Here you go.....lol.....aspartame hoax

[Guest guest]

Please don't take this as any type of attack.....that is not the

intention.....about a year ago.....I thought the same thing you did.....I

did further research and found this. It is long, but should answer your

questions. I hope this finds you and yours well..this info can also be

found at

http://busycooks.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://urbanlegends.A

bout.com/library/blasp.htm

Posted: 01/06/99 (Updated: 02/20/99)

By Emery

This specimen of email scarelore, in wide circulation since mid-December

1998, warns that the artificial sweetener aspartame (a.k.a. " NutraSweet " and

" Equal " ) is toxic to humans in a hundred different ways. It even coins a new

medical term for these effects: " aspartame disease. "

Most of the allegations contradict the bulk of medical evidence (see next

page), but its author offers a convenient explanation: collusion between

aspartame's manufacturers, the medical establishment, and the U.S. Food &

Drug Administration.

Far be it from me to insist that the FDA is infallible and incorruptible,

but I would point out that the agency has common sense and years of

accumulated research on its side when it maintains that the sweetener is

safe for most people. As to aspartame's critics, it doesn't help their cause

that the information presented in the email is disorganized, hysterical and

poorly substantiated:

Subject: FW: Health information on ASPARTAME

WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE

and the

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FOUNDATION

F.D.A. ISSUING FOR COLLUSION WITH MONSANTO

Article written by Markle (1120197)

I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on

" ASPARTAME marketed as 'NutraSweet', 'Equal', and 'Spoonful " '. In the

keynote address by the EPA, they announced that there was an epidemic of

multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus, and they did not understand what

toxin was causing this to be rampant across the United States.

I explained that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject. When the

temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME

coverts 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 multiple sclerosis; thus people were

being diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. The multiple

sclerosis is not a death sentence, where methanol toxicity is.

In the case of systemic lupus, we are finding it has become almost as

rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.

Also, with methanol toxicity, the victims usually drink three to four 12 oz.

Cans of them per day, some even more. In the cases of systemic lupus, which

is triggered by ASPARTAME, the victim usually does not know that the

aspartame is the culprit The victim continues its use aggravating the lupus

to such a degree, that sometimes it becomes life threatening.

When we get people off the aspartame, those with systemic lupus usually

become asymptomatic. Unfortunately, we can not reverse this disease. On the

other hand, in the case of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (when in

reality, the disease is methanol toxicity), most of the symptoms disappear.

We have seen cases where their vision has returned and even their hearing

has returned. This also applies to cases of tinnitus. During a lecture I

said " If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you

suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your

legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain,

depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory

loss-you probably have ASPARTAME DISEASE! " People were jumping up during the

lecture saying, " I've got this, is it reversible? "

It is rampant. Some of the speakers at my lecture even were suffering from

these symptoms. In one lecture attended by the Ambassador of Uganda, he told

us that their sugar industry is adding aspartame! He continued by saying

that one of the industry leader's son could no longer walk - due in part by

product usage!

We have a very serious problem. Even a stranger came up to Dr. Espisto (one

of my speakers) and myself and said, " Could you tell me why so many people

seem to be coming down with MS? " During a visit to a hospice, a nurse said

that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been

diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence.

Here is the problem. There were Congressional Hearings when aspartame was

included in 100 different products. Since this initial hearing, there have

been two subsequent hearings, but to no avail. Nothing as been done. The

drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. Now there are over 5,000

products containing this chemical, and the PATENT HAS EXPIRED!!!!! At the

time of this first hearing, people were going blind. The methanol in the

aspartame converts to formaldehyde in the retina of the eye. Formaldehyde is

grouped in the same class of dmgs as cyanide and arsenic- DEADLY POISONS!!!

Unfortunately, it just takes longer to quietly kill, but it is killing

people and causing all kinds of neurological problems.> Aspartame changes

the brain's chemistry. It is the reason for severe seizures. This drug

changes the dopamine level in the brain. Imagine what this drug does to

patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease. This drug also causes Birth

Defects.

There is absolutely no reason to take this product. It is NOT A DIET

PRODUCT!!! The Congressional record said, " It makes you crave carbohydrates

and will make you FAT " . Dr. stated that when he got patients off

aspartame, their average weight loss was 19 pounds per person. The

formaldehyde stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.

Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics. All physicians know what wood

alcohol will do to a diabetic. We find that physicians believe that they

have patients with retinopathy, when in fact, it is caused by the aspartame.

The aspartame keeps the blood sugar level out of control, causing many

patients to go into a coma. Unfortunately, many have died. People were

telling us at the Conference of the American College of Physicians, that

they had relatives that switched from saccharin to an aspartame product and

how that relative had eventually gone into a coma. Their physicians could

not get the blood sugar levels under control. Thus, the patients suffered

acute memory loss and eventually coma and death.

