Date: Sat, 30 Sep 1995 16:18:05 -0400 To: xxxx@xxxx.xxxx Subject: Re: Stevia Approved 9/18/95 I am a new diabetic (46 years old). I have not had diet softdrinks in several years, because they gave me headaches. Now, with diabetes, I drink water. -------------- Newsgroups: misc.health.arthritis Subject: Re: Aspartame and pain.?.?.? Date: 27 Sep 1995 13:45:28 GMT My doctor suggested that I not use artifical sweeteners. He said there wasn't much scientific evidence, but in his experience they could aggravate Lupus, which I have. I quit immediately. I've made a lot of changes, and am taking medication, but I am in considerably less pain than I was before. So perhaps it has an effect. ----------- Newsgroups: misc.health.arthritis Subject: Aspartame and pain.?.?.? Date: 26 Sep 1995 15:31:08 GMT I want to thank the person who posted something about aspartame (NutraSweet(R)) and pain last week. Apparently (s)he quit using this diet sweetener and certain pains subsided. Over the past couple years, I have seen 4 doctors and a chiropractor (hey, it hurt) for increasing, chronic pain in my left big toe joint. It started out from 2 or 3 on a 10 scale, increasing to about 8 or 9 over the past few months. As expected, there was nothing these health-care professionals could do for it. Well, after reading that post last week, I decided to quit drinking Diet Coke(TM) (about 1 to 2 cans per day), spooning on the Equal(?), and using other aspartame-based products for a while. The results were immediate and dramatic! Within two days the pain was down to about a 1, with only slight soreness from having it hurt so long. Over the past couple days I've had virtually no pain! In fact, I walked/played 18 holes of golf on Sunday (in my "bad" golf shoes no less) and only the pain of playing golf poorly lingered. (continued in a later post).... Date: 19 OCT 1995 15:16:58 GMT Newgroups: misc.health.arthritis Subject: Re: Nutra Sweet (R) / Aspartame I was the one who started a small thread about this a few weeks ago. I had reported that after a few years of increasing, chronic pain in my left foot, it started to subside within days after stopping use of aspartame-based products. As of last week, even the soreness of the long-term pain is now gone (although I went on a 10-plus-mile walk this past weekend and it was *slightly* sore afterward -- bummer, eh? 8^). Since posting my previous article, I mentioned this experience to my chiropractor -- a person in whose abilities I have complete confidence. After discussing his knowledge on the topic, he gave me a VHS tape of a local (S.F. Bay Area) talk-show program from 1985 to check out. On it was a lady who had attributed blindness to the use of aspartame (at the time she was in a legal battle with Searle, NutraSweets' benefactor). Others stated that a number of other cases involving possible aspartame- related blindness were under investigation, as well as purported cases of hyperactivity in children, weight gain (although it is used in diet products, it apparently causes sugar/fat cravings), epileptic-type petit and grand mal seizures, and a number of other things. There were *numerous* studies cited from prestigious universities (MIT, UCLA, etc.) who concluded that aspartame should not have been allowed such wide-spread usage due to a poisoning affect of one of the two amino acids it produces. The other amino acid is what requires the "Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalamine" note on NutraSweet-based diet sodas, for example. This is a warning to people with PKU (apparently people with this affliction have difficulty "absorbing" too much of this amino acid). Nifty, eh? It was only after someone else posted a NutraSweet-pain experience that caused me to halt it's use -- what did I have to lose? Well, I lost a great deal of pain. By the way, to the individual who wrote me that I only lost the pain due to a placebo affect, fat chance. If this ecstasy of foot painlessness is due to a placebo affect, perhaps I'll stop eating altogether and get rid of all my pains.?.?.? 8^) ------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 11:46:25 -0400 (EDT) To: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxxxx.xx Subject: aspartame info request Dear xxxxxx, I read your post on the effects of aspartame (your response to xxxxx xxxxxx) on misc.kids.health and am very interested in having more information. You mentioned the auto-responder... could you send me instructions on how to access that? Any other info you have would be appreciated. I had a bad exprience with Nutrasweet affecting my vision, and I try to warn others about it. ----------- Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-panic Subject: Re: Any problems with Nutrasweet? Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 13:32:14 -0700 Organization: University of Oregon Lines: 23 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: gladstone.uoregon.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: cindysch@gladstone yes I used to drink diet soda al the time but it started to make me feel weird and bring on panic attacks so I dont touch the stuff anymore. ------------ Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine Subject: Nutra_Sweet affecting anyone else? Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 23:30:28 -0600 in> By trial and error I discovered that Nutra_Sweet will trigger what in> several people described to me as a migraine. Absolute worst headaches I I've had the same problem. Some people were telling me that it was all in my head..and it was quite painfully. in> Now I avoid everything with NS in it and have not since experienced my in> "migraine" headaches. I had heard one person talk about an "alcohol Same here. I avoid it whenever possible. in> I will say that I have now a complete and utter sympathy for anyone who in> suffers from this type of pain. I had heard about migraine headaches all in> my life, but had no clue as to the magnitude... Perhaps this info will in> help someone else who has the same sensitivity to NS that I seem to in> have. Thanks for posting it. Unfortunately, mine aren't only caused by the Nutra Sweet, but it is one thing that can cause them. ------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.diet Subject: Re: Aspartame (Nutrasweet) danger Date: 25 Sep 1995 04:41:21 GMT My experience with Aspartame is this: in the early 80's (which is when I think it began being used heavily?) on a very, very hot L.A. summer morning, I was chuggin Crystal Light Lemonade. I went to church at noon and passed out halfway through the service (very dangerous, considering those pews are spaced pretty closely together). My mother, certain I was pregnant (I was actually a virgin) rushed me to the hospital. They did a bazillion tests and whatnot, including a dizzying array of EKG *and* EEG tests. blood sugar levels, etc. etc. What they concluded was that I had passed out due to the large amount of Aspartame in my system. They told me it is really, REALLY tough to metabolize, and they had been having a number of fainting victims related to ingesting the stuff. I don't remember exactly why it made people faint, maybe a lot of blood goes to your stomach, trying to digest it, and there's not enough going to your brain and boom - you're horizontal. A friend of mine who was a chem major at USC at the time told me they'd run some tests in one of his labs and determined that Aspartame turns into methol alcohol in your stomach, but I think he was joking... At any rate, I avoid it like the plague, now. (Aspartame, not methol alcohol. Well, I don't eat *that* either. :) ------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-panic Subject: Re: Any problems with Nutrasweet? Date: 22 Sep 1995 18:58:22 -0700 Caffiene is normally a no no in PD.. it heightens anxiety! im off caffiene.. There are good sodas ( pop ) what ever ya call it.. that are caffiene free! My S.O cannot have nutrasweey either, due to left temporal lobe epilepsy.. Im very familiar with the problem it can cause! ------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-panic Subject: Re: Any problems with Nutrasweet? Date: 20 Sep 1995 20:25:17 -0400 You bet. I've got temporal lobe epilepsy that manifests as panic attacks, and there is no question in my mind that Nutrasweet increases my seizure activity. I'm off Diet Coke, but the downside is I'm back to drinking coffee. So...what's the story on PAs and caffeine? ----------- Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine Subject: Re: Nutra_Sweet affecting anyone else? Date: 19 Sep 1995 15:18:56 GMT I also get migraines from nutra_sweet. :-( ------------ Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine Subject: Nutra_Sweet affecting anyone else? Date: 18 Sep 1995 18:05:48 GMT Sorry if this has been covered in a FAQ, couldn't spot one in a scan of this newsgroup... By trial and error I discovered that Nutra_Sweet will trigger what several people described to me as a migraine. Absolute worst headaches I had ever had... rendered me non-functional. I had never experienced anything like them before, but began to have these once or twice a month and they started to come on more regularly. A friend suggested that they could be diet related so I began to monitor what I consumed. After some time I narrowed it down to Diet Sprite and frozen yogurts with the Nutra-Sweet brand sweetener in them. I thought at first that it might be the "coldness" of the food, but no other ice cream or cold drinks trigger an attack. Now I avoid everything with NS in it and have not since experienced my "migraine" headaches. I had heard one person talk about an "alcohol bonding molecule" or somesuch in the NS that affects some people in this way. Has anyone here read or heard anything about this or had a similar experience? I will say that I have now a complete and utter sympathy for anyone who suffers from this type of pain. I had heard about migraine headaches all my life, but had no clue as to the magnitude... Perhaps this info will help someone else who has the same sensitivity to NS that I seem to have. [same person] Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine Subject: Re: Nutra_Sweet affecting anyone else? Date: 22 Sep 1995 13:26:22 GMT >Is it automatic? IOW, do you get a headache every time you use >Nutrasweet? The reason I ask is that I've eradicated sugar out of my life >(even though my headaches weren't being caused by sugar, as it turns >out). I eat a fair amount of Nutrasweet, but my one to two headache >sessions a week would be far more frequent if they were only due to >Nutrasweet. For me it seems to "build up" before I got the headache... I started drinking the diet Sprite and switched to frozen yogurt probably weeks before I had the first attack, which is why I didn't connect the two. I don;t know whether the NSweet had to build up in my system first, or what, but while I was trying to find out what was causing the headaches I began to get them within a day after consuming anything with it. After dropping anything with that wicked little symbol on the package my headaches stopped, and I have been free of them for almost two years... I do have a sensitivity to Nutra-Sweet now. I did discover that not everything has the NutraSweet symbol printed on it. I had something, don't remember what, but after eating it I got the "weird" feeling... and checked the ingriedients: Aspartame. Thankfully I never got the migraine, which leads me to think it must build up in my system to trigger the headache. --------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine Subject: Re: Nutra_Sweet affecting anyone else? Date: 18 Sep 1995 21:00:49 GMT Yes. If I have anything w/ Nutrasweet I am almost assured a migraine. It is a common trigger. -------------- Newsgroups: alt.med.fibromyalgia Date: Mon, 18 Sep 1995 11:12:00 -500 Sender: FIBROM-L Fibromyalgia / Fibrositis Discussion Group Subject: Survey on FM 'Triggers' -Reply The following items seem to "TRIGGER" my FM: Colas (Yes)__x___ Which one(s)___all__________ (No) _____ Dr. Pepper (Yes)_____ (MORE than other Colas)__x____ (No) _____ (NO MORE that other Colas)______ Other Cafeine sources (yes) choc_____ Which one(s)________________ ________________ ________________ (No) _____ Cafeine does not bother me Love Chocolate (Yes)___XXXX!