Aspartame / NutraSweet Toxicity Information Center GO TO: http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/ Toxicity Reaction Samples (sent via postal mail) Dear Sir or Madam: I am 28 years old and started drinking diet soda when I was about 16 years old. A few months later I began experiencing palpitations. Concerned, I visited a cardiologist who prescribed a battery of tests and concluded, after receiving the results that my heart was "perfect" and that with my bloo pressure I should live to be 140 yaers old. Relieved, I did not give it a second thought but the palpitations continued and I ceased drinking products containing caffeine, quit smoking and changed my diet (I stopped eating red meat, junk foods, etc.) basically eating everything that is good. However, I did not cease drinking diet soda (diet coke, diet 7-up). My palpitations continue to date, however now they are coupled with acute anxiety and obsessive compulsive spectrum. I spent one year visiting a psychologist who was an anxiety specialist. He suggested I take Prozac. Since I do not like foreign substances in my body and am very health conscious, I refused. I never, however, thought anything about NutraSweet due to the fact that I was misled into believing that it was a harmless product derived from an amino acid. My anxiety attacks were happening once or twice every month and at one time lasted for two months straight. It was extremely uncomfortable and I thought I was going insane. I experienced slurred speech, confusion, depersonalization, mood swings, nervousness and sometimes would transpose letters and/or numbers. Finally, after being diagnosed with acute anxiety and obsessive compulsive fisorder spectrum, I decided that I would find out as much as possible about both disorders through the Internet. It was not until then that I discovered the many anti-NutraSweet, informative articles, many of which listed anxiety as a side effect of NutraSweet. I have not had any NutraSweet products since I discovered these articles two months ago. I have not had any anxiety or any other symptoms. I am taking B Complex supplement to help my body produce the serotonin that was depleted during my NutraSweet use. As of this writing Ifeel a lot better and am generally in a better mood most, if not all, of the time. I cannot believe that for so many years (12) I suffered needlessly, thinking that there was something wrong with me, i.e., a dangerous heart condition, pschological condition and all along it was because of NutraSweet. I would like to know if there is anything that I can do to prevent others from being exposed to this poison. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and for making me aware of the hidden dangers of NutraSweet. Sincerely yours, Stacy P. 101 Old Mamaroneck Road Apartment 1B2 White Plains, New York 10605 -------------- Aspartame Victims (NutraSweet/Equal/Spoonful) Send your bills to the FDA - Case History "My name is Evelyn E. Blake. In the Spring of l994 I went on a diet and started to use a product called Equal, manufactured by The NutraSweet Co., Deerfield, Illinois. I was eating it on my grapefruit, making my salads taste better by adding a whole packet to the ery sour mayonaise and making home made breads and where the recipe called for 1/2 cup sugar, adding 3 or 4 packets of Equal. After a period of 6 months I became very tired, and my heart seemed to be beating faster than ormal, my body felt "nervous" or like an "uneasy" feeling all over. I thought I was having a heart attack!! I called a friend of mine that was working as a LPN, and asked her to make an appointment for me at the clinic where she worked. My appointment was on 5/27/96. I have had good health and did not have a "family" doctor. I told the doctor my symptoms. He had an EKG run and blood work done that day. He called me a couple of days later, and said all my tests came back O.K. I said if that be true, why is my heart racing, and the "uneasy" feeling, and the lack of energy? He said my blood pressure was a "little' high, and prescribed a high blood pressure pill. Then one night, I woke to a strange feeling, of a half zombie state. I got up and went to the bathroom. I felt like my tongue was swelling in my mouth and my teeth were clinched tight, then I began to shiver, my knees began to shake. I went to my sons bedroom, turned on the light, he took one look at me and said I needed to get to the emergency room, I could not talk, just shake my head no, I was not going to the emergency room. I then went into the shakes, my body shaking all over with no control. That lasted about 20 minutes. When the shakes, shivers, the swollen-tongue, and the zombie feelings all left, I was then able to tell my son and husband I was O.K. and went back to bed. I went into the shakes again for maybe 5 minutes, then it was over and forgotten about in a couple of days. I never did start taking the blood pressure pill, so I knew it was not a reaction to that! I did not feel that my blood pressure was the problem. I continued to use Equal in my daily diet. I was still having my heart to race, and that "uneasy" feeling, like my insides were trying to get outside my body! I cut out my salt intake, just in case my blood pressure was a "little" high, but knowing something else was wrong! I then began to have a memory loss, could not remember what I did with my check books from the bank (I still can't find them), and I had written and published 2 early County Marriage books. I was doing the third one, half way through, wanting to finish by early spring, and start the fourth, but found myself being unable to concentrate, and the mental ability to care, I could not remember the things that came to me so easy before. I was sitting at my computer one evening trying to put some data in and I began to go into that zoombie stare, seeing, but not seeing, my teeth began to clinch together, big tongue feeling. I shut down my computer as quickly as I could and went to wake my husband. I was already weak in my knees, shivering and I told my husband I was having an attack? or or whatever? Then my body began to sahke. My friend DAwn had purchased a blood pressure kit for me while taking a nurse's course, and my husband started taking my blood pressure. It went up on both top and bottom figures, my body felt as though I was attached to a high current of electric, and I could not let go. That lasted for 20 minutes, then, when it came to a stop and my body was released from the seizure, my body went limp, and I was very weak. My husband still taking my blood pressure said it went real low! The next day I was trying to get some lunch and felt very weak, and dizzy. I felt like I was having morning sickness, and a heart attack all at the same time! I felt like I was going to pass out. I told my husband I needed to go to the emergency room. I athought that I was having a heart attack!! He took me to the clinic where I could see my "family" Doctor. I was waiting for my turn, when Rosie, my LPN friend came over to say "HI" to me. I told her I felt like I was going to pass out, and she went for a wheel chair. My doctor was not at the clinic at that time, so I was rushed into another doctor's examining room. She came in, listened to my heart, my blood pressure was normal, and I was begining to feel better. I told her of my "attaks" that they were happening on a regular basis. She said it sounded lie "some kind of seizures" and she ordered an EEG, and more blood work. When she called to tell me what the tests revealed. She said everything was OK except my thyroid was a "little" low! She prescribed Synthroid, a very low dose, and 3 refills. What was happening to me!! I only knew I was getting weaker and the seizures were closer together, sometimes twice a day!! About that same time, I went for a visit to see my brother in Ga. I did not stay on my diet. I did not have Equal again until I came home three weeks later. I never had any "attacks" while I was there. I thought since I did not have any symptoms while there, it must be stress. When I came home I had gained some weight (you know how when you visit, everytime someone looks at you, they offer you something good to eat) so I went on my diet using Equal as a sugar substitute, and stayed on a very strict rgime. In a matter of three to four weeks the seizures began again. (I had steered clear of anything I thought would cause stress) I told my husband since none of my tests revealed what was wrong I was going to start eliminating things from my diet, that something I was eataing was slowly killing me! I was getting weaker, I had no desire to clean my house, just keeping a path through it was a lot more labor than I had the strength to msuter up, my computer was idle, and the seizures were starting to ahppen sometimes twice a day and my heart was beating too fast and along with the agony of not knowing the cause, I I lost my appetite, and was fearful of what I would eat would cause another attack! I did not know when the seizure would hit me, so my husband would stay close by, sometimes missing work. I worke my husband one night and told him I was "having a heart attack" and to please take me to the hospital. It was not, but my heart was beating so irregular (3 or 4 "normal" beats, and then pull so hard, it would shake my chest area before normal beats came) I was afraid to drive my cara for over a year, afraid of being by myself. I had so much mental anguish, I thought, I must have cancer and the tests could not find it! I could not sleep sound at night for fear of dying in my sleep, while my heart was beating out of control!!! (What I thought was a heart attack made me ralize that if I found out what was causing those awful seizures and the zombie state that I stayed in, it was left up to me, to find the source!!! Little by little, I would eliminate a food or drink, wait 4 days, if I still ahd the seizures, I would try another, until I got down to