-------------- Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Aspartame I wrote you in August. I got off of aspartame on August 22nd. It just sent FDA a message, I hope it got to the right place. I couldn't find what I wanted. It had a comment page that I sent but I think it was for comments for Internet page. Here is what I sent to them: I am sending you notification that I think that aspartame is a very dangerous substance. It is what caused me to have slurred speech, lost most of my reflexes, dizziness, hives, balance and coordination, my heart would pound hard when I would be sitting, I had trouble sleeping, nightmares, I had to have help tying my shoes. I was having a terrible time concentrating. I had to have my daughter do my bills at work. I was tested for all kinds of things. I was checked for stroke, heart trouble, Lupis, Multiple Sclerosis. I had a Cat Scan, and a MRI. I had about $5000 dollars worth of tests, and the Doctors couldn't figure out what was the cause. I have fibromyalgia, and aspartame made it much worse. I have been in terrible pain for years. It took me about 70 days to get aspartame out of my system and now I am in less pain than I have been in for years. All of my symptoms left except one, I am still having difficulty concentrating. Please consider taking this hazard off the market. Since I have been free of aspartame, my husband and many other people have noticed that I am able to do many things that I haven't been able to do in YEARS! I had drank aspartame in diet drinks evetry since it came out. I had no idea that aspartame was what was causing most of my problems until I started doing research on what could cause slurred speech. I don't want anyone to go through what I have been through. I thank God that I found out before it was TOO LATE! ----------------- Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 18:40:35 -0500 (EST) To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: nutrasweet/hypoglycemia/seizures I am 26 years old and I have never had a serious medical condition in my life. Recently, I began having blackouts, feeling rather run down, and I was having frequent mood swings. I consider myself to be in excellent physical condition and watch my diet religiously. Not very long ago, I was taken to the hospital while having one of my supposed seizures, or blackouts. I tend to stray away from "seizure" because as soon as the word is brought up you are labeled epileptic. While at the hospital, I was put through all of the usual tests when someone is said to have had a seizure. The tests, C-T scan, MRI, and ECG, did not reveal any obvious problems. So, for lack of anything better, my brilliant(Hahh!!) neurologist diagnosed me with epilepsy. At the same time I was also having problems with my blood sugar being too low. He didn't even try to link either of my two problems together into a feasible diagnosis. You can understand that I was feeling angry, depressed, and thoroughly confused. It wasn't a week after I had been released from the hospital and I had another "seizure". My girlfriend and I thought back through the events of the prior days and nothing seemed irregular. While in the hospital my physician placed me on Dilantin, an anti-convulsive medication, and it was supposed to alleviate my problem. Obviously it wasn't working. My girlfriend and I then began thinking of anything that we had changed in our lifestyles in the last six months since these problems occurred. We found an article on the adverse effects of nutrasweet and became very curious. Then we discovered it. With our efforts of keeping a strict diet I began consuming large amounts of Crystal Light. I liked the powdered drink mix because by the package I just assumed it was flavored water. I never drank any diet sodas so I really never encountered Nutrasweet to a very high degree. Soon I was consuming 6-10 gallons a week along with my normal water intake. I did not experience any immediate problems, at least we don't think so. Then came the problems that I have discussed. Since then I have found a doctor that believes in my reaction to Aspartame, and has discontinued my medication. I am now trying to restore my life to the way it was before my Nutrasweet problem. Due to my seizures, my driver's license has been suspended for six months. ----------------- Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Legal Action against Monsanto I have been off aspartame for some time now and I have been under the care of a fine doctor to rid myself of the chemical. My confusion (getting lost on the way home) disappeared as soon as I stopped consuming aspartame. But it is apparent that brain damage has been done, because my memory has been seriously reduced. I have difficulty remembering the names of my students, or any other new information. I am considering a suit against Monsanto and/or the FDA seeking damages, but have not yet consulted an attorney. Are you aware of any law suits by individuals like myself against Monsanto or PepsiCo? I would appreciate any information you have that could be of assistance to me in this effort. Thank you for everyting you have done. If it weren't for you I would still be doing brain damage to myself courtesy of these criminals. ----------------- Date: Tue, 04 Nov 1997 11:07:52 -0500 Subject: Aspartame To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Let me first commend you and your "partners in crime" for