------------ Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 14:54:09 EDT Subject: BLADDER PROBLEMS To: Multiple recipients of list ALLERGY .... I also found that I was fairly severly affected by aspartame. However, this would send me into a depressed sleep, impossible to overcome. I gave up Nutrasweet rather easily. It always gave me a disgusting aftertaste, and I'd drink it only if there was nothing else available. A few months ago I found that someone had given me a "diet" drink despite my request for the straight variety. I waited for the inevitable collapse, but none came. Therefore I assume that it is in the type of allergy that can be controlled by rotation diets or other means of avoiding frequent use. I'm not going to experiment with caffeine. I've been in great shape without it for at least ten years. ---------- Re: Nutrasweet Date 2 Aug 1996 21:33:12 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.eating-disord At the urging of a fellow addict, I gave up NutraSweet, cold turkey. That was just this Tuesday. The first few days were rough. Would you believe that I no longer crave carbo's??? I no longer crave really sweet things?? I used to drink 2+ liters daily. Now I drink at least a gallon of water..sometimes with some natual fruit juice. Do you know the worst thing about NutraSweet??? Since I started drinking a lot of it, I gained 100+ lbs. Some peoples bodies store NutraSweet just as they would sugar. What does stored sugar turn into??? FAT.. As a result of going cold turkey this past Tuesday..I stepped on the dreaded scale...I LOST 5 LBS. in only four days. Give up NutraSweet...you will find your cravings less.. Drink that water... ----------- Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 19:52:16 -0400 Subject: Re: Attn: Lisa To: Multiple recipients of list HERB .... I break out in an itchy rash and get a headache when I eat MSG or Nutrasweet, so I stay far away from those additives. .... ----------- To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx (Aspertame Consumer Survey) Date: Fri, 02 Aug 1996 09:52:20 -0400 Subject: No Subject Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Questionnaire Please fill in and return to ACSN - PO Box 780634 Dallas TX75378 or EMAIL to ACSN Founder: marystodd@aol.com [and CC -- mgold@holisticmed.com] .... Medical problems that you believe are caused from using aspartame: ----------------------------------------------------------------- arthritic and joint pain, chronic fatigue, Why do you believe aspartame caused these problems? -------------------------------------------------- Problem cleared up afer discontinued use. Did the symptoms go away when you stopped using the products? ------------------------------------------------------------ YES. Did you see a Doctor about symptoms? ----------------------------------- no Did you report your symptoms to the FDA (Food & Drug Admin.) or any other group? ----- no What specific products(s) containing aspartame were you consuming when you experienced these symptoms? -------------------------- Diet Coke and other soft drinks. On the average, what quantity were you consuming (how often, how much each time, etc.) ----------- 3 to 4 sodas a day How long had you been consuming these products before you experienced the symptoms? -------- 5 to 6 years. FOR THOSE CONCERNED ABOUT WEIGHT: Did you begin using products with aspartame when you began a restricted calorie diet? ------------ yes Did you use aspartame products only for some of your meals to save calories? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- no Did aspartame seem to help you lose weight at first? --------------------------------------------------- no What were the long term weight loss effects of using aspartame. -------------------------------------------------------------- none ------------ ASPARTAME - my 2c worth. Date Sun, 28 Jul 1996 11:51:17 GMT Newsgroups misc.health.diabetes I have for some time now been suffering strong burning feelings and numbness of the toes. (And yes, I *KNOW* I should have seen my doctor ... I just hadn't got that far yet) The burning feelings have been mostly felt in the late afternoon and evenings. This largely coincides with the times spent at my computer desk (a neccessity as I earn my living at the computer), and had not been experienced while away from the desk, as for example, out for the evening with my wife, Along with the burning, I have also had some numbness of my toes. I had come to the conclusion that the condition as such was something to be expected as a not-as-controlled-as-I-should-be type 2 diabetic, and that possibly my chair at the desk was aggaravating it by interfering with circulation. I was getting to the stage where I was going to buy a new chair to see what happened. Then I spotted John's posting, and I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I stopped drinking Tab, and it's aspartame content. The way I saw it, it couldn't harm me, and if there was anything in the postings, it might even help. The results were, to me, amazing .... Up to Thursday, the burning feelings were strong, long lasting to being almost continuous, and bordering on downright painful. I stopped drinking Tab on Friday afternoon. This was the only change I have made in the past 3 days. Friday evening, the burning feelings were drastically reduced. Saturday they were practically non-existant, and what few there were, were very mild, and went away very quickly. As I write this, Sunday morning, the numbness has definitely eased, although it is, I admit, difficult to quantify. The feet just feel somehow "better" this morning. I realize that 3 days is hardly a definitive test, and it seems impossible, but all I can say is that my feet are feeling MUCH better in that period, and the only change I've made is to stop drinking Tab. If thats what giving up Tab can do, I can live without the Tab, thank you very much. -> After a month I tried it again and within a day ->I was getting uncomfortable feelings in my legs again which again vanished ->on ceasing ingestion of this drink. Obviously I haven't got this far yet, but assuming that I have no recurrances within a week, I fully intend to try this test as well. The bottom line, as far as I'm concerned, is that one should at least TRY before de-crying, and getting hot under the collar about the qualifications or otherwise of those opposing aspartame.. Certainly most, if not all, of the problems aspartame is being blamed for are very likely things that will be experienced anway, but as far as I can see, they can be agravated or advanced by aspartame, and thats an unacceptable price to pay. It's bad enough that these "nasties" are in the future without advancing them. From what I've seen in various postings, and from information I have received yesterday from xxxxxxx, one of the problems with aspartame is that it breaks down into methanol/wood-alcohol ....