READER FEEDBACK

[SIDE EFFECTS]  04/16/2008: Mike H from Winter Springs, FL writes: "Aspartame: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

If a product is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and composed of natural ingredients, would you assume it is safe to consume?

If the same product is an artificial sweetener, would you assume it helps control your weight?

Millions of people use aspartame, the artificial sweetener known as NutraSweet™, with these assumptions in mind.

Aspartame can be found in thousands of products such as:

* instant breakfasts
* breath mints
* cereals
* sugar-free chewing gum
* cocoa mixes
* coffee beverages
* frozen desserts
* gelatin desserts
* juice beverages
* laxatives
* multivitamins
* milk drinks

'

* pharmaceuticals and supplements, including over-the-counter medicines
* shake mixes
* soft drinks
* tabletop sweeteners
* tea beverages
* instant teas and coffees
* topping mixes
* wine coolers
* yogurt

However, aspartame's tainted history of approval and potentially toxic ingredients cast serious doubt on the safety of this sugar substitute. Furthermore, aspartame may actually increase your appetite (Farber 52).

While the FDA approval may signal the green light for safe consumption, 85 percent of all complaints registered with the FDA are for adverse reactions to aspartame, including five reported deaths. A closer look at the unscientific studies, suspicious approval methods, and its harmful ingredients, reveal the hidden dangers of this artificial sweetener. In reality, aspartame poses a public health threat.

Ailments Resulting From Aspartame

The components of aspartame can lead to a wide variety of ailments. Some of these problems occur gradually while others are immediate, acute reactions.

A few of the many disorders associated with aspartame include the following:

* Birth Defects

A study funded by Monsanto to study possible birth defects caused by consuming aspartame was cut off after preliminary data showed damaging information about aspartame. Additionally, in the book, While Waiting: A Prenatal Guidebook, it is stated that aspartame is suspected of causing brain damage in sensitive individuals. A fetus may be at risk for these effects. Some researchers have suggested that high doses of aspartame may be associated with problems ranging from dizziness and subtle brain changes to mental retardation.

* Cancer (Brain Cancer)

In 1981, an FDA statistician stated that the brain tumor data on aspartame was so "worrisome" that he could not recommend approval of NutraSweet.(14)

In a two-year study conducted by the manufacturer of aspartame, twelve of 320 rats fed a normal diet and aspartame developed brain tumors while none of the control rats developed tumors, and five of the twelve tumors were in rats given a low dose of aspartame.(15)

The approval of aspartame was a violation of the Delaney Amendment, which was supposed to prevent cancer-causing substances such as methanol (formaldehye) and DKP from entering our food supply. A late FDA toxicologist testified before the U.S. Congress that aspartame was capable of producing brain tumors. This made it illegal for the FDA to set an allowable daily intake at any level. He stated in his testimony that Searle's studies were "to a large extent unreliable" and that "at least one of those studies has established beyond any reasonable doubt that aspartame is capable of inducing brain tumors in experimental animals ... " He concluded his testimony by asking, "What is the reason for the apparent refusal by the FDA to invoke for this food additive the so-called Delaney Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act? ... And if the FDA itself elects to violate the law, who is left to protect the health of the public?"(16)

In the mid-1970s it was discovered that the manufacturer of aspartame falsified studies in several ways. One of the techniques used was to cut tumors out of test animals and put them back in the study. Another technique used to falsify the studies was to list animals that had actually died as surviving the study. Thus, the data on brain tumors was likely worse than discussed above. In addition, a former employee of the manufacturer of aspartame told the FDA on July 13, 1977 that the particles of DKP were so large that the rats could discriminate between the DKP and their normal diet.(12)

* Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is actually recommending this chemical poison to persons with diabetes, but according to research conducted by a diabetes specialist, aspartame: 1) Leads to the precipitation of clinical diabetes. 2) Causes poorer diabetic control in diabetics on insulin or oral drugs. 3) Leads to the aggravation of diabetic complications such as retinopathy, cataracts, neuropathy and gastroparesis. 4) Causes convulsions.