the work that you do in reference to aspartame and it's ill effects on the human body. As a sufferer of aspartame poisoning, I feel quite strongly that you and your people may have gone as far as saving my life. At the least, you people are responsible for improving my quality of life by an exponential amount. I was diagnosed with type II diabetes a little over 3 years ago. Like a scared little diabetic, I was concerned for my health enough to make several changes in my lifestyle, to improve my overall health and to try to keep my diabetes under control. I began using Equal in my coffee,(4 cups/day) and I began drinking diet Pepsi, about 4 per day. I tried to use as many products with aspartame as possible. During the next 2 years, I lost 55 lbs, much to the delight of myself, my family, and my doctor. But during these 2 years, my health began to suffer, and I started experiencing many problems that no one, including my doctor, associated with aspartame useage. As a matter of fact, everyone, including myself, thought that most of my problems were my "advancing age" (46 now). The problems I had were as follows; indigestion (used Rolaids like candy), headaches, almost every morning,(used Advil almost everyday). severe mood swings, memory loss (mostly short term), my vision deteriorated, insomnia, and finally vertigo. When I began the dizziness associated with vertigo, I again went to the doctor thinking maybe I had a clogged artery to my brain. My doctor could find absolutely nothing wrong with me. He scheduled me for a "fasting" blood test the next morning. The next morning I took a thermos of coffee sweetened with aspartame in the truck, to drink on the way to work after the blood test. That morning, I felt great...no dizziness and no indigestion. When I got to work, bam...I had a dizzy spell. I thought for a minute as to "what did I do from the time I left the lab, until now?"....it hit me like a ton of bricks....an almost forgotten memory of the controversy over the approval of aspartame. I searched the Web and ended up at your sight. The rest is sort of history. I stopped using aspartame products, and all the symptoms went away, almost immediately, except...I fear my eyes are permanently damaged, and my short term memory has improved, but is a long ways from what a man my age should be experiencing. I am now on a "one man" crusade in work, to educate my fellow workers and friends to the dangers of aspartame. I have been successful with 4 individuals, who are now on the mend, and who also NEVER associated their medical problems with their use of aspartame. ----------------- Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 08:09:41 GMT To: MSLIST-L@techunix.technion.ac.il Subject: Re: Effects of alcohol? Now also Diet Coke I have had more than 1 doctor warn me about nutrasweet. Funny, I don't use it anyway... because my first time ingesting it resulted in hallucinations and the most incredible anxiety I have ever experienced. I ran into my mother's bedroom crying and insisting that my room was haunted. I told her that things were flying around and my digital display on my clock had changed from green to blood red and was dripping. Thing was.... I didn't even know I had had nutrasweet. A friend of mine had made kool-aid with it, and we had gone for a picnic at a fishing peer. I asked her if she had put "anything special" in the kool-aid and she said.... just "equal." I put it in the back of my mind, until one day (about a week later), I hear on the radio that there were people having bad reactions to nutrasweet, including hallucenations. I called the FDA that afternoon. They sent someone over to interview me, and gave me Searle's address (the manufacturer). I sent for more information and FDA reports and such. This was before the internet and before they began putting it into every diet food on the market. What I read about aspartame (nutrasweet) astounded me, and I never touched the stuff again. I got very habitual about reading labels and asking people if what they had given me had aspartame in it. I also made a point of educating people about it, as much as I could. My sister has had a seizure disorder since she was a child. The constantly told her it wasn't epilepsy. Oddly enough, her new neurologist and a second opinion just confirmed that it IS epilepsy. ROTFL (as if we didn't know). Anyway, she had been on her usual "epilepsy" meds for her seizure disorder (that still cracks me up) since she was in 3rd grade. Only one grand mal seizure when she was about 13. We felt that had to do with her getting her period the first time and the hormonal changes affecting her brain. From the time she was 32 or so, she started to have petit mal seizures again. No one could figure out why. Then, one day, about 2 years ago, she revealed to me that it was very common for her to drink 3-5 diet cokes a day. I was so upset. Here she was... just the person who shouldn't be drinking that poison!!!! and now she is having small seizures again? I asked her to promise me that she would quit the diet cokes and drink regular ones for 2 weeks.... just as an experiment. She hasn't touched one since, or had any seizures at all. .... ----------------- To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Aspartame Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 13:14:02 -0400 (EDT) Yes I am off of Aspartame completely!! Have been feeling good. Haven't had any