the Equal. I thought the FDA would not approve something that was not safe. So, I eliminated the Equal, just to prove a point, that Equal was safe ato consume! I waited a 3 day elimination period, and bingo, that was it, no more seizures. I have been off of Equal for two months 11-3-97, and I have not had another seizure!! I called the 800 number on the back of the Equal box and told the consumer affairs person about my 2 1/2 years of suffering and the mental agony that Equal had done to me and that this product was not safe to be on the market! Now I am telling anyone that will listen to PLEASE get all food or drink with NutraSweet in it, out of your house!! It is a slow way to commit SUICIDE. I was telling my brother in Georgia about my illness and how when I quit using Equal that all of my symptoms ceased and how that slowly I was regaining my strength and felt almost good again, although I still ahve some heart palpitations and I do not know the extent of damage done to my heart, brain and stomach, that may cause trouble on down the road. My brother told me to get "on line" and see what I could find out about aspartame, a product that is in Equal called phenylalanine. I could not believe my eyes!! Other people were having the asme symptoms and worse yet some have not lived to tell about it! They had seizures as I did and died. Will someone please tell me why, after all these years, (since l981) and people are dying from this product and making other people like myself so sick, is it still on the shelves of our grocery stores? Aspartame is made up of these products: aspartic acid, methyl alcohol (wood alcohol) formaldehyde (embalming fluid) formic acid (ant sting poison) and other toxic chemicals. I have said "no" to methanol, formaldehyde and DKP (a tumor agent) and to embalming .. until AFTER I die. I take more time now checking to see if any of these dangerous poisons are in the food I buy than it takes to do my shopping, but it may save my life again!! --------------- I heard your interesting problem on Stan Sullivan this past week. I started drinking diet soda (mainly Pepsi) after being put on a low cholesterol diet by my doctor. My cholesterol was 148. Not that high. I was about 37 years old at the time. I acquired a taste for the stuff as long as it was really cold (on ice). I developed migraine headaches within the next couple of years. My headaches start with not being able to see part of an object that I am trying to focus on. Next I start to see swirling in my vision, then the headache would start. I also went back to my doctor with heart palpations. These were thought to be due to my stress level as I run a small business. I was given EKG's and a stress test that showed no problems. Thinking caffeine might be part of the problem, I started drinking Caffeine-free diet Pepsi. All of this time I never consumed a lot of either product, I probably averaged one can every two days. Shortly after I joined the Patriot movement I started listening to short-wave radio and heard a program that may have been yours, I believe it was on Tom Valentine. I got off the Nutrasweet and the last two years I have had 4-6 of these headaches whereas before I was having one every week or two. I am hoping that these headaches will eventually go away altogether. I have talked to my doctor concerning what I believed the problem to be. I will be glad to share your information with him. Rodney Harp December 2, 1996 -------------------- Please send me any information you can regarding aspartame product problems. I am an LPN that deals with diabetic & kidney failure patients. I also have found these products to give me severe headaches & no longer use these products. I would like to know how to get my voice heard & not allow the products unlabeled on the market. Lisa Roberts Jan. 13, 1997 -------------------- February 14, 1997 I am writing to voice my opinion on the synthetic sweetening agent, "Aspartame"; or rather "NutraSweet", "Equal", etc., in it's brand forms. I first encountered this "drug" in the mid 80's when I started drinking sugar-free "Country Time" lemonade from a powder mix. I had indescribable headaches for months before finally narrowing down the only change in my diet/routine; it was the lemonade with NutraSweet! I stopped drinking it and the headaches went away. A year or so later, I tempted fate, and tried a diet rootbeer w/NutraSweet; the same thing happened. I had the same horrible headache, which lasted about one and one-half days. Believe it or not...I even did this once more! I couldn't believe how idiotic I was to have put myself through the resulting headache, again. (I suppose after some time passed, I simply wanted to be SURE that I couldn't have "nutraSweet"! As any woman, after having a child, I would love to be able to use some "magic" product to help shed a few unwanted pounds...) I swore from that point on that I would never forget the pain, nor would I ever touch the stuff again. I have not "deliberately" ingested any form of "Aspartame" since, probably, 1989. Now, as a careful and responsible 31-year-old, I have recently kicked my 10+ year smoking habit. (Somehow it seems contradictory to have protected myself from Aspartame, while simultaneously lighting up a cigarette, huh? - my own good judgement!) In any case, I now chew alot of gum...wishing I could chew "sugar-free" to spare my teeth; however, knowing that I can't. I picked up a pack of Trident at the store and found that it had had only "sorbitol" as a sweetener. I was thrilled, thus, I bought one pack of each flavor they had and chewed them over the next few days. On the last of these few days, while at work in the morning, I went into some kind of panic/confusion state. I work for a major insurance company, I have for several years. This particular morning, upon a phone call from a potential customer, I couldn't remember some very standard rules and regulations which are necessary in considering one's qualification. I drew a complete "Blank" when asked questions that I have answered hundreds of times! The confusion was followed by tears and several hours of nervous energy. Then, it ended with complete exhaustion. I felt as though I had been through some sort of internal war with myself. I didn't know what had happened; however, I knew it came out of "nowhere". Prior to going to work that day, I had gone to aerobics class with a group of cheerful working women, all happy because it was Friday! I went home to shower and was yelling to my sons "It's Friday!!" at the top of my lungs. They yelled back to me, jokefully, "Be quiet, Mommy...You sound stupid!". We were all laughing and having fun. I carried that same "Friday" attitude and my "Yoo-Hoo and Bagel" breakfast with me to work at 8:30am. By 10:00am I became the nervous wreck that I explained previously... Once I gathered myself back together, I traced my food from that morning, and...Bingo! As it turns out, the Trident that I had originally picked up was the cinnamon flavored...No Aspartame, only Sorbitol; however, I had never thought to read the other flavors which All contain Aspartame! I had to discover, again the hard way, that this drug is in things that are not even sugarless, or diet products! Who would ever think to read a pack of Wrigley's "Winterfresh" sugared gum, or "Freedent", for that matter? Who would think to look at the children's chewable Tylenol tablets that I have been feeding my children (until now)? Who would think to look for it in All Bran cereal...How about infant's freezer pops made by Similac? This is insane! Thank God for the research I've been doing this weekend! I now know why my youngest boy gets an all-overrash after recovering from a fever/flu. I have always given my children chewable Tylenol tablets! How long have they contained Aspartame? How many other things containing Aspartame have I fed to my children? Personally, I have 15 or more relatives/close friends who have Aspartame reactions similar to mine. I have to believe that there is a significant enough number of people that something can be done about this. Don't we deserve a simple "warning label", especially on the "misleading" products which are not diet aids or sugar-free foods? For now, my family, friends and myself are simply keeping each other posted as to whatever products we discover contain Aspartame. We are carefully reading the ingredients of everything we purchase. Is there any way to get a list of all products that contain Aspartame (even though I am certain that list is growing by the day)? Surely something like this should be made available to the public. Is there anything that I can do to make a difference in getting this drug off the market? I would hate to see the long-term effects from hundreds of thousands of people consuming this "brain-frying" substance for years! And we think we live in a crazy world now????? [Signed] P. Trader -------------------- I used Equal to sweeten beverages until about a year ago. I did have vision problems (double vision), and mental confusion, anxiety, headaches, and depression -- to a significant degree wile using the product and these symptoms did improve greatly after discontinuing its use. You have my permission to use this information as you wish. Kathy Cleveland 4/17/95 -------------------- Dear xxxxxxx, After reading your article on Nutra Sweet which was given to me by a client from Creighton University, which she got from the Inter Net, it has truly made a difference in my life & health. I have a beauty salon and am on my feet morning, noon, and night. I have not felt well for a long time. I suffered headaches which I've taken many pills for, PMS, ovarian cysts, mood swings, etc... to name a few. The straw that broke the camels back came this June of 1996 when my back and chest started hurting. I blamed my job. The migraines I blamed my furnace. I had the gas company check my house from top to bottom -- nothing. I installed carbon monoxide