byrne, appearing on CTV's Canada AM Wednesday.

It wasn't until he began researching on his own that Byrne realized he is one of a small percentage of people who suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), a biological disorder with symptoms directly brought on by exposure to electromagnetic fields.

Byrne learned "dirty electricity," or poor power quality that is generated by household appliances, electronic devices and power lines, was causing his aches.

The Newcastle, Ont. resident came across the research of Trent University professor Magda Havas, who has been using filters for electronic devices to reduce the potentially harmful levels being emitted.

Byrne installed 20 filters in his home and it worked wonders.

"Within a couple of days, my pain miraculously was gone," he said, adding his sleep also improved.

No one knows how many people are sensitive to electricity. Medical authorities and scientific researchers clash heads over whether the condition exists or is a figment of people's imagination.

While some doctors don't recognize EHS as a physical condition, several European countries do, as does the World Health Organization, which says EHS is a real health problem.

Reported symptoms -- which range from mild to severe -- include chronic fatigue, depression, body aches, memory loss and sleep disruption.

Swedish and British statistics say about two or three per cent of the population suffers from EHS, while some claims estimate 10 to 25 per cent of national populations may be affected by mild symptoms.

Havas, who teaches environmental studies, has been using Graham-Stetzer filters, which lowers the dirty electricity power emitted by electronic devices.

In pilot projects at workplaces, she said the results from the filters were significant.

"We've put them into three schools, and in all three schools the teachers improved dramatically, the student behaviour improved," she said on Canada AM.

Havas said the poor behaviour of some students was thought to be caused by attention deficit disorder (ADD), but even they improved. This makes Havas think there may be a connection between exposure to dirty electricity and children with ADD, and she is conducting research.

Havas said the use of filters in homes has also yielded amazing results, especially for diabetics and those with multiple sclerosis.

She said blood sugar normalized in those with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, while multiple sclerosis sufferers who had difficulty walking were able to walk without pain in a few days to a few weeks.

Most homes need about 20 filters to rid the potentially harmful effects of dirty electricity, Havas said.

In our high-tech world more people are becoming dependent on gizmos like cell phones, laptops and IPods, increasing their exposure to electrical sources.

The result, experts say, has led to an increasing population of people who say they suffer from EHS. Symptoms, which ranged from mild to severe, include chronic fatigue, depression, body aches, memory loss and sleep disruption.

Researchers also say more than one-third of us are a little electro-sensitive, but instead blame the side effects on stressors like restless nights.

While mainstream medical opinion generally doesn't recognize EHS as a physical condition, the Swedes have accepted it as a real condition and government support is available to sufferers.

With an estimated 250,000 sufferers, authorities there electrically retrofit people's homes and offices.

One city in Norway has banned cell phones from a public beach to make it accessible to people with electro-sensitivities. The country's former prime minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland, won't allow cell phones to come close to her because she says they give her headaches.

Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., recently banned wireless Internet from most of its campus because the health impact of Wi-Fi technology is not yet known.