------------ Date: Sun, 22 Sep 1996 19:11:15 -0400 To: xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxxx.xxxx Subject: Regarding asparatame From the Desk of: xxxxxxx Sunday, Sep 22, 1996 I attach a virus free text document Ascii, dealing with my own case history and aspartame. I've more , two of the three of the other line pilots at Xxxxxxxx Air developed side effect from diet soda, supplied via; Mcdonnalds, and the Company vending machine. That's three out of five employee's! Sincerely Yours, xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To Whom it may concern; In reading : Aspartame: :"What you don't konw can hurt you", I rememberd an expriance with this substance a few years ago, It really wasn't until this year I through independant research, I could link my own medical problems and those of my colleagues to Aspartame poisining. The case hisotry I will relate is frightning, and I hope serves as a Warning to others that are obese to avoid Aspartame in their diets. It was summer of 1992, After loading my aircraft the laod master told me if I didn't lose weight, they would have to get a new pilot; Is that motivation? I went to the Aeromedical examiner; was put on a 1000 caloire diet witch included, diet soda, inclusive in my instructions were ."you can have as much diet soda, tea or coffee you desire". So my Cokacola's became those sweetied with Nutra sweet, and I started using it in baking etc. to reduce the calorie content of my meals anyway I could. Within six months I stated to experiance joint aches, difficulty remembering, ,mostly number strings and so did my aged father; a diabetic, The symptoms were insidious in onset and to be honest it started with difficulty copying instrument clearances, so I insatlled a computer to do that; then it was vertigo-, time for a innner ear check?; then the joint pain, dismissing the vertigo to wieght loss and an increase my exercise bringing on the joint pain, then it was inritablibility; outburst of temper over the smallest incident. I then developed skin liesions, on my scalp, and arms, which required surgical exorcison. By accident while , I was crusing the net, that I found information about Aspartame, I then computed the amount of the toxic subtanse I had recieved; and discointued using any product that constained aspartame. My symptoms are reversing; the Ironic thing is, I did lose my job, and the Company had to get a new pilot it wasn't becasue of my wieght; it was due to the fact I couldn't function at my job. The FAA sent me a letter wishing to review my qualification to hold an airmans medical -- saying I may not be qualifed, due to a known medical problem-- Were they was really saying; "you've been using aspartame and because of that you are sick"! I'm glad to get the heads up on this, at least it afforded me the opportunity to do somthing for myself, and I do feel a lot better, and my mental confusion, is no longer present, my ability to rememebr number strings is improved, along with my ability to transfer objects to long term memeory. My skin lesions are healing; and any intestional probelms I expeianced are diminishing. even my wieght loss is improved, in that I no longer battle a craving for chocolate. My symptoms have reversed, I don't know if I'll be able to ever get a medical; both my father and I feel, we've been made part of a beta test in humans without our knowledge and consent, and as a result of Aspartame, have lost our health to some degree. Now like any other medical illness it's time to heal-- if that is\ possible! I intend to persue any legal remidy, in that I have lost my ability to be employed, and fully believe that it was due to Asparatame poisoning! Respecfully, xxxxxxxxxx -------------- Re: What do you wish you liked? (was Re: Uncanny resemblance...) Date 22 Sep 1996 20:10:11 GMT Newsgroups rec.food.cooking >No! Be glad! NutraSweet breaks down into BAD things in your body!! In my case, it breaks down into migraines. ------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 1996 To: xxxxxx@xxxx.xxxxx.xxxxx Subject: Re: Aspartame Mt mother, a faithful PD'er, tells me you have info on Aspartame (NutraSweet). Since I stopped using it, I have not had a single migraine headache, which I have had since I was 13 years old. Will you share your info with me, please? (P.S. A friend told me earlier today that Equal was the only thing he'd ever heard of that even roaches wouldn't eat!) Thanks so much. ------------- Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 11:56:48 -0800 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxx.xxxx Subject: Re: stevia You certainly have permission to use my "story", although i don't know how much of a story it really is...I stopped using nutrasweet and products containing aspartame about 2 months ago...I have hypoglycemia and ADD and also have many food allergies -- yeast, wheat, sugar, etc. Since I stopped using nutrasweet and drinking diet sodas (I used to use about 1 to 2 packets a day, and drink about 1 diet soda a day) I feel 100% better....my blood sugar level is now under control, and i no longer crave sugar or unhealthy foods...i no longer have that "dieter's" mentality...i simply eat whole, natural foods when i'm hungry... The reason that i say i do not have much of a story is that i am not sure whether to attribute this to getting off of aspartame, or just adopting a more healthy diet overall and eating lots of sunrider stuff...however, i have no doubt that getting off of the nutrasweet and diet soda helped...In addition, I used to suffer from short term memory loss and have other symptoms which I attributed to candida...after reading a lot of your testimonials, now i believe that it was probably because of the aspartame in part, if not entirely... [updated information shows aspartame effects in rechallenge] Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 20:57:19 -0800 To: xxxxx@xxxx.xxxx.xxx Subject: Re: stevia I am doing much better now that i am off of nutrasweet (which has been about 6 months). The one or two times that i have had nutrasweet in that period (such as in a non-sugar latte), i have experienced detectable "brain fog" and confusion. I just wish that stevia tasted better in coffee, but i'm really getting quite used to herbal tea... ----------- Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 20:56:32 -0000 To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxxxxx Subject: RE: send me help Yes, I got it to work and downloaded several reports. Thanks to your effort, my family is now aspartame free. We have noticed numerous benefits including better memory and less fatique. Two