As a child I wet the bed, then it was nose bleeds, and then greasy skin, pimples, postnasal drip, and then headaches. I finally figured it all out when I went without dairy products for a while and felt marvelous. Anything can do anything.
I am in correspondence with one of your peers who has been burned by aspartame (ASP, Nutrasweet, Equal). Dr. Paul Toft, a chiropractor practicing in Alexandria, Minnesota, told me of his inappropriate depression; there was no reason for his sadness. He heard of the risks of taking ASP while watching a television show (television can be valuable). He was smart enough to stop anything with ASP in it, and in a few weeks he became symptom free. He found that there is a network of interested, motivated people headed by Mary Nash Stoddard. She is the president of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, P.O. Box 780634, Dallas, Texas 75378. Write for their information packet. ($15).
Aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanyl-methyl-ester) is very sweet. After ingestion it breaks down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol, all of which is a susceptible person could be toxic. Depression is one side effect, but hyperactivity, insomnia, headaches, muscle aches, and arthritis can mimic just about any disease from chronic fatigue syndrome to eosinophilic myalgia. Something like 200,000 people are getting this in about 4,000 products.
There is no reliable test except to have the patient stop taking any of the products and see if the symptoms go away after a few weeks -- just one more thing to worry about.
Think about it. You could be a hero to your patients. After all, they should be eating a normal diet of seeds, nuts, grubs, wild animals, and raw fruits and vegetables anyway. After the 11th adjustment on one of your patients for the same boring subluxation, ask what he is eating and drinking. Sounds like booze is safer than soft drinks.
Lendon H. Smith, M.D.
Portland, Oregon
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