Artificial Sweeteners and Their Serious Side Effects

I'm a 61 year old wife, mother, and grandmother. I've been on a very successful weight loss program this year losing 35 lbs. my goal being 40 lbs. I stick to all natural as best to my knowledge. About 3 months ago I was introduced to these small tubular packets of powder and bottles of water enhancer drops. They were so convenient I didn't bother looking at the ingredient label. About 4 weeks ago I noticed slight pain in my upper body. This pain progressed to the point I couldn't lift my arms. I went to my doctor yesterday and he was completely puzzled. He's secluded me for an MRI. After leaving his office I stopped by a local store and the cashier told me the same thing happened to her dad when he started drinking Diet COKE. She said he stooped the cokes and the symptoms went away. To make a long story shorter, I've been off the artificial sweetener just over 24 and the pain is "GONE"!!! I've called the doctor, canceled the MRI and thanking God for sending me to that little cashier with the answer to my problem!!

Folks read your labels and pay attention to what you put in your mouth...

Yeah. I will scream "bloody murder" against Aspartame and what ever other name they are hiding it under now. These criminals put this garbage in to the food supply just like these criminals put fluoride into the water supply. It is a forced medication of the population.

I think people should have what want. If people want this kind thing, they ought to have it. But, I have seen and read enough about it, and I am satisfied with people's whose writing I have read.

All one man has to do is get on the internet and do a quick You tube video search on this and look for a reputable man such as Russell Blaylock and see what he says about this chemical.

I have read Dr. Russell Blaylock's report on it and that is enough for me. But then there's the Mercola's writings, and although he has his own agenda selling his products what he says still matches and confirms Blaylock's writings.

Blaylock says it is a 'excito-neuro-toxin' just like MSG is a 'excito-neuro-toxin'. It looks like a stealth forced medication of human beings who can not distinguish between their left hand from their right hand just like the book of Jonah tells us.

Aspartame is toxic poison it just be banned. Class action is needed.

I am new here, I found info on aspartame, this stuff needs to be banned. My child had been drinking these sugar free bubble drinks for a month or more now, more than he should have. He started having serous sickness. It mimicked severe anxiety and ocd type tics. I don't know how else to explain it. I have been horrified. Everyday the last 2 weeks trying to understand what it is and why. I finally put it together. When I looked at the back of the box on these carbonated water drinks it's all aspartame. The symptoms made it all clear. This stuff is toxic poison. I am considering filing a law suit.

I also inadvertently ate a large amount of food with MSG in it once. The killer sick headache came on & sat on me like a 'ton of bricks'! That's when I reviewed the ingredient list ... then looked MSG up online, & found an article telling me that the pain I was experiencing would last for several days! Then I read all the things MSG causes, & learned that it restricts blood flow. I knew that MSM improves blood flow, so I took a reasonably sized dose of MSM w/ water ... and an hour later, that 'ton of bricks' melted into oblivion!!!

I am writing because I am a victim of aspartame poisoning. One of the main reasons I now live in Costa Rica is that I was crippled enough by Aspartame that I could no longer work.

My story starts in September 2001, when I had a MRI of the brain due to an ear injury. It showed that my brain was intact. Then I fast forward to February 2004, the first Saturday of that month I had 6 instances or vertigo, something I had never had before.

By the end of the month the episodes of vertigo had morphed into what became constant symptoms. About 4 seconds of numbness in my left cheek, followed by 15 seconds of loss of all muscular control of my right side (this incuded word slurring) then about 25 seconds of hot flashed up and down my left arm. By the beginning of March these "episodes" were happening about 30 times a day.

I saw numerous Doctors and no one knew what they were. By May they were happening about 75 times a day. Then about the middle of May I developed an excrutiating pain in my neck. I was taking 2 percosets just to sleep at night. In desparation I went to a chiropractor, he was the husband of a friend of mine. He spent more time going over my history and symptoms then all of the doctor I had seen up to that time. He told me that he might be able to help my neck but he did not have a clue about the "episodes" I was experiencing.

The last Thursday of the month I went in for my first adjustment. Before he started he showed me a can of diet coke and went over the ingrediants. (I had told him earlier that I was drinking over a six pack a day. My office was next to a Sam's Club and I would get a 25 oz. cup of Diet Coke to go with lunch and fill it back up to sip at work during the afternoon, then drink one or two cans at home at night. ) Anyway, he was very anti-aspartame and convinced me to give up Diet Coke on the spot. By Saturday the pain in the neck was gone and the frequency of the episodes were way down. I had my last episode on June 14th. The only sysmptom I had left was the thumb and adjacent 2 fingers on my right hand were numb. (Later MRI's showed a large (1.6CM lesion) on my spinal cord in my neck, it was covered in scar tissue.)