weeks ago, I accidentally got a can of pop with aspertame, and decided to go ahead and drink it. Never again. It actually gave me stomach cramps and nausia. --------------- Re: Nutrasweet, ok or best to avoid it? Date 15 Sep 1996 07:22:38 -0400 Newsgroups alt.support.diet I am not related to the sugar industry in anyway, but I am definetly anti-nutrasweet. Now if a person has diabetes than fine, it is an o.k substitute, but it causes migraines, gas, diarreah, uncontrollable shaking and weakness in me if I even accidentally ingest some (sometimes idiots assume that I want diet coke instead of regular coke, because I am overweight). My husband also gets headaches from it, but his are minor. I know a few people who have problems with it, so I would suggest that if a person can have a healthier alternative that they try to find it. ------------ Re: Diet Soft= Migraine Trigger Date Sat, 14 Sep 1996 19:32:07 -0700 Newsgroups alt.support.headaches.migraine Most definitely, aspartame in anything triggers my worst headaches, especially at certain time of month. MSG is second worst culprit, followed by pickled or brine-packed foods. ------------ Diabetic Mailing List X-Url: http://www.Lehigh.EDU/lists/Archives/diabetic/0890.html Re: A1C & more :) Thu, 12 Sep 1996 00:18:20 -0400 (EDT) It does mine! Two cans of Diet Pepsi raised my bg from 121 to 309, and held it there for 7 hours. Weirdest thing, that was the only time I've had 4 widely spaced tests come out at EXACTLY the same figure! I must mention here that I AM ALLERGIC to NutraSweet. YMWACV (Your Mileage Will Almost Certainly Vary)!!!! Oh well, heck of a reason to be harassed for 5 years then laid off by AT&T and become active online, ------------- Diabetic Mailing List X-Url: http://www.Lehigh.EDU/lists/Archives/diabetic/0890.html Re: A1C & more :) Thu, 12 Sep 1996 13:35:02 -0500 (EST) I know in my case, Nutrasweet has been known to cause migranes. I have always tried to stay away from the stuff myself, but with getting under control, there is not a whole lot out there anymore. ----------- [interesting] Subj: Re: Nutrasweet Date: 96-07-17 00:11:10 EDT To: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxx I have a very good health fooe store here and the owner is the first one who told me about the danger of aspertame. The day she told me, I had just missed a talk at her store by an ex FDA employee who told them Nutrasweet paid a big chunk of$ to someone in the FDA to slide it through. Wish I knew more about it,but I don,t. Seems like everyone is afraid to say anything. Do we already have a"big brother is watching you" government? ------------- Re: Diet Softdrink = Migraine Trigger? Date Mon, 16 Sep 1996 01:23:13 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.headaches.migraine >I can't have anything diet without a migraine attack lasting several days. >The last time was a piece of gum with nutrasweet. I was in bed 2 days. I'd >say there's a link, but that's based only on my own experience. I know that I can't take much nutrasweet. It gives me headaches big time! There has been research on it and I know for a fact that pilots are strongly advised NOT to drink/eat any Nutrasweet before a flight. I don't think it's good stuff for a lot of people. ------------- Re: It's my Birthday -- everyone's invited! Date Sat, 14 Sep 1996 00:57:03 -0500 Newsgroups alt.books.m-lackey Well, I can't eat anything with nutrasweet in it because it gives me a kidney infection. I don't know if it affects everyone's kidneys, or if it's just because I was put together with Superglue and rubber bands. I have heard that you should not give it to children, though. ------------ Re: It's my Birthday -- everyone's invited! Date 12 Sep 1996 11:20:25 -0400 Newsgroups alt.books.m-lackey If that's the case, remind not to make a banana milkshake, because I'm allergic to the stuff. I get the nastiest migraine from it in any quantities over thatcontained in a stick of gum. Might as well put me in a black, soundproof, padded room until it's out of my system. ------------ Re: Diet Softdrink = Migraine Trigger? Date Thu, 12 Sep 1996 05:42:40 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.headaches.migraine >Yeah, I've heard that NutraSweet has long been considered a cause of >headaches as well as other things. I also have the suspiscion that MSG >makes me headache prone too. Could this be possible? Both are major triggers for me. I really find that Chinese food is a killer, and I will not drink diet drinks no matter what, if you do, follow up with as much water as you can, it seems to help flush your system. Leslie ------------ Re: Knowledgable Fitness People PLEASE HELP ME Date Thu, 12 Sep 1996 16:30:01 GMT Newsgroups misc.fitness.misc I can play 'psychic' now with people who use lots of it by describing their symptoms to them without asking. I stopped using it because I needed to remember my home phone number. But that's just another blip on the list of things people experience with this wonderful product! The whole story is such a classic example of Americans and the world being hosed by some truly evil pinheads, it almost reminds me of my other favorite food ... Olestra! ;) ----------- Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1996 From: xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxx.xxxx To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx.xxxx Subject: Re: Thanks xxxxxx My brother-in-law is an aspartame junky (drinks several diet pop drinks a day) and he now has many health problems. I've tried to get him off that poison, but he's the sort who figures that if it's legal, it must be safe kind of nonsense. But, I figure with your articles, maybe it will help set him straight. Problem is, with some people, they are addicts or... just plain stubborn. [continued] Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 12:50:09 -0400 (EDT) To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxxx.xxxx Subject: Re: Thanks xxxxxxx (2) It was difficult to get him to initially quit. But he finally decided to stop drinking diet soft drinks (and all other Aspartame tainted stuff) after his symptoms worsened. His doctor was about to prescribe him all sorts of wonderful anti-inflamatories, however, I pleaded with my brother-in-law to give up Aspartame first, before trying all those drugs. After a couple of weeks, he called me up thanking me... Apparently his achy joints, fatigue all disappeared. My sister said he's a new man now. They came up last weekend, and he was definately looking better. We talked about it, and he now realizes that the Aspartame was responsible. ---------- Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 