(which nobody seems to be disputing) I think we all know what consuming methanol does to humans ..... ------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jul 1996 18:12:44 -0500 To: xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx Subject: Nutra-Sweet I was shocked to read all the negative information on N-S. I have used it for years and recently stopped, for the most part. I don't add it to foods usually, but do buy products that contain it. Since not adding it to coffee ect... my daily headaches have stopped. I must admit to have felt fuzzy headed for a while now, without any real reasons why. I assumed it to be alergies. ------------ Date: Fri, 02 Aug 96 09:33:01 GMT Newgroups: rec.aviation.military, rec.aviation.military.naval, misc.news.internet, misc.health.infertility, misc.legal, misc.health.therapy.occupation, misc.health.alternative, misc.education, misc.emerg-services, misc.consumers Subject: Re: Deadline Mon, 7/29 to object to aspartame blanket approval;URGENT I may have posted this before, but feel it applies here especially. I have a patient who came to me with a four-year-old medical diagnosis of Crohn's disease (a severe form of irritable bowel syndrome). One single chiropractic adjustment and immediate total abstinance from aspartame/NutraSweet products resulted in immediate and total remission of her symptoms. She is now telling all her friends about the doctor who made it possible for her to be stomach cramp free and diarrhea free for the first time in years. It is my professional opinion, based upon both my clinical findings and my training in nutrition, that http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/ deserves a significant portion of the credit for this woman's recovery. ----------- Re: What's going on Date Wed, 24 Jul 1996 10:05:53 -0400 Newsgroups c20.0056 My wife has rather violent reaction to Nutrasweet. Manifestation is nightmares. She can tell you that real Coke has Nutrasweet in it even though they claim not to. Must still be enough in their pipes from the Diet Coke run. It's kind of like the princess and the pea. I never notice but she does. ------------ Reply to Steve Marshman re K.D. Qwitt Date Tue, 23 Jul 96 15:52:48 GMT Newsgroups misc.health.diabetes With reference to your request for information on how I reached the concklusion that aspartame was responsible for the pain in my legs, I established this very simply. I was guzzling between 1 and 2 litres (I live in Canada 1 litre is approximately 1 U>SQuart)of a pleasant tasting Key Lime flavoured "low calorie sparkling water beverage". The ingredient list is as follows: Carbonated water, citric acid, natural flavour, potassium citrate, aspartame (on the label it staes in brackets "contains phenylalanine"), potassium benzoate. Listed under Nutritional Information per 250 mL serving (1 Cup) Energy 4 calories or 20 KJ, protein 0.1g, fat 0.0g, carbohydrate 0.0g, aspartame 132 mg, sodium 12 mg,potassium 82 mg. At the rate of 2 litres/day and therefore 8 cups/day I was ingesting 1056 mg or a little over 1 gram per day of aspartame. I stopped all ingestion of this product completely with NO OTHER changes in my diet. Within a week the pain had almost entirely gone and feeling was returning in my feet. After a month I tried it again and within a day I was getting uncomfortable feelings in my legs again which again vanished on ceasing ingestion of this drink. I believe that this in itself is adequate evidence that the problem was caused by the product, and since the body does require levels of potassium and sodium they were unlikely the causative factor especially since my diet contains considerable quantities of sodium. As a trained investigator I am well aware of procedures for establishing causative factors and have a lot more than a psssing acquaintance with chemistry and physics and other scientific fields. I am not an ill informed or uneducated adolescent, being 68 years old with many diverse fields of interest and have travelled widely. ------------ Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1996 21:25:56 GMT To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxxxx.xxxx Subject: Re: Nutrasweet Poison? Lastly, about Nutrasweet. I have been drinking several cans of diet drinks a day for the last six months. The first thing that was noticed was the drop in visual acuity from 20/20 to 20/25. Since there was no history of any eye problems from heredity, I was perplexed why the change had taken place. My eyes were checked again after four weeks and still the change was there. I accidentally saw xxxxxxxxxxxx's Nutrsweet waring on usenet. I immedately stopped all sugar substitutes including drinking diet drinks which all contain Nutrasweet. When talking to a friend of mine, I was told billberry is very good for diabetics with vision problems. Billberry tablets and capsules are available in most health food and vitamin stores. .... Lo and behold. My vision has improved. The slight haze or blurriness is gone. The colors are more vibrant. In the past my eyes could not tolerate the glare in bright sunlight. I notice that it is also gone. I am *fully* convinced that Nutrasweet in the diet drinks was the cause of all my eye troubles. Bless xxxxxx for bringing Nutrasweet Danger to everyones attention. But for her message, I would still be consuming