I had several MRI's trying to figure out what the problem was. Doctors told me that I had many small lesions in my brain and that much of my cerebullum had been destrioyed. On the urging of a West Palm Beach Neurosurgon I saw a Neurologist at the University of Miami and she declared that I had MS. I tryed to explain that I thought it was the Aspartame, but she would not listen. She tried to get me to take one of the MS Disease Modifying Drugs, but I refused. At this point my medical insurance would no longer pay for me to go to Miami, so I returned to a Neurologist I had already seen in West Palm.

Over the next 5 years I would get annual MRI's and saw several more Neurologists, they all would look at the latest MRI and declare that the damage showed that I had MS. Over this time I started to have lot of other neurological symptoms. I could not easily pee, my right leg became very weak, as did my right arm. In December 2010 I retired and moved to Costa Rica, however I would periodically returnm to the U.S. to see a Doctor.

In December 2012, after I had turned 65, I went to see a Doctor at the Cleveland Clinic. She looked at my latest MRI and tried to get me to take one of the MS Disease modifying drugs. I refused and she said that if I got another MRI she would see if anyone at the Cleveland Clinic could come up with a different recommendation. I again explained that I thought Aspartame caused my problem in 2004. She would not listen.

In April 2013 I finally had a complete set of head, neck and spine MRI's at the Cleveland Clinic's high res machine. The neurologist looked at them but also compared them to everty MRI (I had the copies) which I had had done since 2004. She was blown away because the damage that was shown in 2004 was identical to the damage shown on the latest set of MRI's. As a result she declared that I had MS type damage but I did not have MS. She said that MS was a progressive disease and the to have no progression for 9 years meant I did not have MS. I asked about the fact that I had more symptoms now then I had in 2004, and she explained that nerve damage was like that. Damage would occur then the symptoms would show up much later.

I apologize for the many typos, but I can not use my right hand and hunt and peck with my left. I think the neurologist concurred that it was aspartame poisoning, but she said that because she was with the Cleveland Clinic that she had to follow the FDA's stance that Aspartame is safe. I do not believe so.

In closing, I was the Commanding Officer for 2 different nuclear submarines. I credit Admiral Rickover with teaching me to not accept the pat answers but to always get to the root cause. I think that Aspartame caused my symptoms. Over the last 2 years I have not gotten better, but I have not gotten worse either. I truely thank Dr. Quartel, the Chiropractor, who convinced me to give up Aspartame.

If there are any question I will be glad to answer, until they get too much. My email is cjosliniiiatyahoo.com.

Donna, the worst hazards of Aspartame is the wood alcohols as they can be quite toxic if not properly detoxified. To help the detox: Zinc, Manganese, and Niacin are the principle nutrients. Milk Thistle Seed would help the liver also. One clear symptom of Aspartame toxicity is light sensitivity in the pupils of the eyes. I once had this condition which became obvious after looking at a stop-light and those bright colors continuing in my visual field for several seconds following. If Aspartame is not discontinued, this condition could worsen to blindness.

For all the defenders of a toxin like aspartame we could only wish they would conduct 'scientific test studies' on themselves and their own children and families before they take their profits or their paychecks.

My mom died a slow horrible death from a rare disease called Progressive supernuclear palsy (PSP) in 2006. PSP is a neurodegenerative brain disease that has no known cause, treatment or cure. It affects nerve cells that control walking, balance, mobility, vision, speech, and swallowing.

I sincerely believe that it was caused by aspartame, especially the diet Jell-O she loved that required adding boiling water to dissolve it. I had tried to warn her about it but her doctor told her I was wrong. Dudley Moore died of the same disease-I wonder if he was an aspartame user.

When you know it's a fact that most millionaires and billionaires have been traditionally made by turning whole populations into drug addicts, it becomes easier to understand why so many people are destroyed by drugs, alcohol, tobacco and now the sweetest drug of all-sugar. Starbucks has done very well financially pushing addictive caffeine too. Refined sugar has exactly the same effect on our bodies as heroin and in my opinion, it's carboncopy aspartame is just one more profitable sneaky killer.