10:13:09 -0400 To: xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxxxx Subject: Re: Pop or Soda? (was Re: Canadian Shows) I've been interested in the aspartame thing since its introduction. While I'm not the person who brought the subject up, I did respond (stroke, blindness, etc.). I recognized the problem the first time (only time) I ingested it -- I had the worst blinding migraine, veins bulging in forehead, etc. This was within the first month that it was on the market, and I had been given a diet Coke when I ordered a regular one. I had only had one really bad headache in my life prior to this episode. ------------ Re: Too much diet coke Date 9 Sep 1996 02:30:48 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.diet You should watch the aspertame in the DIET drinks. Since giving up Diet Pepsi, my chronic UTI (bladder infections) are gone!!! I do drink regular Pepsi now with no problems. ------------ Re: Is Coke a poison? Date 5 Sep 1996 21:36:52 -0400 Newsgroups sci.med.nutrition My mother-in-law has problems with diet Coke, particularly aspartame. I saw some interesting (and scary) postings recently on: http://www.vitawise.com You should check it out if you drink anything with aspartame. ----------- Date: Tue, 09 Jul 96 08:44:58 cst To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxxxxx Subject: Alzheimer's notice I live and work in San Antonio, and I received the message on "aspartame" with the letter accompanying it. Is this a "REAL" world problem that really does do what the letter says it will to humans? Of course, I am concerned since most of my family uses Sweet n Low and drinks diet drinks. [continued] Date: Thu, 05 Sep 96 07:34:23 cst To: xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxxxx.xxx Subject: Re[4]: Alzheimer's notice Thanks for asking. My wife and I both quit drinking diet anything and actually threw out some cooking stuff that had aspartame in it, and now after 8 weeks+, we both feel much better, have more energy and memory has returned to even better than before, but that's hard to comprehend since I never knew it was going. haha But, I have since made several copies of the information that you sent me, plus others, and distributed to my entire family and as many friends as I can find that will listen to me about this killer. Every time I see someone at work drinking a diet soda, I give them a copy of the original thing you sent me, and so far, most have complied to see if it does make a difference in them or their family members. It's a shame that the damned FDA will not pull this substance from the shelves, but we both know the power of money and politics, so it may be a moot point for some time to come, unless you can find a STRONG politician to get this banned from human consumption. Your efforts are appreciated by those of us who have experienced the effects of this drug, and your efforts will one day pay off, so please keep pressing and the good work will pay off some day. ------------ Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 12:29:32 -0400 (EDT) To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxx.xxxx Subject: Thank You for Awareness Building A colleague of mine gave me a paper prepared by yourself which discussed the effects of aspartame. It was a real eye-opener, and really highlighted just how ignorant the mass of the general public is about the toxins we readily consume as part of our everyday diet. I am quite careful about what I eat, but being British I had a strong taste for tea (and the sugar that goes with it). To cut down on the sugar I had been taking aspartame based sweeteners. I am someone who drinks something like 15 cups of tea a day, two sweeteners in each cup. Fortunately, I had only been taking these for a few months - and came off them a week or so ago. I recollect feeling a little 'sticky' visually, but put that down to general wear and tear. Yes, I had been having headaches, unusual for me, but again put that down to stress. [continued] Date: 4 Sep 1996 13:14:04 gmt To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx.xxxx Subject: Re: A Further Thanks! Well being off aspartame has made me feel so much better. Now when I am shopping I actually take the time to read the contents / ingredients labels. If its aspartame its back on the shelf - soft drinks and squashes are virtually non-consumable because nearly all contain aspartame. Most of my friends are steering clear of those products that contain it. They even make sure there is no aspartame in anything they give me to drink or eat - and that's without me reminding them! I am actually feeling a lot healthier, eye-sight much better (apart from having to use a PC for my work Excel / PowerPoint trainer and application developer). ------------ Subject: my wonderful daughter Date: 1996/08/17 Newsgroups: alt.support.mult-Sclerosis My name is xxxxxx. I was diagnosed about two years ago. In that time my most persistant and consistant symptom has been muscle spasms. These got to be so bad that I couldn't sleep at all and could barely walk. In my search for relief, I met an osteopathic doctor who told me to cut out diet soft drinks.Now I am somewhat overweight and have been drinking Diet Coke as a way of life for years. Within five days of stopping, my spasms dissappeared. Shortly after that I had a small glass of Diet Coke to see if I could at least have a little. The spasms returned immediately. The reason I called this "my wonderful daghter" is we were given a report by my doctor about aspartame as a neurotoxin.My daughter posted that report here hoping to save some of you from the same kind of agony that I experienced. I know that some of you have heard more than enough about the dangers of nutrasweet, but please read just this one more piece. I know from personal experience just how nasty this stuff can be. ---------- Subject: Re: diet 7 UP Date: 1996/08/18 Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-Panic I, too, have strong reactions -- blazing headache, dizzyness, irritabiliy after consuming aspartame (NurtaSweet). Best reason I know of to remain a sucrose abuser! ----------- Subject: Re: No Aspartame Date: 1996/08/19 Newsgroups: misc.health.diabetes I quit using aspartame around the end of June. I'm drinking LOTS more water, which has to be good! When I want to enjoy a "social" beverage or have a taste for something just a little sweet and fizzy, I've been trying all kinds of fruit juices in mineral water -- about 1 to 3, fruit juice to mineral water. Obviously we can't overdo the fruit juice, but I usually drink about one of these a