In a statement concerning the use of products containing aspartame by persons with diabetes and hypoglycemia, the researchers says:

"Unfortunately, many patients in my practice, and others seen in consultation, developed serious metabolic, neurologic and other complications that could be specifically attributed to using aspartame products. This was evidenced by the loss of diabetic control, the intensification of hypoglycemia, the occurrence of presumed 'insulin reactions' (including convulsions) that proved to be aspartame reactions, and the precipitation, aggravation or simulation of diabetic complications (especially impaired vision and neuropathy) while using these products ... Dramatic improvement of such features after avoiding aspartame, and the prompt predictable recurrence of these problems when the patient resumed aspartame products, knowingly or inadvertently."

Another researcher stated that excitotoxins such as those found in aspartame can precipitate diabetes in persons who are genetically susceptible to the disease.(5)

* Emotional Disorders

In a double blind study of the effects of aspartame on persons with mood disorders, findings showed a large increase in serious symptoms for persons taking aspartame. Since some of the symptoms were so serious, the Institutional Review Board had to stop the study. Three of the participants had said that they had been "poisoned" by aspartame. Researchers concluded that "individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this artificial sweetener; its use in this population should be discouraged."(18) One researcher stated about aspartame, "I know it causes seizures. I'm convinced also that it definitely causes behavioral changes. I'm very angry that this substance is on the market. I personally question the reliability and validity of any studies funded by the NutraSweet Company."(19)

Additionally, there are numerous reported cases of low brain serotonin levels, depression and other emotional disorders that have been linked to aspartame and often are relieved by stopping the intake of aspartame.

* Epilepsy/Seizures

With the large and growing number of seizures caused by aspartame, it is sad to see that the Epilepsy Foundation is promoting the "safety" of aspartame. At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 80 people who had suffered seizures after ingesting aspartame were surveyed. Community Nutrition Institute concluded the following about the survey:

"These 80 cases meet the FDA's own definition of an imminent hazard to the public health, which requires the FDA to expeditiously remove a product from the market."

Both the Air Force's magazine, Flying Safety, and the Navy's magazine, Navy Physiology, published articles warning about the many dangers of aspartame including the cumulative delirious effects of methanol and the greater likelihood of birth defects. The articles note that the ingestion of aspartame can make pilots more susceptible to seizures and vertigo. Twenty articles sounding warnings about ingesting aspartame while flying have also appeared in the National Business Aircraft Association Digest (NBAA Digest 1993), Aviation Medical Bulletin (1988), The Aviation Consumer (1988), Canadian General Aviation News (1990), Pacific Flyer (1988), General Aviation News (1989), Aviation Safety Digest (1989), and Plane & Pilot (1990) and a paper warning about aspartame was presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Aerospace Medical Association (Gaffney 1986).

A hotline was even set up for pilots suffering from acute reactions to aspartame ingestion. Over 600 pilots have reported symptoms including some who have reported suffering grand mal seizures in the cockpit due to aspartame.(21)

Why don't we hear about these things?

The reason many people do not hear about serious reactions to aspartame is twofold: 1) Lack of awareness by the general population. Aspartame-caused diseases are not reported in the newspapers like plane crashes. This is because these incidents occur one at a time in thousands of different locations across the United States. 2) Most people do not associate their symptoms with the long-term use of aspartame. For the people who have killed a significant percentage of their brain cells and thereby caused a chronic illness, there is no way that they would normally associate such an illness with aspartame consumption.

How aspartame was approved is a lesson in how chemical and pharmaceutical companies can manipulate government agencies such as the FDA, "bribe" organizations such as the American Dietetic Association, and flood the scientific community with flawed and fraudulent industry-sponsored studies funded by the makers of aspartame.

Erik Millstone, a researcher at the Science Policy Research Unit of Sussex University has compiled thousands of pages of evidence, some of which have been obtained using the freedom of information act 23, showing: 1. Laboratory tests were faked and dangers were concealed. 2. Tumors were removed from animals and animals that had died were "restored to life" in laboratory records. 3. False and misleading statements were made to the FDA. 4. The two US Attorneys given the task of bringing fraud charges against the aspartame manufacturer took positions with the manufacturer's law firm, letting the statute of limitations run out. 5. The Commissioner of the FDA overruled the objections of the FDA's own scientific board of inquiry. Shortly after that decision, he took a position with Burson-Marsteller, the firm in charge of public relations for G.D. Searle.

A Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) was conducted in 1980. There were three scientists who reviewed the objections of Olney and Turner to the approval of aspartame. They voted unanimously against aspartame's approval. The FDA Commissioner, Dr Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr. then created a 5-person Scientific Commission to review the PBOI findings. After it became clear that the Commission would uphold the PBOI's decision by a vote of 3 to 2, another person was added to the Commission, creating a deadlocked vote. This allowed the FDA Commissioner to break the deadlock and approve aspartame for dry goods in 1981. Dr Jacqueline Verrett, the Senior Scientist in an FDA Bureau of Foods review team created in August 1977 to review the Bressler Report (a report that detailed G.D. Searle's abuses during the pre-approval testing) said: "It was pretty obvious that somewhere along the line, the bureau officials were working up to a whitewash." In 1987, Verrett testified before the US Senate stating that the experiments conducted by Searle were a "disaster." She stated that her team was instructed not to comment on or be concerned with the overall validity of the studies. She stated that questions about birth defects have not been answered. She continued her testimony by discussing the fact that DKP has been shown to increase uterine polyps and change blood cholesterol and that increasing the temperature of the product leads to an increase in production of DKP.(13)

Revolving Doors

The FDA and the manufacturers of aspartame have had a revolving door of employment for many years. In addition to the FDA Commissioner and two US Attorneys leaving to take positions with companies connected with G.D. Searle, four other FDA officials connected with the approval of aspartame took positions connected with the NutraSweet industry between 1979 and 1982 including the Deputy FDA Commissioner, the Special Assistant to the FDA Commissioner, the Associate Director of the Bureau of Foods and Toxicology and the Attorney involved with the Public Board of Inquiry.(24)

It is important to realize that this type of revolving-door activity has been going on for decades. The Townsend Letter for Doctors (11/92) reported on a study revealing that 37 of 49 top FDA officials who left the FDA took positions with companies they had regulated. They also reported that over 150 FDA officials owned stock in drug companies they were assigned to manage. Many organizations and universities receive large sums of money from companies connected to the NutraSweet Association, a group of companies promoting the use of aspartame. In January 1993, the American Dietetic Association received a US$75,000 grant from the NutraSweet Company. The American Dietetic Association has stated that the NutraSweet Company writes their "Facts" sheets.(25)

What is the FDA doing to protect the consumer from the dangers of aspartame?

Less than nothing.

In 1992, the FDA approved aspartame for use in malt beverages, breakfast cereals, and refrigerated puddings and fillings. In 1993 the FDA approved aspartame for use in hard and soft candies, non-alcoholic favored beverages, tea beverages, fruit juices and concentrates, baked goods and baking mixes, and frostings, toppings and fillings for baked goods.

In 1991, the FDA banned the importation of stevia. The powder of this leaf has been used for hundreds of years as an alternative sweetener. It is used widely in Japan with no adverse effects. Scientists involved in reviewing stevia have declared it to be safe for human consumption--something that has been well known in many parts of the world where it is not banned. Some people believe that stevia was banned to keep the product from taking hold in the United States and cutting into sales of aspartame.(26)

What is the U.S. Congress doing to protect the consumer from the dangers of aspartame?

Nothing.

What is the U.S. Administration (President) doing to protect the consumer from the dangers of aspartame?

