Mary Nash Stoddard's Blog, page 19

Fwd: Aspartame and Children (Case Histories: 2 Deaths and 1 Permanent Neurological Damage)

ACSN ASPARTAME CASE HISTORIES - CHILDREN (2 Deaths/1 Severe Neuro-damage)Mary Nash Stoddard/author Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame

Aspartame was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in July, 1981, based on tampered results of the scientific studies submitted by G.D. Searle pharmaceutical, to show safety. Deceased laboratory animals were miraculously brought back to life on paper and a coverup of gigantic proportions ensued. 
Almost a year later, the sweetener could be found on store shelves and in restaurants. By 1987, five deaths had been formally reported to the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most had medical records attached. Five deaths reported within 5 years of Aspartame use by the general public. How many more do you suppose have occurred in the interim 30 years? Since the ARMS division ceased collecting adverse reactions a few years after approval, and since, unlike prescription drugs, no legal adverse reaction reporting guidelines are established for reporting by physicians and others, for a food additive such as Aspartame, one can draw one's own conclusions regarding the numbers of serious adverse reactions people have experienced since that time. Especially given the fact that in 1982, it was approved for aqueous solution and by late 1984, soft drinks, sweetened with Aspartame were being consumed on a daily basis by thousands. 
When the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network was officially begun in July, 1987, at least 3 out of 5 people in a poll, admitted to suffering from at least one of the 92 symptoms reported to FDA, ranging from migraines and seizures, all the way to blindness, hearing loss, skin reactions and many other serious symptoms. 
Try to imagine the large numbers of children who are innocent victims, suffering from aspartame reactions. These children don't know how to tell parents or teachers why they are feeling sick, disoriented, confused, and cannot control their emotions. 
The case histories continue to pour in to our network. Consumers are now sharing information they got from our organization and telling their personal experiences, in order to help educate others as to the many risk factors associated with use of Aspartame sweeteners such as Equal, NutraSweet, Canderel, and now, Neotame.
"The number of deaths from seizures has substantially increased since Aspartame has been on the market. Many more seizure related emergency transports done now," reports author, Dr. Janet Starr Hull.
Parents the FDA is not Protecting Your Child:
Young Katrina Carridine had been complaining of an earache the very day she went for her three year check up, Wednesday, January 5, 1994. Her pediatrician checked her ear. "Well, Mrs. Carradine," the pediatrician stated as she tore a sheet of paper from a rubber-lined pad. "Katrina appears to have an ear infection. Take this prescription for an antibiotic."
"Katrina has had ear infections before," replied Katrina's mother, Carmen. "But, she's never complained of so much pain. Why this time?"
"I really can't answer that question, Mrs. Carradine." the doctor said, in a somewhat dismissive manner. "I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about."
"Odd things have been happening to Katrina, lately." Carmen added, sharing her concerns with the doctor. "Especially Katrina's complaints of almost daily stomach aches over the past six to eight weeks."
"If she doesn't improve in a few days," the doctor responded, "Bring Katrina back in, and we'll run some tests."
Carmen was worried. Katrina was becoming clumsy, particularly compared to other children her age. Sometimes, she acted blind, literally running into things. Occasionally, she fell. At times, she was hyperactive. Her speech sounded slurred. She never acted in a reliable manner. Her mother wondered, "Is this typical three year old behavior?"
Katrina commonly had loose stools, but over the past several months she was experiencing diarrhea and cramping. The doctor suggested Katrina "see a neurologist," regarding her blinding falls.
Two days later, the ear pain increased in intensity. She continued falling, once bumping the back of her head quite severely. Katrina kept complaining her head was hurting where her ear was infected. Carmen called the pediatrician, who guessed the antibiotic must not be working. He prescribed Vantin®, an antibiotic she had used before, and Tylenol® with codeine. She vomited several times that night. The Tylenol never had a chance to get into her system. She couldn't keep anything down. Her parents waited until morning to start the Vantin, and tried a second dose of the Tylenol.
Carmen was not convinced Katrina HAD an ear infection. She believed this time her ear was sore because it was swollen and red at the site; not the other way around.
By Saturday, Katrina was lethargic. Carmen held her most of the day, when she was not sleeping. She would not eat anything. Her mother managed to get some sugar-free yogurt down her. Katrina liked yogurt. Carmen hoped she would keep it down. She vomited several times that day. She also sipped on a cold diet coke.