Nutrasweet and be losing my vision irreversibly. Moral of the story is very simple: DIABETICS SHOULD KEEP OFF NUTRASWEET COMPLETELY. [update] Date: Tue, 28 Oct 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Update Couple of days ago I visited my opthamologist who checked my vision and told me that my vision has become crisper that he saw me last time about a year ago. I am still keeping off of Aspartame and all other sugar substitutes. I am terrified to think what would have happened if I had not found your msgs on Internet and stopped Aspartame. ------------ Re: History of fellow sufferer Date Sun, 21 Jul 1996 14:21:12 +0100 Newsgroups sci.med.prostate.prostatitis For what it's worth, when my prostate was acting up diet soda irritated it quite a bit. The same soda with sugar didn't bother it at all. ------------ Re: History of fellow sufferer Date 24 Jul 1996 14:24:31 GMT Newsgroups sci.med.prostate.prostatitis One of my worst flare-ups was after a few weeks of drinking diet soda. The sugar type is bad enough. Switch to water, fruit juices, or diluted juices and you may feel better. ------------ Date: 19 JUL 96 03:01:31 UTC Newgroups: alt.conspiracy, alt.destroy.the.earth, alt.drugs, alt.education.disabled, alt.kids-talk, alt.med.allergy, alt.med.cfs, alt.med.fibromyalgia, alt.politics.ec, alt.support.attn-deficit, alt.support.cancer, alt.support.depression, alt.support.diet, alt.tv.tv-nation, bionet.biology.cardiovascular, bionet.general, bionet.neuroscience, misc.health.diabetes, sci.med, sci.med.immunology, sci.med.nutrition, sci.med.pharmacy Subject: Re: FDA POISONS THE WELL/NUTRASWEET/PRESS RELEASE It provokes nausia and headaches faster than ANYTHING... if I drink a can of diet soda... (IF I can drink the whole thing), I'll feel terrible for hours. Not only does it taste terrible, it makes me sick. ------------ Re: KILLER NUTRASWEET [Re: Warning Bulletin on ...] Date 23 Jul 1996 20:01:56 GMT Newsgroups misc.fitness.weights,sci.med.nutrition,sci.med.immunology,sci.mi sc,alt.support,epilepsy,alt.support.headaches-migraine Personally, I have experienced NutraSweet side effects. I can get a headache from eating something as small as a Cert candy. Diet drinks may me very sluggish and headachy. Once I fell in love with a banana Gelato ice cream and ate a bowl full, the next morning I awoke to a severe case of morning sickness (I'm sure this was not for some other reason...) and a migraine. This lasted for a couple of days, until I realised that the ice cream had aspartame in it and I gave it to my roomate. I am positive that the aspartame was the reason for my illness. ------------ America Online / Abdominal & Digestive Disorders / IBS Subj: Re:artificial sweeteners Date: 96-04-01 16:04:02 EDT From: Lzcait I'm positive that diet Coke creates great problems for me...lots of stomach cramps, etc. I have also found that anything with sorbitol (often found in sugar free chocolates) sends me running for the bathroom. Works better than prunes! Good luck. ------------ Re: NutraSweet Horror - TO EMBALM..OR NOT TO EMBALM Date Thu, 18 Jul 96 00:31:23 GMT Newsgroups sci.med.pharmacy, The same thing happened to me. Blinding headaches (never had headache before) appeared. It took me about a week to figure out it was the yogurt. It had aspartame in it. Headaches disappeared. ------------- Re: aspartame Date Fri, 19 Jul 1996 20:43:24 -0400 Newsgroups alt.med.allergy I have fibrocystic breast disease but have had no effects since I stopped drinking caffine (over 15 years now). However, recently I started eating a high fiber cereal and all of a sudden my breasts started to hurt. All of the ingredients were benign except aspertame. I asked my doctor if that could be causing my problems; she said no. However, I stopped eating the cereal and no more pain. I never eat anything with aspertame and have never had pain again. ------------- Re: aspartame/nutrasweet Date 15 Jul 1996 17:19:11 GMT Newsgroups misc.kids Me, too! If I drink too much Diet Coke, I get addicted in a big way. And it isn't the caffeine, because regular coke doesn't do it. I got very irritated and annoyed in the morning before I got the diet coke, then I had to have one in the afternoon. And nothing but Diet Coke would do. I quit drinking them and felt better. I imagine if I cut out caffeine, also, I would feel even better, but that's a huge hurdle. I had a friend who was a diet coke fanatic. She would leave parties to go to the convenience store to get a diet coke. And movies, and your house, and whatever. It was weird. I don't think it is psychological, either. I think it is truly addicting. It's a plot...(insert sarcasm) against women by coca-cola. :) ------------- [Interesting] Aspartame From anon@the.net (Anon) Date Tue, 16 Jul 1996 22:26:19 -0700 Newsgroups alt.med.allergy >Just remember, we each are in control of what we eat. No one is force >feeding you products with aspartame. When a product appears on the store shelves in this country the public assumes that the appointed "health care professionals" have done their duty. The public has the right to be able to trust the particular "health care professionals" whose PAID responsibility it is to warn and protect them from toxic substances. When the very people who are accountable for protecting the public against such things allow the toxins to be mixed into food and beverage and then tell the public after they have been poisoned for years that no one is forcing them to use it, it is the absolute pinnacle of unmitigated arrogance as well as a breach of the public's trust. I won't even get into the exploitative aspect of this travesty of "service to humanity." It is time to wake up. It is obvious that you don't realize that your denial does not release you from the ultimate resposibility for the fruits of what you say. Signed, An Aspartame Victim ------------ Date: Sun, 14 Jul 1996 18:20:30 To: xxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxxx.xxx Subject: ASPARTAME I am a former diet-soda drinker. Approximately six months ago I discovered (on my own with NO help from the 3 Family Physicians, 2 Psychiatrist, or the 3 Pschologist) that