Subject: Jack Thomas Testimonial March 22, 1994 Dear Judith: The following are some excerpts from a letter to my lawyer a couple of years ago when I was trying to put together a lawsuit against the manufacturers of NutraSweet and Diet Coke. By the time I figured out what had really happened, the statute of limitations had all but expired. Expert witnesses also cost money, and I was broke. I’ve put in a few updating paragraphs. Please use anything you think might be of value to others. Edit as you see fit: THE PRE-1983 ME: In spite of an uninspiring environment, my I.Q. tested in grade school at 147. When I joined the Air Force in April, 1955, at age 18, I aced the Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT), a general intelligence test, with a perfect 113 out of 113 right. As a result, the Air Force sent me to Syracuse University for intensive Russian language training, which I completed with a “B” average. I later worked my way through the University of Georgia, keeping an “A” average in my major (psychology), even though working a full-time job. My scores on a Miller’s Analogies Test (an intelligence test) impressed officials at a major university sufficiently to get me into graduate school with a stipend. In graduate school, my term papers were considered remarkable by my professors. A classmate even accused me once of having a “photographic memory” because I was able to not only remember what I had read, but often could point to the page it was on in the book. I completed two years of graduate studies before my family (wife and two small children) and financial considerations forced me to drop out with a Master’s Degree --just short of completing requirements for my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. With no previous training and on the basis of my creative writing ability, alone, I was immediately appointed as a Governor’s Press Secretary. For the same reason, over the next several years, I was later asked to write speeches for four other governors. While I had made no great effort to be published, other than in a satirical column for a weekly newspaper, I was a fairly prolific writer and was known around our state capitol as “the phrase maker.” I was noted for my original jokes and satire. Around 1980, a major movie producer described on of my movie scripts as “the best I’ve ever seen.” The only thing that kept it from becoming a CBS “Movie of the Week” was current high interest rates. I was very proud of my creativity and used to brag that, put in a room by myself for an hour or so, I could come up with a hundred different uses for a paper clip. I continued over the next several years in various public relations positions, increasing my earnings as my skills developed. In summary, I had been blessed with a wonderful brain which had enabled me to work my way out of the city slums and make a number of notable achievements. My creativity was always my most marketable asset. ENTER THE DARK AGES: After considerable study of nutrition, to improve my health and reduce my 215 pound bulk, I decided to eliminate processed sugar from my diet. On September 12, 1982, the day my older daughter was sent off to college, I ate my last serving of food containing processed sugar. For the next eight or so years, I studiously avoided any product in which sugar was a major ingredient. As a substitute, I used artificial sweeteners, primarily the new, much-touted NutraSweet brand of aspartame. My beverages of choice were Tabs and Diet Cokes. I drank 2- 4 every day for the next eight years. As I recall, Diet Cokes remained sweetened with saccharin for a year or two after the introduction of NutraSweet, and then the Coca-Cola Company used NutraSweet exclusively in all its diet drinks except Tab. NutraSweet was later added to Tab to supplement the saccharin. Around 1983, my personal and professional life began what proved to be a constant downward spiraling. I began suffering from a number of bizarre physical and mental symptoms. The physical symptoms included severe headaches, numbness in fingers and toes, severe soreness in knee tendons, prostate problems, a number of growths which had to be surgically removed, fatigue, arthritis, etc. Mental symptoms included forgetfulness, poor comprehension, depression, hostile outbursts, poor judgment, etc. Although I was only vaguely aware of it, if at all, at the time, I can now see that my ability to be creative ceased to exist. During the years I was using NutraSweet, I produced no significant piece of creative writing. Promising scripts and novels I had been working on earlier just lay in my files gathering dust. My lack of good memory became a source of great embarrassment. Since I could not even dependably remember the names of the wives of my friends and male relatives, I developed the habit of putting their names in my address book in little brackets. Otherwise, there was a good chance my sister- in-law or a friend’s wife might answer the phone, and I would be unable to remember what to call her. Lack of language fluency also became pronounced. Not only did I cease to be confident in my ability to speak German, but I also began to stutter and stammer in English, often groping for simple words. The habit often exasperated people around me. It became difficult for me to make and keep friends. It was especially difficult for me to maintain my image as a professional public relations practitioner. My ability to make rational judgments also declined. In 1985, at age 49, I left a secure, prestigious, good-paying job as an International Representative with a state economic development agency, as well as 14 years vested in the retirement system, for a very speculative industrial development appointment in a poor, rural community. With that beginning, I became somewhat of a job-hopper, feeling pressured to leave a position when the challenge of keeping up with all the new acquaintances became overwhelming. Over the next several years, my poor judgment became legend with both my family and my career. I realize now I was operating with the brainpower of some 100- 110 I.Q. instead of with the superior intelligence I thought I still had. On two different occasions during this period, I had what amounted to “panic attacks” and was rushed to the hospital for “heart attack” symptoms. I recall that the last time, especially, as I rode in the ambulance, I was quite convinced I was dying. Except for a