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Tinnitus FAQ Pointer (fwd)

Betty Martini betty at pd.org
Thu Sep 21 13:50:10 EST 1995



Betty Martini
Domain:  betty at pd.org
UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!betty

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 14:57:00 -0400
From: Betty Martini <betty at noel.pd.org>
Newgroups: alt.support.tinnitus, alt.rock-n-roll.hard,
    alt.sci.physics.acoustics, misc.health.alternative, rec.audio.misc,
    rec.audio.pro, rec.music.makers, rec.music.misc, sci.med,
    sci.med.dentistry, sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: Tinnitus FAQ Pointer

I'm replying to several inquiries I've had about aspartame and tinnitus, 
including this one, because of a previous post I did explaining that 
aspartame triggers tinnitus.  Now that didn't mean that aspartame is the 
only cause, of course, it simply meant that we see it frequently.  
Aspartame use to be in 300 products, and then 600 products, but now the 
patent has expired and it is now in 5000 products and climbing!  Some 
people really live a nightmare with this problem, and are very happy to 
learn of this trigger because when it is from aspartame it vanishes as 
soon as the toxin is eliminated.  Also, even if the tinnitus was from 
another source, it might not be easy to treat if the patient was not 
warned that a product they were using that triggers it by itself will
aggravate the problem.  And lastly, nobody should use this anyway because 
it is a chemical poison.  It is not even a diet product.  It says in the 
Congressional Record, S5511, May 7, 1985, the following:

"Aspartame has been demonstrated to inhibit the carbohydrate-induced 
synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin (Wurtman affidavit).  
Serotonin blunts the sensation of craving carbohydrates and thus is part 
of the body's feedback system that helps limit consumption of 
carbohydrate to appropriate levels.  Its inhibition by aspartame could 
lead to the anomalous result of a diet product causing increased 
consumption of carbohydrates."

Translation:  Use "diet" products sweetened with aspartame and get fat!
Aspartame was discovered by a Searle chemist testing a peptic ulcer drug, 
and it was intended to be a "drug".  It is not a food additive; consider 
possible reactions when mixed with other drugs.  It was kept off the 
market for 16 years because it caused brain tumors and grand mal seizures 
in lab animals, and thats what it is doing to the population now - and 
thats just for starters.  The FDA admits to 92 documented symptoms from 
coma to death.  Diabetics who it is pushed on should be warned it has the 
component of methanol (wood alcohol) and this is a severe metabolic poison
disastrous to the health of a diabetic, and the other components are just 
as dangerous.

In my last post I quoted two books that link aspartame to tinnitus, and 
said that most people who research and write about aspartame know it 
triggers tinnitus.  I picked up a new book yesterday called NEW CHOICES 
IN NATURAL HEALING EDITED BY Bill Gottlieb, Editor-in-Chief, Prevention 
Magazine Health Books.  I happen to look up NutraSweet in this book last 
night just to see if it was listed and here is what it says: Page 45

"Perhaps even more significant is the possible danger of many common food 
additives.  Aspartame, the artificial sweetener sold as NutraSweet and 
Equal, can cause headaches and migraines, rashes, ringing ears, 
depression, insomnia and loss of motor control, according to a study by 
the Food and Drug Administration."

I'm calling attention to his remark about "ringing ears".  It is a known 
fact that aspartame triggers tinnitus, as well as other ear problems. 
This book has a copyright date of 1995 by Rodale Press.

After my post I got a few inquiries that wanted more information, and 
requested references to double-blind studies.  I should warn you that the 
studies funded by Searle (Monsanto bought Searle in l985) are flawed and, 
in my opinion, useless.  Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, head of the FDA, 
over-ruled his own board of inquiry that said not to approve aspartame 
and went to work for Searle's PR firm and refused to speak to the press 
for 10 years.  It was requested that U.S. Attorney Sam Skinner indict 
Searle because of these flawed studies (like rats being resurrected on 
paper after they were declared dead!) but instead he went to work for 
Searle's law firm defending the case as did the U.S. Attorney after him.  
The statute of limitations gave out and Searle got away with putting a 
poison, even though its a sweet poison, in the marketplace.

Since many in this newsgroup insisted on medical documentation I notified 
Dr. H. J. Roberts who is considered the world expert on aspartame.  He 
has written books on the subject and many publications that were published 
in peer review journals.  He is a Board-certified practicing internist 
and an internationally known medical consultant and researcher.  He is 
listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in The World, Who's Who in 
Science and Engineering, and The Best Doctors in the U.S.

He is on the Active Staff of Good Samaritan Hospital and St. Mary's 
Hospital (West Palm Beach), Director of the Palm Beach Institute for 
Medical Research (since l964) and a member of many prestigious medical 
and scientific organizations - including the Endocrine Society and the 
American Academy of Neurology.  He has authored nine acclaimed books, 
three being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

I requested that Dr. Roberts write a report on aspartame and tinnitus and 
he most graciously forwarded me the attached, in the hope that it would 
warn those with tinnitus, as well as others, of the danger of using 
aspartame.  We hope you will copy it and warn others with this problem.

           PROFESSIONAL OPINION OF H. J. ROBERTS, M.D., F.A.C.P.,
           F.C.C.P. CONCERNING THE USE OF PRODUCTS CONTAINING
           ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET@) BY PERSONS WITH EAR AND
           EQUILIBRIUM PROBLEMS

It is my opinion that individuals who consume products containing aspartame,
including drugs and supplements,  should avoid them when no specific 
cause can be found for these symptoms:

	*"Ringing" or "buzzing" of the ears (tinnitus) ... some-
	   times described as hissing humming or whistling
	*Marked intolerance to noise
	*Impairment or loss of hearing
	*Marked unsteadiness or dizziness

The same precaution is reasonable for persons in whom these complaints 
are due to other disorders because they could be aggravated by aspartame, 
even in minimal amounts.