detectors in my house. I only use non-floro carbon products in my shop, I changed all detergents -- still headaches. It ruined much of my life. Then the backaches got so bad in June that I went to the doctors. I had an ovarian cyst that popped and a bad UTI infection -- still in July I suffered great pain. I had tests and X-rays and tried over $700.00 in meds. I took matters in my hands and heard nurses asking me if I use nutra-sweet and what a killer it is on kidneys. I stopped right away. In 1 week my mood and my system went nuts. I was very edgy that I even hated myself. Then I felt like a whole weight was off my head, my heart and back, my headaches are fading, my kidneys are finally after all these months getting better. I'm off pain pills and prozac (bacause I thought I was nuts). I take no aspirins and I feel much happier and better. One weekend I had about 2 diet pops and "bam!" I had such a backache and headache so I know in my heart I was poisoning my system with aspartame. My doctors never ever wanted my kids to have aspartame because they suffered from serious colon trouble to colic as babies and they hated it anyway because of the data on it. I drank it to keep the calories down and stay slim because I've always dieted. Plus I have an ulcer and the doctor said aspartame could be the cause -- did I listen? No. I tell everyone I know, especially my friends who suffer from mood swings and were put on Prozac and they hated it to get off nutrasweet. I wish I had articles to have in the shop so clients could read it. My diabetic friends won't believe me when I tell them it kills their pancreas. Believe me, I'm not a hypochondriac and I never like going to doctors. It may not affect everyone but the Nutrasweet did not agree with me at all. I feel people should know that truth and make up their own mind. They sell cigarettes and alcohol which we know are bad but people do not know the affects of ASP to make their own choice. It's a false front. Well, I wrote too much and I'm sorry I wrote so sloppy, but I was so excited I wrote so fast so I wouldn't forget anything. I'm happier, healthier and wiser thanks to your article. It helped me. I'm not saying its a cure-all for everyone. I was at my wits end and was sick of being sick. I'll be on medication for months to clear up my UTI infection but at least I'm back to my old self mentally and getting there physically. I would sleep all the time and had no energy. I even had bloodwork done to see if I had anemia. Now I'm back to hiking, staying up late, etc. I don't believe it was power of suggestion because I went off ASP to just give it a try and I had nothing to lose and when I went off and had diet pop on a weekend campout, I got the headaches and severe backache from the kidneys and lack of energy. For me, going off ASP helped alot. I thank you and my client who gave me your article and my daughter who pulled more info on Nutra Sweet off the Net, Sincerely, Mary Hofmuslet -------------------- November 4, 1996 Subject: Aspartame To Whom It May Concern During July of 1995 I was diagnosed as having Adult Diabetes. Up until that point I consumed little if any Aspartame. Not being able to consume much sugar I started using products that contained Aspartame. Beginning early this year I found a sweet I really enjoyed and probably consumed more than I should have. During the early morning hours of May 27, 1996 I developed pressure in my chest to the point where I was taken to the hospital thinking it was a possible heart attack. After two and one half days in the hospital (while on vacation) and hundreds of dollars of tests I was released and was told my problem was indigestion. Upon returning to Atlanta I suffered a mini stroke and continued indigestion. Again I made trips to two doctors and back to the out patient at the hospital for more tests that cost hundreds of dollars. No medication that I took could solve the problem with indigestion. It is now the first part of August and I am still experiencing indigestion. One of the secretaries in my office gave me a copy of your article and at this point I was willing to try anything to end this painful indigestion. I stopped consuming anything that had Aspartame as one of the ingredients. Over the next three weeks the attacks became fewer and less painful and in the fourth week there were no more attacks of indigestion. It is now early November and I have yet to have any more attacks of indigestion. What a relief! I cannot believe our Government would allow such a product on the market. I am hearing more and more people tell me that they too cannot tolerate the chemical. Thank you for publishing the article on Aspartame as it has made my life better. Sincerely, Donald G. Chaplin Duluth, GA --------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 19, 1995: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I am a diabetic and have been using insulin for 18 years. My doctor advised me to use sugar substitutes in my diet. He also said I could drink as much diet soft drinks as I wanted. This I did. I used Equal in my coffee. I used a lot of diet soft drinks and used NutraSweet in many other foods I ate. I started having headaches all the time, as they got worse, I started having seizures. I would get a severe pain in my left eye, and then I would have seizures that would make the left side of my body shake. In time I was no longer able to tell when these were going to start, they would just come on all of a sudden and I would have up to eight seizures one right after the other. The seizures were not the only symptoms I had, I couldn't sleep, my mouth was dry all the time. I had sores on my tongue, I started having trouble with my memory. My eating habits changed, foods that I liked no longer tasted good to me. The smell of some foods I just couldn't stand. My stomach bothered me a lot, I had to use Anusol all the time because of the burning I had after a bowel movement. This was very painful. I had muscle spasms in my legs almost every night which caused my legs to be sore all day long, and my back was sore from the seizures. I was so sick that I thought I was dying, and so depressed that I was losing the will to live. My doctor requested a cat scan, and other tests which were inconclusive. I was scared, I didn't know what to do. Fortunately a relative of my son-in-law informed me that my problems may be due to the use of NutraSweet. I thought anything is worth a try, so I quit using NutraSweet on a Sunday, and by Tuesday the seizures stopped. I haven't had any seizures since, and all of the other symptoms have stopped except the change in my eating habits.. I feel very strongly that I may have died if I had continued to use NutraSweet. This poison should be taken off the market. How many others are suffering because of it? Sincerely, William Reed P. O. Box 283 Pullman, Michigan 49450 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Response from family member of William Reed] January 19, 1996 I was using NutraSweet because of my diabetes. My brother, who is also a diabetic became very ill, having seizures, and other symptoms. He was told that his condition may be caused from the use of NutraSweet. He stopped using it and his seizures and other symptoms stopped. I was convinced that I should also stop using it and I was surprised to find that the frequent headaches I was having stopped. My blood sugar dropped also. Sincerely, Betty Sue Chapman Rte 2, Box 34B Grand Junction, MI 49056 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Response from family member of William Reed] January 19, 1996 My brother was having seizures and was told by friends to stop using NutraSweet. When he did his seizures and many other symptoms stopped. I decided I should[n't] drink any more diet pop. As a result, headahes that I thought were from sinus trouble stopped. I was having headaches almost daily. We are so thankful to have received this information. It may have saved my brother's life. Mary Hoats 5655 102nd Ave. Grand Junction, MI 49056 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mrs. Gloria Collins 92349B Dunwoody Crossing Dunwoody, GA 30338 April 16, 1995 I had used Equal/NutraSweet/aspartame for 4 or 5 years with no idea that it's poisonous, as I assumed that FDA approval means it's perfectly safe for us. I Used about 12 paks of Equal in hot coffe each day. The first symptoms were depression and vertigo, but I didn't connect them with Equal. My legs cramped constantly and pained at night, and I had insomnia and terrible nightmares and memory loss. My vision deteriorated until I expected to go blind, but my eye doctor couldn't explain why. My life became a nightmare, and I turned to prayer. It worked! I received a NUTRASWEET IS A NEUROTOXIN flyer listing all my symptoms, so I abandoned aspartame in any form. My vision returned, the cramps disappeared, and I could sleep without nightmares. The depression and vertigo vanished. It was a miracle because I had thought I was dying and had Multiple Sclerosis. If you have a serious problem, it's natural to investigate it. Often the Experts are publicity mills funded by the pirates that make the stuff. It's like asking the Mafia about the crime rate. Both the American Dietetics and American Diabetic Associations get big bucks from NutraSweet. Such organizations propagandize physicians on how safe it is, so doctors are often aware of the danger. Much research confirms aspartame toxicity as do 80% of complaints the FDA has received on food additives. Heated aspartame is the most hazardous. My 12 packs/day in coffee almost cost my health, sanity and life. Now FDA has approved its use in baked goods, 350 degrees! Before Equal I used saccharin without a problem. It looks like we have no protector, so we must warn each other. In this spirit I attest to the nightmare Equal made of my life. I urge you to take the no aspartame test and discover if your health problems are the