possible hiatal hernia, however, tests shows both times that there was nothing physically wrong with my heart. My poor memory and my lack of creativity continued to haunt me. I could not live up to the rightful expectations of employers. With some luck, I did a marginally acceptable job, but I continually felt pressured by the mental demands of my career. In the meantime, beginning in October, 1988, I had discovered the Natural Hygiene dietary and lifestyle system as touted in the “Fit for Life” book by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. I began eating a very healthy diet of mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, breads, etc., as recommended. Within just a few months, my weight had decreased from 205 to 172, which was my ideal weight according to doctors’ charts. My overall health and attitude greatly improved. For a few weeks, I didn’t drink any carbonated beverages, and I was vaguely aware of an improvement in my overall cognitive functioning. I attributed the improvement to better nutrition. At that time, NutraSweet was not totally eliminated from my diet, but it was greatly reduced. It did not occur to me at that time, however, that aspartame had been, or continued to be, a problem. While I continued with the core of the natural diet, eating very few animal products, combining foods for best digestion, etc., I began adding back a few of my old pleasures, including Diet Coke. I found it too hard to kick the caffeine habit, so regular Diet Coke took care of that problem. Typically during this period, however, I drank only a couple of Diet Cokes per day. Water, fresh-squeezed juice, and fresh fruits provided the bulk of my liquid intake. I continued to feel better physically. Many little aches and pains cleared up, although a number of strange pains and areas of numbness remained (which are usual symptoms of methanol poisoning). I began to exercise regularly and even did a little serious running. My cognitive functioning however, especially my memory, continued to be far below what I once took for granted. Finally, I became resigned to the idea that I was just “getting older” and continued to use a variety of devious devices to hide and compensate for my poor memory. For example, my wife had standard instructions to always introduce herself, thereby provoking a self-convention, etc. My preferred ploy was to avoid having her with me at all, which eliminated the problem of introductions, but created other social problems. Keep in mind that the bulk of my work from 1978 to 1991 involved public relations and marketing. I often organized meetings, dinners, etc., for dozens, sometimes hundreds, of people, most of who it was presumed I knew. I was in constant terror of being confronted by an important person whose name I could not access from my impaired brain. This happened all too often. I recall an instance when one very important local community member, the owner of the local telephone company, would not play my game with me. In front of several other people, including my clients, he accused me of not remembering his name, which was true, even though I had just spent the night in his home! His name, which comes to me now, more than a decade later, as easily as my own, at that time simply could not be dredged out of my memory. I can now recall being amazed by, and envious of, so-called “ordinary,” marginally educated people who seemed to have no difficulty in remembering the names of everybody they met. I could not even carry on a conversation and refer, by name, to friends, relatives, celebrities, etc. If I wanted to discuss a movie star or singer, for example, I would have to give my listener a series of clues until he was able to “guess” the person whose name I was trying to remember. When I was elected president of the Optimist Club in a small town, I insisted that everybody wear name tags “for the benefit of visitors and new members.” In reality, I could not dependably recall the names of my friends and club brothers who I saw once or more every week. This handicap was not only frustrating, but a great social liability for me. As I went from job to job over the next several years, my blunders were legion. Just getting though life one day at a time was a tremendous challenge that often came close to being more that I thought I could manage. Finally, in the first part of July, 1991, I was talking with an old friend who wanted to send me a package in the mail and he asked for my address. I replied, “It’s 291 West...West...West...” I could not remember the rest of the name of the street that I had lived on for some three years! It was at that moment, with the grace of God and what few cognitive resources I had remaining, that I concluded that something serious was wrong with my brain. Somehow, I intuitively felt the problem had to be chemical: either I needed something I wasn’t getting, or I was getting something that my brain very definitely did not need. My diet was almost pristine. I was eating nothing but raw fruit each day until noon. I then ate vegetables and grains (cornbread, rice, etc.), for the remainder of the day. I occasionally ate some fish. I had eliminated coffee and all sources of caffeine from my diet. I almost never drank an alcoholic beverage. I took no medications--not even vitamins, which once had been a big part of my health regimen. So, what could be the source of my “poisoning,” if that was the problem? The only “foreign” substance in my diet was caffeine-free Diet Coke. The only foreign substance in that product with any remote potential for causing my brain dysfunctions was NutraSweet. It seemed worth a try anyhow. THE RENAISSANCE: EVIDENCE OF REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT AFTER DISCONTINUING THE USE OF NUTRASWEET: Within three days of ridding my diet of all forms of aspartame, the improvement in my mental capacity was remarkable. The improvements continued and, by September, 1991, my brain was functioning better than it had in a decade. I was still severely depressed because there I was, a 55-year-old man, my career in shambles, facing one of this century’s most severe economic downturns. But, I could remember now! I could meet people and remember their names! I could read and comprehend what I was reading! I could even write again! There was hope. The single factor that was changed in my diet during this period was the removal of aspartame. There is absolutely