seizures and have been able to cut back on my Dilantin. I am also cutting out caffeine now. Of course my neurologist won't admit that Aspartame has anything to do with seizures, he just laughs when asked that question. But I do know that I didn't have seizures until I was 19 years old, (after I started drinking diet soda) and am not having them now (off of diet sodas and all other Nutrasweet). My CT scan and MRI were both normal and doctors can't explain why I had seizures. EEG did show seizure activity, so I know I was not just crazy. I would be curious to see if my EEG is now improved. But that costs a lot of money, so I guess I'll just enjoy my new and improved lifestyle and keep my fingers crossed. Cutting back on the Dilantin has also given me more energy! ----------------- Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 22:54:11 -0400 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: xxxxxxxx Guestbook I have been plagued with unknown health problems for 3 years. Been to several doctors, had all kinds of tests run, and after the tests confirmed I had nothing wrong, and I was still having seizures, I begin to eliminate foods from my diet, I still had all kinds of problems, such as fatigue, heart palpitations, hypertension, abdominal pain, hair loss, memory loss, vision loss, to name a few, but the seizures were the worst. When I eliminated Equal from my diet 6 weeks ago, I have not had another seizure, and all other ailments except the irregular heart beats have improved. I wish I knew the long range damage of Equal to my body, and I might have a better outlook on life. Do you know a lawyer working on this for the people with damage to their health from Nutrasweet, and where can I contact them. ----------------- Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Detox update - good news! I just wanted to let you know how I'm feeling after two weeks away from Nutrasweet. You may remember I had spoken to xxxxx xxxxxxx about a non-pharmaceutical for my excruciating insomnia - well, I no longer need one, as I sleep through the night now. The only lifestyle/dietary change I've made is the elimination of aspartame (Diet Pepsi, more specifically). I still consume caffeine every day. I was very concerned about gaining weight, because of my history of eating disorders, but so far, so good. I think I'm eating more, but haven't gained an ounce. The flashing lights in my eyes have settled down, and I can't wait until my retinal specialist examines me Monday - he's skeptical about the aspartame link, but when he sees my improvement, perhaps he'll be more convinced. My kids have noticed changes in my demeanor - I meet them outside when they get off the school bus, rather than them finding me exhaused in bed at 3 p.m. I'm also much clearer in the morning, and not prone to agitation. I'll keep you apprised of my progress along the way, and thank you so much for all the valuable information to which you have directed me. ----------------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 16:56:50 +0800 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: allergic to sweetners I found your list of reactions to nutrasweet while searching for something else. I thougt I would let you know i finnally discovered the cause of my terrible itchy skin afer 4 monthes of lotions potions doctors and even a naturopath. No one could help it was only after discussing with someone the possiblity of it being something I was eating that I began a process of elimination. After one week of no I felt better after 2 no more symptoms. So now to loose weight I am exercising more. After reading your list I will now stop all my family having any. ----------------- Date: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: apertame >im a long haul trucker whos been driving safely for 20 years.last year >i was in a accident caused by a dizzy spell or seizure.i would drink >large amounts of coffee with a aspertame sweetner along with chewing >large amounts of gum containing aspertame.usually 8 to ten packs a >night.i believe my accident was a result of aspertame [updated] Im sorry i just read your last e-mail. I am fine. I dont use aspertame.honestly Im not happy about the lack of awareness about the problems with this piosen. im going to restart looking for a lawyer again in a last ditch attempt to hold them responcable for the dizzy spell that i had.I dont think the law firm Ive got for my workers compensation thinks its worth his time.but I know what happened. i know what i did to stay alert [chew lots and lots of gum with this product.and drink diet sodas .but in the end if it fails at least [thanks to your web sites] i know what caused my dizzy spell and also my wife and kids avoid this poisen to. ----------------- Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Aspartame and choking I try not to eat anything, chew gum, or drink anything that contains NutraSweet. A few years ago I realized that sometimes when I chewed gum, I would choke and lose my breath for several seconds, which is VERY scary. It then became apparant that it only happened when chewing gum with NutraSweet in it. I know only one other person that this happens to--we call that kind of gum "choker gum". Do you know why it affects some people that way? I read what you had to say about phenylalanine on the internet. Why isn't it banned?! It's disgusting! ----------------- Subject: Re: Aspartame Date: 