results of continuous daily poisoning. Mrs. Gloria Collins --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwenne Allen 9657 Hummingbird Lane Delray Beach, FL 33445 January 27, 1995 H. J. Roberts, M.D.P.A. 300 27th Street West Palm Beach, FL 33401 Dear Dr. Roberts: The purpose of this letter is to thank you for saving me from the clutches of aspartame. I admire your courage in standing up to the F.D.A. and other organizations and individuals who make the public believe this substance is safe. For several years I had been hearing about your book, papers, and public appearances regarding the dangers of aspartame, but, like so many others, thought I could trust that the F.D.A. wouldn't approve anything for human consumption which wasn't safe. I had to be brought to my knees before I finally purchased and read your book last month. It was out of desperation, as over a period of 8 years I have had one ailment after another, most of which the doctors and specialists could not diagnose or treat. I have been to all of them mentioned in your book and had all the tests as well. I have had most all of the symptoms as those you surveyed: petit mal seizures, headaches (felt like my brain was going to come out of my heat), loss of vision, dry eyes, dry mouth, dry skin, disorientation, dizziness, sleeplessness, diarrhea, sensitivity to noise and bright light, stomach bloat and gas, inability to lose weight on what had previously been a successful diet and might have gained weight, shortness of breath, chest pains, irregular heart beat. I always had the feeling I was seeing the world through a clouded lens. I took myself off aspartame about a month ago. The above symptoms are either gone or are greatly reduced at this point. Thank you, thank you. I do have a question - you mention rheumatic disorders in your book - I was diagnosed as having Polymyalgia Rheumatica about 8 years ago and was treated for almost 3 years with prednisone. I had gone from perfect health to almost being crippled at age 53 for no apparent reason. Could that have also been brought on by the consumption of aspartame? That would have been about the time that substance was first appearing on the market. Another purpose of this letter is to let you know I am an activist type and am willing to fight for causes I believe in. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. I'll write letters. I'll speak. It would be good therapy for me. Right now I have a mountain of resentment about the years of pain and suffering needlessly caused by ingesting something harmful into my boy without even being warned. When you consider that I drive a lot, it could have cost me my life. Sincerely, Gwenne Allen --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 23:01:26 EST Subject: Fowler report - page1 ACTUAL CASE HISTORY OF ASPARTAME POISONING By Ruth Page 1 My story is unique, as I am a 1980 right-sided stroke survivor (age 24), 1981 Cerebral Artery Bypass survivor (age 25), 1989 triple lumbar fusion survivor (age33), 1990 & 1992 cataract implant survivor (ages 34 & 36) and most importatnly, I am a 1997 Aspartame Poisoning survivor (age 42). After experiencing all of the above and completely rehabilitating to the point of enjoying a wonderful quality of life, I feel the worst injustice has been done to me was when I was slowly poisoned with aspartame and didn't even know what was happening. You may understand my anger, which I have now channeled into personal awareness and sharing to help others not be poisoned by this dangerous drug! For the last 20 years, I have worked diligently at becoming mentally, physically and spiritually well. In 1984, I began using aspartame. I used it in diet colas mostly, but I also consumed a lot of it in foods and from the packet as a weight control initiative. The only time I didn't use it was a two week period during my spinal surgery. Its known cumulative poisons affected me since 1993; however when thinking back, I didn't correlate all the problems with it until I became aware of the many side effects of using this toxic chemical. For instance, I have had sinus problems for at least 15 years. This problem is almost non-existent since my refusal to use the product. Every morning I would get up sneezing. That happens very infrequently now. For about 2 years, I have been aware of ankle edema and slightly higher blood pressure. At this time, that is all nonexistent. I was diagnosed in 1996 with the "dry eye syndrome." Though it has not been diagnosed that this is gone, I feel it is gone. My hair has become very thin, and I attributed that to the brain surgery scar and getting older, however, I now know it must have been caused by aspartame because it started thinning when I started drinking more diet coke. I will wait another year until that will be assessed again, but I believe this is directly related to aspartame ingestion. But what really got my undivided attention was my awareness that I was having sleep disturbances and panic attacks during the slow sleep of the night that is when I doze off--this symptom later made its presence known in grand mal seizure form--unfortunately or fortunately (however one wants to view it), each time before a night seizure, I would abruptly be awaken with a panic attack and then go into a seizure. January 1996, I had my first sleep disturbance. Though no one was there to witness it, I believe that it was the first grand mal seizure I had in my life. Though I was on seizure medication after the bypass surgery for 6 weeks, I had never experienced this sort of thing ever. What happened was this. Right after I dozed off, I was awakened with a panic attack. Right away, I propped up on one elbow, my jaw locked forward, and I let out my final gasp of air along with a loud sound. I remember trying to breathe, but all I could do is gasp for air. From that point on, I remember nothing except awakening the next morning with sore muscles and a chipped front tooth. I didn't know what this meant, but I had recently been ill with pneumonia, and I had been forcing diet cola fluids like mad. Many times I recalled this incident during the day after, and it happened the next night just like the first. The next year went by without any signs of sleep disturbance, however, I continued to use aspartame because I didn't make the correlation and didn't know what the sleep disturbances meant. I suffered pnuemonia again in March 1997. At that time, I had another sleep disturbance on March 25, 1997 and March 29, 1997, and these I believed to be nocturnal seizures. April 29, 1997 I had another nocturnal seizure, and this time, I decided I must do something about it. I went to a homeopath to help me find the problem. I was tested with the electro-magnetic testing that pointed to neurological deficiencies and marked toxicities in my system. I began detoxificating my system and taking Neuro Medulla complex to help heal my brain. I began taking epileptic drops at night to ward off seizures, and I quit all aspartame products. As the summer passed and I became totally seizure free, I still wasn't convinced that this was totally taking care of my problem. No one had witnessed my night seizures, so going to a doctor was out of the questions, besides I had had an abnormal EEG after the stroke and surgery, so a simple EEG testing was not something that would diagnose my problem. October 25, 1997, I had a permanent put in my hair. I had been getting permanents for the past 15 years, sometimes every three months. I was not aware that they contained formaldehyde also, but I believe that plus unknown aspartame use set me off. That night, I had two grand mal nocturnal seizures--one right after I went to sleep, and one after I got up from the first one and sat in a chair. I dozed off in my recliner, only to awakened with a panic attack. After completely sitting up in the unreclined chair, I felt my jaw starting to lock, so I tried to recline back in the chair and get on my side. I again gasped for air and went into a grand mal seizure. The evidence was clear in the morning. My tongue was very sore when I woke up, and as I viewed the gaping hole and tear in the tongue's surface, I knew that there was no other way to categorize what was happening to me than a grand mal seizure. I began to think there was a real physical problem, as I had been off of all nutra sweet/aspartame since April and this had still happened. I immediately got tested that next Monday, and everything in my system was completely through the roof. I remained seizure free until my next testing which was December 4, 1997. It was during this testing that my homeopathic clinician told me that I had unusually high concentrations of formaldehyde in my system. We continued on the remedies that were still indicatied with my condition. Mind you, I thought I had been aspartame free since April 1997. January 5, 1998, I had my last seizure. The next few paragraphs are from my personal journal that I begin keeping since this last seizure: January 9 & 10, 1998 - Pulsating in my left temporal area again went wild most of these two days. Intermittent and at no specific time. All of a sudden, it just went away. Insomnia still even with the insomnia drops-My body seems to have much more energy that it should for a 24-hour day. I am not complaining, only wish we had 32 hour days instead of 24. I paint into the night every night Wednesday - January 14, 1998 - I just finished a 96-hour painting. I have hardly slept because I can't make my body go to sleep. Physically, I have a few more aches and pains since the 13th. I rubbed my back out with icy hot because it hurt to stand. My right back knee area felt like it had deep muscle jerks (subtle) for the past 2 days. Rubbed icy hot on that and that helped. Saturday - January 17, 1998 (No sleep) - Had notice a glass stem mark on both sides of my head. I have also had headaches and other than that, I am just tired. There is edema in my ankles