http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1097
quit aspartame 6 months ago, still has 2 of 52 symptoms-- diabetes and stiff
painful left arm: Russell: Murray 2004.06.25 rmforall

2004 June 25 Hello Marg, It is a privilege to be asked for help, and
a responsibility requires a humble and cautious answer, especially as I am
not a trained medical practitioner.

Your innate strength and substantial recovery are apparent in the
intelligence and the clarity of your written expression, your humor, your
openness and heartful warmth, and your energy and spontanieity in reaching
out to help so many others.

I selected out some of the more helpful references I have and give them at
the end of this post. The gist is that formaldehyde toxicity and
sensitization are very complex.
Many aspartame reactors describe localized problems that take months to
improve.

My wife, age 64, an expert acapuncturist since 1980, has controlled her
diabetes for years with healthy, organic, almost vegan diet, with milk only
for black tea, expensive quality vitamins and supplements, and an hour of
gentle exercise daily at the gym, and daily walks, along with
self-administered acapuncture, and a weekly session with a talented body
worker. Six years ago, after we had lived a year in a 50 year-old house,
she got terrifying body pain and stiffness, possibly fibromyalgia, which
has since slowly improved.

A key factor is our shared spiritual communion, in which we sit together
quietly every morning, use short readings or audio tapes to attend to
advanced modern teachers, such as Gangaji, Eckart Tolle, or Brandon Bays [
http://www.thejourney.com/ ], and settle into a shared silence, natural, yet
potent and unmistakably real.

1. Simply ask for help, in plain English:
"I need help,
I ask for help,
I deserve help,
I will accept the help that comes,
I will not try so hard to keep doing the things that I think will help,
I will let new awarenesses, new ideas, and new experiences to evolve
gradually,
I will let unexpected, unplanned things come into my daily life,
I choose to allow help in relaxing my personality and awakening to my wider,
deeper spiritual being,
I choose to be grateful.

2. Do practical, simple, safe, commonsense things to deal with the problems
and the pains, but don't effort about them. Be patient. In healing, slower
is faster.

3. Problems and pains are not punishments. You don't deserve them. They
don't prove there's anything wrong with you. Yet, you are invited to relax
into discovering how they are created by the ordinary confusions and
mistakes that are inevitably part of any soul's adventure in any human life.
How else can real wisdom arise, except gradually by learning deeply from
actual life experience?

4. Once a day, just sit in a nice, comfy armchair, away from the telephone,
looking out the window or at a positive image of beauty, and notice all the
sensations and feelings in your body, especially the most ordinary, usual
ones, pressure of sitting, feeling of cloth, breathing, heart beat, tongue
and moisture in the mouth, toes, legs, belly, chest, hands, arms, neck,
face, head. When you notice any pain or tension of any sort, just become
curious and explore it by moving your focus of attention right into it,
exactly as it feels, going into it and not away from it-- going into it on
the level of perception and sensation and emotion, while relaxing the
ordinary tendencies to focus on thoughts, memories, stories, and strategies.
If emotions unexpectedly evolve, just let them come. Keep returning every
minute to noticing what you actually sense and feel, here and now. Quite a
lot of things will happen in each session. You will notice that after a
while, there is a natural sense of completion, and it is time to have a nap,
go for a walk, eat, swim, or work. However, don't rush into anything.

5. Do more things that are just plain fun, that take you outdoors and into
new places and spaces.

6. Get lots of rest. Go on vacation. Take a break. Let your life simplify
for a while.

7. Since you're probably not in any major medical danger-- although it's
necessary to know that, whether by intuition or by expert medical
assessment-- place less focus on modern medicine and more on any alternative
medicine modalities that appeal to you. Reasonable amounts of vitamins and
supplements are pretty safe.