day, and I really enjoy it. Also, you can get somewhat of the same thing in a can at the health food store. Knudsen makes a Light Spritzer -- about 100 calories for 12 ounces -- just fruit juice and mineral water -- in interesting flavors. Good luck. I won't enter into the war of words on the aspartame subject, and I don't know which studies to believe. I do know that I'm feeling much, much better. ---------- Subject: Food and drinks Date: 1996/08/20 Newsgroups: alt.support.crohns-Colitis I have a spastic colon. I find that fruit juice or cider irratates it. Also recently I've been drinking diet 7up with nutra sweet and it seems it gives me alot of gas and dirrea after I drink it. ---------- Subject: Re: My Personal Nutrasweet Nightmare Date: 1996/08/22 Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative Nutrasweet is horrible!! After drinking it for years, I finally realized it was the cause of intense migrane headaches and short term memory loss. ---------- Subject: Re: Aspartame Date: 1996/08/22 Newsgroups: ne.food I've recently switched to Stevia - an herbal sweetener that comes in liquid or powder form. It doesn't effect my blood sugar levels at all, unlike Nutrisweet or fructose. I had a hard time finding Stevia at health food stores. Found it in the *dietary supplement* section at Bread & Circus, strangely enough not in the sweetener section. Its hard to bake with because it doesn't do the same things to the consistency of the baked goods as sugar, but I don't bake much so it hasn't adversely affected my life. ------------ Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 12:02:07 -0400 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx xxxxxx, here is my story. A few years ago I decided to lose a few pounds. So I watched by fat and cut out the sugar. I bought diet jello, soda, etc. and it all contained aspartame. Within a week I started having headaches, my head felt stuffed up and generally not feeling like myself. I made an appointment for a physical. A couple of days before my appointment, my mother saw on our local news a story about aspartame and the sideeffects. My mother said to me you have all the side effects. Lets cut out all the aspartame and see what happens. So I stopped all the aspartame and and within a few days I started to feel like my old self. I know it was the aspartame because about a month later I accidentally had a piece of gum with aspartame in it and within 15 min. had a splitting headache. I know avoid aspartame all together. ----------- Subject: Re: DHEA Date: 1996/08/08 Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs I was recently very pleased to find that I could purchase DHEA troches here in Sydney Australia. What I need to know is- what do they make the actual troche from. Mine is very green and has a very strong mint flavour as well as being quite sweet. The Pharmacist trained in the USA so I presume he follows the same recipe. I am concerned that the troche may contain aspartame (nutrasweet) and artificial coloring. The day after a use a troche I have a migraine and visual disturbances much the same as if I inadvertently ingest either of the above mentioned substances. ---------- Re: lost memory Date Mon, 2 Sep 1996 12:57:26 +0100 Newsgroups alt.support.headaches.migraine BTW it's been a lot better since I eliminated aspartame. ----------- Re: soft drinks as triggers? Date 2 Sep 1996 05:05:14 -0400 Newsgroups alt.support.headaches.migraine I stay away from diet soda due to the fact I react negatively to the asparatame and/or nutrasweet. (are they the same)? Anyway, those give me a headache so I stay awa from it in all products. ----------- Re: nutrasweet and diarrhea Date Mon, 02 Sep 1996 19:17:14 GMT Newsgroups misc.health.diabetes [diarrhea] The very same thing had been happening to me, so as an experiment I stopped drinking anything with Nutrasweet in it. The d_____ .problem stopped cold, and hasn't recurred. I now drink tea with sweet & low. ------------ Date: 23 AUG 1996 13:29:36 GMT Newgroups: misc.health.diabetes, rec.food.drink, sci.med.pharmacy, misc.health.alternative Subject: Re: Artificial Sweeteners was Re: My Personal Nutrasweet Nightmare I have totally eliminated my migrane headaches by eliminating aspertame from my diet. ----------- Date: Fri, 30 Aug 1996 23:09:44 -0400 To: xxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxxx Subject: Nutrasweet Story I remember when Nutrasweet first came out. I liked it and started using it. I drank diet sodas (a couple each day) and used it in my coffee. After a year I became mysteriously ill. I had headaches and was nauseous most of the time. I would have dizzy spells. The doctors could find anything wrong. I became desperate after being so sick for so long and eliminated everything that contained chemicals from my life--I even quit smoking I was so desperate to find some relief. I only ate food I made myself from fresh ingredients--no prepared mixes. I finally felt well again. In time, I added things back into my diet. (I even went back to smoking--oh well) but the one thing that turned out to be a trigger was the nutrasweet. A year after I quit using it I wondered if maybe I had just been consuming too much so I tried 1 diet soda. I had the worst reaction I had ever had. I had the airplane spins and was sick as though I'd been drinking lots of alcohol (I hadn't had any alcohol). I've avoided it religiously since. Sometimes sodas get mixed up in a restaurant. Even a small amount makes me sick to my stomach. I am concerned because my reaction and others seem to be neurologically related. I am very concerned because they now use it in children's food. Everyone is so worried about Joe Camel appealing to children--what about nutrasweet! It's scary to think the affects it could have on children as they are developing. Yet it's put in foods that are specifically targeted to children. I don't get it. I cringe everytime I note a new children's product with it. And now that it's going off patent people can't rely on seeing the Nutrasweet trademark prominently displayed. Now people like me will have to read ingredients labels carefully. Most won't even notice. People will be less likely to suspect they are having a reaction to it when it becomes an ordinary food additive like riboflavin so reactions to it will be less likely to be diagnosed. At least get it out of children's food! ------------ Subject: UPDATE- caffeine and Nutrasweet Date: 1996/08/30 Newsgroups: alt.support.anxiety-Panic I recently stopped using anything with caffeine and Nutrasweet (aspartame) in it.... I am happy to tell you I HAVE noticed a difference in