this was what was responsible for my five years of anxiety/panic attacks, insomnia, heart palpitations, and the list goes on and on. [updated information] From: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx To: xxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xxxx Subject: Re: Warning Flyer I suffered from panic/anxiety attacks, insomnia, heart palpitations, tachycardia, shaking, numbness and tingling in toes and hands and arm, nausea, dizziness, memory loss, muscle spasms, breathing problems, depression, slurred speech, and a constant feeling of uneasiness. Somewhere around December of 1995 I quit drinking diet drinks. Two weeks later I noticed I was feeling somewhat better. About two months later I was feeling and doing so much better I decided to start drinking diet 7Up. Even though I had stopped using caffeine several times in the past without noticing any change I thought maybe that was what had made the difference this time. Within two days of starting back drinking the diet 7Up I started having symptoms again. That's when I decided to take a good look at the ingredients in diet drinks. I had never heard anything negative about NutraSweet but I decided to try to find out what it was. I went to a public library and found something that said it could cause several different symptoms including panic attacks. I didn't have very much time so I wasn't able to read the whole thing. So, I wasn't aware until June of 1996, when we bought a new computer and started using the internet, what the real scoop was on aspartame. I now tell almost everyone I see, and it is unbelievable how many people have or either know someone that's had bad reactions to aspartame. I can't believe I lived five years of my life frightened and constantly feeling bad beause of a diet drink. I'M FURIOUS! ------------ Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 11:58:56 -0400 (EDT) To: xxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Scanned and edited Press Release (fwd) Dear xxxxxx, Thanks for your concern about the withdrawel symptoms. My headaches are over and I am feeling much calmer still. I am sure that the asp was affecting my serotonin levels. When I was drinking the diet drinks I must have been constantly "buzzed". I can breathe through my nose for the first time in years and my sinus infections have stopped. I am however still experiencing nervous system/hormonal problems. I seem to have developed hypersensitivities to some foods, food additives, medicines, birth control pills, and airborn particles. Even though I eat a pretty good diet, I am having problems with constant low blood sugar. Your release with the clip about pancreatic tumors concerns me. ------------- Subj: Nutrasweet Date: 96-07-14 14:08:37 EDT To: xxxxx@xxxxx.xxxx.xxx Hi, I read your info about Nutrasweet on xxxx. I am severely allergic to aspertame and I have to look at the ingredients of everything to be sure it isn't there. ------------- Veg Web Board/Health http://vegweb.com/wwwboard/misc/ Subject: Re: Healthy substitutes for Diet Coke! Date: July 05, 1996 at 16:47 GMT I, too, am a former Diet Coke addict. .... Aside - when I had to give up caffeine, I discovered just how toxic aspartame can be. It gave me horrible headaches. I guess having it in Diet Coke and in my coffee had been cancelling out the headache due to the caffeine. When I feel the need for flavor, I drink fruit juice. Watch the calorie content, but juices are more filling than either water or Diet Coke, and so I find I don't overdo on them (which it is possible to do because of the natural sugars they contain). Keep an eye out for added sugar. [continued] Veg Web Board/Health http://vegweb.com/wwwboard/misc/ Subject: nutrasweet Date: July 25, 1996 at 16:46 GMT I don't come onto this board too often. So I was surprised by some of what I read on this topic further down the page. Someone actually thinks nutrasweet/aspartame is safe? (All right, it can ONLY cause blindness.) I can't believe I actually used to ingest this stuff! It was definitely responsible for (or at least contributed to) my chronic headaches (which subsided drastically when I stopped ingesting the stuff), and may be responsible for my memory loss problems. I'll take bee barf in my tea, thank you. Dump the Equal. --------------- Re: aspartame/nutrasweet Date Sat, 13 Jul 1996 09:36:59 -0800 Newsgroups misc.kids.pregnancy >I think this is real excessive. I looked up aspartame and pregnancy in >the medical journals and found no cause for alarm. I really believe the medical community doesn't have a clue as to its real nature. Eight years ago when pregnant they told me they didn't *think* it would be bad. Five years ago they told me they weren't sure and to avoid it if I thought best. "Fortunately" for me, I'm one of those who gets terrible headaches if I use it, so I never took any anyway. This time, my caregiver, in telling me what definitely to avoid, included Nutrasweet on the same list as cigarettes, drugs and alchohol. ------------- Re: confessions Date Sun, 14 Jul 1996 09:02:32 GMT Newsgroups alt.punk Aspartame has been implicated as one the probable aggravating factors in clinical depression in a number of people. When I was suffering that lovely affliction last year my doctor suggested that I avoid aspartame absolutely. He said that in his experience he had found that almost 75% if his patients that were sufferin from depression they were regular drinkers of diet coke or diet pepsi. It aparently affects the levels of seratonin in your brain. -------------- Date: Fri, 12 Jul 1996 00:44:44 -0400 (EDT) To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxx Subject: Re: NutraSweet Thanks xxxxxx for posting this info. I got flamed for saying that a person should do a word search on Nutrasweet on the webb. There are a lot of NASTIES out there. God Bless you. Keep up the good work. My legs used to hurt so bad I couldn't sleep at night but when I suspicioned (sp) what it was and stopped using Nutrasweet the pain went away. That stuff is POISON. I know because I've experienced it! Thank You!!! [continued] Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 