This might be TMI
Dec. 19th, 2006 07:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
essayelThis is a health matter. I don't normally like to put up more than routine grumbles but this info might be as useful to someone on my flist as it has been for me. In any case I'm sticking it behind a cut so only read on if you want to know why I'll .
A few years back I'd got a bit pudgy and was sick of it so decided to diet. I took it slowly, cut out sugar, replaced it with aspartame based sweeteners and generally ate sensibly. I lost 20lbs over about three months, bringing me down to a reasonable for my age size 10/12, that's 6/8 US sizes, creeping back up to a 12 though most of the pudge stayed off. I'm not counting my bust BTW because that is just ridiculously big and always has been.
My irritability, mood swings and over-reactions to things I put down to the menopause and apologised where necessary. Stiffness in my hands and knees was checked by the doctor and put down to 'not being as young as I was.
Back in February this year I woke up one morning and my feet hurt when I stood up. Over the succeeding months the pains grew worse, spreading to my hips and shoulders until I was losing sleep, unable to find a comfortable position to lay in. Because I was tired and hurt I took less exercise but that doesn't completely explain why I started gaining weight, nor why I developed oedema in my arms and legs to the extent that even a light grip would leave large dents. I was getting attacks of breathlessness and tachycardia. I was utterly miserable and none of my clothes fitted.
In September we had guests and one of them, a very sensible man not given to fanciful notions [you daren't if it's your business to handle explosives] saw me using Candarel and took it away and threw it in the bin. "That's why you're ill," he said. "Trust me. It's the aspartame. Look on the internet."
So I did and read a horrifying amount of ill-informed bollocks about government conspiracies and brain tumours and some very well reasoned arguments in favour of aspartame being perfectly safe. My guest shrugged and said, "Give it up for a while and see - what have you got to lose?"
So I stopped using it and within three weeks the pain had stopped and I could walk normally. I'm a lot calmer [despite having teenagers and a delinquent dog and a stressed out husband and a manic boss]. I'm sleeping at night. Okay so I'm horribly unfit, my muscle tone has gone and I need to lose weight again but overall I'm much happier and nicer to know.
If you look at sites like Snopes the horror tales about aspartame are put down as scare stories and hoaxes. I really don't want to scare anyone and this isn't a hoax.
Points to consider:
My neighbour is a respected neurologist - he has seen the results of tests made on aspartame that have never been made public. Diet products don't require the same type of testing as medical drugs do. He refuses to have it in the house or allow any of his family to use it. Most of his colleagues are of the same opinion.
Manufacturers of soft drinks in the EU are starting to label drinks packages with warnings that the contents contains Phenylalanine [the icky bit of aspartame]. Why is that if aspartame [and phenylalanine] is all hunky dory?
Anyhow - I said my bit. I've waited 3 months to post this, to take account of the placebo effect. Honestly, if you feel rough and use aspartame - try giving it up for a bit. As my friend said to me, what have you got to lose?
A few years back I'd got a bit pudgy and was sick of it so decided to diet. I took it slowly, cut out sugar, replaced it with aspartame based sweeteners and generally ate sensibly. I lost 20lbs over about three months, bringing me down to a reasonable for my age size 10/12, that's 6/8 US sizes, creeping back up to a 12 though most of the pudge stayed off. I'm not counting my bust BTW because that is just ridiculously big and always has been.
My irritability, mood swings and over-reactions to things I put down to the menopause and apologised where necessary. Stiffness in my hands and knees was checked by the doctor and put down to 'not being as young as I was.
Back in February this year I woke up one morning and my feet hurt when I stood up. Over the succeeding months the pains grew worse, spreading to my hips and shoulders until I was losing sleep, unable to find a comfortable position to lay in. Because I was tired and hurt I took less exercise but that doesn't completely explain why I started gaining weight, nor why I developed oedema in my arms and legs to the extent that even a light grip would leave large dents. I was getting attacks of breathlessness and tachycardia. I was utterly miserable and none of my clothes fitted.
In September we had guests and one of them, a very sensible man not given to fanciful notions [you daren't if it's your business to handle explosives] saw me using Candarel and took it away and threw it in the bin. "That's why you're ill," he said. "Trust me. It's the aspartame. Look on the internet."
So I did and read a horrifying amount of ill-informed bollocks about government conspiracies and brain tumours and some very well reasoned arguments in favour of aspartame being perfectly safe. My guest shrugged and said, "Give it up for a while and see - what have you got to lose?"
So I stopped using it and within three weeks the pain had stopped and I could walk normally. I'm a lot calmer [despite having teenagers and a delinquent dog and a stressed out husband and a manic boss]. I'm sleeping at night. Okay so I'm horribly unfit, my muscle tone has gone and I need to lose weight again but overall I'm much happier and nicer to know.
If you look at sites like Snopes the horror tales about aspartame are put down as scare stories and hoaxes. I really don't want to scare anyone and this isn't a hoax.
Points to consider:
My neighbour is a respected neurologist - he has seen the results of tests made on aspartame that have never been made public. Diet products don't require the same type of testing as medical drugs do. He refuses to have it in the house or allow any of his family to use it. Most of his colleagues are of the same opinion.
Manufacturers of soft drinks in the EU are starting to label drinks packages with warnings that the contents contains Phenylalanine [the icky bit of aspartame]. Why is that if aspartame [and phenylalanine] is all hunky dory?
Anyhow - I said my bit. I've waited 3 months to post this, to take account of the placebo effect. Honestly, if you feel rough and use aspartame - try giving it up for a bit. As my friend said to me, what have you got to lose?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-19 09:13 am (UTC)But, human metabolism is in no way linear or binary; what is lethal to some can still be very, very bad to the general public. Was is killing type 1 diabetics outright is still fucking up the health of half the 'normal' people, moving them towards metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, for example. I never talk about my health, so I'm totally not going to mention at all how much keeping to low glycaemic index food has done for my condition and general well-being since the summer, on top of the 'veganski' shoes. I totally believe you about the aspartame, though - your metabolism doesn't like phenyalanine even without any incidences of that illness. And it's probably a good chunk of the population whose metabolism doesn't like the stuff.
I am simply too stingy to buy the expensive canderel and always get the saccharine mix sweetener cheap from the cheap supermarkets. The eco-friendly alternative, of course, would be Stevia, which is, however a) horribly expensive and b) due to some inane EU regulation not approved as food, and thus hard to get, and thus more expensive, etc...
(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-19 11:24 am (UTC)I've been having joint pain in my knees real bad and sleep problems. I also work on my feet a hell of a lot for 12 hour days. But the knee pain for almost a year.
I used aspartame based sweeteners in my Diet Coke and whenever I sweeten something, like coffee or tea. I could swith to Splenda on everything except my one or two cans of Diet Coke a day. I wonder what would happen. I hate regular Coke...
Hmmmm... You've given me a lot to think about.
What really makes me happy is that you are feeling better. And I don't ever remember you posting about health problems in the first place. That annoys me. We are your friends and want to be there for you!
LOVE,
Ben
(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-19 06:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-19 09:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-19 08:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-20 01:26 am (UTC)Thanks for the tip.