Memory loss is due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are

neurotoxic without the other amino acids found in protein. Thus it goes past

the blood brain barrier and deteriorates the neurons of the brain. Dr.

Blaylock, neurosurgeon, said, " The ingredients stimulates the

neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. Dr.

Blaylock has written a book entitled " EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS "

(Health Press 1-). Dr. H.J. , diabetic specialist and

world expert on aspartame poisoning, has also written a book entitled

" DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE " (1-). Dr. tells

how aspartame poisoning is escalating Alzheimer's Disease, and indeed it is.

As the hospice nurse told me, women are being admitted at 30 years of age

with Alzheimer's Disease. Dr. Blaylock and Dr. will be writing a

position paper with some case histories and will post it on the Internet.

According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians, 'We are

talking about a plague of neurological diseases caused by this deadly

poison " .

Dr. realized what was happening when aspartame was first marketed.

He said " his diabetic patients presented memory loss, confusion, and severe

vision loss " . At the Conference of the American College of Physicians,

doctors admitted that they did not know. They had wondered why seizures were

rampant (the phenylalanine in aspartame breaks down the seizure threshold

and depletes serotonin, which causes manic depression, panic attacks, rage

and violence).

Just before the Conference, I received a FAX from Norway, asking for a

possible antidote for this poison because they are experiencing so many

problems in their country. This " poison " is now available in 90 PLUS

countries worldwide. Fortunately, we had speakers and ambassadors at the

Conference from different nations who have pledged their help. We ask that

you help too.

Print this article out and warn everyone you know. Take anything that

contains aspartame black to the store. Take the " NO ASPARTAME TEST " and send

us your case history.

I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of aspartame, knows how deadly it

is. They fund the American Diabetes Association, American Dietetic

Association, Congress, and the Conference of the American College of

Physicians. The New York Times, on November 15, 1996, ran an article on how

the American Dietetic Association takes money from the food industry to

endorse their products. Therefore, they can not criticize any additives or

tell about their link to MONSANTO. How bad is this? We told a mother who had

a child on NutraSweet to get off the product. The child was having grand mal

seizures every day. The mother called her physician, who called the ADA, who

told the doctor not to take the child off the NutraSweet. We are still

trying to convince the mother that the aspartame is causing the seizures.

Every time we get someone off of aspartame, the seizures stop. If the baby

dies, you know whose fault it is, and what we are up against. There are 92

documented symptoms of aspartame, from coma to death. The majority of them

are all neurological, because the aspartame destroys the nervous system.

Aspartame Disease is partially the cause to what is behind some of the

mystery of the Dessert Storm health problems. The burning tongue and other

problems discussed in over 60 cases can be directly related to the

consumption of an aspartame product. Several thousand pallets of diet drinks

were shipped to the Dessert Storm troops. (Remember heat can liberate the

methanol from the aspartame at 86 degrees F). Diet drinks sat in the 120

degree F. Arabian sun for weeks at a time on pallets. The service men and

women drank them all day long. All of their symptoms are identical to

aspartame poisoning. Dr. says " consuming aspartame at the time of

conception can cause birth defects " . The phenylalanine concentrates in the

placenta, causing mental retardation, according to Dr. Louis Elsas,

Pediatrician Professor - Genetics, at Emory University in his testimony

before Congress.

In the original lab tests, animals developed brain tumors (phenylalanine

breaks down into DXP, a brain tumor agent). When Dr. Espisto was lecturing

on aspartame me, one physician in the audience, a neurosurgeon, said, " when

they remove brain tumors, they have found high levels of aspartame in them " .

Stevia, a sweet food, NOT AN ADDITIVE, which helps in the metabolism of

sugar, which would be ideal for diabetics, has now been approved as a

dietary supplement by the F.D.A. For years, the F.D.A. has outlawed this

sweet food because of their loyalty to MONSANTO.

If it says " SUGAR FREE " on the label-DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!l!

Senator Hetzenbaum wrote a bill that would have wamed all infants,

pregnant mothers and children of the dangers of aspartame. The bill would

have also instituted independent studies on the problems existing in the

population (seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes in neurological

and behavioral symptoms). It was killed by the powerful drug and chemical

lobbies, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting

public. Since the Conference of the American College of Physicians, we hope

to have the help of some world leaders. Again, please help us too.

There are a lot of people out there who must be warned, *please* let them

know this information.