23:19:55 -0400 To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxxxx Subject: [Fwd: Re: Is Nutrisweet a poison? You bet your sweet ASPARTAME!] Having worked for government for 30 years I know that the prime directive is self preservation of government. ie:(FDA) I wouldn't trust any government bureau any farther than I can throw my car! Why? Because I saw it from the inside. I know that I know, that I know! Now as far as aspartame is concerned in that search I found plenty of evidence that many health problems that I had could be explained with my heavy aspartame intake for 12 years. The final blow came when some time ago I heard, long before I came to the internet that there was a chance that Aspartame was causing the severe pains in my legs at night. They hurt so bad I could not sleep in bed but had to sleep in a recliner. I quit aspartame for awhile and sure enough my leg pains subsided and I could stand to wash my legs without pain. All was well, I thought, but you see I was hooked on the stuff and being diabetic with high insuline resistance I couldn't resist going back on it. Well I don't have to draw you a picture what happened all too soon. Severe pain in legs again and back in the recliner. Now entered the internet. I did my due dilegance (sp) and again concluded if there was any truth in what I had learned it could stand the test the second time. I again quit ingesting aspartame and again within a week or two the pain was gone. I started being civil to my family. I could think more clearly again and in general I felt better. Now you tell me, with everything else being equal and having gone through this fiasco twice, would I want to do it again? ------------- Re: Will he ever 'go' again??? Date 12 Jul 1996 21:06:52 -0400 Newsgroups misc.kids.breastfeeding Are you drinking or eating anything with aspartame in it or anything else that might be constipating? The reason I ask is that I gave aspartame up about a week and a half ago (thanks to this news group) and my daughter seems to go more frequently now. Sometimes she would go every other day and now she goes at least twice a day. ------------- Re: aspartame/nutrasweet Date Fri, 12 Jul 1996 21:28:10 -0400 Newsgroups misc.kids.pregnancy Agreed. I always felt slightly ill when I switched to aspertame/nutrasweet in my morning coffee. No headaches, just "queasy". My father also had odd symptoms from long-term use of nutrasweet. He had tingling and numbness in his extremeties, and also had trouble losing unwanted pounds. He stopped using it about two months ago and the tingling & numbness went away immediately, and he's lost weight as well. He hasn't looked so good in 25 years! Just because the AMA hasn't documented something, doesn't mean that it won't in the future. Better safe than sorry, ESPECIALLY when you are pregnant! .... --------------- nutrasweet Date Fri, 12 Jul 96 14:56:47 EDT Newsgroups alt.support.mult-sclerosis After reading about the dangers of Nutrasweet on the Web, this list, and in the library I gave up Nutrasweet earlier this year. Oddly enough, I've lost about 10 pounds (no, I haven't been on a diet or changed my eating habits at all, nor have I taken up extra exercising). And I've noticed that I don't get as many headaches as I used to. Those are the only changes I've noticed, but they're enough for me to believe that Nutrasweet isn't very good for humans. ;-) ------------- Re: Equal-allergic Date 12 Jul 1996 14:32:58 GMT Newsgroups alt.food.fat-free You are not far off. It is estimated that 25% of the population is sensitive to nutrasweet(aspertame). A small percentage of these being potentially fatal reactions (stroke, anaphylaxis). You will find plenty of people to sign up for your new group. Many of the people won't even know that they are sensitive either from mild symptons or blaming it on something else. I discovered that I was sensitive after not having nutrasweet for about 6 weeks then drinking a diet soda water. I developed a raging headache. One can build up a tolerance to anything when under constant exposure. ------------ [updated case...] Date: Wed, 08 May 1996 09:51:22 -0800 To: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxx.xxx Subject: Aspartame Poisoning remedies Dear xxxxxxx, I think that I may have had an adverse response to aspartame. I used it for about 15 years. I am experiencing some problems with motor control, specifically in my arms. I obviously don't use it any more! I have been off the aspartame for two weeks now. I no longer have unexplained headaches and I sleep much better but the motor control is still a problem. .... [update] Date: Fri, 12 Jul 1996 14:12:00 -0800 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxx.xxx Subject: Aspartame Poisoning xxxxxx, I wrote to you some time ago about my motor control problems (in my arms) which I suspected were related to my use of Equal (6 or more packets a day for nearly 15 years!). You gave me some good suggestions. I stopped using Equal in April and now, 3 months later, I can say that the motor control problems are completely gone. In have also changed my diet. I am now following the regime of the "Zone" diet by Dr Robert(?) Sears. In any event, I no longer have unexplained headaches, I sleep like a baby and my arms play guitar just fine!! Thanks for you advice. ------------ Re: aspartame/nutrasweet Date Tue, 09 Jul 1996 14:34:27 -0500 Newsgroups misc.kids I have always been of the opinion that Nutrasweet (as well as saccharin) has been allowed to stay on the market because the companies that make all this diet, sugar-free crapola (oops!) did not want to lose their business, nor do inveterate dieters and those on sugar-restricted diets want to lose their "easy" way to satisfy their sweet tooth. Now, for the personal story. I was a Diet Coke fiend for many years. I could drink 2 liters a day, easy, never mind all the other stuff -- diet pops, puddings, cookies, etc. When I was 26, I started having seizures, and was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. No evidence of head trauma, and the doctors could never give me an answer