1997/12/22 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.autism I also was interested in the aspartame post. I've taken myself off it for years because it caused migraines, irritability, cloudiness in thinking. I used to consume large amounts in college when I was trying to conform to the anorexic body image prevailing at the time. Now I wonder how many people out there are drinking diet Coke while conversing with their shrink! ----------------- Subject: Re: Aspartame Date: 1997/12/22 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.autism Thanks for the info. I took Logan off it totally about a year and a half ago, and his language and "with-it-ness" increased dramatically within a week. Been suffering ffrom depression for a couple of years now. Don't know why I didn't think of it. I am addicted to diet coke. Guess I am now "on the wagon" ----------------- Date: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Aspartame Poisoning? I have spent much of this afternoon reviewing, with interest, the material on your web site, along with that on the xxxxx web site and that of xxxxx, as well as the xxxxxx Web Site. This was prompted by a several weeks of ongoing severe headaches and throat irritation that had gone unexplained. I had come to the conclusion that perhaps allergies were at play, and started to watch for what brought on the symptoms. The last two evenings, symptoms were brought on severly by the same apparent cause: extra large, fast food Diet Cokes! Over the past 3-4 months, I moved from my prior job to create a startup business. I am a software designer and developer and have spent a great deal of time at home creating a new software program. As a result, my intake of Diet Coke has increased dramitically. However, I did not begin to expect this was a problem until the past two evenings. I have cut out these drinks as of today, and will monitor whether this causes the symtoms to subside. If you would like, I will report back to you after a period of time. Thanks you for your efforts to make this informaiton available. The first site I found was the xxxxx site. I was quite discouraged as I though I had identified the problem. Only when I followed my other search links did I realize the whole truth might not be there. [update] Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Aspartame Poisoning? Thanks for the follow up. Yes, I have sworn off aspartame since my first message on 6/22/97. My symptoms disappeared and have not returned. Frankly I was amazed. This has caused me to look more carefully at other stuff going into my body. Note that I did not give up coffee initially. This was on my list of possible causes also. Much later, I did give it up, but long after (months after) my symtoms had disappeared. ----------------- Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: NutraSweet victim some very disturbing information on Nutrasweet on the WEB a few months back. After reading the information I stopped drinking Diet Coke and diet sodas immediately. I had been drinking Diet Coke for about four years or so, pretty much on a daily basis (Meaning one or two a day). For about the last two years I had some increasing pain on the inside bone of both elbows. I thought it may have been an old hockey injury. I started to get very concerned when the pain was persistant and seem to be getting worse to the point of having great pain when lifting not so heavy objects. I remembered when I had started drinking diet sodas. That was the only constant variable in my diet in the past years. The pain got to the point of being too severe to ignore. I happened to look up on Nutrasweet on the WEB and found an abundance of negative information. One particular report mentioned that sore joints was one of the symptoms. I have not injested diet sodas since then and am happy to say the pain is 90 % gone. Coincident? Maybe.......I don't think so. I hope that I haven't done anything too irreversable at this time. I did coincidently drink a couple of quarts of freshed squeezed vegetable juice each week during those years. A friend of mine owned a juice store at the time and (like a bar) I would stop in a couple of nights a week for a :drink". During that time (approx. 5 years) I only had the flue once. (note: I am not a health or excersise fanatic) I am sorry about the long winded note, but I thought you might like to hear my story. ----------------- AOL/Allergies, Immune Disorders/Food Allergies Subject: Re: "Diet" Drinks Date: Tue, Dec 23, 1997 9:40 AM However, I have had a different encounter with Nutrasweet and all aspartame- based products. This summer I was diagnosed as not only having asthma/allergies (already knew that) but also chemical sensitivities to phenol & formalin (formaldehyde precursor). In my reading, I found an explanation for the aspartame reaction I had. Once ingested, there is apparently a reaction with aspartame in the intestines which produces formaldehyde. Even a small breath mint with Nutrasweet can make my bronchii inflame to the point where I can't even get enough air to speak. My face turns grey-blue, I get agitated (I usually stay calm during an asthma attack), and I'm exhausted for several days. Once I cut out all Nutrasweet, it stopped. Although you have not run into this extreme, you may want to look into chemical sensitivities. It's possible that you have run into a chemical sensitivity rather than a straight