______ (No)_________________ Sometimes bothers___x___ Always bothers ______ Never bothers ______ NutraSweet (Yes)___xx_____ (No)_________________ Other types of dietary "Triggers" for me are: sugar --------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-panic Subject: Re: Any problems with Nutrasweet? Date: 19 Sep 1995 00:29:26 GMT When NutraSweet first came out, I used it alot (i.e I drank gallons of diet Coke). I began to get headaches, dizzyness(sp), and a buzzing in my head. After awhile, I noticed that it only happened after drinking something with NSweet in it. Everyone said that it was the "most thouroughly tested product in the history of mankind" and that there were no reports of adverse effects. However, since I gave up NSweet, I have never had those symptoms again (and it's been about 9 years now). Go figure. ------------ Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative Subject: Re: fibromyalgia Date: Tue, 19 Sep 1995 18:37:59 GMT Now. I just recently tried aspartame, against my better judgement when my husband was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. Thought maybe I just wouldn't be one of those people to respond negatively, but I developed a completely different form of migraine headache than I've ever experienced before. Did my FMS symptoms get worse? No, but I wasn't doing as well as I had been for some time. Now that I'm off the aspartame my symptoms remain consistent. No magical cure. ------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-panic Subject: Re: Any problems with Nutrasweet? Date: 17 Sep 1995 19:07:35 GMT Yes, NutraSweet brings on severe attacks for me from as little as a single can of diet soda. And i was working at nutrasweet as a consultant for 6 months or so (this year) so i tried it many times to be sure. valium seemed to stop the attack in mid stream though. ------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-panic Subject: Re: Any problems with Nutrasweet? Date: 17 Sep 1995 13:01:04 GMT >Has anyone experienced anxiety-panic attacks brought >on or made worse by nutrasweet (aspertame)? > >I read one posting on the diabetes newsgroup claiming >such a connection. YES! Nutrasweet totally brings mine on! ------------- Newsgroups: alt.med.fibromyalgia Date: Mon, 18 Sep 1995 10:16:06 -0500 Sender: FIBROM-L Fibromyalgia / Fibrositis Discussion Group Subject: Re: Survey on FM "Triggers" The following items seem to "TRIGGER" my FM: Colas (Yes)__X___ Which one(s)__Diet Colas_______ (No) _____ Dr. Pepper (Yes)_____ (MORE than other Colas)______ (No) _____ (NO MORE that other Colas)______ Other Cafeine sources (yes) ______ Which one(s)________________ ________________ ________________ (No) ___X__ Cafeine does not bother me Love Chocolate (Yes)____X_____ (No)_________________ Sometimes bothers______ Always bothers ______ Never bothers __X____ NutraSweet (Yes)___X_____ (No)_________________ Comments: I have noticed (now I'm quit smoking) that I have spring and fall alergies, due to trees. I seem to be acutely aware of a high mold count, too. Otherwise, nutra sweet is the only real sensitivity I've noticed, so far. Until three years ago, nutrasweet didn't bother me. -------------- To: xxxxxx.xxxxx.xxxxx Subject: Aspartame Test Date: Mon, 18 Sep 1995 11:42:22 -0700 By the way - I gave my doctor the post that you sent me from xxxxx xxxx. She was very impressed. She told me that she took one of her patients off of Nutrasweet for an undisclosed (to me) condition and was starting to see improvement. She promised to be sensitive to effects of Nutrasweet in all of her patients. Anyway the post .......... A while back, I promised to post my results after taking xxxxx's test. Now seems as good a time as any, although some things are going on that haven't completely played out yet. First off, I have been a diabetic, type 1, for 35 years; I take thyroid replacement hormones, and I have alopecia areata. I tried the test because of the hope of increased energy. Well, I'm still a diabetic - although my average blood sugar has gone from 155 -160 to 135 -140, and I've been able to maintain that for about six weeks now, somewhat of a record for me. I've lowered my insulin dose, but only slightly. I'm taking about half the amount of thyroid replacement that I was taking, although this is a bit uncertain. Thyroid is measured with an indicator that is a 4 to 6 week average. I was having symptoms of hyperthyroid and the doctor decided to lower my dosage. The actual correct dose won't be confirmed for a while. I have seen some hair return in the alopecia areas - but only a bit; I'm still not ready to grow back my mustache (though I keep hoping). I have been using rogaine as the treatment for this - however, it hadn't seem to help until recently. I've lost nine pounds; I'm not as hungry as I used to be. The tendonitis I had in my hip has gotten considerably better; my shoulder (still recovering from surgery) seems to be opening up a bit more; and finally my sense of smell and taste are both better. I also feel better and indeed have more energy. Now all of these things could and frequently do happen to people with no effect from aspartame. My wife attributes all of this to the "halo effect," that self righteous glow associated with sacrifice, and that may well be the case. Tendonitis does get better, people gain more control over their diabetes, alopecia does go into remission. However, I am convinced that giving up aspartame played some role in all of this. These effects seemed to happen at once and seemed to be related to my giving up the stuff. At any rate I'm convinced enough to not use it again. -------------- Subject: Re: Aspartame, anyone? To: xxxxx.xxxxx.xxxxx Date: Sun, 17 Sep 1995 20:55:05 -0700 (PDT) A belated thanks for the info; thought-provoking and potentially useful, though the food allergies areat least 3/4 gone now. (Can't tell exactly - my diet is pretty restricted for other reasons now, and survival food habits mostly hold me in their grip... but prognosis is excellent!) Your article is a "keeper"! -------------- AOL Post Subj: Migraines and Nutrasweet Date: 95-09-16 21:48:42 EDT From: PRLester I am a nutritionist working on my Master's degree. I'm not taking a position to argue about whether or not the government should have approved NutraSweet and don't intend to enter that debate. However, I know that NutraSweet gives me headaches. This theory was confirmed when I sent my husband out one night to get some ice cream. He prepared me a