at night and my dry eye syndrome that was diagnosed by Dr. Shapiro in 1996 is still with me. All my joints hurt when I get up and all day long. No pulsating now felt in the left temporal area, however I still have headaches. I am continuing to do research on Aspartame, and the information is very grim news, but I am relieved this points to the problem's cause. January 24, 1998 - It was during the whole month of January 1998 that I really found out the dangers of what I had ingested, and I was now convinced that I was still unknowingly ingesting something that had aspartame in it, so I started eliminating things in my diet that I thought were possible suspects. The only thing I had still been ingesting was the Nestle's Carnation French Vanilla Creamer with my coffee in the morning, though I didn't think it contained aspartame because it didn't state it did. On January 25, 1998, I completely quit using the creamer to see if this made a difference. Please read what the daily improvements were and the events leading up to eliminating it from my diet were: January 25, 1998 - I am still having spasmotic movements when going to sleep, and a few nights I have fought off going to sleep because my body acts like it still wants to go into a seizure. I fight it off from 1-2 hours, and then I go to sleep with no problem. I have started to experience severe sciatica down my right leg since this afternoon. I rub out the nerve endings in the lumbar and sacral areas, but it keeps coming back. I have also put pressure on the outer hip reflex buttons that are REALLY sore, and this relieves it the most. Sunday - January 26, 1998 7 p.m. - I got up feeling very refreshed and with a new outlook on life; for the first time in a long time, I woke up without sneezing. My joint pain is much less this morning, and I feel very settled inside. From the one-day improvement I have already felt, I am certain that the Vanilla Creamer has an ingredient in it that is causing my problem. One day this week, I will be calling Nestles to see what they say about that. I have gone to water and herbal teas for intake, and I no longer drink carbonated water. Tonight when I took my double layer of socks off, there was no edema in my legs. Even after working all day in the studio, I have no joint pain except in my shoulder areas bilaterally. The only other problem I am still having is that the right sciatica pain is still very painful without much relief. I do not feel as chilled as I have in the past two years. Monday - January 27, 1998 - I have had no dry eyes, headache, swelling of my ankles or anxiety since eliminating the French Vanilla Creamer from my diet to this point in time. I will give this until Wednesday before I call the company to see if they tell there is or isn't aspartame in this product. Sciatica is less, but still present. I feel ten times better than before Sunday, and I have very little problem going to sleep and few spasms and since Saturday, no threat of seizure. I go to bed earlier and still sleep 8 hours, and I am still on all remedies until my next testing on February 13, 1998. Tuesday - January 28, 1998 - The swelling is gone from my legs. Something else I didn't know was present until it was gone was swelling in the left side of my throat. I remember for a long time that when I would go to bed, I would feel as though my throat was swollen on the left side, but I dismissed it as not important. Now I find out that that could be a symptom caused by Aspartame by the research I have read, and I no longer feel its presence. The sciatica pain is totally gone, and my homeopathic clinician states that that may be because my body is detoxifying. I have no joint pain, including the shoulder pain I have experienced for months. I took the Mark Gold's information to my homeopath today. I also went to the library and checked out Dr. Robert's book on "Is Aspartame (Nutra Sweet) Safe?" My continued research is still providing much updated information about the many dangers of this chemical and the many illnesses it has caused people. Meanwhile, I now read every single label on anything I ingest, and the list of what is safe to eat is getting very short. I continue to only have 1 1/2 cups of coffee/day, and no creamer. My chills are completely gone! I have a different glow to my face. I am now waiting for one of my different colored eyes to change back to its original color, as my eyes have been differnt colors since 1994 when I used aspartame in everything. Wednesday - January 29, 1998 - I called Nestles Company that manufactures the French Vanilla Creamer, and I was put on hold when requesting information about the Creamer. They originally agreed to send a list of ingredients to me, but then said they wanted me to wait for a call from their representative. They confirmed over the phone that there was absolutely no aspartame in this product, but seemed very willing to help me find out what it was I was reacting to from it. Thursday - January 30, 1998 - The Nestles Company called me back, and I talked with a very unfeeling representative that would not send me a list of ingredients as this is "conforming to FDA rules, and it is confidential." That was the end of the conversation, and the lady on the other end didn't want to spend much time talking about the creamer it seemed. My only recourse at this point is to have a private lab test run on the creamer to see if there is aspartame in it. These are the reasons I believe it contains aspartame: My body doesn't lie--how many years did I listen to it in order for me to overcome the obstacles, and this time--my body told me for 3 years I was not well, I didn't know why. Now all things make sense, and they can claim what they want, but I say there may be something hidden here. The creamer is unusually sweet and addicting. The more you have the more you want. All of my symptoms went away after stopping ingestion on January 25, 1998. The Nestle's representative who called me back was in too big of a hurry to get rid of me. The initial first call I made to them was quite a different story-- the woman was so kind and told me they cared very much that I got to the bottom of why their product was reacting on me. She was the only one that wanted to send me a breakdown of their product. February 4, 1998 - I remain well with no symptoms. I have gone to unprocessed foods for fear of ingesting aspartame unknowingly. I don't wish for a rechallenge of this product or anything with Nutra Sweet in it--this has been quite enough for me. Though I only have my recommended treatment remedies and my homeopath to give credence to my claims, I will submit a follow-up report in 6 months to let you know anything more about my situation. I now feel like a human being, but please add two more symptoms to the list of symptoms of aspartame poisoning This is not yet confirmed, but my right eye turned darker green (almost brown) than my left eye--I have seen an eye doctor regarding this problem, and he found nothing abnormal in either eye. It has only been this way since 1994, and I believe it is from the Aspartame, not the lens implant surgery from 1990--we will know in 6 months perhaps if it turns back to the normal color. The next is a confirmed symptom, and that is that I had very slowed urination during all the time I used Aspartame. I was bothered by this and always aware of it, but never attributed it to the aspartame. Now, that symptom is totally gone. I thank my God that I did not have another stroke or more arterial damage from this dangerous product. Worse yet--detached retinas or blindness because I am a professional artist. Will the FDA wait until we raise a generation of brain damaged aspartame morons only to look back and say they made a mistake. For some of us, we won't wait until they say it ISN'T OK-- I have known that for some time now; and I wish that some of the key decision makers in the FDA could experience only one nocturnal seizure from aspartame, only to find that their being was in danger of death just because money overpowered wisdom. May you rest well at night, because I certainly do now after getting off of the poison you have passed as safe. Ruth --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Judith: The following are some excerpts from a letter to my lawyer a couple of years ago when I was trying to put together a lawsuit against the manufacturers of NutraSweet and Diet Coke. By the time I figured out what had really happened, the statute of limitations had all but expired. Expert witnesses also cost money, and I was broke. I've put in a few updating paragraphs. Please use anything you think might be of value to others. Edit as you see fit: THE PRE-1983 ME: In spite of an uninspiring environment, my I.Q. tested in grade school at 147. When I joined the Air Force in April, 1955, at age 18, I aced the Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT), a general intelligence test, with a perfect 113 out of 113 right. As a result, the Air Force sent me to Syracuse University for intensive Russian language training, which I completed with a "B" average. I later worked my way through the University of Georgia, keeping an "A" average in my major (psychology), even though working a full-time job. My scores on a Millers Analogies Test (an intelligence test) impressed officials at a major university sufficiently to get me into graduate school with a stipend. In graduate school, my term papers were considered remarkable by my professors. A classmate even accused me once of having a "photographic memory" because I was able to not only remember what I had read, but often could point to the page it was on in the book. I completed two years of graduate studies before my family (wife and two small children) and financial considerations forced me to drop out with a Master's Degree --just short of completing requirements for my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. With no previous