I am re-posting. I bought SPLENDA 8 months ago and have been using in daily coffee and a few recipes. This caused severe itching and swelling/hemorroidal symptoms. I read in the paper that this sweetener can cause itchy lesions anywhere on the body.

On headaches, remove the cause, instead of looking for a cure. Aspartame (Nutrisweet) is well known for causing headaches. So is Monosodiumglutamate. If you want to find some other things they can cause, type in Excitotoxins, and hit search. For those who think MSG is only found in stir-fried (Chinese foods), make a list of the names MSG is hidden under in the ingredients list, then go into your kitchen and see how many of your foods have one or more of them listed in the ingredients. Classic example is the 15% chicken broth that may be contained in a well-known brand of raw chicken that you must take home and cook...The MSG isn't mentioned because they didn't add MSG - they added chicken broth which contained the MSG.....Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones by learning these legal loop-holes. Oh, yes, you will also learn that that they are named excitotoxins because they excite the neural cells (Brain & Central nervous system) to death. If you also research meta-bolic syndrome X (now called insulin resistance) by orthodox medicine) you will also find that excitotoxins are the same things that cause insulin resistance which ends up as full fledged Diabetes Mellitus,Type 2 which used to be called DM, adult onset, but was renamed to DM type 1 for juvenile onset and type 2 for adult onset, because children (even toddlers, are now developing type 2. So be your own health defender by learning all the names the excitotoxins are hidden under, stop buying these products, and write the supplier telling them why you aren't buying their product. You will only have to make one list because the excitotoxins are the same ones that makes us kick out excess insulin, proceed through insulin resistance, then to full fledged DM, type 2 and all of its complications.

Here's my experience with Aspartame use. I drank 3 diet cokes a day for over 10 years. I began having pain behind my eyes, blood sugar crashes, tingling in my fingers, flashes of light in my eyes, with worse vision. I had a blood test and there was nothing unsual. After reading about Diet Cokes and Aspartame I quit all diet drinks, that was a month ago. I had 2 weeks of horrible withdrawal finally all the bad symptoms are now gone. Its all about Sales and making money with no regard for consumers it seems with Aspartame. I will NEVER drink a Diet drink again.

I am 65 years old. As a senior we all normally feel aches and pains. When I was young I always drank a diet soda and coffee with sweetner, no pain, no issues.

Now that I am older, if I have my 1 cup of decaf daily with aspartame, I have extreme body pain all over, a Dr would classify that as fibromyalgia. I drink no diet soda at all. So, I stopped adding any kind of artificial sweetners to my coffee and its a miracle- no more all over pain. My advice: be in tune with your body and an advocate for yourself.

Right on the money with the Aspartame. I read this article, and some of the testimonials, and got off it awhile back. The reversal of symptoms were almost imediate. Especially the dizzy spells. Also instability in my legs. These are mostly gone now. I have to say that all the water I drink (now) is helping to clean me out, so I've felt much better in a short time.

Hi I was wondering if anyone else has expierenced a red swelling around the elbow and very painful from the use of Splenda I have and the first time I woke up with it that way and could not bend at the elbow for nothing. Got off Splenda and now I do not have that problem anymore.

Hi Francisca -

Not silly at all. I ate a lot of MSG once (on accident) and my legs actually started to go numb, along with a killer headache. I read the label on what I had eaten about an hour prior, and realized my mistake. I then looked up on the internet how to make it better - and the site I found listed taurine, B complex, and water (as in drink a LOT of water to dilute your system). I took a B-100 complex vitamin, and drank two big 16 oz. Glasses of water, (I didn't have any taurine) and within an hour I felt about 75% better.

Scary stuff the additives put into things that you don't even realize until you eat them. A person can't read everything. I try, but every once in a while something slips by me. It is nice to know that a huge hit of the B's will help with the NEUROTOXINS (that's what I call them now).

Carly :-)

Vertigo

Eliminate Aspartame and sugar free foods and drinks. I realized after reading a article regarding aspartame on EC was linked to lupus and other aliments. I came to the conclusion it caused my Vertigo. I was overdosing on the stuff daily without being aware of it. I began drinking coffee at work with artificial sweetners 1-2 cups daily, had a diet soda with my lunch, then would drink energy drinks, chewing sugar free gum. ALLLLLL contained aspartame. Once I took that out of my diet and started paying more attention to the labels on the products I consume. Its one year later still no signs of vertigo.