[SIDE EFFECTS]  04/05/2008: Phyllis from Knoxville, USA writes: "I am in very good health,and do not take any kind of medications.I have been having symptoms that were horrendous for 2 months.In hindsight I have been having puzzling problems for years now,but as my body became more poisoned with time,I played my own doctor...My symptoms were very blurry vision,tired all the time,falling asleep at the drop of a hat,feeling as though I was "high" all the time and could not focus on a thoughtand the bathroom visits!!!!I thought for sure I had colon cancer or something of that nature.It finally dawned on me! The diet pop I drink, the Splenda,I use in my coffee...I immediately stopped all consumption,and it is amazing,within 24 hours, I had a clear head...My visits to the bathroom ceased....my swollen stomach,no longer existed...My eyesight has been the best it has ever been...I have been experiencing withdrawal headaches...I am trying oil pulling as a remedy.I will NEVER consume any products that contain these poisons!!!and they should be outlawed!!!"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  03/27/2008: Heather from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas writes: "My husband drinks Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi and also Coke Zero made with Splenda. I cant seem to get it through his head that these are bad for him because he switched to these and lost a bunch of weight so he thinks that they are good for him and tries to get me to switch to them instead of regular sodas. Does anybody have any ideas on how i can get this information through to him? Please email me at my email above and let me know. Thanks!!"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  03/11/2008: Sharon from Valdosta, Georgia writes: "I have had a very large uterine fibroid. Three months ago it was about the size of a small cantaloupe and could easily be felt. When last measured by ultrasound a couple of years ago it was the size of a 14 week pregnancy. I did not want the prescribed historectomy and have been looking for a natural cure. About Jan 8 I made some changes in my lifestyle and my fibroid is now the size of a baseball or smaller. I don't know which things have worked but, these are the changes I've made: Started Lougaol's Iodine (6-7 drops per day) BSM 1 TBSP per day, dramatically rudeced wheat consumption, regular excercise, switched to bottled water and no flouride tooth paste, and now what it turns out may be the MOST important thing. I went from drinking 2-3 diet pepsi's per day to maybe one or two a week. I will now cut that out completely after reading the report I'm attaching to here \http://myaspartameexperiment.com/ I strongly encourage anyone who consumes Aspertame and suffers from any type of tumor to read about this experiment and STOP Aspertame now!!!!"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  03/03/2008: TERRY from Brownwood, Texas writes: "I have been off of Aspartame for 6 days now, caffeine 4 months. I wear charcoal based Odor Eaters. For the past 3-4 days, I have been in excruciating pain in both legs. I don't know if this has a relationship to the 40 plus years I had been on Aspartame or not. Could it possibly be pulling the poisoning out of me? I quit wearing them for two days thinking that was what is happening. The joint pain is awful. Has anybody ever heard of anything like this?"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  03/03/2008: Anita F from Browns Mills, New Jersey writes: "i'm seeking a cure for this stubborn 10 pound weight gain in my hips, thighs & buttocks. gone from a size 4 slack size to a 10. i've stopped using splenda since 2006 & despite using almost every weight loss supplements, exercising 5 Xs a week & eating like a bird/orgainic & vegetarian,. i've been unable to get back to size 4 slacks, ' my cellulite must be holding on to the splenda chemical. is there anyone else who has this problem & how can I lose this extra girth in my hips. i've been VERY depressed.i'm trying my ankle weights again with leg lifts. will building muscles reduce the size of my thighs? thanks so much. i am a performer & must look & feel trim & youthful."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  02/28/2008: Anonymous from Altoona, WI writes: "Two years ago, I helped a friend mow lawns at her apartment complexes. She brought out a pitcher of a cold beverage, and I downed two glasses.

In a short time, I didn't feel right. For a couple days, I felt "off-kilter". I had a humming in my ears. It turns out I had consumed "Crystal Light," which has artificial sweetener.

I was skeptical when I heard artificial sweeteners were bad for people. Why would "they" put it in our food and drink, and in those cute packets for our coffee?

What I found out is shocking. These days, a person is hard-pressed to find gum, many beverages, and a gamut of consumables without it in the ingredient list. It's even in prescription medications like quit-smoking aids.

Remember saccharin? Is that still in use? The little pink packets had warning labels on them that caused cancer in lab rats. Hmmm, I think I'll pass on that. None for me, thank you very much.