no doubt that the use of aspartame had caused by mental dysfunction and the subsequent physical, mental, occupational and social problems. There is also no doubt that the miraculous improvement in my overall mental ability was the result of eliminating aspartame from my diet. When I first began to suspect NutraSweet as the culprit causing my mental problems, I was totally unaware that anybody else had ever had problems. When I began to voice my suspicions to others, I began to get some tentative confirmation that I might be on the right track. One woman told me her doctor had warned her not to use NutraSweet when she was pregnant because it could cause the baby to be retarded! I later found several other people who personally had suffered ill effects from consuming NutraSweet or knew of someone else who had. A preliminary search for scientific studies to show that aspartame was a problem were somewhat disappointing. Most of the animal studies found tended to be very short-termed. Most, in fact, involved only a single administration of aspartame. I later learned that these studies were funded by the NutraSweet Company and were designed to prove the product “safe.” (Most people will not react to short-term administration of pure, unheated aspartame.) Such a finding should not be surprising, however, since, as is well known, “scientific” research typically is done only if some company with an interest in seeing specific results is willing to fund the study. And they usually get the results they want. It is unlikely that many firms would have been interested in demonstrating that a multi-billion dollar industry is making the users of its products some 20-30% dumber. Still, I was able to find a number of studies which have shown aspartame to have adverse effects upon users. A very damning pioneer summary is given in the book, “Diet For a Poisoned Planet,” of Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, in 1990 (pages 190-192). Steinman points out that “this chemical sweetener (aspartame) rates the longest list of complaints...that the FDA has ever received.” His 1990 figures for the number of complaints, compared with the reported number at the end of 1991, would indicate the FDA might now be receiving upwards of 1000 complaints per year. (It should be pointed out that most people who are being injured by aspartame usage are not aware of it and, even when they became aware of it, would not be inclined to write the FDA. This complaint figure, then, should be considered as the tiniest tip of the proverbial iceberg.) Steinman states further that aspartame is a synthetic compound consisting of two amino acids, aspartate and phenylalanine, which are held in chemical bond by methanol -- also know as wood alcohol! He points out that methanol is poisonous when found alone, as it is after aspartame enters the bloodstream and breaks down. If aspartame is heated to 85 degrees or more, as it can easily be in shipping, storage, or use in certain foods and beverages, a chemical decomposition occurs to create freestanding wood alcohol. As a further complication, many persons are known to be metabolize the amino acid, phenylalanine, mentioned above and are said to suffer from PKU, or phenylketonuria. Steinman estimates that some 20 million American carry the PKU gene. “Persons who must restrict their intake of aspartame include individuals who cannot metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine,” he contends. Two out of three of the compounds in aspartame, therefore, are known toxins to some or all humans. Steinman’s discussion of the dangers of aspartame includes, among others, the following points: In pregnant women, high methanol levels have produced babies without eye formation; that women who use “large amounts” of aspartame will give birth to mentally retarded babies; and that diet soft drinks accounted for the vast majority of the complaints about aspartame. A revealing quote in the article follows: “A team of physicians from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation writing in the New England Journal of Medicine noted, ‘For the past few years in our headache clinic, we have systematically inquired about aspartame use. We have been impressed by the number of cases in which an observer (not necessarily the patient) detected a clear aggravation of symptoms at the time of introduction of aspartame into the diet.’” This anecdotal evidence supports my contention that most persons suffering from aspartame intoxication are not aware, themselves, of what is happening to them or why. This gives the product a very frightening insidiousness, which greatly increases its danger to the general public. In my own personal experience, many women, both friends and clients of my previous fitness consulting service, have told me that their obstetricians and pediatricians advised them to not use aspartame when they were pregnant and not to allow their children use it because it would interfere with normal brain development. The Food and Drug Administration, reportedly, has received some 10,000 complaints about NutraSweet since it came on the market in 1982. I have also discovered a number of people who, in some cases upon the advice of a physician, have discontinued the use of NutraSweet because of a variety of complaints, including migraine headaches, urinary tract irritation, seizures, stomach pain, etc. Upon removing aspartame from their diets, their symptoms cleared up immediately. Almost anybody with whom you bring up the subject has heard of somebody who has had a problem with NutraSweet. A professional couple with whom I discussed NutraSweet at a party cornered me excitedly at a meeting a couple of months later. Beaming with enthusiasm, they told me that since they had both had eliminated aspartame products from their diets, the husband’s vision had dramatically improved as had the wife’s memory and depression. The husband is a retired college professor. Without exception, every one of my fitness clients who was taken off aspartame (usage ranging from light to excessive) has reported noticeable improvements in overall cognitive functioning, especially memory! Already encouraged with this information and mounting evidence against NutraSweet, a friends gave me the names of a couple of people to call. This led to a gold mind of damning information about aspartame. The best source of information was an organization in Texas called