Article: Q and A with Dr. Hull July 2003
Q and A with Dr. Hull July 2003
by: Dr. Janet Starr Hull, Ph.D., CN
http://www.sweetpoison.com/newsletter/
To: jshull@sweetpoison.com
Subject: 15 sticks a day
Q: I quit smoking a little over 2 years ago. I switched my habit
to
chewing gum. I bought "Orbit" gum which has in my view
a lot of
aspartame in it. I was chewing about 15 pieces a day. About a
month
ago I thought I was loosing my mind. I have never been so scared
in my life. I am still struggling to get back to being my old
self.
My life became flipped upside down. I have always been a happy
person, enjoyed life, and loved my career. I could not understand
what was happening to me. I woke up and knew something was wrong
with me. I felt like I was in a cloud, my right eye was getting
blurry,
with floaters. I felt so depressed, like I did not exist. My dreams
of life
were gone, nothing seemed real. I went to work, and felt like
screaming
and crying all at the same time. What the heck was going on with
me???
I went home and started to cry. My wife is very understanding,
Thank God.
I went to bed and stayed there for two days. That same day,
I had just chewed four pieces of sugarless gum. I had been
chewing it for the last 1.5 to 2 years. Everyday, about 15 pieces.
Terrible habit I had created. Glad to be off smoking cigarettes,
but
now I had created the habit of chewing gum. I prayed to God to
help me. I read the ingredients on the gum and found the word
aspartame. I did an Internet search on it and was surprised by
what
I saw. Could this be what was happening to me? It had to be. How
could I go from being sane to feeling like I was loosing my mind?
I have not had any aspartame since that day a month ago; I am
hoping that the 60 days will help get it out of my body. I just
want
to get back to my normal state of mind. Today I feel, 65% better.
Janet, will this go away? I am praying that it does. I feel so
alone on
this, but talking to you has helped me find hope. I look forward
to
reading all of your book. I am taking a men's one a day vitamin.
I
hope that helps to replenish what was damaged in my body. The
last
two days, I felt incredibly better, almost to my old self. Thanks
for your
help on the matter, and God bless you Janet. Any info would be
greatly
appreciated.
A: Scary, isn't it? Aspartame is very toxic, and it affects people
differently, but you seem to have had a somewhat common reaction.
Slowly chewing the poison day after day caught up with you. I
am
sorry you are having adverse effects, but this should get better
with time.
I suggest getting on a good vitamin routine to restore whatever
nutrients
the aspartame by-products destroyed. A detox program and liver
cleanse
would be a good idea, too.
Removing the toxin, cleaning the body, and replacing the damage
done
is the best way to return to your normal state of health. You
might enjoy
both of my books, as they go into fine detail on aspartame and
how to
recover from it.
So glad you discovered what was making you ill. Remember, aspartame
was discovered in the 1960s as an ulcer medication. All this time,
you've
been chewing on medicine for ulcers! No wonder you felt bad ...
Wishing you the best.
---------
To: jshull@sweetpoison.com
Subject: mom warned me
Q. I am so glad to read your article about the dangers of aspartame.
My
mom warned me about not using aspartame but I didn't really believe
until
I read your site. I'm now convinced because it all makes sense
now. I'm
young but have been chewing aspartame gum for years, and lately
I've
experienced knee joint problems, dizziness, loss of balance &
frequent
headaches, moodiness, feeling sick.
I never thought it could be traced to aspartame! Who would guess
the
stores could sell such "sweet poison" to people &
kids! Thanks for your
site to educate us all.
** Is there a safe mint-CANDY & GUM in the market that I
can still
consume? I like it for fresh breath! The only gum I could find
without
aspartame is DENTYNE CINNIMON (its got sugar, mannitol, sobitol,
etc...
I don't know if these sweeteners are safe either). I chew about
10 sticks
a day. Most mint candies have aspartame too.
A: These are all side effects of aspartame. Ugh. You didn't stop
a moment
too soon. Check all labels, though, as aspartame is in gums, mints,
all
kinds of foods that are not labeled sugar-free like DoubleMint
gum.
Dentyne is about the only safe gum anymore at 'general' stores.
What
a racket, huh? For the sake of your teeth, I'd try to cut back
on so much
gum , though. Try some tea tree toothpicks to suck on from the
health
food store. They really freshen your mouth. Also, there are all-natural
gums from health food stores that taste fine.
Thank you for getting off the stuff. Young people have so much
ahead
of them, and it's a shame to start battling illness at such a
young age.
Good for you. Be cautious from now on as foods aren't getting
better,
only more polluted.
Wishing you the best.
---------
To: jshull@sweetpoison.com
Subject: stomach problems from sugarless gum
Q: A few weeks ago, I started chewing Orbit gum which has
aspartame in it. Shortly afterwards I began to have abdominal
pain,
diarrhea, a sense of nausea and rare headaches. I wondered if
it
was the gum. I have stopped chewing it and started to feel better.
I still don't know if this is exactly it, so I did a web search
and found
your site. Hmm...Could be it, huh? I am almost symptom free since
I
stopped chewing the gum.
Thanks for your informative web site. I will share the news.
A: You are the third person today to email me about Orbit gum.
You
are not alone!!
Aspartame was discovered in the 1960s as an ulcer medication.
All
this time, you've been chewing a medicine for ulcers. Many people
get
stomach cramping and diarrhea because of this. Glad you put two
and
two together and are already feeling better.
To Your Health,
Dr. Janet Hull
