Betty Martini
Domain: betty at pd.org
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---------- 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
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