of where it came from. Medication helped, athough the enormous amount of it I had to take was debilitating (every time I had another seizure, the neurologist upped my dosage). I was pretty much a potted plant at that point. I read an article (sorry, kids, I lost it years ago) and read in a book (Jane Brody's Nutrition Book) about aspartame's connection to seizure activity. I gave up Diet Coke and all other forms of nutrasweet then and there. Gradually my seizures decreased, and I weaned myself down from 1000 mgs a day to 400 of my medication, without my doctor's okay (I know, I know, but the doctors dismissed my questions about aspartame as silly, and I simply could not live the poor excuse for a life that 1000 mgs of tegretol a day afforded me). Coincidence? Maybe. But from 1000 mgs a day and at least one seizure a month, I take 400 and haven't had a seizure in a year and a half (and it had been a year and a half, at least, before that one). I was frightened when I became pregnant about what the medication could do to the baby, but a seizure could have hurt him worse than the amount of medication. Luckily, he was perfect. So that the story of why I think aspartame is bad for you. I'm not trying to run anyone's life, just relating what happened to me. And yes, I gained some weight when I ditched nutrasweet. But for me, better that than seizures. [continued] Re: Equal-allergic Date Wed, 10 Jul 1996 13:52:44 -0500 Newsgroups alt.food.fat-free > Wow, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who is allergic to > nutrasweet! I have the same reaction - debilitating migraines. Me too!! Big old mother headaches after having aspartame in any quantity. We're not alone! -------------- Date: Sat, 6 Jul 1996 18:58:14 -0400 (EDT) To: xxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxxxx.xxxxx Subject: Re: NutraSweet What is all the fuss about NutaSweet? I would be VERY courious to find out because I, my sister, and my Father have a reaction to it. I even suspect It was a contributing factor in my mother's stroke. It gives me and my sister almost migrain headaches. With my father, after he eats aspartame, he gets an upset stomach- very upset!! -------------- Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996 18:17:47 +0000 To: xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxxxx Subject: Re: FDA POISONS THE WELL/NUTRASWEET/PRESS RELEASE (fwd) I avoid it at all costs - it gives me a terrible headache. It is especially pronounced if I chew it in gum. It is behind my eyes, almost like a sinus headache, but sharper and there's no way to get rid of it, it eventually goes away. ------------- Re: NutraSweet is poison - PERIOD! (fwd) Date 4 Jul 1996 12:37:10 -0400 Newsgroups alt.support.diet I don't use nutrasweet or other aspartame products. They simply effect me like nothing else does. They make me feel shaky and week. They also kind of wire me up in a way I don't like. I stopped using them long ago and haven't gone back. ------------- Re: Equal-allergic Date 5 Jul 1996 14:32:01 GMT Newsgroups alt.food.fat-free xxxxxxxxxxxx writes: > I am allergic to Equal. I have the most dreadful migraines after I have it. > > Does any one know of a source of recipes using saccharine instead? Hi xxxxxxxxx! Wow, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who is allergic to nutrasweet! I have the same reaction - debilitating migraines. Anyway, I'm wondering if you are on a diabetic diet, or just trying to cut down on sugar. I don't use saccharine (lab rats and all, plus I don't like the aftertaste), so I just reduce sugar in recipes as much as I possibly can. I sometimes substitute fruit puree in recipes. If you can't use sugar, and must use saccharine as a sweetner, I would try your public library for cookbooks using saccharine. -------------- Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 10:55:55 -0700 To: xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxxx Subject: Re: CFIDS NEWS-CFS (fwd) Thanks for the inquiry. Actually getting off the stuff is harder than one would anticipate. I can say that we have both cut our intake by at least 80% and in general feel much better for it. ------------ Re: Nutra-sweet Date 2 Jul 1996 17:15:21 GMT Newsgroups misc.kids.breastfeeding .... However, I am very skeptical about nutrasweet, even in small quantities. I developed a nutrasweet reaction in the early 80s after they started using it in diet soda (I was a diet soda addict). I finally found I had to give it up ENTIRELY to avoid the reaction -- even one or two sodas a month, or "mistakenly" getting it in a drink, was enough to cause the problem. .... ------------ Re: Med: "false hunger" Date Sat, 29 Jun 1996 06:43:50 -0500 Newsgroups alt.med.cfs Recently I had a problem with bad water. My "false hunger" became almost constant and turned into heartburn. I went to distilled water and quit drinking Diet Coke with Aspartame - my stomach improved almost immediately. ------------ Subject Missing Aspartame Person Date 29 Jun 1996 15:10:02 GMT Newsgroups misc.health.alternative I'm looking for the individual who gave me advice about 3 months ago regarding aspartame and a burning tongue. I wish to thank this person, since stopping the use of aspartame has cured the problem. This burning tongue has been ongoing for years and after a week of eliminating aspartame the burning is gone. If you see this - thanks again -and send e-mail. ------------ Re: migraines and p/f Date 29 Jun 1996 08:16:07 -0400 Newsgroups alt.support.diet.rx ASPARTAIME! If by chance, you're using Nutrasweet on foods, drinking diet soda, coffee, etc. you may be taking in too much! It's known to promote headaches...lasting much of the day for me. It may also inhibit the production of seritonin, which I understand is an appetite suppressent. Be careful out there! ------------- Re: MED: food cravings (was various symptoms) Date Fri, 28 Jun 1996 19:40:02 -0700 Newsgroups alt.med.cfs For me, food cravings may signify one of several things... .... - allergies: I have craved things I was allergic to, i.e. dairy (milk, whey, cream, milk protein, cheese, yogurt, etc.). Nutrasweet (now that