Another Aspartame Nightmare
Tasha | 29.12.2004 12:39 | Health | London | World
I've never been the perfect attendance type. I'll cut a class here to go to the mall or there to catch up on my sleep. Even in high school I was known for my get-to-school-sometime-during-second-period routine. Last fall, however, all my years of fake flu and forged notes from mom came back to haunt me I actually got sick. Really sick.
It was sometime in late October that my legs started bothering me. At first I didn't pay any attention to it. I was working up to 12-hour shifts at a pizza place and assumed my sore legs were just a byproduct of that. After a while though, the pain got to the point where my legs hurt on my days off and I had to lean against the make-table in order to support myself while I cooked. I started having severe headaches around this time as well. Some days, I would pull the blinds in my bedroom and sleep for hours just to get away from the throbbing behind my skull.
These naps were the highlight of my day for months. In fact, some days, these naps were the only sleep I got. Not to mention, they cured the headaches, backaches (which I've been prone to since I spent a summer in a body cast when I was eight, but had grown more severe that fall), nausea, and unyielding depression I was experiencing. Unfortunately, most of these naps took place in the middle of the day when I was supposed to be in school.
By this point, most people would have already gone to the doctor's. I, however, have an irrational fear of both doctors and needles. Not needles, necessarily, but having blood drawn - and I knew they were going to have to draw blood to get to the bottom of my symptoms. So I didn't go to the doctor. Until, that is, one day I stood to get out of bed and my legs collapsed under me. I fell back onto the bed, and found myself too weak to stand up again. Being in the midst of a "The Cure" like depression, I thought for sure I was dying and happily fell back asleep. I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I woke up a few hours later.
The next day I called the doctor's office and made an appointment. At the exam, I told the doctor my symptoms and she told me it might be Lyme Disease, Mononucleosis, Lupus the list went on, which meant that she didn't know what was wrong with me. As she was leaving the room she noticed me grab my Diet Coke and take a swig.
"How much do you drink of that a day?" she asked.
"Um, probably seven to eight cans a day." I replied.
"You might want to cut down on that," she started, coming back in the room "I just read an article about aspartame being bad for you. In fact, the symptoms it described sound quite a bit like yours."
At my follow-up appointment, I learned that I wasn't dying. Everything came back negative. The doctor admitted she really didn't know what was wrong with me, but to stop drinking my beloved Diet Coke or anything with aspartame in it. This was easier said than done. For the first week, my headaches were even worse than before and I still couldn't sleep (I had replaced my Diet Coke with coffee). My legs still hurt, my back still hurt, I was still nauseated, and I was still miserable. After a couple of weeks, though, my pain started to die down a little. By the end of January, I felt fine.
My parents and friends had always told me all that soda I drank was bad for me; who knew they were right?
Getting to the Bottom of Things?
Still disbelieving it was my precious Diet Coke hurting me, I did some research on Aspartame. It turns out that aspartame breaks down into methanol (a.k.a. wood alcohol a.k.a. that moonshine that makes you go blind). Methanol quickly turns into Formaldehyde (what they embalm bodies with) once in the body.(1) I felt so betrayed.
I also learned that my symptoms did indeed match up with those common to aspartame poisoning - arthritic and joint pain, chronic fatigue, depression, memory loss, severe anxiety attacks, and menstrual problems are listed as some of the lesser symptoms. Apparently I got lucky: memory loss, vision damage and loss, tingling in the extremities, slurring of speech symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis, worsening of Fibromyalgia, Parkinson's tremors, uterine polyps, and Brain Cancer are also linked to aspartame poisoning.(2)
Now that I was convinced that aspartame was causing my illness, I got angry. I wanted to know how something so dangerous came to be and why it was on the market. According to Mark D. Gold's article in Nexus Magazine, the story of aspartame goes a little something like this: "Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company was testing an anti-ulcer drug. Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and Consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974 as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices caused the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries." (THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS)3
Why is aspartame on the market? Anti-aspartame sources agree it's all politics and money. Gold explains,
"The FDA and the manufacturers of aspartame have had a revolving door of employment for many years. In addition to the FDA Commissioner and two US Attorneys leaving to take positions with companies connected with G.D. Searle, four other FDA officials connected with the approval of aspartame took positions connected with the NutraSweet industry between 1979 and 1982 including the Deputy FDA Commissioner, the Special Assistant to the FDA Commissioner, the Associate Director of the Bureau of Foods and Toxicology and the Attorney involved with the Public Board of Inquiry.