8. Without being fixated on it, just let yourself carry out a gradual
process of noticing and eliminating toxins and allergens:
salt; all chemicals-- most cleaners, glues, paints, perfumes, dyes, lotions,
soaps, fabric softeners, food additives, superfluous antibiotics,
pesticides, drugs, caffeine, fluoride; city water; traffic fumes; house
molds; new manufactured things like paint, furniture, clothes, carpets,
drapes, electronics, computers; ordinary inorganic or processed foods;
smoke; natural gas; dust; pollens; pet hair; mercury from fish.

9. Drink a lot of pure water and juices, and sweat more with mild exercise
and hot baths.

In mutual service, Rich Murray
****************************************************************

[ Some typos and misspellings corrected, and spacing changed by Rich Murray
to increase readibility. ]

From: "margaret russell" <margaretjrussell@...>
To: "Rich Murray" <rmforall@...>
Subject: Re: [Aspartame Support]
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2004 7:08 PM

Dear Betty,

this is an email that I sent to Rich Murray.
I would offer the question to yourself also as after over 10
years in this business, you MAY just have encountered
something similar, have you? Could you also please
forward to Drs Blaylock and Roberts since I've tried
Dr Blaylock's site and there is not a way to email him
personally that I can find.

Sorry to make this so personal about myself, but the
pain is becoming so intolerable and I want to be so
fit to be able to continue spreading the word to rid
the country of this unbelievable poison - and I'm NOT
getting any answers here. Thanks so much Betty, Marg

It seems logical to ask YOU this question since you
seem generally pretty knowledgeable in these areas.

I guess you read my 52 health symptoms that I've
experienced, when I posted in Jan 2004 on this site...
if not, I've sent them to you below)
all but 2 have gone now - my diabetes and my left arm problems...

My left arm started as a very sore elbow...diagnosis?
tennis elbow. The forearm then got sore, the joints
all cracked horrifically (due I guess to aspartame
drying up synovial fluid)

The same shoulder and bicep became sore (the bicep is
extremely lumpy and wasted) the shoulder is frozen
(very limited movement in that arm, both up and back
and sideways)

the pain burns like a blowtorch (very often without
any movement) -- I hardly sleep except through total exhaustion.

I have had CT scans, ultrasounds, XRays, Bone scans -
NO-ONE can tell me ANYTHING at all!

Because I have had previous tumours in other parts of my body (some
removed, some dissolved naturally since ceasing
aspartame) the oncology people checked me out.
They said they don't THINK the lumps are cancerous but
maybe glenoid cysts (the cancer removed from my right
posterior shoulder was indeed diagnosed as a cyst for 8 years)

In last few weeks the left shoulder has become
slightly lumpy (but flat, almost fluid type lumps, not
round and hard) and the only relief I get is from a
dose of ice therapy a 76 year old friend gave me!
40 mins of ice applied to shoulder and bicep. (and it's Winter here!)
immediately following I had intense pain when the numbness wore off,
but the first reasonable night's sleep for ages thereafter,
and a little more movement is possible.

Have you heard of anyone with similar arm problems?
Could you ask anyone else over there the same question please?
I am already dealing with a Dr that thinks
aspartame is harmless and drinks Diet coke himself
(he suggested to Betty Martini and myself that he
undertake a 3 month trial and take copious quantities
of aspartame in an attempt to prove it's totally safe,
what an idiot!)

Last night I had free tickets to a comedy show and the
star comedian did a short story about how he's been
eating sugar free lollies and hadn't noticed the
"laxative effect" warning.

Before he left I barrelled down to meet him and asked
whether he was serious or was that just part of his
gig. He WAS serious and I gave him the warnings and
the sites. He thanked me profusely for being concerned
enough to save him personally and added "well, I
better get rid of THAT then" (pointing to his pint of
Diet Coke!)

Another successful day for me. That's way
over 2000 people now in 6 months. I gave my first
lecture last week to an anxiety disorders group, and
Cori is sending me her video this week which I hope to
distribute for her here in Australia (well in Brisbane at least!)

