Aspartame Side Effects - is There a Link?

Dr. Janet Hull, who just wrote a book called Sweet Poison, talks about the dangers of Aspartame poisoning. She almost died from aspartame poisoning in 1991 and has been on a mission to spread the word to the government and anyone who will listen to tell them about her story. Dr. Janet Hull has been documenting the history of aspartame, government reports, senate hearings on aspartame safety and case history, including death. Through her research she has found that there are 92 disease symptoms that aspartame creates.

Dr. Hull notes that a lot of the symptoms suffered by those with Fibromyalgia and CFIDS are the same as some of the symptoms of aspartame poisoning. The components that make up aspartame can lead to a number of health problems. Side effects can occur gradually, immediately, or can be acute reactions. There is an enormous amount of the population that is suffering from the side effects of aspartame. For these people, they can't understand why drugs, supplements, and herbs don't relieve their symptoms.

This article really shook me up a little bit because I have always drank a lot of diet soda. I am unable now to drink as much though due to my bladder and should not be drinking any at all. No matter how many times I have tried to kick the habit, I find myself craving it enormously. I quit smoking almost 10 years ago and for me, it was easier to kick that habit then what it has been to kick the diet soda habit.

I believe that there are ingredients purposely put into these products to get us addicted so that we have to go and buy more. I just had my wake up call though after I looked on the Sweet Poison site. I will no longer purchase anything with aspartame!

If you look on the Sweet Poison site, you will see many, many side effects listed. I am just going to list the ones here that relate to the same symptoms that we have with CFIDS and FM.

Adverse Reactions and Side Effects of Aspartame

Eyes - Decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines

Ears - Tinnitus, which is ringing or buzzing sound in the ears.

Neurologic - headaches, migraines, dizziness, unsteadiness, confusion, memory loss, severe drowsiness, sleepiness, numbness of the limbs, severe slurring of speech, restless legs, tremors.

Psychological/Psychiatric - severe depression, irritability, aggression, anxiety, personality changes, insomnia, phobias

Chest - palpitations, tachycardia, shortness of breath, recent high blood pressure.

Gastrointestinal - nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, pain when swallowing.

Skin and Allergies - itching with a rash, lip/mouth reactions, hives, aggravated respiratory allergies

Endocrine & Metabolic - menstrual changes, marked thinning or losing of hair, marked weight loss, gradual weight gain, low blood sugar, severe PMS.

Other - frequency of voiding and burning during urination, excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, bloating, increased susceptibility to infection.

These are the most critical symptoms of all of Aspartame toxicity:

Death
Irreversible brain damage
birth defects
peptic ulcers
Aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
Hyperactivity in children
Severe depression
Aggressive behavior
Suicidal tendencies

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Epstein Barr
Post-Polio Syndrome
Lyme Disease
Grave's Disease
Alzheimer's Disease
ALS
Epilepsy
MS
Hypothyroidism
Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
Fibromyalgia
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
ADD

Dr. Hull shares that aspartame poisoning is commonly misdiagnosed because aspartame symptoms mock textbook disease symptoms, such as Grave's Disease.

Please visit her site, Sweet Poison, where she gives information on how to detoxify your body from aspartame.

If you use aspartame and have used a lot in the past, this will be worth checking into.