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Catherine (Seattle, WA) on 01/31/2009
0 out of 5 stars

I was fighting a sinus infection last week after landing in California and went to a Whole Foods to get some Vitamin C. I decided to get Emergen-C to add to water because it had a really tempting fruity flavor. Immediately after taking my first packet (which was delicious), I felt a weird sensation in my head and then I got really edgy (as in bad mood edgy). I read the ingredients on the box and sure enough, the vitamin C used in this brand is Aspartic acid, an excitotoxin. The Emergen-C also contained "natural flavors", aka MSG. I waited 24 hours and tried again to see if I would have the same side effects. Again, within a minute of drinking the packet, I got the same sensation in my head. My question is, are you doing more good or harm to the body when you take this form of vitamin c?!! Also, does Whole Foods know what they're selling? I thought they had stricter standards than most health food stores about supplements! I now need to check the ingredients on the dissolvable vitamin c from Trader Joe's that I have at home to see if it's the same stuff. GRRRR!!!
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Replied By Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 02/01/2009

Aspartic acid is a well known excitotoxin and so is monosodium glutamate or MSG. In the long run it's going to destroy the immune system through a neurodegenerative disorder. Once the excitotoxins is destroyed the immune system is down. Now in a pharamaceutical formulation adding this results in the need to take that since you get sicker and so you might feel some relief, the long term is it's going to make a person sicker, which result in greater sales for product with excitotoxins added. Now imagine a child who is a borderline autism, ADHD, these can result in many other neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic acidosis. As for me decades ago I took accidentally soft drinks with aspartame resulting in deafness, but also a permanent partial macular degeneration of the eyes. So the systematic destruction is almost wholesale if given long term use. Luckily Emergen C is not sold in Thailand, although some friends of mind given me this, I don't take it. I prefer to buy bulk vitamin C and mix them myself. There are other excitotoxins, but aspartic acid, aspartame, monosodium glutamate, and glutamic acid are the most well known.

There are other things people need to know that also accelerates aging process besides excitotoxins, well known in research circles, they are ketones and aldehydes. In one study, 36 out of 37 perfumes contain ketones, commonly in the form of musk ketones. Aldhydes are perfumes used in many cometic products, such as Chanel No. 5, but also in many consumer products, such as detergents and soap. The third common one is the bisphenol A, which acts like estrogen found in nearly all canned products that have plastic linings, and benzene, a degradation of sodium benzoate is found in most soft drinks.

I remember a newsreporter who uncovered U.S> black ops, that appeared on "What's My Line", a close friend of Marilyn Monroe, before both are dead mysteriously and the drinking water were heavily added using fluoride and LSD. Thus fluoridation and chlorination, if some of these are used in assassinations, I doubt I want to use them in my drinking water supply.

Therefore most effervescent products sometimes they are not labeled so I ended up calling the factory sometimes. One easy way to measure excitotoxin poisoning is tthat the urinary pH suddenly become very acid, such as pH 5.5 or lower and even taking more baking soda barely raise the pH long enough to be satisfactory. Such as it can't raise the pH for the entire day. It also takes weeks for the pH to be near normal after taking b complex and baking soda for a week or two. A long term taking of this can also resulted in higher urinary sugar and damaged pancreas, besides damaging the brain. One of the worse advertisement I have seen is Michael J. Fox supporting Diet Pepsi, which contains aspartame, and he himself has Parkinson's disease, which will make such conditions much worse. The remedy is not to take aspartame for Parkinson's disease or to undergo stem cells, since it's not yet legal at the moment and stem cell research has been blocked for at least 8 years. Methylene blue taken at 2 drops at 0.1% concentration might reverse some of the effects of excitotoxins as it is one of my remedies for Parkinson's disease also.

Taking excitotoxins is a long term damage that may lead to degenerative disorders, metabolic acidosis, and lowered immune system. Therefore I would avoid them as best as I can.

Ted

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Replied By Rosy (Orlando, Fl) on 02/01/2009

I feel the same way after taking the emergen-c. I had to give it way. I didn't know that Aspartic acid was an excitotoxin.
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Replied By Joyce (Joelton, Tn.) on 02/01/2009

Hello Catherine: Unless you consider killing off your brain cells good, ingesting excitotoxins, or neurotoxins is very bad. When you read up on excittoxins, you will find the same two majors so rampant in our processed foods, monosodium glutamate and aspartame, are also blamed for making our bodies kick out excessive insulin which starts us down the progression of insulin resistance and development of diabetes mellitus, type 2. Personally, I don't care to ingest any of them but it is very difficult to avoid them in our foods these days.