Sunday, January 9. The next morning, Katrina was still very lethargic. Her parents decided to take her back to the doctor the next morning if she did not improve that day. At 1:15 pm, Carmen was leaving for work. Katrina had not gotten out of bed for lunch as she normally did. Not wishing to disturb her sick child, Carmen let her sleep. 
She almost left without checking on her, but intuitively changed her mind, checking to see if she was sleeping. Katrina was lying on her side. As Carmen paused over her, she saw Katrina staring at the wall. She called her name, but Katrina did not respond. She said a little louder, "Katrina?" She still did not move. Carmen called for Katrina's father, Jay, who had just sat down to give a bottle to their three-month old baby."Jay," she said in panic. "I think something is wrong!"She turned Katrina over onto her back. She will never forget what she saw. Her three year old daughter lay unconscious. Eyes open and glaring. Lips and finger nails blue. The right side of her face covered with mucous and saliva from a puddle still pooled on her bed.
Jay rushed to her side, saying, "She's not breathing, Carmen!" She then picked Katrina up, as if it were happening in slow motion. They discussed what to do next. What do they do with the baby? Where do they lay Katrina? Who was going to give her CPR? "Carmen, call 911!" screamed Jay.
Within one minute, two policemen ran through the front door without a knock. Within two minutes, an ambulance and a fire truck idled outside the house. There were people everywhere asking questions. Carmen was still on the line telling the 911 operator what was happening. 
The paramedics identified Katrina's left side as being totally paralyzed. They asked Jay and Carmen if they had any idea why. No one knew what was wrong with Katrina.
Katrina had a grand mal seizure while being transported in the ambulance. She had stopped breathing again. Once in the emergency room, Katrina was heard saying, "Mommy, Mommy." Carmen's heart was breaking.Katrina sat up in her temporary hospital bed, arms extended for Carmen to hold her. Carmen held her tightly, fighting tears that would frighten Katrina. As Carmen lay her back down, Katrina slipped unconscious again and had to be resuscitated. Again. Carmen was asked to leave as they intubated Katrina. She was given Valium®, Dilantin®, and Versid®. They performed a CAT scan. After four hours, Katrina was transferred to Riley Children's Hospital at Indiana University. She remained there for six weeks. She was on life support for two weeks. In ICU for four weeks.
Jay and Carmen received an incredible education during that six weeks, as well as a new home. Katrina's baby sister went to live with friends.
Katrina continued to have seizures and apnea the first day in the hospital. Doctors performed an MRI without a contrast, but saw nothing. They did a spinal tap. Nothing. They thought they had her stabilized with anti-convulsants. They extubated her the next day, moving her into the toddler unit.
The seizures were no longer blatantly obvious. Jay and Carmen had never seen them. Katrina had no jerking of limbs or any physical effects common to seizures. That night, she complained of another bad headache. She could get no relief.
By 6:00 am the following morning, Katrina began acting in a strange manner. Her hands began to twitch. Carmen held her while she summoned the nurse. The nurse arrived, but just stood in place watching Carmen hold Katrina. Carmen grew angry. "Why don't you do something?" she questioned. She found out later that the nurse was watching and timing Katrina's seizure. There was nothing more she could have done. She was unaware that Carmen had never seen Katrina have a seizure before.
Within fifteen minutes, Katrina had another seizure, this time with more arm and mouth movement. Again, fifteen minutes later, another seizure. This continued until 7:30 am. Back in ICU, Katrina slipped into status epilepticus. She stopped breathing. They re-intubated and performed an MRI with a contrast. This time, they finally saw something, although no one knew what it meant.
Katrina was put into a Pentobarbital® coma for one week to stop the status epilepticus. Otherwise, Katrina could have died, from the damage to her brain by the constant seizing. The doctors wanted her brain wave to be as flat as possible, referred to as 'burst suppression.' During this time, Katrina was on complete life support and a constant EEG monitor. She had an arterial line in her ankle to draw blood hourly to check for blood gases and drug levels.
The little patient required a blood transfusion to replace what was being continuously drawn. She had two central lines; one in her neck and one in her groin area. Each central line had two lines leading into it. One for feeding, three for various drugs. Her urine was collected hourly.
In a sort of cruel irony, Katrina was put into isolation as they suspected she was contagious. Jay and Carmen were required to wear masks and gowns to stay with her. What a horrible sight for her parents to see - their beloved daughter almost gone from them forever. Her soul was floating in space, somewhere out in space. It was a long, long time before she came back.