bowl of it without my seeing the container. Within a matter of 1/2 hour I was in bed with a headache and stayed there all night and the entire day following. When I finally got out of bed, I went to look for something to eat and noticed that the ice cream he had purchased had NutraSweet in it. We do not purchase items that contain NutraSweet for use in our household. My husband made a mistake. His mistake, however, helped to verify my theory that NutraSweet gives me a major headache. A lady I work with has the same problem. I don't knock anyone for using it if they feel they can with success. I've always thought that NutraSweet is like a lot of other things were are exposed to everyday...someday we MAY find that what we thought was good for us really wasn't at all. Time and new research will tell. -------------- Newsgroups: alt.med.cfs Date: Sun, 17 Sep 1995 00:20:42 -0400 Subject: Re: Aspartame and headaches You aren't the only one who gets headaches with aspartame. I get them and I also have a friend who gets them. But, try telling your mother and sister, who live on diet Coke, that you can't have anything with aspartame. They look at you as if you are crazy which I know I am not. At times I have my doubts about them though for not believing me when I have something to say. -------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.big-folks Subject: Re: Sugar-free sodas Date: Sun, 3 Sep 1995 19:49:29 -0600 I don't know about sugar cravings, but I do know that my mom, who is diabetic has problems with low blood sugar if she drinks a soda with Nutrasweet too late in the evening. It seems to be OK during the day, but not at night (probably because she can notice the low blood sugar symptoms better and do something about them when she is awake than when she is asleep...). For some reason, the nutrasweet seems to fool her body into thinking she has more sugar to burn than she does. -------------- Newsgroups: alt.med.fibromyalgia Date: Fri, 15 Sep 1995 11:03:32 -0400 Sender: FIBROM-L Fibromyalgia / Fibrositis Discussion Group Subject: Re: Another Newbie with a question I can't consume anything with NutraSweet in it because it gives me a terrible headache (relieved only by feverfew), but I don't think it's caused my FM problems (could make them worse maybe? due to the sheer volume of pain and it's interference with sleep?). -------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.arthritis Subject: Re: Joint Pain Date: 12 Sep 1995 00:10:56 GMT >: I recently purchased a LARGE box of Carefree gum at my local >: warehouse-type-store. After chewing it for about four days, my bad knee >: started giving me real fits. After I stopped chewing the gum for about a >: week most of the pain went away. This gum contains aspartame which I >: suspect is the contributor to my discomfort. As a result, I am now staying >: away from sugarless gums and diet soft drinks. I was wondering if >: anyone out there has had a similar problem with aspartame? > >Interesting. I had a similar experience with this ingredient in Kool-aid >and have stayed away from it since. I wasn't sure if it was valid or I >was just paranoid. Seems I wasn't alone. Well, guys - guess what? You're definately not alone. I experience the same thing with diet soft drinks. Will check out the book mentioned in a later post. Looks interesting. -------------- Newsgroups: misc.health.diabetes Subject: Re: I Quit Artificial Sweeteners - Neuropathy Gone! Date: Fri, 15 Sep 95 15:17:31 GMT Well, my fiance was doing a lot of NutraSweet (coffee, Diet Coke, etc.). I printed out some of the posts here and she decided to cut out the NutraSweet for a couple of weeks to see what happened. The results have been quite good. She has been having headaches for years. There is a noticable reduction if not elimination of headaches. She has problems with anxiety and panic attackes. She has not experienced one since coming off the NutraSweet. There are other noticable effects, too, but suffice it to say, cutting out NutraSweet in her diet was a good move and something she plans to continue. -------------- Newsgroups: misc.health.diabetes Subject: I Quit Artificial Sweeteners - Neuropathy Gone! Date: 13 Sep 1995 17:42:34 GMT I am an Electrical Engineer and have been retired 8 years, so I do not represent anyone, and I am not posting this as a testimonial. I only want to share my personal experience. I am a Type II Diabetic and have injected insulin for about 18 years. In following the diabetic regimen I used quite a large amount of artificial sweeteners, ending up with aspartame. For example I would drink 1 to 2 litres of diet soda pop each day as well as adding sweetener to hot drinks, cereals, desserts, etc. Over the years I lost all feeling in my feet and hands. My eyesight worsened to the point that I needed a magnifier as well as my prescription reading glasses to read the newspaper. Three years ago laser surgery was used to remove a growth in one eye, although I can't say this was caused by artificial sweeteners. Because of loss of feeling I was injuring my hands and feet quite often, cuts, scrapes, burns. It was no longer safe for me to use power tools and I had to be very careful with anything sharp. I had to drop a few hobbies which required "tinkering", I couldn't feel the small parts, etc. Touch-typing went out the window too. Then, as result of the "evils of aspartame" postings here, as well as the flame wars, I thought I should experiment myself. Two months ago I quit using aspartame and switched to stevia, the South American herb. I use sun dried powdered leaves to avoid any possible complications from processing. Today I can report that my neuropathy has almost disappeared completely. I have feeling in my hands and feet again. I am happily touch-typing, using power tools and have resumed some of my former hobbies. Also, I no longer need a magnifier to read, so my eyesight has improved. I too am a skeptic and wary of snake-oil salesmen and exaggerated claims. Therefore, on occasion I cautiously try some of these things myself and form my own conclusions. My experience may get others to find out for themselves. -------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.depression,alt.support.depression.manic Subject: Re: Prozac: Orgasmic