I await your reply most eagerly and any others that
might have some insight. I ride a motorcycle (currently
with a sidecar), horses, abseil etc and at the moment
cannot some days even dress myself properly (My 16
year old son often has to help with my bra, not a job
he expects to have to do for his mum - lol!)

Regards, Margaret Russell Brisbane, Australia

----- Original Message -----
From: margaretjrussell
To: aspartame@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2004 9:13 PM
Subject: [Aspartame Support] OK, now I'm ready to
type...

A friend sent me the news about aspartame only 2 weeks
ago...what a revelation! I have been a regular imbiber of Diet
Drinks, including DIET COKE and the dreaded PEPSI MAX, from which I am
now suffering acute and painful withdrawal! I have eaten sugarless
sweets, cooked with EQUAL and eaten many other products containing
EQUAL or NUTRASWEET.
I have also chewed EXTRA sugarless chewing gum!

The tragedy of this is that I have added these products to the diets of my 3
children -
what a monstrous outrage this all is!

I now sweeten with Stevia or natural sugar (I can't use
too much sugar as I am now also DIABETIC!)

To be as brief as possible I have MULTIPLE symptoms
including...

had a PITUITARY TUMOUR;
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS symptoms (my hands form "claws");
PETIT MAL SEIZURES (jaw shakes & I bite tongue) and
I'm NOT an epileptic!;
"TRICKLING" sensation inside head,
sharp stabbing PAINS IN TEMPLE & BACK OF SKULL;
NUMBNESS & TINGLING in hands;
unexplained JOINT PAINS in left arm and hips (I DON'T have athritis);
temporary inability to breathe and WHEEZING
(and I'm NOT asthmatic)
a bout of extreme SWELLING HANDS & FEET and
all SKIN PEELING off both those areas;
a DERMATOFIBROSARCOMA removed from
right posterior shoulder and now I have lumps in left
arm and shoulder and chest which they're about to investigate
to see if they are also cancerous!;
previously unexperienced PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG REACTION;
BURNING MOUTH SYNDROME;
extremely DRY FLAKING SKIN;
SCALP SORES;
HAIR LOSS (I've lost 2/3 of my hair, which used to be waist
length and thick & glossy!);
unexplained ABDOMINAL PAIN;
BURNING HEELS (PLANTAR FASCIITIS);
RESTLESS LEGS;
An unknown HEART ATTACK
(the hospital confirmed I had one without knowing);
previously unexperienced and severe ANXIETY;
PANIC ATTACKS;
previously unexperienced DEPRESSION;
MOOD SWINGS (no hormone problems);
extreme IRRITABILITY;
and MARKED PERSONALITY CHANGE;
NAUSEA;
DIARRHEA;
DIZZINESS;
Total NIGHT BLINDNESS in my left eye;
INABILITY TO LOSE WEIGHT;
CARBOHYDRATE CRAVINGS;
BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL PROBLEMS;
CHRONIC FATIGUE;
CONFUSION;
INABILITY TO THINK STRAIGHT (and I am an intellectual and great thinker!);
CHEST PAINS;
INABILITY TO CONCENTRATE;
INSOMNIA;
EXTREME ITCHING;
"FOGGY BRAIN";
FREQUENCY OF URINATION;
TREMORS;
LARYNGITIS;
MUSCLE SPASMS;
POOR MEMORY (always extremely retentive memory previously)
SLURRING OF SPEECH;
CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT;
FEELING "UNREAL" OR OUT OF IT (I would have maybe 6 alcoholic drinks in a
YEAR!, don't smoke or take drugs)

I am so grateful to you people for spreading the word,
and for each individual's bravery to come forward, but mostly for
the friend who sent me the information to find David Rietz (albeit
after his death...and many thanks to his wonderful family for
keeping his site and his memory alive) Dr Betty Martini and her
associates ........ Dr Blaylock, Roberts etc. Were it not for Brett, I
would probably experience the ultimate symptom - DEATH!