the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network. A lady by the name of Mary Nash Stoddard started the organization after both she and her daughter almost died from aspartame poisoning. As it turns out, thousands of other people have reported symptoms similar to mine and also discovered that the symptoms disappeared when the use of aspartame was discontinued. A number of medical doctors have written articles condemning aspartame and a couple of M.D.’s have written books about it. Several reputable scientific studies show it to be harmful. Although they are rare, it seems that most, if not all, independent studies show aspartame to be a serious threat to human health. Investigative reporters have accumulated evidence which rather conclusively shows that NutraSweet’s research to get the product approved was so poorly done, it would not have gotten a passing grade in a basic science course. In spite of outright fraud, the research still demonstrated that the product causes cancer in rats. Still, the product was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Not surprisingly, as many as 10 FDA officials, including commissioners, who were involved with handing down these irresponsible decisions later found more lucrative jobs with Monsanto-related firms. (Monsanto is the parent of Searle and NutraSweet.) In short, the FDA officials were bribed! For example, only a few months after the decision favorable to NutraSweet, one commissioner was hired on a $1000 per day consultant to Monsanto’s ad agency! The U.S. Senate tried to prosecute these officials, but, as the facts show, Monsanto also used higher paying jobs to buy off the attorneys charged with that duty, so the statute of limitations was allowed to run out. This example of flagrant corruption in the Food and Drug Administration demonstrates the need for this agency to be ABOLISHED and replaced by an independent “United Laboratories” type organization that would actually do their own testing to determine the safety of drugs and food additives. As of this writing, the American public has absolutely no protection against being poisoned by food and drug manufacturers. The food and drug companies go through the pretense of “testing” their own new products and then present their phone findings to an appointed group of greedy, unethical politicians, along with case under the table, to get their products approved. We, the public, would actually be better off with no agency than to have one that lulls us into a false sense of security that encourages many people, including doctors, to say, “Well, it must be all right because the FDA approved it.” All an FDA approval means is that the right payments were made to the right people. Period. From all appearances, now, the drug and food additive industry in the U.S. is operated in the fashion of organized crime. It would be remarkable, indeed, if this resemblance proved to be purely coincidental. There is absolutely no doubt that an objective, scientifically sound study would further corroborate the causative relationship between aspartame usage and a decline in an average person’s overall cognitive ability, including the ability to comprehend, store and recall data, not to mention the more complex abilities of judgment and creativity. Aspartame is unfit for human consumption and should never have been allowed to be sold to the public. The brain is an extremely sensitive electro-chemical machine which contains a collection of an estimated 100 billion nerve cells, called neurons, and a trillion support cells. The body of each neuron is just 1/100th the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Tentacles, called dendrites, sprout from that body. Some neurons boast a long, wire-like appendage called an axon. Near the end of the dendrite or axon is the end of a dendrite from another neuron. A space of a millionth of an inch separates the two ends. That space is called a synapse. The neurons communicate with one another by means of a chemically induced and controlled electrical impulse. Dopamine is one such transmitter. Some 75 others have been found. Research has shown that too much of one transmitter or too little of another can change a person’s mood, his thinking, and muscular strength and coordination. Too little can produce Parkinson’s disease. This knowledge about the function of transmitters has produced a host of drugs for treating a variety of complaints. Some drugs stimulate transmitter output; others inhibit it. It is my contention that aspartame and various toxic chemicals it degrades to in the blood stream either inhibit the production of transmitting chemicals, such as dopamine, or else they somehow bond to dendrite or axon surfaces to create a blockage of the synapses, thus by mountains of anecdotal evidence, that the effects of aspartame are cumulative; the more one uses the chemical, and the more of it that is used daily, the greater the damage. I have dealt with clients who drank from 12-24 Diet Cokes per day, which in itself is a testimony to the insidiously additive properties of the product. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF NUTRASWEET UPON AN UNSUSPECTING GENERAL PUBLIC: I am convinced it can be demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that aspartame, used even in modest quantities, negatively affects the central nervous systems of virtually all, it not all, human users of it. When you consider that, in all probability, half the adult U.S. population consumes aspartame in some form (diet beverages, desserts, Equal, etc.) on a regular basis, and that each user’s ability to think is being reduced by at least 20%, the potential consequences are phenomenal. What does it mean when a total population’s ability to think, reason, recall and react is depressed an overall average of 10%? What would be its effect on divorce, child abuse, suicides, crime, etc.? I’m convinced it’s effect is widespread and devastating to millions of human beings, not only physically and psychologically, but financially as well. I have no doubt aspartame is directly and indirectly responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths each year. Many pilots have lot their licenses because of aspartame-induced seizures. How many pilots of crashed planed had an aspartame-impaired brain? If I had people on my payroll who operated dangerous machinery, I would require them to be aspartame-free. I believe it would