was a physically painful addiction to break...reminded me of caffeine withdrawls). ------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 1996 21:25:14 -0700 To: xxxxx@xxxx.xxxxx Subject: Nutrasweet I read what you wrote about the plant that Japan uses to sweeten, and about Nutrasweet. I find it odd that people have not come together to ban Nutrasweet. There are many other people, other than myself, who have told me that they too are finding that using Nutrasweet causes there heart to skip beats, or stop as in my case. At first the suspect was coffee. Then colas. I drank 7-up and tea. It still happened. The only thing in common was the Nutrasweet. When I quit drinking diet colas and went back to Sweet 'n Low, I quit having the problem. And so did everyone else. I can't get a medical practitioner to pay attention, but I would think that the news would be out by now. .... ------------ Re: Small survey about IBS for personal Interest**** Date 26 Jun 1996 19:06:31 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.crohns-colitis Nutra sweet is the worst thing in the world for me and gas, and subsequently even bouts of IBS. I think it is probably one of the worlds worst poisons. I too have no problem with garlic, but the minor spices like Parsley or oregano, I might as well take an entire box of ex-lax cause it would be less painful. .... ----------- Small survey about IBS for personal Interest**** Date 24 Jun 1996 05:48:52 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.crohns-colitis .... I also cannot eat anything with Nutrasweet. .... ------------- Re: Diet Soda, Gulf War Syndrome & CFS Date Mon, 24 Jun 1996 10:00:39 -0400 Newsgroups alt.med.cfs Re: aspartame: Same for me! Migraine within an hour or two, exacerbation of most other symptoms during the next 24 hours. I avoid the stuff like the poison it is! ------------- Re: Small survey about IBS for personal Interest**** Date 26 Jun 1996 02:02:51 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.crohns-colitis I'm not lactose intolerant but we have other similarities. Artificial sweeteners are the worst. In high school, I used to chew a lot of gum that had Nutra sweet in it and my doc and I discovered that that was even giving me horrible gas!! Gotta watch out for those weird ones. .... ---------- Subj: Re: Nutrasweet 4 - 92 symptoms Date: 96-06-07 12:16:19 EDT To: xxxxx@xxx.xxxx xxxxx, I must tell you how much your research has done for me. Strangely enough when I read your first post I gave up my Snapple Diet Iced Tea. Since that time I have been able to read without my glasses (purchased a year ago, when I started drinking Diet drinks). .... I have personally passed this information to 4 people who have vowed to pass it along. I also noticed my small tummy is smaller! ------------- Subject: Beware of Coca-Cola Date 7 Jun 1996 01:26:33 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.survivors.prozac Since my family is allergic to Nutrasweet/Aspartame so we avoid all products that are labeled as containing them. However, recently we bought some Maxwell House Swiss Mocha Coffee. After the second cup I started having problems with my breathing and my eyes. My husband checked the can and found that the coffee contained Aspartame. Everyone thinks to check products that are to come presweetened but we would never have thought to check out a can of coffee. ------------ Re: Nutrasweet-is it bad for you? Date 14 Jun 1996 03:15:29 GMT Newsgroups misc.fitness.weights I started using equal in coffee. I usually don't use it. I got terrible headaches after that. I stopped using it and the headaches quit coming. I know someone who has an incontinence problem when he uses equal. -------------- Re: Is anyone using The Good Calorie Diet? Date Sat, 8 Jun 1996 16:08:40 GMT Newsgroups rec.food.veg.cooking Where do I get a copy of this "diet"? I've eliminated caffeine and nutrasweet from my diet and I was shocked at how much better I felt. ------------- Re: It's a miracle.... Date Sun, 16 Jun 1996 05:01:00 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.headaches.migraine I have been off aspartame for some time now. I don't know what (if any) effects it would have on my headaches, but I'm definitely allergic to it. I get violently ill if I eat any: nausea, light-headed, dizzy . . . [update] Re: Could Nutrasweet (aspartame) trigger severe headaches? Date Thu, 22 May 1997 07:20:40 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.headaches.migraine >Has any one had similar experience with Nutrasweet (aspartame)? Absolutely! I can chew a stick of gum with it in it, but any more than that, and I get violently ill . . . and it's supossed to be good stuff . . . yeah, right . . . :( -------------- Re: Monosodium Glutamate & Ch Date 13 Jun 1996 06:52:10 -0400 Newsgroups alt.folklore.urban I've also heard that there's a connection between MSG sensitive people and people who are Aspartame (NutraSweet) intolerant. When NutraSweet first hit the market, I tried diet soda sweetened with it, and every time I did, I'd end up with a splitting headache. After the fourth time or so, I gave up on the artificially sweetened beverages and stayed with sugared ones. Several years later, I read an article that made the MSG/NutraSweet connection. ------------- Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 20:45:51 +0000 To: xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx Subject: Nutrasweet, of course Dear xxxx, I read your letter to xxxx, forwarded to me by my very good friend xxxxx (above). Just wanted you to know I've been Nutrasweet free for the last several months and CUT MY MIGRAINES by about 90%. I assume it's an allergy to the stuff. ------------- Re: Lost 2 sizes in 2 weeks when eliminating NutraSweet! Date Fri, 07 Jun 1996 07:37:15 -0400 Newsgroups misc.health.alternative,alt.support.menopause,sci.med, sci.med.pharmacy,alt.support.diet,misc.health.diabetes,sci.med.nutrition, sci.med.vision Diet soda has aspartame/Nutrasweet. 