WARNING!

Here's my experience with aspartame: About 10 years ago, back when I enjoyed chewing gum, I was fixing up my condo to sell it, doing physical work daily and having severe muscle spasms in my back, especially my upper back. The pain was so severe that I went to a massage supply store and bought this hard plastic curved device that let me push the hard end into the spasming muscles to try to get the spasm to stop. It worked marginally and I managed to get the condo fix-up done. I don't remember why or how the pain stopped but it did and the plastic device went into a closet for years. (I do know that at some time back then I gave up chewing sugar-free gum bc I realized it caused me some gastric distress. ) Fast forward to early 2010: I'm working at my office as a tax preparer and times are hectic and stress is high. I decide to treat myself to chewing gum, even tho it has aspartame which I've avoided for years. Quite frankly, I forgot exactly why I'd avoided it! Anyway, I started chewing quite a bit of it - probably 8 to 10 pieces daily, thinking that just some chewing gum wouldn't bother me. I had probably gone through 5 large packs already when, while just sitting at my desk one day, the very same muscle spasm pain stabbed through my shoulders. I knew instantly that this was the same pain I'd experienced while working on my condo years ago. It was very distinct. I took the remaining pack of gum and got rid of it. The pain went away after that day and did not return. I am convinced that I must have been chewing gum with aspartame back 10 years ago and gave it up - never realizing it's connection to the muscle pain I had then; Never connecting giving up the gum to the vanishing back pain. Glen Beck is suffering ill effects right now that could be side effects of aspartame. From what I've read he's been alerted to the possible connection but is not taking it seriously. I hope he takes a serious look at the possibility. I know it's real and severe.

Here is my story. And Lizz, how long did it take you to feel 100%? I am on week 5. Now I am just getting over a bad cold/sore throat too.

About 14 months ago I started getting really sick. It began with being constantly dizzy and having a ringing in my ears. Of course I went to my doctor and an ENT and they said this would go away and it was simply fluid in my ears. In the following few months I began to feel extremely fatigued and flu-like. This seemed odd to me because I was a healthy and active 27 year old woman with no health issues. Again, I went to my doctor and I was told it was simply a "viral infection."

This fatigue and dizziness quickly started to spawn out into a multitude of other symptoms including abdominal pain, headaches, tingling in my fingers and toes, muscle twitches, chronic muscle/nerve pain and insomnia. I went to several different doctors wanting second opinions. They tested me for things like MS, Lupus, Lymes Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Finally, I was sent to a specialist and diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

I was not convinced of that diagnosis being it seemed to come on so suddenly and out of the blue so I continued to search for answers. Over the next several months I would see more doctors and specialist yet find no answers. It felt like poison was flowing through my body. I thought my life was over and the vibrant, energetic woman was gone forever. My condition was so bad that I was forced to go on a medical leave from my place of employment while I got my health taken care of. Simply getting out of bed was a huge challenge for me.

Finally I demanded a referral to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. While being treated at Mayo I went through about 30 different tests and procedures again looking for serious conditions such as MS, Lupus, other autoimmune disorders and GI disorders. I also had several MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, endoscopy, colonoscopy and bone scans. The medical bills continue to mount up. Finally, the last doctor I would visit was a GI specialist. We talked about a few things and she really wasn't sure what the issue was either. She did mention something about if I chewed gum or drank diet sodas. I told her I chewed some gum but I blew off that as the cause of any issues.

Over the next few days I was thinking again on her odd question about gum and pop. I thought to myself why would she ask that question? Is there something in gum and pop that would cause such things? I looked at the nutritional information on the pack of gum and it contained something called "aspartame." In this great age of the internet I did some quick research and was astounded at the debilitating effects aspartame can have on someone's body and mind. Yet, I wasn't convinced that my gum could be practically killing me.

After some careful thought I decided I would remove all aspartame from my diet just for a few weeks and see what, if anything, happened. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical. As a side note, I would say that I was addicted to gum sometimes consuming more than a pack a day. So giving up this addiction was hard for me.

Well here I am having completed only a few weeks of eliminating aspartame and I can say I am shocked and in almost disbelief! The very next day I was feeling an improvement. My dizziness started to decrease, my muscle pain minimizing, the fatigue, abdominal pains and twitches all improving. I went through this experiment for several days before telling anyone I knew just so I wouldn't seem to jump the gun.