be well worth the while of insurance companies to conduct their own studies to determine the true extent of aspartame’s physical, mental and economic impact upon the American public. The effects of aspartame usage evidently closely mimic those of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s “gradually strips away its victim’s mental and physical capacities,” according to a brochure put out by the Alzheimer’s Disease Association. “The symptoms,” the brochure continues, “include gradual memory loss, disorientation, impaired judgment, and finally loss of control over body functions.” The overall cost of caring for Alzheimer’s victims in 1992 was a staggering $50 billion! This does not include indirect costs such as missed work and increased expenses for families caring for their loved ones. It is also the fourth leading cause of death (more than 100,000 annually), “is found in all segments of the population, and is an emotional and financial nightmare for victims and their families.” There is “no known cure” and, according to the experts, “these financial costs threaten to increase to colossal proportions.” It’s very interesting to note that the Alzheimer’s Disease Association also reported that, “Ten years ago, relatively few Americans have even heard of Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, today, this progressive disease is recognized as one of the most devastating maladies of our time.” “Ten years ago” from the publication date of the brochure is exactly when NutraSweet came on the market! The probability that this correlation of events is unrelated is extremely remote. No doubt, out of ignorance of the facts, many Alzheimer’s disease treatment centers now permit, or even prescribe, diet products for their patients. And virtually all diet products contain what? NutraSweet, of course. Consider the irony of an institution getting paid to actually exacerbate a patient’s symptoms instead of ameliorating them. And, the problem is likely to become even work because, as of January, 1992, the 10-year NutraSweet patent on aspartame expired. Coca-Cola is now using cheaper generic brands of the chemical, as evidenced by their having dropped the NutraSweet label. Other manufacturers have followed suit. Generic brands of aspartame are being manufactured and marketed by the tons. NutraSweet is even selling it in bulk, encouraging consumers to put the poison into their sugar bowls. An elderly friend in a nursing home recently received 10 sample packets of Dixie Crystal’s new aspartame product. I was not surprised to see Cher advertising the “blue stuff”; she makes a great “aspartame poster person.” I was a little disappointed to see Sophia Loren sell out though. (I remembered the names!” If the trend continues, aspartame will soon be in everything but cement! At the very least, aspartame definitely produced Alzheimer-like symptoms and would increase the debilitative symptoms of any patient suffering from Alzheimer’s. Their is a very real possibility that aspartame is the primary culprit in this mysterious disease. We will know for certain only when competent and objective scientific research is conducted. My good-faith use of NutraSweet, primarily in products of the Coca- Cola Company (and occasionally in Jell-O products), directly produced a brain dysfunction which has had devastating effects upon my career, my ability to make a living, my various interpersonal relationships (especially with my family), and my overall ability to enjoy life. NutraSweet wiped out eight years of my creativity. It also made my life a living hell for eight years, the consequences of which continue to plague me. It also appears that some severe effects of the aspartame remain, specifically, the inability to product adequate dopamine, which results in depression, which I struggle to control through natural, non- narcotic means. Considering the severity and duration of my aspartame intoxication, it is very possible that other unrecognized damages, such as predisposition to develop tumors, might remain. I have no doubt that executives of the NutraSweet Company and the complex of Coca-Cola companies know, and long have known, of the deleterious effects of aspartame on brain functioning. Steinman, referenced above, writes: “Aspartame was approved for marketing in dry foods by the FDA in 1981 only after the FDA commissioner overturned a federally appointed public board of inquiry’s recommendation that aspartame’s approval be denied based on the need for more studies to determine whether aspartame causes brain tumors or not.” Why would the Food and Drug Administration commissioner allow this product to be rushed onto the market? Why has it been allowed to remain in spite of a record number of complaints and continuously mounting evidence that aspartame is a devastating toxin that men, women and children are innocently loading up on every day? Why are lobbyists for NutraSweet hanging around, not only Washington politicians, but state lawmakers as well? The only possible reason for the failure by governmental and industry officials to take this extremely dangerous product off the market or at least to give the public fair warnings is greed and total corruption of a governmental agency charged with protecting the public. Their collusive action is not only totally irresponsible, but reprehensible and criminal as well, and deserves to be punished. In the meantime, I’m back at my word processor and, seemingly, my creativity is better than ever. It has been some three years since my last dose of aspartame, and my brain is doing wonderful things again. I can remember names of new friends as well as old ones. I can phone up my brother without first reading his wife’s name in the parenthesis in my little black book. I enjoy reading complex material ranging from the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg to those of Stephen Hawkins. I am writing poetry, songs, a self-help book and doing many other creative things that are fun again. I am turning out the best work of my career. It almost seems, sometimes, that the aspartame was such a challenge to my system that, like rung with weights, my system actually got stronger because of the problem. Still, how many millions of people are out there now, going blind, losing their ability to earn a living, having seizures, dying, being unable to fully comprehend the world around them or remember from one moment to the