my anxiety levels. It took a few days for the effects to start, and perhaps for my body to detoxify itself. But I now believe I will avoid these altogether. I was a diet soda Junky and now am drinking regular (non-caffeine) Pop and lots of flavored water. The results have been worht it for me.... Just thought it might help someon else out there... ------------ Subject: Re: Diet Softdrink =3D Migraine Trigger? Date: 1996/08/28 Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine >Is the a link between diet softdrinks and migraines? YES YES YES!!! One of my worst! I think it is the nutra sweet. ----------- Subject: Re: Nutrasweet Date: 1996/08/09 Newsgroups: alt.support.eating-Disord I missed the original post, but this is an interesting subject. For a long time while "dieting" I used to get really bad headaches and just passed it off to stress, hunger, whatever. I finally came to realize that they were being caused by Nutrasweet. It never fails, every time I imbibe the stuff I get a raging headache, and I don't normally suffer from headaches. It's happened to me accidentally, too, so it's not just "in my head". Since I started bringing it up to people, I've found out that I'm far from being the only one to suffer such side effects. Anyone else notice anything similar? ----------- Subject: Re: Novel words and repetition and popsicles! Date: 1996/08/12 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.autism My son loves popsicles. His favorite was orange until I moved him to sugar free and then he got hooked on Dole! We finally had to take them away all together -- between the Nutrasweet and the food coloring, he was out of control. ------------ Subject: Re: MY EYES HURT HELP! Date: 1996/08/15 Newsgroups: alt.support.diet.rx I had a problem with dry eyes, very thick mucousy tears, etc. for quite some time. My doctor (and my eye doctor) mentioned allergies and getting older, but didn't really help. Then I read in some holistic publication that aspartame contains something like 10% wood alcohol, and excess use can cause eye problems. Since I was drinking about 6 diet sodas/day, I took note of this and decided to quit. My eye problems cleared up immediately. I don't use aspartame (Equal) any more,, and find that cold water is just as satisfying to me as the diet sodas used to be. Hope this is of some help. ------------- Subject: Re: Aspartame Date: 1996/08/24 Newsgroups: ne.food Back in the early '80s I was a bit of a Diet Pepsi fiend - probably consuming 4 to 6 cans a day at work. One day I was in the John reading the newspaper when I noticed a odd flickering. The flickering became so bad that I couldn't read any more. Aside from flickering, everything had rainbow fringes around it. Now I suppose 10 years earlier, I might have paid good money for a drug that did that, but the accompanying headache - and the need to be able to read - made this an unpleasent and frightening experience. I drove home (foolish youth!) and in about 2 hours of laying in a dark room the headache disappeared. My opthomologist said I had a classic migraine headache. Maybe, although I never heard anyone describe symptoms like that to their migraines. I don't remember how many additional episodes it took before I decided to heed a co-workers earlier advise that I stop drinking that poison. Aside from an additional episode when I drank some Crystal Lite at a picnic, I've never had those migraines again. ------------- Subject: Re: WARNING! NUTRASWEET IS A NEUROTOXIN Date: 1996/08/24 Newsgroups: alt.support.mult-Sclerosis Look, I don't know exactly how badly it reacts with others, but most of my symptoms faded when I stopped drinking diet coke. I'm not trying to tell people to stop or keep going, just relating my own experience. For all I know, it could just be a remission. I've been off diet coke for several months now, and the only thing that still bothers me from time to time is the fatigue. ----------- Subject: Re: Diet Softdrink =3D Migraine Trigger? Date: 1996/08/25 Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine >Is the a link between diet softdrinks and migraines? I have definitely found a relationship between aspartame and my ha's. I have eliminated diet sodas, etc. from my diet and found some improvement. ------------ Subject: Re: Diet Softdrink =3D Migraine Trigger? Date: 1996/08/26 Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine Nutrasweet is murder for me! I tried to start drinking diet/caffeine free cokes, and developed terrible headaches almost on a daily basis. I can use saccrin in my ice tea w/o any problems, but n/s is a major trigger. ------------ Re: UPDATE- caffeine and Nutrasweet Date Fri, 30 Aug 1996 17:20:37 GMT Newsgroups alt.support.anxiety-panic I also stopped drinking diet soda and anything with NutraSweet in it a few years back. Within a few weeks there was a noticeable difference. I stopped feeling shaky and sick all of the time and the panic and anxiety symptoms didn't disappear (I am still dealing with it) but they did get better. I hope this can help someone else! ------------ Re: Need supplement advice Date Sat, 31 Aug 1996 05:29:43 GMT Newsgroups bit.listserv.autism I can't help with the aggression, but as far as the itchy back goes, several members of my family had this and a medical friend suggested the removal of nutrasweet and other artifical sweeteners ....and it worked! No more itchy back, sounds crazy but you might want to try it, I doubt you're letting him drink diet soft drinks :-) but you'd be amazed at what nutrasweet is in (ie like childrens vitamins...). I could swear I've also read about it in relation to aggravating exzema, maybe someone else can comment. ----------- Date: Thu, 29 Aug 96 00:52:14 PDT To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: My lack of response I am feeling better, in fact I haven't felt this good in years! Thanks for the concern. I ended up going in the hospital for 2 weeks. The week before I went into the hospital I weighed 378 lbs. on a very broad but only 5'6" frame. When I got out I weighed 315 lbs. and I now weigh 310 lbs. I was so full of fluid that I could hardly move. I am still aspartame free. The joint pain in my hands and fingers, though still there, is not debilitating. I suspect what I am feeling is probably arthritic. I am going to paste the diary I never finished here and then notate the complaints: May 12, 1996 I have been free of aspartame now for 2 weeks. Today I received all the articles from Betty, and printed them out. I noticed that dry mouth is a symptom of aspartame poisoning( what I choose to call this situation ) and that I have not experienced this for over a week now. I also started noticing yesterday that I am getting some more feeling in my legs and feet. It is in short periods like a light switch being turned on and off but mostly off. But it's there. I need to list the problems that I am experiencing: 1.) Dry mouth [ * mostly gone I am on a ton of diuretics] 2.) Loss of feeling in my legs,feet, hands, and to some degree my forearms.