Janet - Sweet Poison: How the Worlds Most Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us My Story

SWEET POISON

PRAISE FOR SWEET POISON

Sweet Poison is the remarkable story of a remarkable person. Janet determined that aspartame consumption was the probable cause of her afflictionand then proved it to all, including me, by its disappearance after avoiding this chemical. Unfortunately, most endocrinologists and journal editors refuse to believe or publish this phenomenon. Yet, anecdotes such as this have paved the way for significant advances in medicine and science.

H.J. Roberts, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.C.C.P

Now, years after my first encounter with aspartame, a significant number of my colleagues are becoming aware of the multiple problems with the drug and are using this knowledge in their diagnosis and treatment. This book will bring awareness to the general public alerting them to the problems associated with using aspartame.

James B. Hays, M.D., Federal Aviation Administration Designated Medical Examiner

Sweet Poison reveals the truth a government agency (FDA) and giant artificial sweetener industry dont want you to knowaspartame is toxic. Read it and learn. Then take action!

Mary Nash Stoddard, founder of Aspartame Consumer Safety Network

I am very supportive of Jans efforts, and believe that she has chosen to fight a very important fight.

Erik Millstone, Science Policy Research Unit, Sussex University, England

Sweet Poison is a provocative book documenting the authors life threatening illness due to aspartame poisoning, and her search for the answers she desperately needed to overcome her illness. This is essential reading for those who value their health and wellness.

Dr. James R. Johnston, Director of American Health Science University and National Institute of Nutritional Education (Sole institution in the United States to award federally required Certification in Nutrition)

SWEET POISON

How the Worlds Most Popular
Artificial Sweetener is Killing Us

- My Story-

by

Janet Starr Hull, M.S., C.N., Ph.D.

New Horizon Press

Far Hills, New Jersey

Copyright 1999 by Janet Starr Hull, M.S., C.N., Ph.D.
Second Reprint 2006

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, including electronic, mechanical or any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to:

New Horizon Press

P.O. Box 669

Far Hills, NJ 07931

Hull, Janet Starr, M.S., C.N., Ph.D.

Sweet Poison: How the Worlds Most Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us - My Story

Interior Design: Susan Sanderson

Library of Congress Control Number: 98-66171

ISBN: 978-0-88282-472-7

New Horizon Press

DEDICATION

To my sons

DISCLAIMER

This book is based on my experiences, and reflects my perceptions of the past, present and future. The personalities, events, actions and conversations portrayed within the story have been reconstructed from my memory, hospital records, letters, personal papers, and press accounts. Some names and events have been altered to protect the privacy of individuals. Events involving the characters happened as described; only minor details have been altered.

CONTENTS

We can trust our government to protect us from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Right? Well, guess again. You can trust your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis and then prescribe an appropriate remedy. Right? Well, almost. If your child or your spouse seems out of sorts, not up to par, has aches and pains, complains about fatigue, and a few other vague symptoms, he/she must be anemic, be under stress, or has parasites. Maybe so, maybe not.

When I started practice, armed with the latest knowledge of drugs and how to use them, I did what I had learned in medical school. Pain? I treated with pain killers. Sick? A prescription for an antibiotic. Hyperactivity? Rx for Ritalin or an amphetamine. Allergy? A shot of cortisone. We had it all. And people knew that we had the answers and the prescription pad.

A few smart-aleck parents, however, wanted to know why the kid got sick in the first place. Answer: Maybe he has bad genes from the fathers side of the family. As time went on I began to realize that there were reasons for symptoms. These children did not have a Ritalin deficiency or a lack of penicillin. They were being poisoned by air, water and food, and their immune systems were failing. My wake-up call came when I realized that almost all hyper children (now labeled ADD) were low in magnesium, essential fatty acids and some B vitamins. They were often needlessly treated with antibiotics for virus infections. That changed their gut flora. We had to start all over.

Just a brief review of standard medical literature indicated that our topsoil was disappearing and with the processing of food, nothing was left in our store-bought food but sugar, starch, flavors and trans-fats (the bad kind). Store-bought food leads to store-bought diseases. When I made sure that children got whole foods plus some vital minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids, many of their symptoms disappeared. They were not depressed. They were less sick. They would concentrate in school. I began to ask the right questions.

Is your child a Jekyll and Hyde type? Alternating between good and bad behavior is a give-away clue for hypoglycemia due to sugar ingestion or food sensitivities.

Did your child have ear infections as an infant? Ear infections mean cow milk has produced mucus in the ear tubes.

Is your child restless and hyper-alert? When the teacher complains about the childs inability to sit still in the classroom, it usually means that he is low in magnesium.

And so it goes. I was realizing that for almost every symptom that the parents complained to me about their child, there was a nutritional component involved. Ben Feingold discovered that many unruly children had reactions when they ate foods containing salicylate. MSG was a problem to many. We began to question everything that was not organic, or pesticide-free.

When aspartame came on the market, the incidence of reactions to food shot up. People were passing out, becoming depressed, having seizures, and developing symptoms of thyroid imbalance (Read about Jan in this book). Deaths have even been reported. When the FDA is asked about these reactions, they have two clever answers: (1) Research indicates that it is safe, and (2) Aspartame is considered food, so the FDA does not have to take note of these reactions.

The mixture of these potentially toxic substances in aspartame is about 160 times as sweet as plain sugar. What a concept. People who need their food and coffee to taste sweet would not get the unwanted calories. But look at what happens in the body. When this sweet taste hits the tongue, the message goes to the hypothalamus in the lower brain and states, Incoming sugar! This nerve center sends a message to the pancreas to squirt out some insulin in preparation for the sugary calories. But no sugar arrives. The insulin lowers the blood sugar, and, in some people, it could drop to a point where the brain cannot function. Pilots pass out at the controls in the cockpit. Some folks will have seizures. An occasional child will become hyperactive. Some people will get pounding headaches. Many are depressed when they swallow this stuff. Mary Stoddard, founder of Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, got eosinophilia myalgia. Janet got a diagnosable illness: Graves disease.

How many doctors ask the question, What are you eating and drinking? Even if the patient asks if it could be aspartame, the doctor reassures the patient with, Nah. Youre depressed. Lets try some Prozac. If treating a wild and hyper child, the doctor might say, He needs Ritalin.