next what is happening to them? If you’re one of them, or have a story, I’d like to hear from you. All good wishes, JACK THOMAS PO Box 818 Social Circle, GA 30279 >From AspRec657@aol.comThu Dec 14 16:21:11 1995 Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 21:24:17 -0500 From: AspRec657@aol.com To: bettym19@mindspring.com Cc: ElaineHF@aol.com Subject: My Journey Out of Aspartame Disease Resending, after revisions, the following Email sent last night: I am a 62-year old white female. For 8 years I existed in a "living hell", and I had no clue as to what was causing all my mental and physical pain. Around Christmas in 1986, at the age of 53, I became almost immobilized by what was diagnosed by my family doctor as Polymyalgia Rheumatica. Prior to the onset of this disease, I had had many big changes in my personal life and career, which I had learned were enough to cause severe health problems, and so I related the drastic change in my well being to them. For the 7 years before this I had turned my life around in 12-step programs and was recovering very well from compulsive overeating. I had maintained a 50-pound weight loss for that period and had felt great emotionally and physically. Overnight that changed. Prednisone was prescribed for the muscle disease, on which I had to remain for almost three years. During this time I developed all kinds of additional health problems, i.e., irregular heartbeat (double bundle branch block of the heart), weakened blood vessels, indigestion, to say nothing of a 30-pound weight gain. I must hasten to add I was continuing to work my program of recovery from the eating compulsion, and so that symptom was baffling and disappointing. With physical therapy and swimming regularly the Polymyalgia was driven into remission enough so that I got off Prednisone. However, I stayed at the increased weight no matter how I ate or how much I exercised. To this day I still am 20 pounds heavier than I was in 1986. The excess weight, as it later turned out, was the least of my worries. I no sooner started to move away from the terrible swelling and pain in all my muscles, than I started to gradually develop many other symptoms: headaches (felt like my brain would come out of my skull); fatigue and general malaise; breathing difficulty; dizziness and unsteady gait (almost like a drunk and I don't drink); Tinnitus (sounded like the whirring of a helicopter in my head); vision problems (lessened vision requiring stronger glasses), (double vision sometimes), (blurred vision sometimes) and (sensitivity to bright light); dry eyes (kept the makers of artificial tears in business); dry mouth, throat and skin; change in ability to taste food; burning and cracking of lips; choking on food; irregular heartbeat and chest pains; anxiety attacks and moodiness; sleeplessness; craving for sweets and starches; indigestion, heartburn, bloated stomach and gas; petit mal seizures; grand mal seizure; sensitivity to noises and sensitivity to strong odors. Over a period of about 4 years (from about 1990 to 1994) I was seen by a number of physicians and specialists for the above conditions: 2 cardiologists who gave EKG's, stress tests and halter monitor tests; 2 or 3 opthamologists who had extensive eye tests administered; ear, nose and throat specialist who checked for inner ear diseases; 2 neurologists who had CAT scans and MRI tests done among others; family physicians who took extensive blood tests for cholesterol level and glucose tolerance test, etc. The results of all this? The doctors felt I was experiencing seizures and told me it would be unsafe to drive (I had to for transportation to work, as I have just recently been old enough to retire.) But, they couldn't, or wouldn't, give me any medication for my seizures unless I experienced them during their tests, and they didn't give me a clue as to what might be causing my condition. A year ago this week I was at the end of my rope. I had exhausted all medical sources of finding help (or so I thought). I felt it was time for me to do my own research. I have the good fortune of living in close proximity to the world's expert on the adverse reactions to Aspartame, Dr. H. J. Roberts, an endocrinologist in W. Palm Beach, Florida. For years I had been hearing of his extensive research on the dangers of consuming this neurotoxin in so many of the things we eat and drink. But, like so many of us in the U.S., I trusted that the government, represented by such agencies as the Food and Drug Administration, would make sure anything us humans ingest is safe. AND I MUST HASTEN TO ADD THERE WERE NO WARNINGS ON THE LABELS OF THE PRODUCTS I WAS TAKING THAT ASPARTAME MIGHT BE HAZARDOUS TO MY HEALTH. I treasure my health, folks. Believe me, if there had been such warnings, I would have stopped taking it. On December 19, 1994, I purchased "Aspartame (NutraSweet*) Is It Safe?", written by Dr. H. J. Roberts, published by The Charles Press, Philadelphia. I started reading it immediately and couldn't put it down. The patients mentioned were "telling my story", especially those who had experienced seizures. At that moment I knew what had gradually been killing me. I have not knowingly taken any food or drink containing Aspartame since that night. It wasn't 2 weeks later (around the first of 1995) I was talking with some friends in a church parking lot, and I suddenly realized I was no longer "looking at the world through a clouded lens", and I was so excited, I said to them, "I can see, I can see." I had only experienced half the beauty of the earth for so many years. The "fog had been lifted". It has not been an easy journey this past year, but it has been worth every struggle I have had to find safe substitutes for the Aspartame, which had been taking the place of refined sugar ever since it had hit the market in the 80's. I haven't had a seizure for over a year. All of the other symptoms have been greatly reduced or have also disappeared. I feel the only reason I still have an occasional headache is the MSG to which I am also sensitive and which is contained under different aliases in so many food products. I have a deep and abiding resentment against the manufacturers of Aspartame and the F.D.A. for endangering my health and my very life for the sake of greed. Aren't we humans worth more than businesses becoming successful in this country? To deal with my anger I am sharing this story with all of you who may