Aspartame Warning

Part 2: A Laundry List of Maladies

More of this Feature

.. Part 1: The " Markle " Email

.. Part 3: " Scandalously Misinformative "

Comments: First off, despite the attribution at the top (absent in some

versions of the message), this text was not written by " Markle " -

whoever that may be. Its real author was one Betty i, who posted a

host of similar messages to Usenet newsgroups in late 1995 and early 1996.

The original email was penned in December 1995.

Ms. i, who is not a physician but says she has worked in the medical

profession, has waged a single-minded battle for years against what she

calls " the propaganda put out by industry and the FDA " regarding aspartame.

To that end, she founded an organization called " Mission Possible

International, " represented on such Websites as Dave Rietz's

http://www.dorway.com, which houses a vast archive of anti-aspartame

literature.

Even if we credit i with good intentions (and there's no reason not

to), it's difficult to take her email warning seriously. Among other things,

it blithely implicates aspartame as the cause of just about every malady

known to humankind. To recap the laundry list:

" The methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis... "

" In the cases of systemic lupus, which is triggered by ASPARTAME, the victim

usually does not know that the aspartame is the culprit. "

" If you...suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains,

numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus,

joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or

memory loss-you probably have ASPARTAME DISEASE! "

" In one lecture attended by the Ambassador of Uganda, he told us that their

sugar industry is adding aspartame! He continued by saying that one of the

industry leader's son could no longer walk - due in part by product usage! "

" At the time of this first hearing, people were going blind. The methanol in

the aspartame converts to formaldehyde in the retina of the eye. "

" Aspartame changes the brain's chemistry. It is the reason for severe

seizures. "

" This drug also causes Birth Defects. "

" It makes you crave carbohydrates and will make you FAT. "

" The ingredients stimulates [sic] the neurons of the brain to death, causing

brain damage of varying degrees. "

" Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics. "

" ...aspartame poisoning is escalating Alzheimer's Disease... "

" ...the phenylalanine in aspartame breaks down the seizure threshold and

depletes serotonin, which causes manic depression, panic attacks, rage and

violence... "

" Aspartame Disease is partially the cause to what is behind some of the

mystery of the Dessert [sic] Storm health problems. "

" When they remove brain tumors, they have found high levels of aspartame in

them. "

That's a dizzying array of charges - to which it's perfectly reasonable to

respond: if it's all provable, why isn't the entire medical establishment up

in arms about it? Why does the substance continue to have the FDA's

approval? Why do reputable scientists and doctors scoff?

i's answer, as I mentioned above, is pat and comes in the form of a

conspiracy theory: the NutraSweet Company has used its deep pockets to buy

all but a very few critics off. I.e., the only sources you can trust,

including doctors and scientists, are those approved by i.

Aspartame Warning

Part 3: MS Foundation: " Scandalously misinformative... "

More of this Feature

.. Part 1: The " Markle " Email

.. Part 2: A Laundry List of Maladies

Related Resources

.. Internet Health Scares

Naturally, the NutraSweet Company insists - as it has ever since it began

manufacturing the product - that aspartame is safe for nearly everyone to

use. In answer to the Internet rumors charging that aspartame is deadly,

NutraSweet has posted a rebuttal on its promotional Website. Labeling

i's allegations " egregious, " the document states: " None of the

symptoms she and her 'sources' have attributed to aspartame have been

substantiated in any clinical scientific study. "

Those who are inclined to think that's nothing but a corporate whitewash

will probably also reject the FDA's Statement on Aspartame published in

1996. The statement disputes charges that aspartame is associated with brain

tumors. The FDA has also released its own rebuttal of the " Markle "

email dated January 27, 1999. Critics will note that it agrees on most

points with the NutraSweet Company's position.

The U.K. Food Standards Agency has also deemed aspartame safe for most

people and challenged the assertions of Internet rumormongers: " Some critics

claim that aspartame is linked to a wide range of serious disorders such as

multiple sclerosis, lupus erythrematosis, Gulf War Syndrome, chronic fatigue

syndrome, brain tumors and diabetes mellitus. However, most of the data to

substantiate these claims is anecdotal and no reliable scientific evidence

is available to show that aspartame might be responsible for these

conditions, " the agency concluded.

A recent MIT study reaffirms that aspartame is harmless for most users, but

again, skeptics will object that the research was funded by a grant from the

NutraSweet Company and therefore cannot be trusted.

On Jan. 12, 1999 the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation posted its own rebuttal

of the aspartame rumors, characterizing them as " rabidly inaccurate and

scandalously misinformative. " The article was researched and written by Dr.

