nope. it sux 2 cuz i luv soda anyway so when i was tryin 2 cut back on my sweets it took me awhile 2 drink diet soda instead of regualr ones but i soon began to take 2 them but only 2 hear/read this article. Many of U probably have heard but I thought i'd share it with ya'll anywayz:
(it's kinda llooonnngg... )

Aspartame Poisoning

"In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick, she had stomach spasms, she was having a hard time getting around, to walk was a major chore.

It took everything she had just to get out of bed, she was in so much pain. By March 2002, she had undergone biopsies, and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not figure out what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick, she knew she was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance etc. in her oldest daughters name, and made sure her younger children were to be with her oldest daughter.

She wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to FL (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd. On March 19th I called her to ask her how one of her tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I thought, oh, my....then I recalled an article a friend of mine emailed to me...and I asked her....Do you drink Diet pop?

She told me yes, as a matter of fact she was getting ready to crack one open that moment....

I told her not to open it, and stop drinking the diet pop....and emailed her the following article. She called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she stopped drinking the diet pop, and she can walk...she went up the stairs, and the muscle spasms went away.

She said she didn't feel 100% but sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctors with this article and would call me back when she got home.

She called me, and her doctor was amazed, he is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweetener....In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the aspartame in the diet soda, dying a slow death. When she got to FL March 22nd, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for poisoning....she is well on her way to recovery.....and she is walking!!!!! No wheelchair!!!! This article saved her life!!!!"

The life saving article:

If it says "sugar free," on the label, Don't even think about it!!! I have spent several days lecturing at the World Environmental Conference on "Aspartame" marketed as 'NutraSweet', 'Equal', and 'Spoonful'.

In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus, that it was hard to understand what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.

I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous:

When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in Aspartame converts to Formaldehydes and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants.)

The methanol toxicity mimics among other conditions multiple sclerosis. People were being diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. The multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, where methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does not know that the aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use, aggravating the lupus to such a degree that it may become life-threatening.

We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptomatic once taken off diet sodas.

In the case of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (when in reality, the disease is methanol toxicity), most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision returned and hearing improved markedly. This also applies to cases of tinnitus.

During a lecture I said "If you are using aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss - you probably have aspartame disease!"

People were jumping up during the lecture saying, "I've got some of these symptoms: Is it reversible?" Yes! Not drinking diet sodas and keeping an eye out for aspartame on food labels, yes! We have a very serious problem. A stranger came up to Dr. Espisto (one of my speakers) and me and said: "Could you tell me why so many people seem to be coming down with MS?"

During a visit to a hospice, a nurse said that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence! Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi etc. is not a diet product !

The Congressional Record states that it makes you crave carbohydrates and will make you fat. The formaldehyde stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Once off these products with no significant increase in exercise, etc., Dr. Roberts in his lecture stated that he had patients who lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that physicians would believe that they have a patient with retinopathy, when in fact the symptoms are caused by aspartame. The aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are neuro-toxic without the other amino acids found in protein. Thus it passes the blood brain barrier and deteriorates the neurons of the brain, causing in diabetics (as well as in patients not suffering from diabetes) various kinds of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, rage, violence. (The Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.)

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects i.e. mental retardation if taken at the time of conception and early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NOT be given NutraSweet. I can relate different case histories of children having mal seizures and other disturbances being on NutraSweet.

Unfortunately it is not always easy to convince a mother that aspartame is to blame for her child's illness. Only by trial and success will she be able to warn other mothers to take their children's health in their own hands.

Stevia, a sweet herb, not a manufactured additive, which helps in the metabolism of sugar (which would be ideal for diabetics) has now been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA. For years the FDA has outlawed this sweet food because of their loyalty to Monsanto. Books on this subject are available:

Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills - by Dr. Russell Blayblock (Health Press 1-800-643-2665)

Defense Against Alzheimer's Disease - by Dr. H. J. Roberts, also a diabetic specialist.

These two doctors will be posting a position paper with some case histories on the deadly effects of Aspartame on the Internet.

According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians "we are talking about a plague of neurological diseases caused by this deadly poison." Here is the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when aspartame was included in 100 different products. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, but to no avail. Nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. Now there are over 5,000 products containing this chemical, and the patent has expired !