I have found reliable sources to back the claim that Splenda (sucralose...sucker lose?) and aspartame are detrimental.
From Vision II: The Never-ending Rough Draft of Cures by Brian Severson (1995, '96, '97)...
Aspartame, you would not believe the problems and destruction it causes in your body- everything from brain damage to blindness, to congestion to sinus problems, hearing loss, allergies, and "dry eyes." Aspartame should be immediately and forever banned. It is a chemical poison and when ingested causes seizures, depression, memory loss, headaches, tumors, birth defects, infertility, etc.

The soft drink companies knew aspartame degrades into toxic components and protested Congress in 1983. Five pages of their objections were printed in the Senate Congressional Record on May 7, 1985. "Objections of the National Soft Drink Association to a final rule permitting the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages. Objection one: Searle has not demonstrated that aspartame and its degradation products are safe for use in soft drinks...aspartame is inherently, markedly, and uniquely unstable."

I'm telling you that even if a package is not marked "light" or "diet," it could still be in there.

There are many testimonials from people who have suffered health challenges (behavior problems, anxiety, crying bouts, certain dysfunctions, rashes, etc.). They cut out artificial sweeteners and were relieved of their symptoms.

Just do a search for "dangers of aspartame" or "sucralose testimonials." to read more."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  02/20/2008: Kirstin from Salem, Oregon writes: "I am beginning to suspect aspartame causes me to have an increased heart rate, a feeling of being "hollow" or light headed similar to what anithistimes that contain ephedra do. I have noticed this with several flavored water type beverages, even those that do not claim to be "energy drinks". I don't even consume that much with aspartame in it. Maybe twice a week... do other people have similar reactions?"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  02/16/2008: Rhonda from Anadarko, Oklahoma writes: "A few summers ago I began to have a severe reaction to the sunlight on my skin. Burning (as a chemical would), swelling, itching and then the days following the skin exposed to the sun would peel away. I thought I was having a reaction to a new sunscreen. After complaining to my mother, she reported once having the same problems. Her pharmacist told her she was experiencing an apartame overdose. I quit the diet stuff, and after a couple of weeks I was able to go back outside. What a relief to find out such a simple solution! I'm convinced the stuff is poison!"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  02/07/2008: Ginny from Minnetonka, MN USA writes: "Thank you so much for publishing information re: aspartame and its dangers. I've been hooked on it for some time and my symptoms are getting worse. I Googled aspartame side effects and chose your site. It's given me alot of motivation to quit, and then use the suggestions others have."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  02/04/2008: Stephen from Santa Fe, New Mexico writes: "Bills to Ban Aspartame in Hawaii, with New Mexico Efforts in the Background
Stephen Fox

I have focused recent years on creating through our Legislature a Nutrition Council with real powers to challenge FDA approved products, the most dangerous of which is the artificial sweetener, aspartame. Aspartame is found in 7000 food products, including Equal, sugarless gums, all of the Diet Sodas, and numerous children's medications. So what is the problem? If it is FDA approved, it must be OK, right?

Aspartame is metabolized as methanol, formaldehyde, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine, and these ingredients have increased ghastly neurodegenerative illnesses since approval was forced in 1981 by Donald Rumsfeld as CEO of G.D. Searle, the patent holder, in one of the darkest and dirtiest chapters of the history of failures at the FDA. He forced the appointment of a crony, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, as FDA Commissioner, in exchange for agreeing to approve aspartame, despite 16 years of the FDA saying no, based on the obvious and rudimentary toxic biochemistry of its metabolized components.

[Google "Rumsfeld's Bioweapon Legacy to read more, as well as Googleable articles by H.J. Roberts (Internist), Russell Blaylock (Neurosurgeon) and Betty Martini, Founder of Mission Possible International. My own best article is "Resolving the Worsening Crisis at the FDA"]. Readers should watch the free online posting of SWEET MISERY, a documentary by a victim of aspartame poisoning at Sound and Fury Productions.tv.

New Mexico State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino introduced bills to ban aspartame but they were shot down by corporate lobbying, to the tune of several million dollars just to eviscerate some true consumer protection initiatives. New Mexico legislators drinking their diet sodas capitulated when corporate theories of federal pre-emption were advanced by lobbyists, along with pointed reminders about how much they and Coca Cola or Pepsi contributed to their campaigns.