Carry on the good work...
Margaret Russell - Queensland, Australia

WHAT I WOULD LIKE PLEASE...IS a list of possible
products this poison is added to since no-one has seen fit to pass a
law requiring this as yet...can someone assist??
****************************************************************

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1071
research on aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity:
Murray 2004.06.25 rmforall

Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@...
1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 USA 505-501-2298

[ NutraSweet, Equal, Canderel, Benevia, E951 ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/927
Donald Rumsfeld, 1977 head of Searle Corp., got aspartame FDA approval:
Turner: Murray 2002.12.23 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1039
three-page review: aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde) toxicity:
Murray 2003.11.22 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1026
brief aspartame review: formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 2003.09.11 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1025
aspartame & formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 2003.09.09 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1094
the 11% methanol component of aspartame becomes formaldehyde, now ruled a
carcinogen by WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer: Murray
2004.06.16 rmforall

http://www.drthrasher.org/formaldehyde_1990.html full text Jack Dwayne
Thrasher, Alan Broughton, Roberta Madison. Immune activation and
autoantibodies in humans with long-term inhalation exposure to formaldehyde.
Archives of Environmental Health. 1990; 45: 217-223. "Immune activation,
autoantibodies, and anti-HCHO-HSA antibodies are associated with long-term
formaldehyde inhalation." PMID: 2400243

Confirming evidence and a general theory are given by Pall (2002):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/909
testable theory of MCS type diseases, vicious cycle of nitric oxide &
peroxynitrite: MSG: formaldehyde-methanol-aspartame:
Martin L. Pall: Murray: 2002.12.09 rmforall

Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Sep; 111(12): 1461-4.
Elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite theory of multiple chemical sensitivity:
central role of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the sensitivity mechanism.
Pall ML.
School of Molecular Biosciences, 301 Abelson Hall, Washington State
University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. martin_pall@...

The elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite and the neural sensitization
theories of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are extended here to propose
a central mechanism for the exquisite sensitivity to organic solvents
apparently induced by previous chemical exposure in MCS.
This mechanism is centered on the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)
receptors by organic solvents producing elevated nitric oxide and
peroxynitrite, leading in turn to increased stimulating of and
hypersensitivity of NMDA receptors.
In this way, organic solvent exposure may produce progressive sensitivity to
organic solvents.
Pesticides such as organophosphates and carbamates may act via muscarinic
stimulation to produce a similar biochemical and sensitivity response.
Accessory mechanisms of sensitivity may involve both increased blood-brain
barrier permeability, induced by peroxynitrite, and cytochrome P450
inhibition by nitric oxide.
The NMDA hyperactivity/hypersensitivity and excessive nitric
oxide/peroxynitrite view of MCS provides answers to many of the most
puzzling aspects of MCS while building on previous studies and views of this
condition. PMID: 12948884

Prof. Pall describes processes by which an initial trigger exposure, such as
carbon monoxide or formaldehyde, can generate hypersensitivity to many
substances. He himself had recovered from a sudden, debilitating attack of
multiple chemical sensitity in June/July 1997.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1056
disorders of NMDA glutamate receptors in brain range from high activity
(MCS, CF, PTSD, FM, from carbon monoxide or formaldehyde (methanol,
aspartame)-- Pall)
to low activity (schizophrenia-- Coyle, Goff, Javitts):
Murray 2004.03.13 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1090
aspartame, MSG, excitotoxins, NMDA glutamate receptors, multiple sclerosis:
Blaylock: Martini: Murray 2004.06.09 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/97
Lancet website aspartame letter 1999.07.29:
Excitotoxins 1999 Part 1/3 Blaylock: Murray 2000.01.14 rmforall
The Medical Sentinel Journal 1999 Fall; (95 references)
http://www.dorway.com/blayenn.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/782
RTM: Smith, Terpening, Schmidt, Gums:
full text: aspartame, MSG, fibromyalgia 2002.01.17 rmforall
Jerry D Smith, Chris M Terpening, Siegfried OF Schmidt, and John G Gums
Relief of Fibromyalgia Symptoms Following
Discontinuation of Dietary Excitotoxins.
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2001; 35(6): 702-706.
Malcolm Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, USA.
BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia is a common rheumatologic disorder that is
often difficult to treat effectively.
CASE SUMMARY: Four patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome
for two to 17 years are described.
All had undergone multiple treatment
modalities with limited success. All had complete, or nearly complete,
resolution of their symptoms within months after eliminating monosodium
glutamate (MSG) or MSG plus aspartame from their diet.
All patients were women with multiple comorbidities
prior to elimination of MSG.
All have had recurrence of symptoms whenever MSG is ingested.