It is important to realize that this type of revolving-door activity has been going on for decades. The Townsend Letter for Doctors (11/92) reported on a study revealing that 37 of 49 top FDA officials who left the FDA took positions with companies they had regulated. They also reported that over 150 FDA officials owned stock in drug companies they were assigned to manage. Many organizations and universities receive large sums of money from companies connected to the NutraSweet Association, a group of companies promoting the use of aspartame. In January 1993, the American Dietetic Association received a US$75,000 grant from the NutraSweet Company. The American Dietetic Association has stated that the NutraSweet Company writes their "Facts" sheets.(3)
Many other "independent" organizations and researchers receive large sums of money from the manufacturers of aspartame. The American Diabetes Association has received a large amount of money from NutraSweet, including money to run a cooking school in Chicago (presumably to teach diabetes how to use NutraSweet in their cooking)."(3)
If you don't buy into the idea of aspartame being poisonous, you are not alone. There are plenty of sites on the Internet stating, "aspartame is safe", including the Aspartame Information Center.4 In addition to Aspartame's PR site, the FDA, the AMA (American Medical Assoc.), and the ADA (American Diabetics Association) have all recently come out to say that Aspartame is perfectly safe and that all this information is part of an Internet hoax. The hoax in question started with an article written by either Nancy Markle (as it is attributed to) or Betty Martini (the rumored, actual author).(5) Of course, Gold contends that the only reason these reputable organizations have come out to say that aspartame is safe is because they were paid to do so. There is so much conflicting information about aspartame out there that it is hard to tell what the truth behind aspartame is - even for me, a supposed victim of aspartame poisoning.
If you have your doubts about aspartame's safety, your best bet is to check with your doctor. In theory they will have more information (and more medical knowledge to weight the information with) on the subject. If you are a believer, and want to cut aspartame out of your diet, these are some foods to avoid:
- instant breakfasts
- breath mints
- cereals
- sugar-free chewing gum
- cocoa mixes
- coffee beverages
- frozen desserts
- gelatin desserts
- juice beverages
- laxatives
- multivitamins
- milk drinks
- pharmaceuticals and supplements
- shake mixes
- soft drinks
- tabletop sweeteners
- tea beverages
- instant teas and coffees
- topping mixes
- wine coolers
- yogurt
Rare are Internet sites with "detox" information (such as "Dorway to Recovery"(6) And if kicking that Diet Coke habit was really hard for you, you can find information on support groups at the Aspartame Victims Support Group's web site. (7)
It is important to note that I am not a doctor. This is my story, however, and I've told you what I have come to believe was what was wrong with me and how I found relief. If you think you may have aspartame poisoning, go to your doctor. If you have any of the symptoms that I've talked about, regardless of whether you eat foods containing aspartame, go to your doctor!
Sources
(1) Aspartame ( Nutrasweet ) Toxicity Information Center
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/embalm.html (2) Aspartame Is Dangerous For Everyone
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/damage.txt (3) Mark Gold. THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS. Nexus Magazine, Volume 2, #28 (Oct-Nov '95) and Volume 3, #1 (Dec '95-Jan '96).
http://www.nexusmagazine.com/Aspartame.html (4) The Aspartame Information Center
http://www.aspartame.org (5) David Emery. Aspartame Warning. (Martini note:Told for years to stop putting out hoax info, including from a former asst to US Attorney, Ed Johnson, Emery continues. Who pays him? He has seen the confirming information of World Environmental Conference on www.dorway.com/nomarkle.html including invitation to speak.)
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blasp.htm (6) "Dorway to Recovery"
http://www.dorway.com/detox.html (7) Aspartame Victims Support Group
http://www.presidiotex.com/aspartame From Betty Martini - also see www.wnho.net and click on aspartame for new updates. Movie on aspartame, Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World, form on web site or contact
cori@soundandfuryproductions.com Designer: Ryan Hess, Business Economics, SUNY Cortland, USA
Tasha
e-mail:
nspullen@hotmail.com
Comments
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Where is this from?
30.12.2004 14:34
watcher
When A Physician Won't Listen About Aspartame
02.01.2005 12:16
The note below is from Spice Crosby who has alerted me to ProCare4U.org. For years, I have listened to victims of aspartame anguish over the fact that physicians won't listen because the FDA approved the poison. Yesterday, I spoke with Lori who started ProCare because she had had enough. This application of the law can be used for aspartame as well as drugs. Lori is in Alaska, incidentally. Currently, I don't know how this can be adapted for other countries because laws my differ but its something to look into.
After you read Spice's note below go to this site. First look at Courtesy Notification. Lori says sometimes this is all that is needed for 50% of the physicians. If they still don't listen on the main page go to Administration Notice.