Our efforts have shifted now to Hawaii, where activists have succeeded in getting bills to ban aspartame introduced, House Bill 2680 and Senate Bill 2506. The sponsors are strong two Senate Committee Chairs, Kalani English and Suzanne Chun-Oakland, and the Speaker of the House, Calvin Say, by request of Rep. Mele Carroll.

The first salvos for true consumer protection were recently fired on KHON-2, a conservative station and Fox Affiliate in which a predictable "dealarmist" Medical school professor absurdly said "a little bit won't hurt you." However, any sentient being knows that a whole lot of little bits of poison are cumulative and end up killing you, whether through cancer, heart disease, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.

The New Mexico bills were eviscerated by lobbyists representing Ajinomoto of Japan, the world's largest manufacturer of both aspartame and MSG, as well as their duped American corporate henchmen/partners-in-poisoning who use massive amounts of Aspartame, like Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Altria/Kraft Corporate Services. Even more will show up in Honolulu, probably to include Wrigley's Gum, all of whose products contain aspartame, even more dangerous since gum releases poisons absorbed under the tongue, which go directly to the brain.

We attempt this in Hawaii to protect the health of Hawaiians; the legislators recognize the merits and take it seriously. Perhaps seeing a few more victims of aspartame poisoning might wake up Hawaiians to the urgency of these bills.

I am happy to answer questions; you are welcome to print my email address.

Stephen Fox, Managing Editor of Santa Fe Sun News
Founder of New Millennium Fine Art in Santa Fe, NM:
stephen@santafefineart.com
website: unitednationsundersecretarygeneralfornutrition.org"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/29/2008: Steve from Victoria BC., Canada writes: "I have started using Splenda about three months ago. Since then I have been getting itchy red spots on my body. I just read on your site today that Spenda can do this. I have been waking in the morning feeling like I have been run over by a truck. It is all coming to me now that since I started to use Splenda to help lose weight that these problems started to happen. I was just diagnosed as borderline diabetic. Although my wife has used it for years it just became relevant that her cough which the doctor can't find a reason for is probably another symptom of Splenda.No more Splenda for us."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/28/2008: Teacher from Midwest, US writes: "Please do not use ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS. My uncle is a world-renowned biochemist, having been a faculty member and visiting professor at many outstanding colleges and universities in the US and abroad. He advised our family many years ago about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. I am shocked that I still see them in use, with new ones on the market as well. Please I implore you, you must not trust only in what the FDA, the AMA, etc. state as acceptable for our health. Do NOT use artificial sweeteners of any kind!!! And help spread the word."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/27/2008: Maureen from Maine, USA writes: "re: Seizure control. I realized that aspsrtame brought on seizures years ago...on my own. The doctor didn't see it. Why is it not of public knowledge? Why do they not put this on the yogurts or drinks? Why does aspartame exist? It doesn't even taste good! And our body doesn't even know what to do with that sugar!! Another sugar to avoid is sucralose. I have noticed that works against me too, often bringing on a seizure. It would be nice if a GOOD sugar, such as stevia, were of normal regime in american foods and drinks. It's ok to dream! Another good thing to include in the diet to avoid those seizures is coconut oil or coconut milk! The list of benefits is priceless!"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/26/2008: Sally from Milford, Pa writes: "Both my husband and I have been using Splenda for years. Just last year my husband started getting cluster headaches. We say many doctors and no answers. One day he just thought it might be the Splenda and stopped using it. He has been without at headache for 6 months. For myself, I too was using the splenda and started getting cramps in my joints and muscles, swelling in hands and feet. My doctor thought it was Parvovirus, maybe Rheumotoid Arthritis, or Lupus. Even before going to get the blood tests I just stopped using the Splenda and in one day all symptoms were gone. I suffered with this for 3 months. Doctors really need to know about this issue. I even called the FDA but they said it needed to be bigger of an issue before they could put any warning on the box. That is really sad."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/24/2008: Chris from Lansing, Michigan writes: "On September 1,2007 I started having grand mal seizures. I continue to have them and my neurologist says I have developed epilepsy. I had no idea that artificial sweeteners would cause neurological disorders. It was a gift from God when my dentist found out about my seizures and steered me to this information. Doctors want to cover up the symptoms with medication that is actually worse than the symptoms themselves. I am going to stop all foods with aspertaime and I know I will feel better and my seizures will stop. I had funny feelings for months that were gradually getting worse and I was still putting the poison in my body. The feelings slowly got worse to the point of not being able to speak which led to the grand mal seizure. I was poisoning myself and didn't even know it. Thank you so much for this life saving information. I am going to use Stevia and pass this information to all I know. Has anyone developed siezures since using aspertaine?"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/23/2008: Stephen Fox from Sante Fe, NM writes: "Hawaiian Legislative Efforts to Ban Aspartame, Artificial Sweetener/Regarding
bills in the Hawaii Legislative session to Ban Artificial sweetener and
neurotoxin, Aspartame, House Bill 2680 and Senate Bill 2506