have also been poisoned by these deadly drugs (called harmless food additives by the F.D.A.). I would like to hear from you and answer any questions you might have. AspRec657@AOL.com >From ElaineHF@aol.comThu Dec 14 16:21:51 1995 Date: Fri, 7 Jul 1995 20:30:04 -0400 From: ElaineHF@aol.com To: bettym19@mindspring.com Subject: GHIA-Jerry Bathel-Reich (Usenet News) April 27, 1994 If you know of someone who has been injured by aspartame, please contact us at Georgia Health Information Associates Box 550314 Atlanta, GA 30355 404-261-FREE Hello--here’s my aspartame horror story: One hot summer around 5-6 years ago when I was about 40 I was working outside construction and drinking 2-4 aspartame sweetened colas/day for a period of 2-3 weeks; at the end of which time, just sitting in a chair watching TV at the end of a workday, I suffered a stroke-like episode where my right side was paralyzed & vision & speech distorted for a period of about 30 sec. to a minute. Subsequent medical tests, including a CAT scan, revealed no physical abnormalities, although the ERG showed some “irregular” brain waves. The only major difference in my diet during the previous month was the increased intake of aspartame. I cut out the aspartame sodas (as well as all other sources of aspartame), drinking regalar sugared colas instead: no more symptoms. A couple months later I experimented with just one aspartame-flavored soda--within a day I had a minor recurrence (lasting only a few seconds) of the stroke-like episode. Since then, as a “controlled experiment,” I have had maybe a half-dozen aspartame sodas; every one produced minor “stroke/seizure”-type episodes within 24 hours. I am convinced aspartame is the cause! I would be very interested to know if others have had any similar experiences?? While these side effects may be rare, I am positive aspartame is not as “perfectly safe” as it is advertized to be!! Thanks for listening and investigating this problem- - Jerry Bathel-Reich 509 Welch Ave. Madison, WI 53704 internet “barthel@facstaff.wisc.edu” >From ElaineHF@aol.comThu Dec 14 16:22:28 1995 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 1995 19:40:49 -0400 From: ElaineHF@aol.com To: bettym19@mindspring.com Subject: Mary Lynah Letter-Seizures Mary H. Lynah 1014 Crane Road NE Atlanta, GA 30324 In December of 1990, I began having strange symptoms. I would awaken in the early morning hours, sometimes with a feeling of anxiety and smell a strong odor or burning toast. The first time it happened, I went downstairs at 5 a.m. in the belief that one of my children was in the kitchen trying to fix breakfast. I was astonished to find no one there. My husband was unable to detect this odor. I had other olfactory hallucinations (simple seizures) for a period of a couple of months. Sometimes it was the odor of toast, sometime burning rubber, even men’s cologne. I had one episode of strong deja vu, which is also considered a seizure indicator. I was otherwise in good physical and mental health. In January of 1991, I had a complex partial seizure while driving my car to work. This seizure was evidenced by feeling that time was slowed down, that I could only move my foot from the accelerator to the brake by a strong act of will, and involuntary blinking of my eyes. I managed to pull off the road and waited for a while until I felt I could drive. When I got to work, I was told by my colleagues that my speech was slurred. I had trouble completing sentences. The slurring resolved in a couple of days, but the trouble completing sentences persisted for a while. I also experienced post-ictal “fog” for about a week. My memory for normal work and family activities was compromised, and I had difficulties performing my customary duties. I underwent an EEG that day which showed slowing on one side of the brain. I later had another EEG (sleep-deprived) with the same results. I also had an MRI of my brain, which was normal. Dr. Don Smith, a neurologist in Englewood, Colorado, evaluated me, and asked me to keep track of any seizure activity. He restricted me from driving. After a few more olfactory hallucinations, he decided to put me on a medication to control my seizures. He started me on a low dose of Tegretol, which I was instructed to increase over a period of a few weeks until I was at a therapeutic dose. I became ill before the therapeutic dose, with severe sore throat, swollen glands, fatigue and fever. Blood tests revealed that my bone marrow was depressed from the Tegretol. My WBC was 2.0. He told me to stop taking the Tegretol and recover from the illness, and that we would evaluate medication later. I spent the next two weeks in near seclusion waiting for my immune system to recover so I could go out in public without being abnormally vulnerable to disease. Meanwhile, my friend and colleague, Kathy Goebel, who was a Clinical Coordinator of the Epilepsy Center at Colorado Neurological Institute, told me about an article she had read in a neurological journal. The author stated that aspartame is a neuroexcitoxin, and that it could lower a person’s seizure threshold. At that time, I was using approximately four packets of Equal a day, in tea, coffee, and cereal, and also consuming NutraSweet in desert products such as diet Jell-O and ice cream. Kathy suggested that I give up all products containing aspartame to see if it had an effect on my seizure activity. I did this immediately. My olfactory hallucinations stopped, and I was greatly relieved. Dr. Smith was skeptical at first and wanted to put me on another seizure medication. I convinced him to wait and see if I had more seizures. I never had another one until recently when I unknowingly ate a popsicle that had NutraSweet in it. I had an olfactory hallucination in the early morning hours. This happened recently, after I moved to Georgia, so Dr. Smith doesn’t know about that one. Dr. Smith was convinced that my seizures had, in fact, been caused by aspartame. He testified to this effect during a trial concerning a later automobile accident. The seizures I experienced and the sequels were terrifying for me. As a Clinical Research Associate at Colorado Neurological Institute, I was very aware of the implications of a diagnosis of epilepsy. I did, in fact, lose my job at CNI, although any connection to my seizures was denied. Dr. Smith can be reached at 303/781-4485. His address is: Don Smith, M.D. 701 East Hampden Avenue Englewood, CO 