training and on the basis of my creative writing ability, alone, I was immediately appointed as a Governor's Press Secretary. For the same reason, over the next several years, I was later asked to write speeches for four other governors. While I had made no great effort to be published, other than in a satirical column for a weekly newspaper, I was a fairly prolific writer and was known around our state capitol as "the phrase maker." I was noted for my original jokes and satire. Around 1980, a major movie producer described on of my movie scripts as "the best I've ever seen." The only thing that kept it from becoming a CBS "Movie of the Week" was current high interest rates. I was very proud of my creativity and used to brag that, put in a room by myself for an hour or so, I could come up with a hundred different uses for a paper clip. I continued over the next several years in various public relations positions, increasing my earnings as my skills developed. In summary, I had been blessed with a wonderful brain which had enabled me to work my way out of the city slums and make a number of notable achievements. My creativity was always my most marketable asset. ENTER THE DARK AGES: After considerable study of nutrition, to improve my health and reduce my 215 pound bulk, I decided to eliminate processed sugar from my diet. On September 12, 1982, the day my older daughter was sent off to college, I ate my last serving of food containing processed sugar. For the next eight or so years, I studiously avoided any product in which sugar was a major ingredient. As a substitute, I used artificial sweeteners, primarily the new, much-touted NutraSweet brand of aspartame. My beverages of choice were Tabs and Diet Cokes. I drank 2-4 every day for the next eight years. As I recall, Diet Cokes remained sweetened with saccharin for a year or two after the introduction of NutraSweet, and then the Coca-Cola Company used NutraSweet exclusively in all its diet drinks except Tab. NutraSweet was later added to Tab to supplement the saccharin. Around 1983, my personal and professional life began what proved to be a constant downward spiraling. I began suffering from a number of bizarre physical and mental symptoms. The physical symptoms included severe headaches, numbness in fingers and toes, severe soreness in knee tendons, prostate problems, a number of growths which had to be surgically removed, fatigue, arthritis, etc. Mental symptoms included forgetfulness, poor comprehension, depression, hostile outbursts, poor judgment, etc. Although I was only vaguely aware of it, if at all, at the time, I can now see that my ability to be creative ceased to exist. During the years I was using NutraSweet, I produced no significant piece of creative writing. Promising scripts and novels I had been working on earlier just lay in my files gathering dust. My lack of good memory became a source of great embarrassment. Since I could not even dependably remember the names of the wives of my friends and male relatives, I developed the habit of putting their names in my address book in little brackets. Otherwise, there was a good chance my sister-in-law or a friend's wife might answer the phone, and I would be unable to remember what to call her. Lack of language fluency also became pronounced. Not only did I cease to be confident in my ability to speak German, but I also began to stutter and stammer in English, often groping for simple words. The habit often exasperated people around me. It became difficult for me to make and keep friends. It was especially difficult for me to maintain my image as a professional public relations practitioner. My ability to make rational judgments also declined. In 1985, at age 49, I left a secure, prestigious, good-paying job as an International Representative with a state economic development agency, as well as 14 years vested in the retirement system, for a very speculative industrial development appointment in a poor, rural community. With that beginning, I became somewhat of a job-hopper, feeling pressured to leave a position when the challenge of keeping up with all the new acquaintances became overwhelming. Over the next several years, my poor judgment became legend with both my family and my career. I realize now I was operating with the brainpower of some 100-110 I.Q. instead of with the superior intelligence I thought I still had. On two different occasions during this period, I had what amounted to "panic attacks" and was rushed to the hospital for "heart attack" symptoms. I recall that the last time, especially, as I rode in the ambulance, I was quite convinced I was dying. Except for a possible hiatal hernia, however, tests shows both times that there was nothing physically wrong with my heart. My poor memory and my lack of creativity continued to haunt me. I could not live up to the rightful expectations of employers. With some luck, I did a marginally acceptable job, but I continually felt pressured by the mental demands of my career. In the meantime, beginning in October, 1988, I had discovered the Natural Hygiene dietary and lifestyle system as touted in the "Fit for Life" book by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. I began eating a very healthy diet of mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, breads, etc., as recommended. Within just a few months, my weight had decreased from 205 to 172, which was my ideal weight according to doctors' charts. My overall health and attitude greatly improved. For a few weeks, I didn't drink any carbonated beverages, and I was vaguely aware of an improvement in my overall cognitive functioning. I attributed the improvement to better nutrition. At that time, NutraSweet was not totally eliminated from my diet, but it was greatly reduced. It did not occur to me at that time, however, that aspartame had been, or continued to be, a problem. While I continued with the core of the natural diet, eating very few animal products, combining foods for best digestion, etc., I began adding back a few of my old pleasures, including Diet Coke. I found it too hard to kick the caffeine habit, so regular Diet Coke took care of that problem. Typically during this period, however, I drank only a couple of Diet Cokes per day. Water, fresh-squeezed juice, and fresh fruits provided the bulk of my liquid intake. I continued to feel better physically. Many little aches and pains cleared up, although a number of strange pains and areas of numbness remained (which are usual symptoms of methanol poisoning). I began to exercise regularly and even did a little serious running. My cognitive functioning however, especially my memory, continued to be far below what I once took for granted. Finally, I became resigned to the idea that I was just "getting older" and continued to use a variety of devious devices to hide and compensate for my poor memory. For example, my wife had standard instructions to always introduce herself, thereby provoking a self-convention, etc. My preferred ploy was to avoid having her with me at all, which eliminated the problem of introductions, but created other social problems. Keep in mind that the bulk of my work from 1978 to 1991 involved public relations and marketing. I often organized meetings, dinners, etc., for dozens, sometimes hundreds, of people, most of who it was presumed I knew. I was in constant terror of being confronted by an important person whose name I could not access from my impaired brain. This happened all too often. I recall an instance when one very important local community member, the owner of the local telephone company, would not play my game with me. In front of several other people, including my clients, he accused me of not remembering his name, which was true, even though I had just spent the night in his home! His name, which comes to me now, more than a decade later, as easily as my own, at that time simply could not be dredged out of my memory. I can now recall being amazed by, and envious of, so-called "ordinary," marginally educated people who seemed to have no difficulty in remembering the names of everybody they met. I could not even carry on a conversation and refer, by name, to friends, relatives, celebrities, etc. If I wanted to discuss a movie star or singer, for example, I would have to give my listener a series of clues until he was able to "guess" the person whose name I was trying to remember. When I was elected president of the Optimist Club in a small town, I insisted that everybody wear name tags "for the benefit of visitors and new members." In reality, I could not dependably recall the names of my friends and club brothers who I saw once or more every week. This handicap was not only frustrating, but a great social liability for me. As I went from job to job over the next several years, my blunders were legion. Just getting though life one day at a time was a tremendous challenge that often came close to being more that I thought I could manage. Finally, in the first part of July, 1991, I was talking with an old friend who wanted to send me a package in the mail and he asked for my address. I replied, "It's 291 West...West...West..." I could not remember the rest of the name of the street that I had lived on for some three years! It was at that moment, with the grace of God and what few cognitive resources I had remaining, that I concluded that something serious was wrong with my brain. Somehow, I intuitively felt the problem had to be chemical: either I needed something I wasn't getting, or I was getting something that my brain very definitely did not need. My diet was almost pristine. I was eating nothing but raw fruit each day until noon. I then ate vegetables and grains (cornbread, rice, etc.), for the remainder of the day. I occasionally ate some fish. I had eliminated coffee and all sources of caffeine from my diet. I almost never drank an alcoholic beverage. I took no medications--not