Russell Blaylock tells us that any hydrolyzed plant (corn, soy, pea, etc) protein is the most deadly form of all of MSG because it kills off two different types of neurons, because it contains both MSG and aspartame. Since this would hold true for ingredients listing both monosodium glutamate and aspartame in the ingredients, stay away from those foods containing either one these toxins. Read labels carefully before buying as I have found a couple of canned vegetables listing ingredients: monosodium glutamate, spices, hydrolyzed plant protein, and natural flavors all on the same label.

To make this story more pitiful, they were not at the end of the ingredients list and the ingredients are supposed to be listed beginning with what it contains most of first and listing those with very small amounts last.

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Replied By Dianna (Austin, TX) on 02/01/2009

wow! i am upset by this. i have been taking emergen-c for years and i didn't know that this was anything other than an amino acid.

so - i need to find another vitamin/mineral blend that is easy to take. i just looked up airborne's ingredients and am sad to say that they contain acesulfame potassium which is an artificial sweetener... as well as sorbitol...

can anyone give me the name of a product that is similar to these and is safe?
thanks
djh

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Replied By Sandy (In the sticks, Nevada) on 02/02/2009

Thank you Catherine in Seattle for sharing this. I would not have known -- just goes to show that a person needs to read the label on everything -- even "trusted" products that seem healthy. I would like to give everyone a heads up on two other problem products within our food supply. There may be a few of you that have not heard that there is yet another reason to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup -- mercury! Here is a link I found -- http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/1/26/132619/467 --but go ahead and google this yourself. Also, to my horror, I purchased a bottle of Balsamic vinegar the other day, used some and then noticed on the label, A LEAD WARNING! I am still researching this, but wanted to share a link with you http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/18/why-is-there-lead-in-my-balsamic-vinegar/

Evidently a person would have to consume a lot of vinegar to reach the lead level in California's Proposition 65. Even so, I feel that I don't need any extra lead :), so I am going to start buying certified lead free vinegar. I know that I am probably ingesting other toxic things in my food, but what is a person to do? I just say a little prayer over my food and try to do the best I can with what I know.

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Replied By Patricia (Elmont, NY) on 02/02/2009

emergen-c caused a herpes simplex outbreak. I was shopping at Trader Joes and I picked up a pack of emergen-c. thinking that it will supply me with needed vit-c. I took one packet right at the store with water that I bought there. I felt really weird after taking it. I read the ingredients and I noticed natural flavors and natural sucrose. I know from previous time that anything edible containing natural flavours it is MSG. No sooner did I get into my car to leave,my lip became inflamed and I had the start of a cold sore. I returned to the store and got my money back. I later spoke to the manager about the situation and he said he cannot pull anything off the shelf. It has to be done by headquarters. Now I only depend on good quality Vit C. Emergen-C is on my not-to-buy-list!
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Replied By Catherine (San Fran, CA) on 02/02/2009

hi, Dianne. Yes, they've been adding aspartame to Airborne since the teacher who invented the formula sold it to a big pharma company (if I am recalling this correctly). Amazing how they try and hide the toxic ingredients with all sorts of other names! We all really have to keep up with the latest research in order to notice the changing names.
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Replied By Earth Clinic (USA) on 02/20/2009

We went to Whole Foods last week, and Trader Joes today, and checked out the ingredients of the Emergen-C sold at both stores. None of the ingredients in any of the Emergen-C boxes listed aspartic acid as the form of vitamin c. It was all vitamin c in the form of Asorbic Acid. Readers from other territories (outside Atlanta), if you get a chance to look, please report your findings. Thanks!
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Replied By Renate (Parrish, FL, USA) on 02/20/2009

I purchased my Emergen-C at Walmart. It contains Vit C as ascorbic acid, zinc ascorbate, chromium ascorbate, but below at the bottom after other ingredients: fructose, citric acid, natural flavors, tapicopa maltodextrin, malic acid, silica, gylcine, aspartic acid, tartaric acid, cysteine hydrochloride. I can't believe that ingredients would be different depending upon where purchased.

EC: Ah ha! Thank you, we didn't scroll down that far... certainly explains it.

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Replied By Franklin (Vancouver, BC, Canada) on 02/20/2009

Hi, I got my EmergenC at Whole Foods in Vancouver (925 Main St location). Packaging says the C is from aspartic acid, not asorbic acid.
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Replied By Dianna (Austin, TX) on 03/20/2009

i have a question about vitamin and mineral supplements. for several years i took emergen-C daily. however recently after reading about it containing excito toxins and checking the label and seeing that and perhaps MSG - i stopped. now i am only taking a multi vitamin and some triphala powder (very high in vit. c) and also some ACV each day. my question is: does anyone know a good replacement for emergen-C? i don't want to take a bunch of pills, would prefer a powder i can mix in water or juice. i am just worried that now i am not getting enough minerals!

OR SHOULD I JUST START TAKING THE EMERGEN-C AGAIN??? help!
i never really had any side effects that i could tell from it.

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