ASPARTAME: Don't know how much to read into this... - LUPUS UK

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ASPARTAME

LloydE profile image
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Don't know how much to read into this (as I found this on facebook). The article is suggesting that people with Lupus (and other illnesses) should avoid diet drinks if they contain a sweetner called Aspartame. It suggests that consuming diet drinks can have an effect and induce a flair. One thing I do know is that certain ingredients in foods can initiate a flar in me. The other day ( I know this is bad, I was tired and too lazy to cook.) I had a Kentucky! Two pices of Chicken and Chips. After about two hours of eating it I started to get aches all over my body, the start of a migrane and my temperature shot up. Something in the secret sauce or whatever made me ill. I also can't eat Salt and Vinegar crisps, as my head ( I have a shaved bald) will be dripping sweat. There is something in the ingrediants that does that to me. Not sure what though.

As I said I found this article on Facebook, so it could be utter bull, however if stopping diet drinks for a week or so will make anyone get better it is worth sharing.

The full article is below. It is Lenghty!!!

A KILLER IN YOUR FRIDGE

SWEET POISON..A MUST READ !!

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications.... The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick she just knew she was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.

On March 19, I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.

I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I e-mailed her an article my friend, a lawyer, had sent. My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but, she sure felt a lot better.

She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda.. and literally dying a slow and miserable death

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life.If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on 'ASPARTAME,' marketed as'Nutra Sweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.

I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.

Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.

In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, 'If you are using ASPARTAME (Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs,

Cramps,

Vertigo,

Dizziness,

Headaches,

Tinnitus,

Joint pain,

Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!' People were jumping up during the lecture saying,'I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?'

Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem. Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates.

It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.'

Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the 'diet products' and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE.. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, Seizures, Depression, Manic depression, Panic attacks, Uncontrollable anger and rage.Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well. Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet.

So called 'behavior modification prescription drugs' (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed.Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place!Most of these children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis with the very foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners.

There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison.'

Herein lies the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included in 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.

Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a 'piece of the Aspartame pie.'I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.

And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians?

This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants.

The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioural symptoms.

The bill was killed.It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public. Well, you're informed now!

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LloydE profile image
LloydE
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12 Replies
Paul_Howard profile image
Paul_HowardPartnerLUPUS UK

This post has come up a few times on this site before. Here is the response I have posted previously.

"Please bear this in mind from the Lupus Foundation of America's website - lupus.org/webmodules/we...

22. Is there any truth to the claims being circulated on the Internet that lupus is caused by the artificial sweetener, aspartame?

We are aware there is an email message circulating on the Internet warning individuals with lupus about dangers associated with using the artificial sweetener aspartame. The Lupus Foundation of America consulted with the chair of the LFA Medical Council, Evelyn Hess, MD, MACP, MACR. Dr. Hess is one of the nation's leading researchers in the field of lupus specializing in environmental influences. According to Dr. Hess, there is, as of now, no specific proof of an association with aspartame as a cause or worsening of SLE.

People with lupus should always consult with their physician before making any changes in their medical treatment, diet, exercise or other routine based on information received via the Internet or other sources lacking known credentials."

LloydE profile image
LloydE in reply to Paul_Howard

As it was facebook, didn't 100% trust the source material. However certaIn foods in my opinion can cause flairs in certaIn people!!

Paul_Howard profile image
Paul_HowardPartnerLUPUS UK in reply to LloydE

You are absolutely right. There are certain foods that main cause flairs of symptoms in certain people. We often recommend people try keeping a diary for a while to see if there is a link between anything in their diet and a flair in symptoms.

farmerfester profile image
farmerfester

i can simpisise with you i to cant take this sweetener or crisps or any food with artifical flavouring but i believe i had this before i got lupus (i was given the rong cup of tea one evening and was violently sic within minutes sweetner)

Chapter profile image
Chapter

"According to Dr. Ness, there is, as of now, no specific proof of an association with aspartame as a cause or worsening of SLE." How often have we, as patients, been told that there is nothing wrong with us - we don't have Lupus - we have the flu - just allergies, before we are finally given appropriate treatment? Why? Because nobody knows for sure what causes Lupus or what all the symptoms are. This article may be written without "scientific" proof today, but maybe down the road will make a lot more sense. I, for one, don't understand why anyone puts these absolutely useless beverages in their bodies, especially people that already have compromised health. I have always tried to keep my diet as clean as I can - only eating whole foods, but hey "I still have Lupus!"