Yawns Date: 10 Sep 1995 01:32:04 GMT I've discovered (the hard way) that 1) stellazine in _extremely_ low doses (1-2 mg/day) is effective for controlling my bipolar swings, 2) the drug has a nearly instant effect (hours, not days), and 3) that even with these very low levels of stellazine the "Nutrasweet" in a typical diet soft drink is enough to produce an intoxicated state. Any of those statements is enough to surprise most psychiatrists. Stellazine is not a conventional treatment for bipolar mood swings, and it normally takes a much higher dose and duration to see any significant effect. And as to an "intoxication" due to the interaction of aspertine and stellazine, well let's just say I might be the only person on the planet to experience this. My doctors accept this... because if they don't I find another doctor. But it's something you would never see in the PDR. Neuropharmacology is such an black art that orgasmic yawns doesn't surprise me at all. -------------- Date: Sat, 9 Sep 1995 15:38:41 To: xxxx.xxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Tinnitus FAQ Pointer Anyway, please send me instructions for the auto-responder. My tinnitus did increase after ingesting large amounts of diet pop over several months, so I agree with you in my case. -------------- Date: Mon, 11 Sep 1995 14:42:14 -0400 Subject: Re: Aspartame, in response to Re: Twin Labs - Metabolift I suffered a minor heart attack in June, and felt horrible afterwards. I've suffered from clinical depression for a long time, and most people have associated it with my weight, which may or may not be the case. However, since I've stopped eating and drinking aspartame products, I feel more alive than I have since I was a teenager. My arithmea is beginning to lessen as well, from the feel of it. I think from now on, I'll stick to corn syrup, honey, molasses, and fructose as sweeteners, and partake of products having only these sugars in them. I dislike cane-sugar's taste. ------------- Date: Sat, 9 Sep 1995 17:54:05 -0500 Newgroups: misc.consumers, alt.movies.kubrick, misc.health.alternative, misc.fitness, misc.fitness.misc, sci.med.nutrition, sci.med.pharmacy Subject: Re: ALUMINUM AND ALZHEIMER'S Interesting. I used to work for a firm ("The International Center for the Solution of Environmental Problems" -- ICSEP) that had Monsanto as one of its clients. It's true -- their pockets are very deep and their motives are very questionable. Just one of the reasons I don't work at ICSEP anymore... They basically provided "expert testimony" in Monsanto's favor. My mother used to get migranes from Nutrasweet. She had to stop drinking diet soft drinks. A few years later, she's drinking them again because the symptoms are gone... Eek. The most annoying thing is, the "blue stuff" is no better than the "pink stuff"... I can't believe how much Nutrasweet has taken over. ---------------- AOL Post Subj: Re: CDC studies, etc. Date: 95-09-06 14:49:34 EDT From: EvaS I had a bad experience with aspartame, too. I got dizzy, nauseous, and faint in hot weather after drinking it. The first article explains that very well - the conversion and breakdown of aspartame to methyl alcohol and methanol. Thanks so much for sending these files to me! ----------------- Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 18:34:01 -0700 (PDT) To: xxxxxx.xxxx.xxxx Subject: Nutrasweet I myself have had problems with Nutrasweet and foods/beverages containing aspartime. Everyone thinks I'm nuts, and I know I'm not. I would love to give them documented information about this. I would also like to get my mom off of Nutrasweet, it seems to be a major portion of her diet. ------------------ Newsgroups: alt.support.big-folks Subject: Re: Sugar-free sodas Date: Thu, 31 Aug 95 01:51:24 GMT I'm a Diet Coke addict. If I weighed 100 lbs., my teeth were made of titanium, and they'd found that DC was more carcinogenic than tobacco, I'd *still* be drinking Diet Coke. I always shake my head at people who think I drink Diet Coke for health reasons. I say to them, "Have you *looked* at Diet Coke? Have you *tasted* Diet Coke? Does it seem like a healthy beverage to you?" No way it's healthy. It's more like jet fuel. I love it. --------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.diabetes.kids Subject: Re: Diabetes Camp Date: 2 Sep 1995 04:09:03 GMT We're just in from the same camp, which was as wonderful as Annette reports. One thing about the meals we found, however was that there was a reliance on using foods with Aspartame in them (our daughter gets stomach cramps when she eats it).... -------------- Newsgroups: alt.med.cfs Date: Sun, 3 Sep 1995 20:44:31 -0400 Sender: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome discussion CFIDS/ME Subject: Re: aspartame and headaches I had a headache for eight years. After, my mother mentioned that aspartame gave her migraines, I stopped drinking diet Coke (I drank about 2 per day). The headache went away. I had always assumed that the headache was from my allergies. The last time I had aspartame, I unknowingly consumed it (it was at an ice cream shop) in a blizzard-like thing. I wound up in the dr's. office with one of the worst migraines that I have ever had. Now, I wouldn't go near the stuff. --------------- Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 12:40:36 -1000 To: xxxxxxx@xxx@xx Subject: NutraSweet About 8 years ago I was drinking a *lot* of low-cal Nutrasweet stuff (Cyrstal Light, tea mix, etc) and started getting Yeast infections. Then I read an article that said that too much suger *or* artifial sweeteners could cause this to happen. So I stopped drinking that stuff and yes the problem went away, never to return. ---------------- Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 16:30:59 -0500 (EST) To: xxxxxx@xxxx.xxxx Subject: Re: DID YOU WATCH 60-MINUTES DEC. 29th? Back in 1976, I had a bad reaction to the swine flu shot, which (IMHO) eventually resulted in my CFIDS. I was able to function, and live a "semi-normal" life (working, enjoying friends and family, etc.) until 1983, when I first started drinking lots of aspartame-loaded soft drinks--a few months after aspartame was approved for this use, and made available on the market. My health-status dropped as if it had fallen from