The physician must be willing to alert the patient to nutritional replenishment therapy. Lori was telling me about the patient in a coma being given toxic drugs. The doctor cooperated and finally took the patient off the drugs and he woke up.
This reminds me of the case of Charles Fleming who died from aspartame. Several physicians have given affidavits after reviewing the autopsy that his aspartame habit caused his death. He was addicted to diet drinks and other products. His wife was sentenced to 50 years for poisoning him. She is interviewed in the movie Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World (contact
This also reminds of the incredible story written by neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D., titled Modern Medicine Killed My Brother. You will find it on www.wnho.net click on aspartame. It is also on www.rense.com Here's a world renowned neurosurgeon, author of Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills. (Dr. John Olney founded the field of neuroscience called excitotoxicity when he did the studies on aspartic acid (40% of aspartame) and found it caused lesions in the brains of mice. An excitotoxin is a product that stimulates the neurons of the brain to death causing brain damage. Dr. Blaylock wrote the book on it. www.russellblaylockmd.com ) Yet when his brother was hospitalized the physicians refused to listen even though he is a world renowned neurosurgeon and member of the family. His brother died. He even tried to get them to put magnesium in the IV and they refused.
To get an idea of what nutritional replenishment is needed if someone has used aspartame, go to www.wnho.net and click on aspartame. Read Dr. Blaylock's paper: What To Do If You Have Used Aspartame. He has also written a book Health & Nutrition Secrets to Save Your Life which explains how to heal the immune system, what to avoid, interactions, etc.
Can't you just see it now, alerting the physician, that if the patient is recommended aspartame that he must also tell him that aspartame damages the cardiac conduction system and causes sudden death. That it triggers an irregular heart and interacts with all cardiac medication. Therefore, he must also recommend that the victim use magnesium to protect the heart and brain from excitotoxins, that after all aspartame can kill him. The experts on aspartame would have a field day writing the alert for the physicians.
In this regard, consider that Dr. H. J. Roberts has already written the medical text which is 1038 pages of symptoms and diseases triggered by this neurotoxin, Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, www.sunsentpress.com or 1 800 827 7991. And in this text is a large chapter on all the drug interactions that a patient must be warned about. In fact, Dr. James Bowen says that because aspartame damages the mitochondria (life of the cell) it will interact with ALL medications. Therefore, as long as a patient uses aspartame no drug on the market is safe. And with it being a chemical hypersensitization agent it will interact with vaccines and other toxins, and unsafe sweeteners like Splenda which is a chlorinated hydrocarbon and acesulfame potassium which caused cancer and leukemia in original studies.
I hope some of this information gives a lot of people ideas. Several victims come to mind, like Margaret in Australia. I spent an entire night writing to her physician who refused to accept "any" information unless it was propaganda that said aspartame is safe. Then there is Lane Shore in Illinois who has gone as far as putting his wife's physician on notice. He even refused to return Dr. H. J. Roberts phone call who is a world expert on aspartame and diabetic specialist (wife diabetic and has had 40 operations in 4 years, highly addicted to this neurotoxin). And then there is Joni, Mission Possible Savannah, who even had me write her physician a letter and send material. She refused to listen.
In Dr. Roberts medical text, it discusses a precedent set in Israel on having physicians take responsibility and doing research on what they are prescribing.
Read on now for Spice Crosby's comments and check out this web site. There is a member fee but to many family members and victims it may be worth it to get their physician's attention. There are now five support groups for aspartame victims on line. Attorneys may also be interested.
All my best,
Betty
Dr. Betty Martini
Founder, Mission Possible Intl,
9270 River Club Parkway,
Duluth, Georgia 30097
770 242-2599
www.wnho.net and www.dorway.com
Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame
Hey Betty,
Check this out. Any doctor prescribing or recommending ANY kind of medications, artificial sweetener or chemicals for his/her patients, can be sent a courtesy letter about nutritional depletion they cause in the human body.
If the doctor does not suggest nutritional supplements or the avoidance of certain chemicals that can bring harm to the patients using the prescribed products, then he will receive a Administration Notice detailing the doctor about the harm he/she is causing to the patient and the lawsuit that will be coming.
The woman who put this together is a sharp cookie and has worked in Medical Administration Offices for years. She figured out how to take the $$$ out of the problem and put the responsibility back into the doctor's hands. This is brilliant.
I can see any doctor or dietician who recommends, on paper, the use of Aspartame, will be held responsible for the nutritional harm that substance does to their patient. It's a small fee to have this done and we need to get EVERYONE to do this that was shown, by their dietician or doctor, that Aspartame is good for them to use.
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