These corporate-neutral suggestions are based on considerable 
observation, research and correspondence published in more than a score 
of articles and two books:

    *	ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET@): IS IT SAFE?  (Philadelphia, The Charles
        Press)
    *   SWEET'NER DEAREST:  BITTERSWEET VIGNETTES ABOUT ASPARTAME
        (NUTRASWEET@) (West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press,
        P. O. Box 17799: 1 800-814-9800: Fax 407-832-2400)

I also have reviewed these and related problems in my two-cassette talk, 
IS ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET@) SAFE?  A MEDICAL, PUBLIC HEALTH AND LEGAL 
OVERVIEW  --1995 (Sunshine Sentinel Press).

These represent hard - won insights in the trenches of a medical 
practice. Patients and consumers should not be misled by the "negative" 
conclusions of flawed studies sponsored by vested interests.

There is no bias or malice intended against any company, distributor, 
researcher or professional who may hold contrary views.

                  THE ROLE OF ASPARTAME

Each of these components of aspartame -- phenylalanine; aspartic acid; 
the methyl ester, which promptly becomes methyl alcohol or methanol -- 
and their multiple breakdown products after exposure to heat or during 
prolonged storage is potentially toxic to the brain and inner ear.  These 
organs are uniquely vulnerable to metabolic disturbances and neurotoxins 
because of their unique metabolic requirements.  

                      REPRESENTATIVE CASE REPORT

	A 30-year-old woman drank five or more cups or glasses of
	aspartame beverages daily for 17 months.  She experienced
	ringing and pain in both ears, dizziness, a severe headache,
	and considerable loss of hearing in the left ear by audio-
        metric studies.  When brain tumor was ruled out by CT scans,
        otology and neurology consultants made the diagnosis of
        Meniere's disease.  The patient deduced that the aspartame
        drinks were responsible because she could predictably
        reproduce these symptoms on rechallenge with them.

                            A N   O V E R V I E W

In my publications, and in testimony to Congress and an FDA advisory 
group. I have expressed the belief that the current wholesale ingestion 
of aspartame products by over half the adult population constitutes a 
probable "imminent public health hazard."  My concern is bolstered by (1) 
evidence that these products may play a causative or aggravating role in 
many other medical disorders (including headaches, dizziness, confusion, 
impaired vision, convulsions, and probably brain tumors), (2) the flawed 
nature of most "scientific" studies being used to prove the alleged 
safety of these products, and (3) reports of serious reactions 
volunteered to the FDA by over 7,300 irate consumers.  

In the present context, these statistics are pertinent.

  *In my earlier report on 551 aspartame reactors (the data base is now 
   much larger), dizziness was a major problem in 217 (39%), tinnitus in
   73 (13%), severe intolerance for noise in 47, and marked impairment in
   hearing in 25.

  *The FDA (as of August 1995) had received complaints about dizziness
   and problems with balance from 737 consumers, and a change in hearing
   from 36.

  *The American Tinnitus Association found that the cause of tinnitus in
   18,000 suffers was unknown in one-third.

These complications tend to be magnified in persons with unrecognized 
hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar 
reactions), diabetes, hypertension, reactions to MSG, treatment with 
aspirin and other drugs that can irritate the auditory nerves, and 
problems associated with aging.  They become compounded by the threat of 
falls and driving accidents.

I welcome reports of such reactions, and results of the "no aspartame 
test", for our independent registry.  A 9 page survey questionnaire can 
be obtained by calling (407) 832-2408, or fax 407 832-2400.  

I have also expressed concern that aspartame products might be 
accelerating Alzheimer's disease.  The details appear in my 
just-published book, DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE:  A RATIONAL 
BLUEPRINT FOR PREVENTION (Sunshine Sentinel Press - address listed 
above).

                         H. J. Roberts, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.C.C.P.

@1995

I might add that we have Dr. Roberts' form by email.  We also ask that 
you send us your case history as well and the FDA because they state 
that only 1% actually report serious problems.  And even with them not 
accepting some complaints and referring others to the Aids Hotline, 
there were still 10,000 complaints on their April, 1995 report, almost 
80% of all reports to the FDA on additives.

This is a very serious problem folks.  Dr. Roberts did not mention what 
the breakdown products are but methanol converts to formaldehyde and 
then formic acid (ant sting poison) causing metabolic acidosis.  The
phenylalanine breaks down to DKP (a brain tumor agent).  So unless you 
are looking for free embalming I would not consume aspartame in any form.
You cannot heat aspartame because of these breakdown products, but the 
FDA forgot they have mentioned this in the past and have now approved it 
for baked goods, and many times aspartame is contained in baked foods in 
the bakery of your local grocer as well restaurant food.  Pharmacists 
are complaining about it being in drugs from cholesterol lowering drugs 
to antibiotics and many times cause the very problem the drug is suppose 
to cure.  Be careful.

The soda pop companies sent diet pop to the troops in the Persian Gulf 
and they sat 8 weeks in the 120 degree Arabian sun.  If you want to 
review my report on Desert Storm Syndrome and receive other information 
on aspartame including the history and case histories from the 
auto-responder please email me for information.  And please warn others.

            Betty Martini        Operation Mission Possible   	


	



Betty Martini
Domain:  betty at pd.org
UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!betty








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