30 minutes after consuming such I would have a migraine headache. Now I drink regular soda or diet tonic made with saccherine which doesn't make me ill. ---------- Subj: Re: Nutrasweet, was Re: Small towns (was: Neck problems) Date: 96-05-31 12:19:38 EDT To: YEAST-L@psuhmc.bitnet It appears xxxx was warning you and xxxxxx about the dangers of Nutrasweet. Unfortunately... xxx's dead right. I know from my own experience, the levels of devastation this product are real. I have lesions on the left temporal lobe of my brain and a series of seizures to prove it. Forgive me for being personal... and while I am no longer enraged about the subject... I am cognizant of the problem., and believe it needs to be looked at rationally. (well, as rationally as using methanol (wood alcohol); aspartic acid; and phenylalanine. in a FOOD source can be) I drank diet coke for YEARS.... loved the stuff.. and 'tho everyone told me (vaguely) that Aspertame was bad for me.. did I listen?? Noooooo. (smile) Annnnd I paid the price. Albeit I was already in a spiral into MCS as well as Candida undercurrents.. but the Aspertame on its own did serious harm. Permit me one small clip here... " NutraSweet, a.k.a. aspartame, is a compound of the following chemicals: methanol (wood alcohol); aspartic acid; and phenylalanine. Aspartame readily breaks down into its component parts, and this decomposition is hastened by heat. Methanol breaks down further into formaldehyde and formic acid (ant sting poison). " (from an article written by a former FDA invesitgator- I will post it to anyone who's interested in it's entirety) That "breakdown" occurs at 86 degrees F.. pretty low level when you consider the summer temps we have in North America.. not to mention the internal temperature of a transport truck sitting in the sun. You wrote: >You sure have a vendetta against nutrasweet. I don't have a >problem with >the stuff. I think people that can't handle it shouldn't >consume it, but >they shouldn't freak out and try to insist everyone else can't >have it >either. I also consume MSG. It doesn't bother me, either. I >have enough >things that do bother me that I don't have to overreact to >those that don't Hmmm... Oh can I EVER appreciate that sentiment. However, at the time, I never realized that chemical additives like MSG and Aspertame..that I didn't think bothered me.. or didn't "manifest" an immediate reaction.. were adding to the total "toxic load" that eventually took my immune down. If you're on this list for Yeast-related problems...your immune system is already in serious trouble. When those people familiar with the Aspertame issue.. try to warn others against it... it's not because we can't have it..(would you REALLY drink wood alcohol or formaldehyde by choice????).... its because.. the people on this list and other truly care about the welfare of our listmates. After all, none of us would be here if we were in perfect health would we? Do I still miss Diet-coke? You BET I do. Would I pick up a can? No.. not for all the tea (herbal of course... grin) in China. I noted at the end of your post you mention "bi-polar" disorder". I'm very familiar with that issue having flirted dangerously around the edges of it myself and have a dear friend who has suffered with it for years. It's a hell in its own right. The psycho-neurological reactions to this product are equally as frightening as the physiological ones, and in my opinion bordering on criminally negligent. I have always wanted to ask the "boys" at Monsanto and Searle.. if they allow their children to consume this stuff. So xxxxx, with all respect to you, (having been there and not listened myself)...whether symptoms are "presenting" or not... believe me... this little toxic cocktail is not doing you any good.. and in all probability, is exacerbating problems that do exist. Please reconsider....the info we share here is because we do care.. and in most cases have "been there". For anyone that's interested... I have a "robot server"...(if I can find it)... that gives you access to numerous articles on this subject.... as well as the articles themselves. ---------- Re: aspartame Date Sat, 20 Jul 1996 14:29:51 GMT Newsgroups alt.med.allergy I began having migraines in the late 1980's, some so severe I wound up in the emergency room. I have sought the cause for years. I had read about the possible relation to food allergies, but I had never tested it. My headaches grew worse, for the last 2 years I've had daily headaches. About 3 months ago I decided to try the elimination test. When I eliminated Aspartame from my diet, the severe migraines began to disappear. I am mostly migraine-free now, with headaches attacking only about 1-2 times per month. I believe aspartame is the cause. I used Aspartame almost religiously once it became available in my town. I've used large quantities of it, replacing every bit of sugar I could with it. I just hope that my system has a chance to recover completely. -------------- Re: Beware of Coca-Cola Date 2 Jun 1996 16:57:34 -0400 Newsgroups alt.support.tourette Do all diet soft drinks; or do all diet, caffeinated soft drinks; or do just Coca Cola diet drinks cause the undesirable symptoms? There are issues of aspartame, caffeine, caramel color, sodium benzoate, carbonation additives, etc. Jason has stopped drinking any caffeinated, diet, and caramel colored soft drinks. He is very adversely affected by especially aspartame and caffeine. ^^^^^^^^^ ----------- Re: Beware of Coca-Cola Date 1 Jun 1996 23:06:29 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.sleep-disorder,alt.support.social-phobia, alt.support.spina-bifida,alt.support.step-parents,alt.support.st, alt.support.depression,alt Message-ID <4oqidl$4lc@nuacht.iol.ie> vvvv I have found as a Stutterer that Coca-Cola Diet has a detrimental effect on my speech. It also has a bad effect on me as a Manic Depressive. Some time ago I contacted Coca-Cola through their "EQ (E-Queries)" service to seek information for my doctor on what chemicals are in the Diet Coke that are not in the Coca-Cola. I did not even get the courtesy of a reply, indicating that they are only interested in the commercial aspect of their product and not in the health of their customers. SO BEWARE OF COCA COLA. -----------