a cliff; doctors knew something "neurological" was wrong, but they couldn't find anything official. At the time, no one suspected the aspartame, and I continued drinking the stuff until 1989, all the while watching helplessly as I descended into bedridden-ness. By the time a new doctor took me off aspartame, there was already permanent damage. But I'm not bedridden anymore, no longer have the kind of headaches that make one pray for doctor-assisted suicide, and am gradually incorporating "normal" activities (going to movies with friends, etc.) into my life. ---------------- AOL Post Subj: Migraine trigger/alternatives Date: 95-08-27 21:23:24 EDT From: RClark1 After reading a lot about nutrasweet as a possible trigger for migraine on the migraine message board on aol and on the alt.support.headaches.migraine newsgroup, I decided to give it a try -- giving up diet cokes, that is. I also gave up caffeine at the same time, so I can't say for sure which it was (or both), but I've been off both for 6 days now & my migraine frequency is decreasing (it's been a very stressful time & I would have expected to have another 2 or 3 migraines by now). -------------- AOL Post Subj:=09Nutrasweet side effects Date:=0995-08-29 11:43:14 EDT From:=09CatInBlack I'm curious to see the official list. I quit using Nutrasweet nearly two years ago at my doctor's suggestion. My hair and skin have seen dramatic improvements. ----------------- Newsgroups: alt.med.cfs Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 15:48:42 -0400 Subject: Re: Aspartame and headaches I get horrid migraines from aspartame (Nutrasweet). I discovered it when I started to drink diet Coke. I think there's been studies done in England on the relationship between aspartame and headaches. But I tested it well on myself and found, alas, I MUST stay away from it or pay heavy consequences. I would be interested to see what the pilots' assn. found. ---------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.depression Subject: Re: ** Does NutraSweet Cause Brain Damage and Depression? ** Date: 29 Aug 1995 17:51:08 GMT > This whole discussion was happening recently on rec.aviation.misc > where it got a cold shoulder. Wether or not nutra-sweet causes any > problems remains to be proven. It seems that many posters proved > the original posters wrong. Strange that my doctor doesn't seem to have the same opinion. When i mentioned problems with nutra-sweet he said it was known that some people do have such problems. I find it interesting also that the basic problem i had with it was feeling run down and more depressed after using it. Sort of kills the advantages of caffeine, and then goes farther. ----------------- Subject: RE: Aspartame stats Date: 24 Aug 95 20:07:02 -0700 Newsgroups: misc.health.diabetes Each time I tried Asparthame, I got a headache. When some say Asparthame may induce brain cancer... my temptation is to believe it. ------------- AOL Post Subj: NutraSweet Date: 95-08-24 16:24:20 EDT From: CCima I have been saying for years that NutrSweet gives me irregular heartbeats and no one would pay any attention to it. I usually have a diet coke every afternoon. The problem is I don't always get the irregular beats! But I noticed people mention other little problems that I have also noticed that may or may not be coming from NutraSweet. I wonder if memory problems are really true. Lord knows at my age I can't afford to have any memory loss. -------------- AOL Post Date: 95-06-25 00:55:58 EDT From: Depollak One swallow of anything containing Nutrasweet gives me immediate chest pain. So not only watch your food and beverage consumption but also check medications if you are experiencing problems. ------------ Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine Subject: artifical Sweetners Date: 13 Aug 1995 16:26:12 GMT Well somedays it just doesn't pay to get up. After starting a lifestyle change, you know, less comfort food( except during 7+ migraines, more exercise, or should I say a more active lifestyle) I know from personal experience that Nutrasweet definately cause migraines in me, every single time, so when Splenda came out I thought yeah great, so last week out went the sugar and now I was chewing the gum, drinking the pop and was feeling pre-migraineish( what a word) so I stopped and it cleared up. ------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 15:16:39 -0600 To: xxxxx@xxxx.xxxxx Subject: Mission Possible xxxxxx, I enjoyed reading your article on NutraSweet. I have known of the problems with the product for years. My first experience with it left me with a very BAD headache. My father who was diabetic started drinking it. His eye sight started going bad before he died. This was attributed to the disease. and not to any other possible causes. I first learned about the problems with nutrasweet from an article in an aviation magazine about 10 or more years ago and since then have never knowingly had it again. I have warned anyone that I know who drinks or eats nutrasweet products about the problem but I am always met with " If it was so bad they would never let it get on the market! ". This concerns me ,especially when I see an expectant mother who drinks diet pop like it was water. What effects will this have on the child? Will there be altered brain chemistry? High risk of cancer? Learning disabilities? ---------- Date: Thu, 17 Aug 95 08:46:57 EST To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxx.xxx Subject: Re[2]: Aspartame Report Request Well... Much to my surprise, something I was sure was _not_ aspartame caused disappeared in a little over a week. I have arthritis of the hip joints, probably from years of competitive swimming. So it was "normal" when I got hip pain -- I'm 47. A couple of doctors has notices the arthritis over the years in x-rays. I've been drinking a lot of Diet Pepsi for years. I was accustomed to the dull ache in both hips, which occasional got very stiff and painful. It's gone for the first time in two years, disappeared about 10 days after stopping drinking Diet Pepsi and I have had no hip pain at all. (continued in later email) ..... Date: Tue, 28 Nov 95 09:15:28 EST To: xxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxxxx Subject: Re[2]: Are you Better Your