allergic reaction. ----------------- AOL/General Health Discussions/NutraSweet Subject: Help re: PKU sensitivity Date: Tue, Dec 23, 1997 4:05 AM I have had several episodes of sensitivity to Nutrasweet. I try to avoid it but have accidently ingested it in punches that contained diet sodas. It seems to affect my brain function & I feel irritable & edgy. ----------------- Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: Looking for brain tumor information Since that day that you wrote me I stopped completely the use of neutrasweet. My intake per day of this molecule was huge. Now, the dizziness is gone I hope that it did not kill too many neuron cells or created any genetic damage. What is very interesting is the participation of Dr. R. Wurtman in this issue. As long as it was politically convenient for him he helped the struggle against the FDA. When he needed approval from them for Redox (another medical disaster), Neutrasweet became O.K. It makes me very angree when he appeared on the CNN after 24 patients already were diagnozed with valve damage and stated that Redox is the safest drug on the market for this purpose. At the same time the damage to the neurns was showed in tissue culture. I am a scientist myself and I know how political and monetary advantages can change their scientific opinion and kill many people. ----------------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 21:16:50 -0400 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: aspartame Thank you very much for your time and devotion to this cause. In the first week of August, I was searching for a cause for my mom's neuropathy and abdominal pain. Thanks to your website I have an answer. I can't convince mom's doctors that this is the cause. Most doctors seem to be brain dead. They just think it is normal in diabetics to develop severe abdominal pain. Since I am convinced, I am going full swing into educating the public. I am going to hand out flyers entitled DIET COKE ALMOST KILLED MY MOTHER at the store where mom bought her poison as well as picket the FDA. My parents live about 5 miles from the FDA. I don't want to step on anyones toes. Let me know if you would like to in anyway coordinate my efforts so that I don't go off half-cocked so to speak and do no good! Mom has passed the 60 day mark with little improvement except her arthritic pain is gone and her B/G level is much more stable. She still has severe abdominal pains which is treated by percocet and weak legs. She is using about 1/4 as much insulin. She is confined to a nursing home because it became impossible for my 76 year old father to care for her. I have talked to so many people who are affected by this poison. I rarely consumed it but couldn't understand about 8 months ago feeling very strange every time I ate dinner at my folks. At one time I had to stop my car on the way home because of a rapid heartbeat. Thought I was having a heart attack. While writing this letter, I went outside to talk to a friend, a junk dealer named "Popeye". He told me about getting tunnel vision and convulsions after consuming crystal light at his brother-in-laws house. ----------------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Re: nutrasweet danger I AM xxxx FROM MEXICO CITY, SORRY FOR MY BAD ENGLISH, ALL I WANT TO SAY IS, I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING IN THE WEB, FOR THIS POISON CALL ASPARTAME. NOW I KNOW MANY THINGS ABOUT IT, I AM AN HYPOGLUCEMIC PERSON, BUT I ALWAYS REFUSE TO TAKE NUTRASWEET. IF I HAD JUST ONE DIET COKE, I FELT REALLY BAD, CAFFEINE AND NUTRASWEET ARE LIKE A BOMB FOR ME. I AM AN AEROBICS INSTRUCTOR, AND I LOVE TO SEARCH FOR NUTRITION FACTS. WHEN I TOLD MY CLIENTS ABOUT THIS, THEY QUIT TAKING NUTRASWEET, AND BELIVE IT OR NOT NOW THEY IMPROVED, AND NOW THEY CAN FOLLOW THE CLASSES AND THE RUTINES MUCH BETTER. ----------------- Date: Tue, 02 Dec 1997 16:30:01 -0500 Newsgroups: alt.support.epilepsy Subject: Re: Warning to all with seizure disorders I don't know how it works with seizures but eliminating aspartame from my diet made my migraines go away..from an average of 3-4 month down to none ----------------- Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 20:06:49 -0400 (EDT) To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: So glad you're better When you last wrote I couldn't see any change in my health. Shortly after that, about 80 days after stopping aspartame, I am feeling much better. I may still have seizures, but I'm managing WELL on only 400 mg. dilantin daily. Before even 500 mg every other day was not helping. I hope to decrease the dilantin sometime and see if, by any chance, the seizures are gone. I will do that under my neurologist's direction. Right now, I do not feel like changing anything. ----------------- Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx Subject: Aspartame keeps diabetes out of control This is not very scientific but I wanted to write to you about my mom's experience with aspartame. She takes medication to control her sugar and never is able to get it under control. She also drank lots of diet soda and ate things with nutrasweet, jello, pudding, cookies, etc. The doctor told her to give it up and start taking shots. She decided to find a new doctor. About this same time. (Last April, I think) I got your articles via e-mail after reading about you and immediately called my mom. My dad answered and I told him about it. From