Stephen Fox of Santa Fe, Managing Editor of the Santa Fe Sun News and prime
New Mexico moving force behind the legislative efforts to ban aspartame,
commented on the great consumer progress implicit in these two bills in
Hawaii:

This is wonderful news coming from Hawaii; the Legislators and their bill
drafters saw the merit in keeping almost all of the same language from the
2006 and 2007 New Mexico bills, especially regarding the states' rights and
their obligation to protect citizens health, which are not "pre-empted by
massive failures at the FDA.

These New Mexico bills were overwhelmed and eviscerated in New Mexico by some
of the most vicious corporate lobbyists I have ever encountered, representing
Ajinomoto of Japan, the world's largest manufacturer of both aspartame and
MSG, as well as their duped American corporate henchmen/partners-in-poisoning
who use massive amounts of Aspartame, like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Altria/Kraft
Corporate Services, and others. The same corporations and even more will show
up in Honolulu, make no mistake! Probably to include Wrigley's Gum, all of
whose products contain aspartame, which is metabolized as methanol and
formaldehyde.

These corporations have everything to lose if such bills advance and
ultimately lead to the inevitable product liability and personal injury suits
from those damaged by aspartame, which number in the hundreds of millions,
despite their corporate serving propaganda and lies.

My profoundest appreciation goes to the numerous fine Hawaii activists who
brought up these imperative issues, and to the Legislators, Senator J. Kalani
English (Chairman of the Transportation and International Affairs Committee),
and Rep. Calvin Say (Speaker of the House), at the request of Rep. Mele
Carroll, all 3 Democrats who see the merit and need to protect the health of
all Hawaiians, no matter what duplicity is perpetuated by the top brass and
corporate lackeys at the FDA. The Senate Bill is also cosponsored by Suzanne
Chun-Oakland, Chairperson of the Senate Human Services Committee, and we
sincerely commend these fine legislators for this pre-emptive and protective
legislation.

Let's hope a few other legislators in other states recognize the importance
of this, and that the FDA Commissioner, Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach, chooses
not to ignore this urgent initiative, now coming from Hawaii, as he chose to
ignore the same effort in New Mexico as well as the letters signed by 21 New
Mexico Legislators asking him to immediately rescind the approval for this
neurotoxic poison found in 6000 food products.

It is my deepest hope that Hawaii Legislators don't capitulate to corporate-
serving theories advanced by the corporate lobbyists that states do not have
neither the right nor the power nor the obligation to challenge any kind of
Federal authority, like an FDA pronouncement.

When aspartame's history of approval is examined, it will be clear that the
FDA Commissioner at the time in 1981, Arthur Hull Hayes, was under a strong
influence to approve this chemical, no matter who objected from the medical
and scientific community, because the guy from the Reagan "transition team"
who gave him the job, Donald Rumsfeld, had been CEO of the aspartame
manufacturer, G.D. Searle. Rummy made $25 million off this deal alone!