even vitamins, which once had been a big part of my health regimen. So, what could be the source of my "poisoning," if that was the problem? The only "foreign" substance in my diet was caffeine-free Diet Coke. The only foreign substance in that product with any remote potential for causing my brain dysfunctions was NutraSweet. It seemed worth a try anyhow. THE RENAISSANCE: EVIDENCE OF REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT AFTER DISCONTINUING THE USE OF NUTRASWEET: Within three days of ridding my diet of all forms of aspartame, the improvement in my mental capacity was remarkable. The improvements continued and, by September, 1991, my brain was functioning better than it had in a decade. I was still severely depressed because there I was, a 55-year-old man, my career in shambles, facing one of this century's most severe economic downturns. But, I could remember now! I could meet people and remember their names! I could read and comprehend what I was reading! I could even write again! There was hope. The single factor that was changed in my diet during this period was the removal of aspartame. There is absolutely no doubt that the use of aspartame had caused by mental dysfunction and the subsequent physical, mental, occupational and social problems. There is also no doubt that the miraculous improvement in my overall mental ability was the result of eliminating aspartame from my diet. When I first began to suspect NutraSweet as the culprit causing my mental problems, I was totally unaware that anybody else had ever had problems. When I began to voice my suspicions to others, I began to get some tentative confirmation that I might be on the right track. One woman told me her doctor had warned her not to use NutraSweet when she was pregnant because it could cause the baby to be retarded! I later found several other people who personally had suffered ill effects from consuming NutraSweet or knew of someone else who had. A preliminary search for scientific studies to show that aspartame was a problem were somewhat disappointing. Most of the animal studies found tended to be very short-termed. Most, in fact, involved only a single administration of aspartame. I later learned that these studies were funded by the NutraSweet Company and were designed to prove the product "safe." (Most people will not react to short-term administration of pure, unheated aspartame.) Such a finding should not be surprising, however, since, as is well known, "scientific" research typically is done only if some company with an interest in seeing specific results is willing to fund the study. And they usually get the results they want. It is unlikely that many firms would have been interested in demonstrating that a multi-billion dollar industry is making the users of its products some 20-30% dumber. Still, I was able to find a number of studies which have shown aspartame to have adverse effects upon users. A very damning pioneer summary is given in the book, "Diet For a Poisoned Planet," of Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, in 1990 (pages 190-192). Steinman points out that "this chemical sweetener (aspartame) rates the longest list of complaints...that the FDA has ever received." His 1990 figures for the number of complaints, compared with the reported number at the end of 1991, would indicate the FDA might now be receiving upwards of 1000 complaints per year. (It should be pointed out that most people who are being injured by aspartame usage are not aware of it and, even when they became aware of it, would not be inclined to write the FDA. This complaint figure, then, should be considered as the tiniest tip of the proverbial iceberg.) Steinman states further that aspartame is a synthetic compound consisting of two amino acids, aspartate and phenylalanine, which are held in chemical bond by methanol -- also know as wood alcohol! He points out that methanol is poisonous when found alone, as it is after aspartame enters the bloodstream and breaks down. If aspartame is heated to 85 degrees or more, as it can easily be in shipping, storage, or use in certain foods and beverages, a chemical decomposition occurs to create freestanding wood alcohol. As a further complication, many persons are known to be metabolize the amino acid, phenylalanine, mentioned above and are said to suffer from PKU, or phenylketonuria. Steinman estimates that some 20 million American carry the PKU gene. "Persons who must restrict their intake of aspartame include individuals who cannot metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine," he contends. Two out of three of the compounds in aspartame, therefore, are known toxins to some or all humans. Steinman's discussion of the dangers of aspartame includes, among others, the following points: In pregnant women, high methanol levels have produced babies without eye formation; that women who use "large amounts" of aspartame will give birth to mentally retarded babies; and that diet soft drinks accounted for the vast majority of the complaints about aspartame. A revealing quote in the article follows: "A team of physicians from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation writing in the New England Journal of Medicine noted, 'For the past few years in our headache clinic, we have systematically inquired about aspartame use. We have been impressed by the number of cases in which an observer (not necessarily the patient) detected a clear aggravation of symptoms at the time of introduction of aspartame into the diet.'" This anecdotal evidence supports my contention that most persons suffering from aspartame intoxication are not aware, themselves, of what is happening to them or why. This gives the product a very frightening insidiousness, which greatly increases its danger to the general public. In my own personal experience, many women, both friends and clients of my previous fitness consulting service, have told me that their obstetricians and pediatricians advised them to not use aspartame when they were pregnant and not to allow their children use it because it would interfere with normal brain development. The Food and Drug Administration, reportedly, has received some 10,000 complaints about NutraSweet since it came on the market in 1982. I have also discovered a number of people who, in some cases upon the advice of a physician, have discontinued the use of NutraSweet because of a variety of complaints, including migraine headaches, urinary tract irritation, seizures, stomach pain, etc. Upon removing aspartame from their diets, their symptoms cleared up immediately. Almost anybody with whom you bring up the subject has heard of somebody who has had a problem with NutraSweet. A professional couple with whom I discussed NutraSweet at a party cornered me excitedly at a meeting a couple of months later. Beaming with enthusiasm, they told me that since they had both had eliminated aspartame products from their diets, the husband's vision had dramatically improved as had the wife's memory and depression. The husband is a retired college professor. Without exception, every one of my fitness clients who was taken off aspartame (usage ranging from light to excessive) has reported noticeable improvements in overall cognitive functioning, especially memory! Already encouraged with this information and mounting evidence against NutraSweet, a friends gave me the names of a couple of people to call. This led to a gold mind of damning information about aspartame. The best source of information was an organization in Texas called the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network. A lady by the name of Mary Nash Stoddard started the organization after both she and her daughter almost died from aspartame poisoning. As it turns out, thousands of other people have reported symptoms similar to mine and also discovered that the symptoms disappeared when the use of aspartame was discontinued. A number of medical doctors have written articles condemning aspartame and a couple of M.D.'s have written books about it. Several reputable scientific studies show it to be harmful. Although they are rare, it seems that most, if not all, independent studies show aspartame to be a serious threat to human health. Investigative reporters have accumulated evidence which rather conclusively shows that NutraSweet's research to get the product approved was so poorly done, it would not have gotten a passing grade in a basic science course. In spite of outright fraud, the research still demonstrated that the product causes cancer in rats. Still, the product was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Not surprisingly, as many as 10 FDA officials, including commissioners, who were involved with handing down these irresponsible decisions later found more lucrative jobs with Monsanto-related firms. (Monsanto is the parent of Searle and NutraSweet.) In short, the FDA officials were bribed! For example, only a few months after the decision favorable to NutraSweet, one commissioner was hired on a $1000 per day consultant to Monsanto's ad agency! The U.S. Senate tried to prosecute these officials, but, as the facts show, Monsanto also used higher paying jobs to buy off the attorneys charged with that duty, so the statute of limitations was allowed to run out. This example of flagrant corruption in the Food and Drug Administration demonstrates the need for this agency to be ABOLISHED and replaced by an independent "United Laboratories" type organization that would actually do their own testing to determine the safety of drugs and food additives. As of this writing, the American public has absolutely no protection against being poisoned by food and drug manufacturers. The food and drug companies go through the pretense of "testing" their own new products and then present their phone findings to an appointed group of greedy, unethical politicians, along with case under the table, to get