I assure you, Monsanto, the creator of Aspartame knows how deadly it is. They fund among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association, the Conference of the American College of Physicians. This has been exposed in the New York Times - to no avail. These Associations cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to Monsanto because they take money from the food industry and have to endorse their products.

Senator Howard Hetzenbaum wrote a bill that would have warned all infants, pregnant mothers and children of the dangers of aspartame. The bill would have also instituted independent studies on the problems existing in the population (seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes neurological and behavioral; symptoms). It was killed by the powerful drug and chemical lobbies, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting public.

Facts They Don't want you to know about Artificial Sweeteners

Food Safety Expert / Author, Mary Nash Stoddard In the original lab tests, ASPARTAME caused 4 kinds of tumors: Brain Tumors / Breast Tumors / Pancreatic Tumors / Uterine Tumors.

Results of these tests were criminally falsified - then submitted to FDA! When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees Fahrenheit [body temperature is: 98.6], the 10% methanol [wood alcohol] in ASPARTAME [aka NutraSweet/Equal] converts to formaldehyde [embalming fluid] and then to formic acid [toxin found in ant sting venom].

Aspartame may be the unidentified environmental trigger for: Brain Tumors - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Lyme Disease - PMS - Migraine - Mild to Severe Depression - Carpal Tunnel - Arthritis - Meniere's - MS [Multiple Sclerosis] - Epilepsy - Anxiety/Phobia Disorders - Alzheimer's - ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease - Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome [EMS] - Graves Disease - Tinnitus - Fibromyalgia - Stroke - Heart Disease - Lupus - Mental Illness - Attention Deficit Disorder - other "Difficult-to-Diagnose" Diseases.

Aspartame poisoning can trigger the following: Chronic Fatigue; Lupus; Graves Disease; Alzheimer's; Fibromyalgia; Multiple Sclerosis; Heart Attacks; Brain Tumors; Pancreatic Cancer; Breast Cancer; Uterine Cancers; and Mental Disorders.

Three Senate Hearings have been conducted on the safety of aspartame - yet no official action has been taken by our government. Aspartame Consumer Safety Network's Mary Nash Stoddard, representing a constituency of over 10,000 individuals worldwide has provided formal testimony at the Senate Hearing in 1987 and has on numerous occasions since then, registered formal objections both in writing and in person to the FDA; FAA; EPA; USDA; Presidents Bush and Clinton; Secretary of Defense Cohen and various members of Congress. James Bowen, M.D., outspoken anti-aspartame advocate had his license to practice medicine revoked in eight states because medical boards found not that he had "harmed" a patient, but that he was "delusional" about aspartame's adverse effects. Dr. Bowen [appeared on CBS Evening News with Dan Rather in 1984 talking about his case of Lou Gehrig's Disease which he reversed by getting off aspartame].

Dr. Bowen states, "Aspartame's adverse effects have to be non-specific, affecting virtually every organ of the body. Otherwise, it [aspartame] would have been off the market within the first two years!"

When ACSN's founder, Food Safety Expert, Mary Nash Stoddard met with FDA and FAA officials in Washington [87-88] they claimed their hands were tied.

They were unwilling to undo the wrongs [including criminal actions taken on the part of those submitting aspartame for approval] that had been committed in allowing aspartame to remain illegally on the market. The Supreme Court refused to hear the petition regarding aspartame's illegal entry into the marketplace - filed in Washington D.C. by Consumer Attorney and ACSN co-founder, James Turner, Esq. Does MONSANTO have a "gatekeeper" on the U.S. Supreme Court in the form of former Monsanto attorney, Judge Clarence Thomas?

Law suits have been settled out of court. In 1992, G.D. Searle [wholly-owned subsidiary of Monsanto Chemical, St. Louis, MO since 1985] lost their exclusive patent on the pharmaceutical sweetener and now there are over 10,000 products containing aspartame as both active and inactive ingredient. [It is not always listed clearly on the ingredient label.] Diketopiperazine [DKP], a known brain tumor agent, is a breakdown product of aspartame.