Squillacote, respected neurologist and Senior Medical Advisor for the

foundation. This was followed by an article published by the National MS

Society which in part stated: " Many Internet surfers came across an article

warning that the food additive aspartame was responsible for an MS

'epidemic.' In fact, none of the claims in the article were supported by

scientific evidence. "

About Poll

One anti-aspartame Webmaster says the Holocaust 'pales' beside the 'genocide

of aspartame poisoning.' What do you think?

It's absolutely true!

It's a bit overstated.

It's an absurd and offensive comparison.

Current Results

Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D. and professor of medicine and biological

chemistry at s Hopkins University, agrees. In a 1999 feature for

Intelihealth, he wrote: " A letter recently circulating on the Internet

stated that aspartame can cause a number of illnesses: multiple sclerosis

and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as Alzheimer's disease. As

far as I can ascertain, there is no reliable evidence to support the claim

that aspartame causes any of these disorders. " Responding to the claims that

breakdown byproducts of aspartame are dangerous, he added: " While it is true

that high heat can break down aspartame, there is no evidence that the

breakdown products are toxic. " In another Intelihealth Q & A feature,

gastroenterologist Lawrence J. Cheskin, also of s Hopkins, wrote:

" ...the evidence is overwhelming that there are no health risks to use of

aspartame in the usual amounts (even 64 ounces) for everyone except the one

person in about 16,000 in the United States who has phenylketonuria and

can't metabolize it. "

The American Diabetes Association weighed in with this Feb. 9, 1999

statement: " The American Diabetes Association considers aspartame - as well

as the other FDA-approved nonnutritive sweeteners saccharin, acesulfame K,

and sucralose - acceptable sugar substitutes and a safe part of a diabetic

meal plan. "

The " aspartame scare " hit the mainsream media when the Associated Press

moved a Jan. 29, 1999 article debunking the rumor. It stated that " MS and

lupus have been around a lot longer than aspartame has, and repeated

scientific studies have found no connection between the sweetener and such

symptoms. " The article cited the FDA and the ACSH, an alphabet soup that

won't be to everyone's liking.

So, for those who would rather not take anyone's word on this - Betty

i's, the FDA's, or the media's - I highly recommend taking the time to

survey the last 20 years' worth of medical research on aspartame (courtesy

of the MEDLINE database). I reviewed a good many of the journal abstracts on

file there and, taking their conclusions as a whole, it appears to this

layman that the " aspartame = death " theorists have wandered far afield from

the proven facts.

Lastly, aspartame use is acknowledged (though not without controversy) to

produce minor side effects in some people - most notably headaches (see

Aspartame Ingestion and Headaches, Neurology, 1994).

Also, the FDA warns that persons with certain medical conditions, including

pregnant women with hyperphenylalanine, should avoid aspartame:

Carefully controlled clinical studies show that aspartame is not an

allergen. However, certain people with the genetic disease phenylketonuria

(PKU), those with advanced liver disease, and pregnant women with

hyperphenylalanine (high levels of phenylalanine in blood) have a problem

with aspartame because they do not effectively metabolize the amino acid

phenylalanine, one of aspartame's components. High levels of this amino acid

in body fluids can cause brain damage. Therefore, FDA has ruled that all

products containing aspartame must include a warning to phenylketonurics

that the sweetener contains phenylalanine.

Mark E. Armstrong

www.top5plus5.com

NW Chapter Rep

Pancreatitis Association, International

Diet Soda

> Mark,

> From everything that I have researchwise does indicate that

> aspartame does have the same properties as formalgdehyde (sp?)

> Probably propaganda from the government to redirect blame for the

> gulf war disease. Wouldn't suprise me yet I've read some rather

> convincing reports from researchers.

> Guess I'm going to go away for awhile as I seem to be developing an

> attitude with life in general. I am still steaming from an email I

> saw earlier and guess I'm projecting that " God Like " attitude from

> people when there isn't one. To be honest this happened about a week

> ago when someone wrote to ask about Dr. Sutherland. I guess I felt a

> personal attack against my dad...explanation....my father was a very

> kind and gentle man. He was a surgeon and was offered the surgeon

> general's job on three differet occasions and he turned it down. He

> wanted to give back to his community. Anyway, this person after

> receiving an email from Dr. S still questioned his

> character........maybe I am being overly sensitive but in my

> judgement when a Dr. takes the time to respond personally to an email

> and makes himself available for personal phone conferences with a

> potential patient.....that says more for the person....after all, we

> have all been treated at one time or another by a physician, nurse,

> etc. who wouldn't give us the time of day.

> Didn't mean to take out my frustrations with you.........just would

> like proof disputing that aspartame doesn't cause neurological &

> other problems.

> Hope you have a good evening,

>

>

> P.S. Thanks for your website and the nightly chat group. I have

> benefitted immensly from them.

>