In all 14 months of my debilitating condition I had seen no improvement at all. I had seen dozens of doctors including chiropractors and natropathic doctors with no help and finally some relief was coming. It makes me passionately ill that our government allows this toxic substance to be added into things that we consume. If this substance is not taken out of items on the market it should at least include warnings or recommendations for consumption. I had no idea that what I was putting in my body was killing me. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars looking for answers when I could have just taken a few things out of my diet. What else is this substance doing to other people around the world without them knowing?

FOR YEARS I HAVE BEEN DRINKING MUSCLE MILK , SUCROLOSE AND ACESUFLAME POTASSIUM IN IT. LISTERENE WHITENING PRE RINSE HAS SUCRALOSE IN IT , COFFEE MATE HAS SUCRALOSE IN IT ECT ECT . I WISH THEY WOULD GET RID OF THOSE TOXINS I WISH THERE WAS SOME JUSTICE I COULD GET OUT OF THIS I HAVE TO REBUILD MY HEALTH ALL OVER AGAIN.

Hello, just responding to the problems caused by splenda. i have been using splenda for about a year and 1/2 and have been healthly all my life. I only suffer from acid reflux, yet i had 2 seizures last year and in March of this year had a ruptured anuresum and i beleive it is from result of the splenda, but can not prove it. this should be taken off the market i am considering contacting a lawyer.

Gillian, Perhaps Earthclinic is not the site for you. You believe everything you read on Snopes.com and question hundreds of strangers giving personal accounts of the devastating effects of artificial sweetners? Do you really believe with all the government has invested in the development and sales of such products, you are going to find they will post anything negative about them whether or not it is true? My friend is a nurse at Westchester Medical Center. She works with a doctor who worked on the team to develop Splenda and told her never to consume it. I don't know about you but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Non-artificial=better.

My opinion of your opinion is take what you need and leave the rest. This site is to share experiences, not for bashing.

Never mind the aspartame, splenda, saccharin...take a chill pill :)

I'm answering the information on aspartame. It says Betty Martini does not exist. Yes, I do exist and have my own web site, www.mpwhi.com I'm the founder of Mission Possible World Health International. We are a global volunteer force in 39 nations warning about aspartame. I work with the world experts. An email I wrote after lecturing for the World Environmental Conference, was signed by Nancy Markle, and made world news. Front groups tried to say it was a hoax, but its not. Since lecturing H. J. Roerts, M.D. declared aspartame disease a world epidemic and wrote a medical text on it, and in fact, dedicated it to me. Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, www.sunsentpress.com The entire story of the World Environmental Conference is on www.dorway.com/nomarkle.html including my invitation to speak. Finally a movie was made to investigate called Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World. So please change your web site. Anyone who wants to know about aspartame can contact me and we have an aspartame information list on www.mpwhi.com scroll down to banners.

Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder
Mission Possible Intl
9270 River Club Parkway
Duluth, Georgia 30097
770 242-2599
www.mpwhi.com, www.dorway.com and www.wnho.net
Aspatame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame

P.S. At the time this happened NutraSweet was owned by Monsanto. Try as they did to get people to think it was a hoax so many people walked out of wheelchairs, regained their sight, lost their fibromyalgia, etc. that they couldn't put out the fire and sold the NutraSweet Company. One of those people who walked out of her wheelchair was Cori Brackett, co-founder of Sound and Fury Productions who went on to make the film Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World. The world experts are in it as well as victims and myself.

I should also mention that not only do I exist, Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, but also James Bowen, M.D. exists. In these feedback comments it mentions that neither I or Dr. James Bowen exist. If you go to www.dorway.com and on the right side click on Doctors Speak Out under Miscellaneous you will see some of Dr. Bowen's articles. A lot are also on www.wnho.net

Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder
Mission Possible International
9270 River club Parkway
Duluth, Georgia 30097
770 242-2599
www.mpwhi.com, www.dorway.com and www.wnho.net
Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame

Please public stop saying we don't exist, we all exist. You can even call at the above number.

Did you know that Wrigley's even adds aspartame to their regular gum? So even when it doesn't say sugar free you still have to be cautious. I emailed them and asked them why they added aspartame to regular gum and their response was to enhance the flavor.

I am writing about becoming very scatterbrained and forgetful when I was using lots of splenda for baking, in my oatmeal, in drinks, etc. I have been "off splenda" for 3 months and have my mental abilities back again. Anyone else had similar problems?