80110 This account has been written from memory. I have not checked dates and details in my medical records, but this is what I remember. I did verify Dr. Smith’s address and phone number. My medical records are in the name of Mary L. Post. Please let me know if you need more information. I can be reached at the address below. Sincerely, Mary H. Lynah 1014 Crane Road Atlanta, GA 30324 >From ElaineHF@aol.comThu Dec 14 16:23:59 1995 Date: Wed, 5 Jul 1995 18:51:58 -0400 From: ElaineHF@aol.com To: bettym19@mindspring.com Subject: O'NEIL LETTER 1366 Sunset Drive Slidell, Louisiana 70460 April 8, 1995 I became a big drinker of Diet Coke, drinking more and more because I liked the taste. When I had vision disturbances my physician said it was optic migraines. There were silvery lines in my eyes and I would get dizzy. Sometimes I would have these optic migraines twice a day, and up to 6 times a week. One day I baked cookies with NutraSweet and really got worse. Never did I associate my problems with this substance. About six months ago I was given some information on aspartame (NutraSweet) and immediately stopped using it in any form. Within a week I realized I wasn’t having any optic migraines or dizziness. In six months I’ve only had two small episodes, and feel they are related to having accidently consumed somethin with aspartame in it like the ice cream I had recently. I was not aware aspartame was in it until after I had eaten it. Now that we, too, have warning flyers we distribute them to others in the hope we can help them avoid the horrible problems this poison can cause. Mrs. Joanne L. O’Neill P.S. Since we’ve been notifying others of the dangers of aspartame they, too, have abstained, many with disappearance of symptoms, including my husband, Bob. It turns out this is a very serious problem and the average person does not consider the association of this toxin with their medical problems. It is easily established this is the culprit when symptomtology does not return after elimination. >From ElaineHF@aol.comThu Dec 14 16:24:22 1995 Date: Wed, 5 Jul 1995 18:51:56 -0400 From: ElaineHF@aol.com To: bettym19@mindspring.com Subject: COLLINS LETTER Mrs. Gloria Collins 2349B Dunwoody Crossing Dunwoody, GA 30338 April 16, 1995 I had used Equal/NutraSweet/aspartame for 4 or 5 years with no idea that it’s poisonous, as I assumed that FDA approval means it’s perfectly safe for us. I Used about 12 paks of Equal in hot coffe each day. The first symptoms were depression and vertigo, but I didn’t connect them with Equal. My legs cramped constantly and pained at night, and I had insomnia and terrible nightmares and memory loss. My vision deteriorated until I expected to go blind, but my eye doctor couldn’t explain why. My life became a nightmare, and I turned to prayer. It worked! I received a NUTRASWEET IS A NEUROTOXIN flyer listing all my symptoms, so I abandoned aspartame in any form. My vision returned, the cramps disappeared, and I could sleep without nightmares. The depression and vertigo vanished. It was a miracle because I had thought I was dying and had Multiple Sclerosis. If you have a serious problem, it’s natural to investigate it. Often the “Experts” are publicity mills funded by the pirates that make the stuff. It’s like asking the Mafia about the crime rate. Both the American Dietetics and American Diabetic Associations get big bucks from NutraSweet. Such organizations propagandize physicians on how safe it is, so doctors are often aware of the danger. Much research confirms aspartame toxicity as do 80% of complaints the FDA has received on food additives. Heated aspartame is the most hazardous. My 12 packs/day in coffee almost cost my health, sanity and life. Now FDA has approved its use in baked goods, 350 degrees! Before Equal I used saccharin without a problem. It looks like we have no protector, so we must warn each other. In this spirit I attest to the nightmare Equal made of my life. I urge you to take the “no aspartame” test and discover if your health problems are the results of continuous daily poisoning. Mrs. Gloria Collins Subject: MORRIS LETTER 6800 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Apartment E-7 Doraville, GA 30360 November 18, 1994 I'm a 29 year old athletic female victim of deadly NutraSweet poisoning. I began to use it in the spring of 1990, and soon afterwards my condition began to deteriorate. I never imagined my strange symptoms were from a chemical, after all it's approved by the FDA and on restaurant tables. My eyesight began to fade until I was almost blind in one eye. Next my hearing became dull and my legs, feet and torso lost sensation and became numb. I was dizzy most of the time, irritable and depressed and had constant terrible headaches. I became very clumsy, dropped and bumped into things. I used to skate but having lost my balance, I had to give it up. My mind was affected, and I thought I had a brain tumor. Reading comprehension and memory drastically decreased. I thought I was dying. Two different doctors made the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. One was an eye specialist I saw about my vision loss. This spring a friend explained to me that all my symptoms were coming from aspartame (NutraSweet) and that I had methanol toxicity which mimics Multiple Sclerosis. I was only drinking three Diet Cokes a day. I could hardly believe the horrible nightmare I was living was sold in 6 packs at the grocery store, but I would try anything so I stopped. Right away I began to feel better, and today most of my symptoms have completely disappeared. My friend, Betty, was right, I was suffering from methanol toxicity. My hearing and vision have returned and so has my memory. I'm no longer clumsy and have regained my balance, and feeling has returned to my lower extremities. How can a poison like NutraSweet be sold to an entire population? How could it ever be approved by the FDA? I learned that I had the classic symptoms, and if I had not been warned in time it may have killed me. There is no doubt that the NutraSweet was responsible. One day a hostess gave me a Diet Pepsi, and not wanting to hurt her feelings, I accepted. Sure enough the next day my numbness returned, and I began to feel ill. This poison must be removed from the market. I'm writing to help others in the hope that they can avoid the terror, confusion and helplessness NutraSweet brought into my life! Sincerely, Alecia Morris