Siegfried O. Schmidt, MD Asst. Clinical Prof. siggy@...
Community Health and Family Medicine, U. Florida, Gainesville, FL
Shands Hospital West Oak Clinic Gainesville, FL 32608-3629
352-376-5071

http://www.perque.org/Fibromyalgia.pdf
A Novel Treatment for Fibromyalgia Imrpoves Clinical Outcomes in a
Community-Based Study.
Patricia A. Deuster, Russell M. Jaffe. RJaffe@...
Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain. 1998; Vol. 6(2): 133-149.

http://www.perque.com/ info@... 800-525-7372

Using blood tests, the researchers ran a panel of 350 antigens including
environmental chemicals, food additives and preservatives, crustaceans,
diary products, fish, fruits, grains, meats, mollusks, and oils.

Normal, healthy people react to only two or less of this panel. The greatest
offenders were:

MSG 42.5 % (17 out of 40 patients)
Candida albicans 37.5
Caffeine 37
Chocolate/cocoa 37
Food colorings 37
Cola beverages 37
Cow Dairy Products 25
Sulfite/metabisulfite 22.5
Xylene 22.5
Yogurt 22.5
Aspartame 20
BHA 20
Cadmium 20
Lead 20
Tylenol 20
Yeast 20
Sodium benzoate 20
Orange 20

http://www.dorway.com/tldaddic.html 5-page review
Roberts HJ Aspartame (NutraSweet) addiction.
Townsend Letter 2000 Jan; HJRobertsMD@...
http://www.sunsentpress.com/ sunsentpress@...
Sunshine Sentinel Press P.O.Box 17799 West Palm Beach, FL 33416
800-814-9800 561-588-7628 561-547-8008 fax

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/669
1038-page medical text "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic"
published May 30 2001 $ 60.00 postpaid data from 1200 cases
available at http://www.amazon.com
over 600 references from standard medical research

http://www.vegsource.com extensive vegan information

htttp://www.drmcdougall.com practical, delicious healthy diet guidance

http://www.vegsource.com/articles/kradjian_milk.htm
Robert Kradjian MD Discusses Milk

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/971
Joel Fuhrman critique of Atkins diet in "Eat To Live":
Murray 2003.03.01 rmforall

http://www.hyp.ac.uk/cash/index.htm
Consensus Action on Salt and Health

Substitute stevia (at health food stores).
Avoid all products with aspartame and MSG. Gradually reduce alcohol, sugar,
caffeine (coffee, cocoa, and teas), meat, fish, eggs, milk, butter, and
cheese, food additives and colors, fluoride, city water, salt and sodium.
Enjoy organic rice, beans, nuts, almond butter, vegetables, fruits, with
modest use of soy products and sprouted grain breads, flax seed and olive
oils, vitamins and minerals, 4-8 1,000 mg fish oil capsules, and fill your
jugs with deionized water.

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/ Australia FAILSAFE diet
Sue Dengate sdengate@...
Brisbane Queensland, phone Anne 07 3216 8742
****************************************************************