I also experienced "Splenda withdrawals" which felt similar to hypoglycemia. I was so sick I thought I might have Type I diabetes even though I am in my 30's. The symptoms were really severe for at least 2 days and it took about a week before I felt somewhat normal. I was scared to eat because every time I did I felt groggy and flushed and shortly afterwards I would feel light-headed and anxious just as if my blood sugar had crashed. I had severe lower back pain, anxiety and photophobia and would wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat and severe anxiety. It was very scary and I'm posting so that maybe I can provide peace of mind for someone else going through this.

I was eating the packaged Splenda every day which includes sucralose and maltodextrim. I believe the sucralose gave me SIBO (I had little burps constantly immediately after eating and steatorrhea and my vitamin D was low even though I supplement with cod liver oil every day) and the maltodextrim was probably masking the signs that I had absorption problems by providing a constant source of sugar to my brain (I noticed the flushed feeling with the packaged Stevia as well which also contains maltodextrim as a filler).

While on the Splenda, I gradually developed severe brain fog. The whole process was very insidious because I didn't notice any effects immediately after eating Splenda so I believe my side effects were a result of SIBO since sucralose has been shown to kill off 50% of the good bacteria in your intestine (which would make sense if bad bacteria are using the undigested sucralose as a food source and then killing the good bacteria).

I drank lots of water, acidophilus and some apple cider vinegar to try to restore my gut flora. One good thing to come of this, is that I discovered I have mild Asperger's syndrome which the Splenda probably exacerbated. I was definitely a different version of myself on Splenda.

I just came from the hospital from severe reaction to an artificial sweetener that was put in a T. v. dinner. Any time I eat or drink anything that has artificial sweeteners in it I get an allergic reaction. Each time it is more severe. This time my face, tongue, and throat started to swell. Thank God for Epi-pens. I also had hives covering my entire body. And this all happened within 1 hour of eating. They need to put it in big letters on the box or whatever that the product has artificial sweetener added. If not someone could die from an allergic reaction.

I, being your average lay-person am able to do my research. I, without a doubt beleive there is a danger to consuming aspertame. I'm not saying it is poison to everybody but is most certianly is nothing but poison to some, myself included. I will listen to my body and the experiences of others on such sites as this. Thanks but no thanks, my children will be educated on the dangers of aspertame, sugar, gmo's, factory farms, microwave ovens, floride, over processing ETC, ETC, ETC. The choice will be theirs to make but they will not easily swallow a line like yours stating that aspertame is less dangerous than sugar.

I'm with Carmen on this one! Sorry, but in no way, shape or form is aspartame "safe" to ingest. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, it's a neurotoxin made up of three chemicals discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G. D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.

"Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain."

The fact that it was approved by the FDA means nothing. They also approved so many drugs that had to be withdrawn after patients were killed using them (the cure was worse than the disease).

I agree that sugar isn't healthy. However, I would drink or eat something containing sugar, while I would never do so with aspartame. Something to note: I have found that since drinking green smoothies (an acquired taste for sure), my craving for cane sugar has dropped dramatically.

My response is directed to "Mark from Decatur, Ilinois".

I read your post with a mixture of surprise and pity. Surprise because you believe Aspartame to be safe. Pity because you've not yet been affected by this sweet but deadly poison, assuming you ingest it. When you do, you'll know about it.

I consider myself a fairly healthy person, I was last off work sick about 4 years ago. I attribute this good health to Earth clinic, to Ted and to all the feedbacks posters have kindly provided.

I oil pull in the morning 5 times a week, after which I drink a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of ACV and 2 shakes of cayenne pepper.

My only real issues are mild sinus congestion and ... Tinnitus. Tinnitus began about a year ago when I consumed several packets of sugar free gum a day plus used the sweetner Splenda. Symptoms: heavy head, deep tiredness, unclear eyesight, ringing ears, dripping nose, forgetfulness, sugar craving, aching limbs, blocked nose at night, too many other issues to mention.

Strangely enough, my doctor could find nothing wrong. I assumed it was just old age catching up with me.

2 weeks after giving up all sweeteners, only using Stevia, all symptoms, apart from the Tinnitus, has gone.

Aspartame, and all its derivatives, is toxic to humans. Some people are not affected but most are. The debilitating effects (worse than what I experienced) creep up on a person over a very long period of time, so it can be hard to pinpoint the cause(s).

Anyone who advocates artificial sweeteners as "safe" needs to re-educate themselves before more innocent people are damaged.