Stephen Fox
Founder, New Millennium Fine Art
Managing Editor, Santa Fe Sun News

505 983-2002
stephen@santafefineart.com
217 W. Water St.
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/21/2008: Claudia from Bulverde, Texas writes: "I have used artificial sweeteners for 15 years. I have suffered muscle spasms, brain fog, tingling sensation all over my brain, migrains,muscle and joint pain, swelling of hands and legs, depression, anxiety, fever blisters or cold sores, last year I was diagnosed with pcos, and insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome. I recently discovered the aspartame poisoning article and decided to stop drinking or eating anything that has aspartame written on the label. The brain fog, muscle spasms and migraines are gone, the swelling in hands still there and sometimes the joint pain. It's there any way to get rid of the aspartame in my system? Please help!!"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/20/2008: Jeremy from Brantford, Canada writes: "i consume probably 3 times as much aspartame as an average person and i haven't been sick in 2 years...i don't even get flu shots...in a given year i might get a cold once for 36 hours and that's about it...just so you know"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/19/2008: Barbara from Wooster, OH writes: "need feedback on others having side effects from artificial sweetners. I am very concerned about side effects from splenda ect. I have fibromyalgia and I do suffer with migraines I am greatly concerned about my latest and most terrifying symptom. I choke very easy and sometimes on my own saliva. My throat goes into spasms and I can not breathe. Last week I was having dinner with my family and had to stop eating because I could no longer swallow. It was as if the message wasn't getting from my brain to my throat. My heart started pounding and I started shaking. I am almost afraid to eat anymore. Has anyone else experienced this problem?"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/16/2008: Jennifer from Kent, OH writes: "My brother has a severe reaction to Aspartame as it acts like MSG once digested. He gets migraines and diarrhea."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/15/2008: Martine from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, USA writes: "I quit smoking and started using breath mints with the artificial sweetener sorbitol in it. I thought the sorbitol was an all natural sweetener. Anyway, I began to notice that a half hour after taking one of these mints I would bloat up like a balloon, my stomach would get so huge you could just see it...it was wierd. I wasn't sure if the mints were the problem but since I keep them in the car and pop them into my mouth when I'm going somewhere, I always notice on my ride home I have to unbutton my pants because of the bloatation...don't know if it's the chemicals combined with the sweetener or not but i'm not eating them again."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/12/2008: Eva from New York, NY writes: "I would like to share my experience about artificial sweetners. For several years I would use 1 Equal tablet in my coffee twice a day. I was always concerned about these sweetners so after quitting smoking cold turkey (yes almost 14 years ago-everyone can do it) I decided to stop using all artificial sweetners as well. Last year I decided to join a home food delivery program mirrored after the Zone diet. This company offered desserts for some of their snacks. The first time I had their dessert I instantly got diarrea and had the shakes. I quickly called them up and asked them if they used artificial sweetners and they confirmed that they did. I knew at that point that the artificial sweetners did not agree with me anymore. My body rejected them. I had several desserts after that and got the same reaction. Furthermore I get the same reaction with Splenda which they claim is all natural. It is not . The first time I tried Splenda I can't tell you how badly bloated I became. My stomach ached and of course I had diarrea again. My head felt heavy and I was so queasy. I was so completely out of whack it was frightening. I drank tons of water to flush out my system and after a few days I felt back to normal. Artificial sweetners are chemicals and no one should be consuming them. A little natural sugar goes a long way."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/09/2008: Judy from Bonney Lake, Washington writes: "I am writing about becoming very scatterbrained and forgetful when I was using lots of splenda for baking, in my oatmeal, in drinks, etc. I have been "off splenda" for 3 months and have my mental abilities back again. Anyone else had similar problems?"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/06/2008: Vivek from New Delhi, India writes: "I am a person who has carefully observed the side effects of Aspatame. To cut down sugar intake every I started taking it in tea about twice a day and within 2 weeks of usage I developed constant terrible headaches. First I took some analagesices like Nimsulide to treat, but the headaches kept on coming back. Also I developed sinsitis like symptoms. I in meantime referred to some online articles and stopped using Sugarefree and no wonder all symptoms ceased to exist within 4-5 days. I tried to pick up Aspartame again but then suffred same symptoms. So that was it I have totally stopped its consumption, and feel better."