Dr. John Olney of Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, shows a 10% rise in the two specific forms of brain tumors that showed up in lab tests: Astrocytomas and Glioblastomas [glio cell tumors], since aspartame came onto the market in the early eighty's. Formaldehyde [embalming fluid], a breakdown product of methanol [wood alcohol] in aspartame is found on the EPA's list of hazardous chemicals. Phenylalanine [50% of molecule] in aspartame can change the chemistry of the brain and lower the seizure threshold, according to studies done by Dr. Richard Wurtman, head of brain science at MIT. Phenylalanine also blocks production of a neurotransmitter - serotonin, which may result in mood swings; sleep disorders; mild to suicidal depressions and aberrant behaviors in some. Prozac and L-Tryptophan both increase serotonin levels.

A newsletter published by the Association of Birth Defect Children, shows Phenylalanine in aspartame can be responsible for both mild and severe birth defects - including permanent neurological damage. Aspartic Acid [40% of the molecule] in aspartame can change DNA, caused holes in the brains of lab animals and is classified as a neuroexcitatory amino acid.

Aspartame can sabotage weight loss attempts. Many report a paradoxical weight gain while using the products sweetened by aspartame. A study done at Leeds University in the U.K. showed weight gains by the men in the study on aspartame. Physicians and researchers know what damage may be caused by ingesting wood alcohol. Two teaspoons have been know to cause death.

[Every 12-oz can of diet soda which contains 200 mg. of aspartame may contain as much as 20 mg. of methanol.] The effect of methanol on the eye, liver, pancreas and other organs of the body are well documented in the scientific literature. In nature, ethanol, methanol's antidote is always present to neutralize the toxin. There is no ethanol in aspartame for protection. Aspartame can be especially hazardous to anyone with a preexisting medical condition such as diabetes.

Manufacturers of aspartame and makers of the thousands of products which contain the fake sweetener, generously fund in various ways, the following so-called independent organizations: American Diabetes Association, American Dietetic Association, members of Congress, prestigious medical schools and others. [The New York Times - 11/15/96 - reported the American Dietetic Association takes money from the food industry to endorse their products].

These books/videos are available by calling 1-800-969-6050 [Aspartame Consumer Safety Network's Book Order Department]: ** "EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS" by Neurologist, Russell Blaylock, M.D. ** "ASPARTAME [NUTRASWEET] - IS IT SAFE?" by H.J. Roberts, M.D. ** "DEADLY DECEPTION - STORY OF ASPARTAME" [Toxicology Sourcebook] by Epidemiologist, Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder of the world's massive anti-aspartame movement. ** "THE ASPARTAME CONSPIRACY", [VIDEO LECTURE at an international Science Symposium]. ACSN's ANTI-ASPARTAME ACTION AGENDA: ** Take everything back to the store you may now have in your possession that contains aspartame!

** Print as many copies of this article as you can. Distribute and warn everyone you know. Send it out to the rest of the world by email / fax / mail. ** Take all aspartame out of your diet for 60 to 90 days and send us your adverse reaction report.

About the author of this article: Mary Nash Stoddard earned international recognition through public appearances and interviews in media as a pioneer of the burgeoning worldwide anti-aspartame movement.

As Aspartame Consumer Safety Network's founder and spokesperson for over a decade, she is acclaimed for her high profile stand against any unwarranted pollution of our food supply by irresponsible food and drug manufacturing practices. Stoddard defends her position with dozens of articles from peer-reviewed medical journals and over 10,000 adverse reactions to the artificial sugar sweetener in her files. This courageous researcher claims the FDA's aspartame cover-up is an "unprecedented crime against society!

Retained frequently by media as an articulate Consumer Advocate and resource for numerous stories on national and international TV, Stoddard also provided eye opening testimony at Senate Hearings in Washington. Her important "Sixty Minutes" segments aired in both the U.S. and Australia. Stoddard's book, Deadly Deception - The Story of Aspartame, is acclaimed globally as an invaluable resource. Certified Expert Witness on the subject of the dangerous food additive, aspartame and popular consultant to doctors, scientists, attorneys, airline pilots and health care professionals, Stoddard is often referred to as pilot's "Guardian Angel" for work done on their behalf.

Aspartame Consumer Safety Network P.O. Box 780634 - Dallas TX 75378 USA Phone: 214-352-4268 Email:

wow that was reeeeeeaaaaallllllyyyyyyy long, but informative. do you have the link to the site it came from?