LloydE profile image
LloydE

There are times when you can take with a pinch of salt some advice from some experts. I was watching a programme on Channel 4 or BBC 2 the other day about Dr's and medicines (I think). Anyway during the interview with a Dr the interviewer asked the Dr why did he take money (legally through sponsorship) from a Drug company when he is supposed to be finding out how harmful this companies drugs were. Surely that is a conflict, but it is perfectly normal for that to happen.

A Dr says you have flu when you have Lupus, experts are not always right!

So when I see an articles like that I dont usually dismiss them so quickly (some article I do). Best way I think is as Paul said, take a diary of what you have eaten to find out which food (if any) affect you.

SarahHeney profile image
SarahHeney

This has been doing the rounds for years. I always figured it was introduced by the sugar industry to protect their sales and economies. Just my own personal thought.

LloydE profile image
LloydE in reply to SarahHeney

That is true SarahHeney. I do try to read into everything as you never know what someone motives are!!

Riverbird profile image
Riverbird

If you look at Wikipedia under the heading Aspartame Controversy, you can read about all of the problems, conspiracy theories, cross-conspiracies, supposed US government plots etc concerning aspartame and it reads more like an espionage novel! It makes very intriguing reading and I am still not sure about it all. All I know is that diet drinks have been shown to make you put on weight! I noticed the other day that some diet drinks are now abandoning aspartame and putting Stevia in them instead which is said to be a natural sweetener, so people who feel they are sensitive to aspartame might wish to try those instead. I certainly try to avoid any "chemical" concoctions in what I eat and drink as I think it is

healthier and I know that certain foods affect my symptoms too. I know I was surprised at the processed foods that contained aspartame.

If I feel the need for a fizzy these days its usually carbonated water

I find most fizzy drinks too acidic

Cma9905 profile image
Cma9905

It's not just in diet drinks. I have full fat lemonade and its in there. I have just checked the ingredients on my sons strawberry flavoured water and even that has it in!

JeanieLoiacono profile image
JeanieLoiacono

The KFC issue and those associated with processed foods, canned soups/gravies, etc is MSG. READ LABELS. If you cannot read it or pronounce it, do not put it in your body. The only ice cream I eat is Bryer's Natural Vanilla - 4 ingredients. Take Juice Plus and eat their bars - 27 fruits, veggies and berries; helps with hunger control, boosts metabolism, gives energy and it is FOOD not isolated fragmented vitamins - FOOD. Drink 1/2-1 gal of water a day. Eat a low carb, med protein and high veggie/fruit diet. Exercise EVERY DAY, not just Saturday when you "don't have anything else to do." Walk, take stairs, park your car far from the store or walk to it instead, exercise early AM (get up an hour or two earlier) because you will be too tired at the end of the day to do it and have quiet time (pray, read the Bible, Neal Donald Walsh, James Washburn, meditate, turn off all electronic devices). DO NOT drink sodas at all, not even flavored waters (they have artificial flavors and sweeteners). Dark chocolate, coffee or green tea (2 cups daily), red wine or beer (2-3 times a week one glass or bottle) is healthy. For fruits and veggies, fresh is best, frozen next, then canned. Buy from the perimeter of the grocery store. This is where the better foods are found - produce, deli, meats, dairy.

Organic whole milk is best - no BGH or BHT and you DO need the fat in your diet. Ewat nothing with partially hydrogenated anything or high fructose corn syrup - nothing. Buy real maple syrup (you don't need as much and it is so much better for you). Think natural. Feel better.

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