that moment on no diet soda etc. And immediately her sugar count began going down and came under control. About 2 months ago she drank Crystal Light for 3 days. Because she had it around for my nephew and she thought what the heck. Well her sugar went sky high, so she stopped. Two weeks ago she had 3 diet root beers in one evening. The next morning, it was sky high again. I think she is now convinced. I wish we could convince my sister to stop (weight problem) and not allow my 3 yr old nephew to drink it. But she said she is cutting down. I did share the recent article with her about it affecting conception, as she is trying to get pregnant again. At least she didn't drink it while pregnant. Thanks for all your information and I hope this helps prove even more what you say. My boyfriend is a pilot and he has quit drinking any diet soda. He never ate foods with it, and he is sharing that info with other pilots. Keep up the good work and have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a Blessed Holiday Season. I hope my story makes sense. I am not a great writer. ----------------- Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 11:57:39 -0800 Newsgroups: alt.med.fibromyalgia Subject: Re: Caffeine, aspartame and sugar. Thumper I get a horrible headache and diarrhea from nutrasweet. It took me a long time to trace it back to diet pepsi. I read an article a few years ago that suggested nutrasweet had been linked in some way to some type of neuro problems. I don't remeber if it was brain tumors or strokes. Headaches were a symptom though. It seems to me that saccharin causes bladder cancer in rats. But like you said, the human equivalent was an outrageous amount. I don't recall the human equivalent in the nutrsweet tests. It is probably the same way. ----------------- BiSleep Discussion Forum http://bisleep.medsch.ucla.edu/discussions/clinicalP/messages/msgs00179.html RE: Subject:Nutrasweet & Vitamin B 12 for DSPS I would be interested in the Nutrasweet correlation myself. I have insomnia and a digestive disorder, The digestive problem got lots better when I stopped Nutrasweet products. The insomnia is always worse when my digestive problem is active so . . . I just am very curious. ----------------- Subj: Re: Aspartame and Immune Disorders Date: 97-07-14 23:27:10 EDT To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx I have not had aspertame for at least 6 months. I do drink regular sweetened drinks and overall feel better than before, hard to explain, but definitely there is a difference. ----------------- Subject: Re: Aspartame Date: 1997/12/22 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.autism I am allergic to Aspartame (I have CFS or ME) as is my son with autism. We both get a bad sore throat. ----------------- Subject: Re: Skipping Beats Date: 1997/12/18 Newsgroups: sci.med.cardiology Funny you should mention them going away. It seemed to me at the time, that they [the PVCs] occurred sporatically throughout the year. I went through the Holter monitor test and the doctor pretty much said that I didn't have anything to worry about. Since then, I started surfing the web and various other journals in the library. I have all but eliminated the following two chemicals from my diet; phosphoric acid (found in cokes, diet cokes and pretty much any caramel colored soda pop) and nutrasweet (equal, etc). The PVCs rarely occur these days (that was a year and a half ago). I still consume caffeine (2-3 cups per morning) and I exercise moderately 2 to 3 times per week. I am 34 years old and have a history of heart trouble (I was born with a hole in my heart - the hole was repaired but a severe murmur remains to this day). ----------------- Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 23:11:24 -0600 Newsgroups: alt.support.crohns-colitis Subject: Re: Nutrasweet question I was a frequent user of Diet Coke and used Equal for sweetening breakfast cereal. I gave it up about 4 yrs. ago. It seems to aggravate my guts and I have some very frequent, severe headaches. I seldom get the headaches now, but the gut problems come and go (CD for 18 yrs.) ----------------- Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 14:37:05 -0400 Sender: Low Carb Support List Subject: Re: artificial sweetners > I seem to have an intolerance to Nutrisweet whereby I break out all > over when I use much of it. I don't break out, but I have found that if I use more than a couple of packets a day, my gums will bleed. If I stop using it, the bleeding stops. I've decided to switch to stevia. .... ----------------- Date: Fri, 3 Oct 1997 20:22:46 -0700 Sender: Low Carb Support List Subject: Re: Headaches If I were you I would look to aspartame. It gives me terrible headaches - but it took forever for me to make the connection because they show up during the night after an indulgence and they feel a lot like sinus. I take one feverfew capsule every day now because I believe that the aspartame triggers the migraine type pain. .... ----------------- Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 21:44:53 -0500 Subject: Re: [FIT-L] Aspartame and appetite To: FIT-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU I too wrote a couple of postings to this list regarding the same subject. I am an active male, age 50, non-drinker, physical fitness devotee. I quit drinking four to six(average) diet soft drinks per day. I lost ten pounds! ------------------