memory is fine. I was a heavy Diet Pepsi user. I had joint pains and fuzzy vision. However, I read all your literature and saw the memory loss issue. I was looking at myself to see what other effects I _might_ have. I never experienced memory problems. The joint pain was the most obvious and serious. I had it for years. That is what the doctors, including orthopedic surgeons, kept attributing to my former sports and resulting arthiritis. Within a week of stopping Diet Pepsi (about 4 liters a day), my hips felt much better. I have barely noticable aches and only on occasion. Before, there were days when I had difficulty moving around in the office. I suppose the scientific thing to do would be to saturate myself with aspartame again and see whether the hip pains recur. I am _convinced_ that it was Diet Pepsi and don't want the pain again. I changed nothing else in my diet or activity and lack only the proof of causing the symptoms again. For me, experiential knowledge is enough. The other symptom that disappeared may have been related too. In the summer when there was plenty of light from the upper window, I'd shower in the morning without switching the electric lights on. When I closed my eyes to rinse my hair, I'd see strobe-like flashes. They disappeared when I opened my eyes and did not recur in any other conditions. Those stopped with the hip pains. --------------- America On-Line (AOL) Post Subj: Re:NutraSweet Date: 95-04-14 00:08:33 EDT From: SKBurns I react to products sweetened with nutra-sweet. No heartbeat problems, but I have itching skin and instant headaches. Have heard that it can cause a variety of problems and is very harmful. My doctor said there is no allergy test available yet but that a lot of people are sensitive to it. -------------- AOL Post Subj: Re:NutraSweet Date: 95-02-19 18:36:59 EDT From: WgtEast3rd when i got pregnant the first thing my doctor told me was to stay far away from any diet products because nutrasweet can cause severe brain damage in the fetus? why on earth is this stuff not labeled? i have heard that coca-cola is involved in a lawsuit, any body got more information?Subj: -------------- AOL Post Re:NutraSweet Date: 95-01-23 20:34:19 EDT From: DHISLAND Other known problems with nutrasweet are: Severe headaches (neurological) and amenohorrea (cessation of menstrual periods in females). I know 2 women personally who had this happen and periods returned to normal when they stopped drinking diet Coke.Subj: Re:NutraSweet See my posting re. other side effects. I know a gal who had the same symptoms as you -- starting when she took a new job where she had diet coke available and drank a lot of it. I advised her to stop and see what happened. Lo and behold, the "spells" went away. To test further, she tried diet coke again, and had even worse symptoms.Subj: Re:HIVES! ---------------- Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 15:19:35 -0700 Sender: FIBROM-L Fibromyalgia / Fibrositis Discussion Group Subject: Re: FM and Aspartame (Nutrasweet)(Dr. Nye?) I have had a long standing problem with the preservatives that are used in canned vegetables. I use only fresh or frozen vegetables now. I decided that I didn't need to become so intimately acquainted with the toilet and that discretion was the better part of valor. I also have the problems with nutrasweet and other sugar substitutes as well as msg. ---------------- Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 22:37:36 -0400 Sender: Allergy discussion list Subject: Re: Nutrisweet, quitting smoking Are sorbitol and mannitol the substances in Nutrisweet (sp?)? I react to Nutrisweet instantly, even if I don't know it's in something I'll tell you right away as I have the same symptoms you've described. I've only heard of one other person who had the same reaction. --------------- Newsgroups: alt.med.allergy Subject: Re: Aspartame and Joint Pain Date: 12 Aug 1995 23:15:41 -0400 I have noticed that when I use Nutrasweet on my cereals, my hands ache more and more, sometimes my legs as well. I know it is the Nutrasweet because I son't use it every day - but when I do, they ache within 3-24 hours!! ---------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.diet Subject: Re: I'm a coca-cola addict... Date: 13 Aug 1995 10:59:19 GMT I too am a Pepsi fan, not willing to let it go. I allow myself one in the a.m. when I want it, and one in the evening - this is a major cut back for me - 5-8/day. I can't drink or eat the drinks/foods with aspartame/nutrisweet as it causes reactions such as migraines, diarrhea. I make sure to get in my 8 glasses of water/day and that seems to cut down on my urge to drink my beloved Pepsi - it's the best!!! ---------------- Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-panic Subject: NutraSweet/aspartame Date: Sat, 5 Aug 1995 17:18:16 -0400 (EDT) Anyways, I had a few panic attacks starting several years ago, and now that I think of it, the onset was roughly around the time I started consuming NutraSweet stuff. After consulting a pharmacist friend who avoids the stuff also (mostly because of the "shady" approval process), I tried giving it up, and I've felt a lot better since -- no panic or anything! It could be just a coincidence, or it could be just psycological, but I thought I'd post this just in case -- especially after hearing from another reader of this newsgroup who suffers from panic and who uses a large quantity of NutraSweet products. ---------------- AOL Post Subj: Re: Hypoglycemia Date: 95-08-11 10:04:23 EDT From: Ssecunda Thanks! That's interesting. I HAVE wondered if the nutrasweet affected me. The soda's still made me feel a little sluggish (nothing liek regular suger, though.) I have gone to using the sacharin for that very reason. Have you noticed anything? I am going to see if I can find anything else on aspartame. -------------- AOL Post Subj: Nutrasweet and SVT Date: 95-08-10 23:52:31 EDT From: PeggyJM Thanks for all the info you've been sending! I took all the Diet Coke I had in the house (more than 50 cans!) and opened them, and poured them down the drain. I've been off of Nutrasweet for two days now....I'll let you know how it goes. I heard from someone else who has a friend who went off Nutrasweet and was able to go off all of her