[* diminished but some probably due to fluid expulsion] 3.) Joint pain in all the joints of my 10 fingers, wrists(mostly), elbows and shoulders(frequently) [* 90% gone] 4.) Insomnia [* better but I have sleep apnea] 5.) Vision--Blurred( snaps in and out ), floaters(occas.), "fogginess" both vision and mentally(occas) [* about gone but I need to have eye exam because of diabetes] 6.) Depression--- Dr. has given me an Rx for Paxil 7.) Fatigue- always tired [* great except when sugars get too high] 8.) Palpatations [* gone] 9.) Sudden aprehensions [* gone] 10.) Vertigo, different degrees(occas.) [* very, very rarely] 11.) Locomoting--unsteady gait, loss of balance [* not even close to the degree I experienced in the past] * Indicates 8/29/96 notation ------------------------------------------------------------------------ May 13, 1996 Today I am having a terrible time with joint pain in my fingers, but worst of all in my shoulders. It's rainy today. I have been disoriented most of the day and have had to really think hard to accomplish mundane tasks in the lab. My vision is foggy and at times blurrs. Today is day 18 without aspartame. _____________________________________________________________________________ May 14, 1996 Ditto fingers and shoulders. Vision ok __________________________________________________________________________ May 15,1996 Fingers are much better even though it's rainy! Rt. shoulder is still painful. ------------------------------------end of diary---------------------------- I hope this is of some help to you. I'm sorry I didn't keep it up but I was already getting sick at this time. I'm sure there was a profound withdrawal reaction that I experienced, and it was really bad for a time. If you can use this info or any of my e-mails you have my permission to use it to help others. I am carrying on the crusade but people are difficult to convince, or they are playing ostrich with their heads in the sand. Thank you! ---------- To: xxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxxx Subject: Aspartame Consumer Safety Questionnaire Aspartame Consumer Safety Questionnaire: Name: xxxxxxxxx Age: 39 Sex: Male City: xxxxxxxx, British Columbia, Canada I have had many medical problems as the result of Aspartame (Sweet Death). Q. Why do you believe aspartame caused these problems? A. The problems presented themselves after only a few months of consuming food products with aspartame. Q. Did the symptoms go away when you stopped using the products? A. Yes, but it took some time for the symptoms to subside. Q. Did you see a Doctor? A. Yes. Q. Did the Doctor think it related to aspartame? A. No, he related it to stress, caffeine, etc. Aspartame never entered the picture. Q. Did you report problems to FDA? A. No. I only reported the problem to my Doctor. He displayed a lot of interest in my findings and wanted to know where he could find more information. Q. What specific products were you consuming? A. Gum (One pack per day) and diet drinks (about one per day). Q. How long have you been consuming these products? A. About 5-6 months. As time marched on, I consumed more products. MY SYMPTOMS: 1. Diziness 2. Severe headaches 3. Confusion 4. Numbness and tingling of extremeties 5. Chronic fatigue 6. Irratibility 7. Rapid heart beat, Tachycardia 8. Nausea 9. Diarrhea 10. Burning urination 11. Burning of eyes I hope this gives you an idea of what this stuff does to the poor consumer... ---------- Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 22:54:01 +0600 To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxxx Cc: Betty Martini , hroberts@pbfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us Subject: RE: Your aspartame story to Betty Martini I broke my hip in 1975 and the doctor told me to expect the onset of arthritis. Four years later I had severe neck pains that became a stifling dull ache. The VA hospital diagnosed me with osteoarthritis in the neck. About that time along came aspartame and because my six-foot frame was carrying 195 pounds I decided to use it vice four spoons of sugar in my 12 ounce mug of coffee. For upwards of fifteen years I consumed aspartame in the product Equal... approximately 32 packets a day. Since around 1982 I have experienced long periods of time with strong arthritis-like (very limiting) pain and over the years I tried just about every arthritis medication brought to market. Only one, Daypro, did much of anything positive. When it first came out I got a prescription for it and it made me feel ten years younger (pain-level and limitations wise). But only two and a half months later it quit! I have since learned that many doctors prescribe it for its painkilling capabilities, and that a large percentage who take it for an extended time discover that it stops working. Since 1979 I have visited approximately twenty different doctors, and NONE of them ever told me that my problem was NOT arthritis. By 1989 my pain had become so bothersome and limiting I spent $17,000 borrowed dollars to build a home addition, in which to house a heavy-duty two-seater medical-grade jacuzzi that cost $5700. Two to four soaks a day kept me suitable for work (not much else) until 1995, when I had progressed to the point where getting in and out of the tub was becoming dangerous (tinnitus and a balance mechanism I could no longer trust) and more significantly, a fifteen to twenty minute soak at 105-108 degree water only benefited me until I cooled down. This very expensive aid was no longer worth the effort. Over the years I did have some very significant mood changes, all negative, and dark. My ability to recall events, people and even electronic procedures (things I have done often during my 41 years in the business!) became severely degraded, and often this was a source of embarrassment. My eyesight also changed for the worse, almost as if though on a schedule. I saw a specialist on the tinnitus and he could find no cause. A little over three years ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. No history of it on either side of my family. At 83 my grandfather Firring had a grossly enlarged prostate that made him stop working (self-employed) and finally made him bedridden until he had an