their products approved. We, the public, would actually be better off with no agency than to have one that lulls us into a false sense of security that encourages many people, including doctors, to say, "Well, it must be all right because the FDA approved it." All an FDA approval means is that the right payments were made to the right people. Period. From all appearances, now, the drug and food additive industry in the U.S. is operated in the fashion of organized crime. It would be remarkable, indeed, if this resemblance proved to be purely coincidental. There is absolutely no doubt that an objective, scientifically sound study would further corroborate the causative relationship between aspartame usage and a decline in an average person's overall cognitive ability, including the ability to comprehend, store and recall data, not to mention the more complex abilities of judgment and creativity. Aspartame is unfit for human consumption and should never have been allowed to be sold to the public. The brain is an extremely sensitive electro-chemical machine which contains a collection of an estimated 100 billion nerve cells, called neurons, and a trillion support cells. The body of each neuron is just 1/100th the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Tentacles, called dendrites, sprout from that body. Some neurons boast a long, wire-like appendage called an axon. Near the end of the dendrite or axon is the end of a dendrite from another neuron. A space of a millionth of an inch separates the two ends. That space is called a synapse. The neurons communicate with one another by means of a chemically induced and controlled electrical impulse. Dopamine is one such transmitter. Some 75 others have been found. Research has shown that too much of one transmitter or too little of another can change a person's mood, his thinking, and muscular strength and coordination. Too little can produce Parkinson's disease. This knowledge about the function of transmitters has produced a host of drugs for treating a variety of complaints. Some drugs stimulate transmitter output; others inhibit it. It is my contention that aspartame and various toxic chemicals it degrades to in the blood stream either inhibit the production of transmitting chemicals, such as dopamine, or else they somehow bond to dendrite or axon surfaces to create a blockage of the synapses, thus by mountains of anecdotal evidence, that the effects of aspartame are cumulative; the more one uses the chemical, and the more of it that is used daily, the greater the damage. I have dealt with clients who drank from 12-24 Diet Cokes per day, which in itself is a testimony to the insidiously additive properties of the product. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF NUTRASWEET UPON AN UNSUSPECTING GENERAL PUBLIC: I am convinced it can be demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that aspartame, used even in modest quantities, negatively affects the central nervous systems of virtually all, it not all, human users of it. When you consider that, in all probability, half the adult U.S. population consumes aspartame in some form (diet beverages, desserts, Equal, etc.) on a regular basis, and that each user's ability to think is being reduced by at least 20%, the potential consequences are phenomenal. What does it mean when a total population's ability to think, reason, recall and react is depressed an overall average of 10%? What would be its effect on divorce, child abuse, suicides, crime, etc.? I'm convinced it's effect is widespread and devastating to millions of human beings, not only physically and psychologically, but financially as well. I have no doubt aspartame is directly and indirectly responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths each year. Many pilots have lot their licenses because of aspartame-induced seizures. How many pilots of crashed planed had an aspartame-impaired brain? If I had people on my payroll who operated dangerous machinery, I would require them to be aspartame-free. I believe it would be well worth the while of insurance companies to conduct their own studies to determine the true extent of aspartame's physical, mental and economic impact upon the American public. The effects of aspartame usage evidently closely mimic those of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's "gradually strips away its victim's mental and physical capacities," according to a brochure put out by the Alzheimer's Disease Association. "The symptoms," the brochure continues, "include gradual memory loss, disorientation, impaired judgment, and finally loss of control over body functions." The overall cost of caring for Alzheimer's victims in 1992 was a staggering $50 billion! This does not include indirect costs such as missed work and increased expenses for families caring for their loved ones. It is also the fourth leading cause of death (more than 100,000 annually), "is found in all segments of the population, and is an emotional and financial nightmare for victims and their families." There is "no known cure" and, according to the experts, "these financial costs threaten to increase to colossal proportions." It's very interesting to note that the Alzheimer's Disease Association also reported that, "Ten years ago, relatively few Americans have even heard of Alzheimer's disease. Yet, today, this progressive disease is recognized as one of the most devastating maladies of our time." "Ten years ago" from the publication date of the brochure is exactly when NutraSweet came on the market! The probability that this correlation of events is unrelated is extremely remote. No doubt, out of ignorance of the facts, many Alzheimer's disease treatment centers now permit, or even prescribe, diet products for their patients. And virtually all diet products contain what? NutraSweet, of course. Consider the irony of an institution getting paid to actually exacerbate a patient's symptoms instead of ameliorating them. And, the problem is likely to become even work because, as of January, 1992, the 10-year NutraSweet patent on aspartame expired. Coca-Cola is now using cheaper generic brands of the chemical, as evidenced by their having dropped the NutraSweet label. Other manufacturers have followed suit. Generic brands of aspartame are being manufactured and marketed by the tons. NutraSweet is even selling it in bulk, encouraging consumers to put the poison into their sugar bowls. An elderly friend in a nursing home recently received 10 sample packets of Dixie Crystal's new aspartame product. I was not surprised to see Cher advertising the "blue stuff"; she makes a great "aspartame poster person." I was a little disappointed to see Sophia Loren sell out though. (I remembered the names!" If the trend continues, aspartame will soon be in everything but cement! At the very least, aspartame definitely produced Alzheimer-like symptoms and would increase the debilitative symptoms of any patient suffering from Alzheimer's. Their is a very real possibility that aspartame is the primary culprit in this mysterious disease. We will know for certain only when competent and objective scientific research is conducted. My good-faith use of NutraSweet, primarily in products of the Coca-Cola Company (and occasionally in Jell-O products), directly produced a brain dysfunction which has had devastating effects upon my career, my ability to make a living, my various interpersonal relationships (especially with my family), and my overall ability to enjoy life. NutraSweet wiped out eight years of my creativity. It also made my life a living hell for eight years, the consequences of which continue to plague me. It also appears that some severe effects of the aspartame remain, specifically, the inability to product adequate dopamine, which results in depression, which I struggle to control through natural, non-narcotic means. Considering the severity and duration of my aspartame intoxication, it is very possible that other unrecognized damages, such as predisposition to develop tumors, might remain. I have no doubt that executives of the NutraSweet Company and the complex of Coca-Cola companies know, and long have known, of the deleterious effects of aspartame on brain functioning. Steinman, referenced above, writes: "Aspartame was approved for marketing in dry foods by the FDA in 1981 only after the FDA commissioner overturned a federally appointed public board of inquiry's recommendation that aspartame's approval be denied based on the need for more studies to determine whether aspartame causes brain tumors or not." Why would the Food and Drug Administration commissioner allow this product to be rushed onto the market? Why has it been allowed to remain in spite of a record number of complaints and continuously mounting evidence that aspartame is a devastating toxin that men, women and children are innocently loading up on every day? Why are lobbyists for NutraSweet hanging around, not only Washington politicians, but state lawmakers as well? The only possible reason for the failure by governmental and industry officials to take this extremely dangerous product off the market or at least to give the public fair warnings is greed and total corruption of a governmental agency charged with protecting the public. Their collusive action is not only totally irresponsible, but reprehensible and criminal as well, and deserves to be punished. In the meantime, I'm back at my word processor and, seemingly, my creativity is better than ever. It has been some three years since my last dose of aspartame, and my brain is doing wonderful things again. I can remember names of new friends as well as old ones. I can phone up my brother without first reading his wife's name in the parenthesis in my little black book. I enjoy reading complex material ranging from the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg to those of Stephen Hawkins. I am writing poetry,