cardiac drugs and is doing fine. I'll keep you posted. ------------- Subj: Re:Nutrasweet /heart Date: 95-08-08 03:47:09 EDT From: xxxxx xxxxx XXXXXX, Thought you might like to know that I've been off of Nutrasweet and all related products for almost a month now. I was diagnosed in late june wiht PVCs or irregular heartbeat. All tests (and I had a LOT of them) came back normal. The PVCs had increased to the point that they were incredibly distracting to me, 2-3 per minute. Since I stopped Nutrasweet they have decreased to the point that they occur only 25% as much and they hopefully are still declining in frequency. I don't honestly know if its the abstintion from Nutrasweet directly, but the timing of this is uncanny. Stopping Nutrasweet is literally the only change I've made. I haven't even been concious of it. I just noticed one day last week that the PVCs werent happening nearly as much. I'll keep you posted and thanks again for all the info, P.S. After a period of time I'm planning on going back on Nutrasweet at my previous level of consumption to see if my heart becomes irregular. : ) Thought you might want me to answer some of the questions 1-4. > "1. In what forms and approximate daily amounts was aspartame ingested?" I was eating quite a bit of nutrasweetened candies, always in my coffee(2-3 packets a day ) plus thte kicker, I used probably 6-7 packets on cereal each morning! I know it sounds crazy..... Also in yogurt. Basically if it said Nutrasweet I ate it. > "2. Did any of these products have caffeine (e.g., diet Coke)?" None of these apartame sweetend products contained caffine to my knowledge > "3. Were you ingesting any other cafeinated products?" Yes, I'm a big coffee drinker. I cut back briefly 4 cups a day to 2, but have now been back up to 4 cups for al least 2 weeks. I cut back on caffeine a week before stopping all aspartame. I never stopped caffeine all together. Only moderated briefly and am now back to previous levels. >"4. When you cut out aspartame, did you also significantly reduce the > amount of caffeine ingested." As I stated before, only briefly... I've already called my Cardiologist and we will be discussing aspartame direcly. Feel free to reprint this if you like P.S. below is the original conversation to refresh your memory P.S.S I'm really serious when I say the PVCs were INCREDIBLY distracting and frequent. All of this was captured in various tests as well. Newsgroups: misc.fitness.weights,misc.fitness.misc,misc.fitness.aerobic Subject: Re: Aspartame/NutraSweet Date: 29 Jul 1995 00:47:16 GMT My experiences with nutrasweet, and those of my family members, have been painful. Its use correlates to chronic headaches, sinus problems and in some instances nausea among people in my family. I know other people who've noticed similar symptoms. On the other hand I know people who use it all the time and have no problems. Maybe (I'm guessing) there is varying tolerance for the stuff depending on different genetic factors and/or environmental factors. The idea that nutrasweet is unsafe is backed up by some research that was posted earlier in this thread, but that doesn't mean that refined sugars are safe. They are simply less unhealthy than aspartame, unless you are diabetic of course. The IDEAL thing would be for all of us to lose the sweet-tooth. Simple sugars in the anounts most of us in the industrialized world eat are unhealthy and also environmentally irresponsible. Try a piece of fruit or some orange juice instead. ------------- Date: Mon, 24 Jul 1995 23:22:53 -0400 (EDT) To: xxxx@xxxx.xxxx.xxx Subject: URGENT: NutraSweet(tm) De (fwd) I, too had bad experiences with aspartame. It replaced saccharin about 10 years ago; as a marathon runner in his 30s, I consumed gallons of diet drinks daily at that time. When I first drank soda with aspartame, it had immediate and severe effects upon my consciousness and vision. After a few scary incidents, soda consumption and problems seemed related. I described symptoms and circumstances to my doctor. He ran tests, but never seriously listened to my concern of relating soda with the effects. He was a reasonably competent GP, but not ready to distrust, let alone blame, and FDA approved sweetener. Eventually I quite ingesting aspartame and have not had incidents since. Employed in the professions and a postgraduate, I conduct research occasionally and am aware of the difficulty of matching cause and effect (and the danger of doing it improperly). But there is no doubt in my mind that "tests" with my body proved that aspartame is bad (at least for me). When I spoked about this to a non-flying, weightlifting gym friend, he volunteered for a test. After drinking one can of diet soda, his ears started ringing within minutes and he got a pulsating sensation in his brain. -------------- Date: Mon, 31 Jul 1995 15:37:37 -0700 To: xxxx@xxxx.xxxx.xxx Subject: Re: URGENT: NutraSweet(tm) Destroys Usenet!!!! xxxxxx: I'd like a copy of the article. Nutrasweet did not cause seizures, but my lips started peeling and were extremely dry. I did not associated with Nutrasweet until I went back to using honey (I'm addicted to the stuff) and it cleared up. To test it further I went back to Nutrasweet and the same thing happened. Thanks CADS -------------- AOL Post Subj: Nutrasweet Date: 95-08-02 12:37:05 EDT From: Kay Anders I used to drink tons of drinks with Nutrasweet...I had a concentration problem, lack of focus, migranes, lightheadedness, severe mood swings, skin rashes, and giddiness to the point of manic-depression. 95% of where I got Nutrasweet from was those soft drinks... Then I got a kidney infection about four years ago, and had to go off soft drinks cold turkey. Guess what? I still get headaches sometimes, but migranes are rare...and the headaches don't come every day like they used to. I still have skin problems, but the rashes on my legs and feet are mild, not so bad I wind up on crutches like before. All my other problems have abated or lessed to the point where they're negligible. The mood swings can be brought on by caffine, but the have *never* been as bad as they were with Nutrasweet. Nutrasweet is *toxic....* That's all there is too it. I haven't touched it in four years, and I've never felt better. ----------------