operation... but no cancer. Eight years ago, my father who had complained of severely limiting arthritis pains expired from his decision to not treat a urinary problem... but no cancer. I seriously entertain the idea that aspartame had a role in my cancer, which has destroyed all capacity for completely enjoying my wife of thirty-five years, cost thousands of dollars to treat, and continues to cost around $800.00 a MONTH to contain! Sometime after radiation treatments for cancer my left hand slowly became numb. Later, in early 1996, it began in my right hand. The muscles and joints on my right arm between the elbow and shoulder became a serious limitation to dressing, work, and everything else. Starting around early 1995 I began to experience very severe shooting-stabbing pains... anywhere and any time. Pains bad enough to stop me from whatever I was doing, cause me to wince, grimace, and sometimes cramp up... and almost always embarrassing. The heels of both feet had long bouts of what I called burning heels, very painful and limiting. I had not slept well in years... and purposely stayed up very late (one to three in the morning) so I would be tired enough to overcome the pain. (Over the counter pain products such as Motrin, Advil, and the like were out of the question because in order to be effective I had to take far too many of them, and I had already been told I had liver damage.) Of course, this compounded the problem, and during the last three years the lack of decent rest has also affected my work. Between diminished mental powers, ever increasing pain, and falling asleep on the job things were going downhill very fast. Like the proverbial snowball going down the hill! The only thing that made my desk job palatable was several years ago I purchased an expensive executive-style high-back (on casters) chair that minimized the discomfort. About the beginning of this year I began occupying in an identical chair I have in my home-office, all day long... and often slept in it as well. Around 1994 I stopped taking baths (I used to enjoy sitting and soaking in very hot water because it helped reduce the pain) because getting in and out of the tub... even changing positions, became too much of a painful problem. My lovely wife is less than half my size (100 pounds vice 245, four foot eight vice six foot) and she was not able to help much. So despite my onetime insistance on looking sharp, my appearance and hygiene suffered, as well. Around the beginning of 1996 I settled for what the hospital calls "sponge baths". On several occasions during 1995 I started to walk down four steps from the kitchen to my home office... steps I had used for 22 years, and without warning I found myself at the bottom, sprawled on the floor, wondering what had happened. I am still wondering, but now that I have discovered the SOLE cause of my most major affliction... aspartame, I wonder a lot less. During 1995, realizing my condition seemed to be getting worse at an accelerating rate, I installed a heavy-duty bannister going up those four steps. Where once I was an excellent mechanically-inclined handyman, installing it was no longer an easy task. For the first half of this year the bannister was essential to my entering and leaving my house. I often used a cane. Once, at dusk, I stumbled while in the middle of the street, lost my balance, and wound up spraining my foot and had to use crutches. On one occasion I felt so bad I had to use a motorized cart to do the shopping with my wife. (I used to do all the shopping, without any problems!) After that I contented myself with driving my wife to and from the store... until I stopped doing even that around the end of May. In essence, I was not unlike a large ship with a significant leak that had taken on the critical mass of water, just to the point of beginning to plunge to the bottom. In the words of my wife. Over the past two years, in particular, she could only sit by and pray, and watch me rapidly degenerate on all fronts: mood, capabilities, attitude, memory... you name it. She confessed to my daughter how frustrated she was that she could only watch, and brace herself for the day that I would no longer be around. There were several crushing episodes of me crying like a baby on her shoulder, in total agony at my loss of control and worsening condition. Those episodes reinforced her feelings that my days were numbered. After her tragic childhood in Spain, losing her mother to cancer, and many of her family to other tragedies... she didn't deserve to have her primary reason for living... die! Yet, after seeing the rhumatologist, spending lots of money on tests and exotic drugs to perhaps counter some equally exotic disease, all to no avail, I actually wondered to myself if Kevorkian had a full dance card! The ONLY thing good that came out of seeing this specialist... was his assurance that my pain should NOT be from arthritis. So when all his remedies failed, I knew to keep looking for something else. Then, around the fifteenth of June, shortly after writing that specialist off as yet another waste of time and money, I chanced to discovered the real cause of my affliction while surfing the Internet... one of the few things I could still do and do well. The cause of years of worsening pain, ever-greater physical limitation, negative and marriage threatening mood and attitude changes, failing memory, failing eyesight, and perhaps even the cancer and tinnitus... was a US GOVERNMENT APPROVED POISON called ASPARTAME! Now, going on ten weeks after stopping all use of aspertame, I have no more shooting-stabbing pains or burning heels, no more use for the bannister, greatly reduced pain, almost no numbness in either hand, a fluctuating visual condition that makes me believe my body is trying to repair the damage, and now that I can see the light at the end of that proverbial tunnel, my mood and attitudes have improved dramatically. I am once again shopping with my wife, working around the yard, picking up after myself (mainly because I can bend or kneel... and get UP again!). Only time will tell how much of the damage is permanent. Of course, the prostate cancer can't be erased. Likewise, the years of lost participation in family life, and the significant income wasted on non-cures, can never be undone. The knowledge that this was allowed to happen by my own government, and further condoned by a powerful senator through inaction, sickens me at heart. With all my being I wish for them all the hottest spot in hell! ---------- Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 12:04:22 -0500 (CDT) To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxxx.xxxx Subject: aspartame case history I took the "no aspartame test" some ten years ago now after hearing that it caused headaches and depression. I was in the middle of a major depressive episode, and had been drinking some 6-8 Diet Cokes per day (I was in college; it was available at meals and I was trying to watch my weight). After a couple of months off of the soda, I was at a speaking competition and doing very well, so in a good mood and functioning well. I purchased a can of diet soda and drank it; within minutes I felt teary and was shaking. I've not had so much as a stick of nutrasweet gum since that time and have had no more depressive episodes. I attribute this to staying off of nutrasweet. Thanks for spreading around the information--I've passed it on to friends and family too. ---------- Date: 5 JUL 1995 00:03:00 GMT Newgroups: misc.health.diabetes Subject: ALTERNATIVE SWEETNERS/STEVIA I agree with you:) I am one who gets seizures from aspartame and I am also chemically injured from formaldehdye. I cannot use this artifical sweetner as per my medical situation and Drs orders... ---------- To: xxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx.xxx Subject: Nutra Death Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 11:36:22 -0400 For years I have been wary of NutraSweet and products containg aspartme. Me and my father managed to convince my mother that nutrasweet was responsible for her aching legs and migraines. Since she quit, the aching in her legs has gone away, and she has had only one migraine since she quit, and it has been at least three years. I also had a friend at college who had crippling menstural cramps, and convinced her to quit nutrasweet as well. The cramps all but disappeared. .... ---------- America Online Email Subj: Nutrasweet Date: 96-08-25 13:48:04 EDT To: xxxxxxx I don't mean to be an information pig, but could you please send me all of the articles you mentioned in your message board posting? I am new to this board, and I was just passing through on my way from the Lyme Disease board and it caught my eye. I have noticed for three years, ever since I got Lyme disease, that I have had strange reactions to diet drinks. I get very shaky before meals, especially if I've had a diet Coke. I also cannot drink more than two per day or I get shaky. I used to drink Cokes by the two-liter bottle. I've noticed that sometimes my stomach gets very upset just by drinking a small amount of aspartame or from chewing gum. I've had bad migraine headaches also. I've blamed all these problems on Lyme disease, but now you all have me wondering if aspartame could be a contributor. Thanks for the info! (I've also noticed that I feel better on weekends, at home. I don't drink this stuff on weekends!) ---------- Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 12:40:55 -0700 To: xxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx.xxxx Subject: aspartame experience I quit using aspartame about a month ago because I was experiencing fuzzy headaches, memory loss, and word poverty in my speech, along with chronic fatigue. Some of the symptoms occurred immediately after drinking diet cola. I am feeling much better with my energy level much improved and words are coming to me much more fluently in my conversation. I haven't had any more of those fuzzy headaches that make it difficult to concentrate or even read. The most noticeable improvement is the disappearance of chronic depression and anxiety. Where can I get more information on the documentation of aspartame health affects? The newsgroup called ?"nutrapoison" was responsible for leading me to believe that aspartame could be the root of some of my problems. Let me know what I can do to help spread the truth about aspartame. I'm a registered critical care nurse so I need to be able to back up my assertions with good research. ---------- Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 11:41:14 +0000 Subject: Re: What is Nutrasweet? To: Multiple recipients of list HERB NutraSweet is anything BUT natural. In addition to potentially causing headaches it can also induce asthma attacks along with a host of other problems. Also, it really hasn't been studied for "long term" effects. I was having headaches which ceased once I stopped using it. There is a natural herbal sweetener that is not derived from sugar called Stevia. It has zero calories and no chemicals. Stevia is under scrutinization by the FDA for safety although its been used in Europe for many years. From the articles I've read it would appear that NutraSweet was very expensive to develop. As you know, you can not patent an herb and so Stevia is a huge threat to the makers of NutraSweet and they will do anything and everything to prevent the product from being developed into an over-the-counter sweetener (including lobbying the FDA to disallow the distribution of the herb). Right now in the USA you can buy Stevia at the healthfood store but the label may not contain any information of product use as a sweetener. ---------- Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 07:05:29 -0700 To: xxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxx Subject: Re: Aspartame (NutraSweet)/Brain Cancer I some times get head aces from aspartame and therefore will avoid it, but also it tastes absolutely terrible (bitter) to my mouth. I am 56. My younger sister actually becomes ill from ingesting this chemical. She is 46. I don't know how accurate all of your posting is, but there is definitely something wrong with aspartame! ---------- To: YEAST-L@PSUHMC.BITNET (Multiple recipients of list YEAST-L) Date: 96-05-31 14:42:03 EDT Subject: Re: Nutrasweet, was Re: Small towns Quite interestingly, I had absolutely no problem w/ nutrasweet or MSG 'till I consciously went w/o them for 8 months or so. I did it because Nutrasweet can cause intestional spasming (amongst other things)--the last thing I needed when my gut hurt all the time anyway. Also, I found all carbonation (even Perrier) to be irritiating when I was in die-off. MSG was giving me headaches so I decided to hold off on it for awhile too. I looked at it as an experiment. As my above diet coke episode indicates, I recently tried to have nutrasweet and I reacted. And I react worse to MSG than ever before. My naturopath says that the body's immune system can get worn down so much that it doesn't send off red flags for some harmful things. Once we give the body a rest and heal the immune system, then it has the energy to set off red flags for harmful substances. I think this is what happened for me. .... -----------