Jay and Carmen wanted answers! They asked the doctors, "Why is our daughter so sick. "What could've so suddenly caused this?" They complained of being kept in the dark. No one offered any explanations. 
As if they were being childish and disruptive to the healthcare team, they were coldly told, "Look, we have a live child to work with here. She could easily be dead. You're lucky. Don't complain. All you can do for Katrina is support her. You'll just have to wait and see what happens."
At this time, they were informed that 60% of the children that come to Riley for diagnosis never get one. "So, don't get your hopes up." (Ed. ACSN even talks about Aspartame and Difficult to Diagnose Diseases, which are more and more prevalent since the advent of Aspartame in our food supply, in 1982.)
For the two weeks in a coma and on life support, Katrina's family didn't know whether she would live or die. If she did live, could they keep this from happening again? No one could give them any answers.
When Carmen was not at the hospital, she was searching for the answer. She went to the medical library, continuously reading articles, books, and research trying to help her daughter. But, like the doctors, she also found nothing.
Jay drove to Chicago late one night to have a friend run a test on some of Katrina's blood. He thought she may have lead poisoning. Nothing.
The Carridines had their furnace checked for carbon monoxide leaks. They checked her blood for that, too. Still ... nothing.
Could the cause be Chocolate? A friend mentioned an article she had recently read on theobromine, an ingredient in chocolate. She knew Katrina had an insatiable, almost embarrassing, craving for sweets/candy. Another friend suggested a possible carnitine deficiency. Nothing.
Frail little Katrina endured one diagnostic test after another. So many, in fact, Jay and Carmen lost track. And, the Carridines were getting buried in astronomical medical bills.! 
Katrina had a CAT scan, three MRIs, three spinal taps, and so many EEGs, her parents lost count.Katrina soon developed problems with her liver. A liver biopsy was performed. A muscle tissue biopsy was also done. An ophthalmologist was called in to check for a Kayser-Fleischer ring indicating Wilson's Disease. Nothing.
A cytogenetic test was performed, an abdominal ultrasound of her liver and gall bladder. A VER and BSER were performed. The list went on and on ad infinitum. Still nothing.
An infectious disease specialist diagnosed Katrina with noninfectious encephalitis. Her pediatric pulmonologists agreed she had encephalitis, but believed it was viral. Three spinal taps did not support that opinion.Katrina was then followed by a gastrointerologist and a neurologist. The neurologist's final impression on April 15 was "Status-post status epilepticus of unknown etiology with evidence of a meningo encephalitis on MRI scan."
After Katrina came out of a coma, Carmen rocked her, talked to her, read to her, played music for her, and waited day after day for her to 'come back' from the deep sedation. Her Mommy waiting to hold her again.The time at the hospital spent waiting for Katrina to get better flew by quickly, thanks to the constant flow of friends who came to keep Jay and Carmen occupied. No one could offer answers, only support and love.
Who knew the answer to why Katrina was fatally ill so suddenly? What caused this? Katrina was always healthy. Other than ear infections and the unusual symptoms over the past two and one-half months, leading up to her hospitalization, she was a model, healthy baby. Who or what was to blame?
Jay and Carmen pondered the fate of their child. What do they do next? What's the fate of their second child?Katrina was finally released from the hospital after eight weeks. Over $300,000 worth of care without answers. Her parents brought her home with little else to go on. They didn't know what caused her near-death experience or if it would ever occur again. The doctors never determined what really happened. It was still a dark mystery.
The doctors wanted Katrina to remain on anticonvulsants for a lack of anything else to do. After being on life support for two weeks, six weeks at Riley Children's Hospital, being transferred to a rehabilitation hospital for another two weeks - yielded no answers.
Six weeks of tests, including three lumbar punctures, constant EEGs, a liver biopsy, a muscle tissue biopsy, Echocardiography, Genetic Screenings, Abdominal Ultrasounds of an enlarged liver and high enzyme readings, four MRIs, tests for: Wilson's Disease, Herpes and Hepatitis, hourly blood tests, daily blood tests, lead poisoning tests, carbon monoxide poisoning tests, cytogenetic tests, and countless others, the Carradines didn't even know about - NOTHING. An infectious disease specialist saw Katrina for a while, but found NOTHING.
Katrina's final diagnosis was meningo encephalitis of unknown etiology. No virus found. No bacterial infection discovered. The doctors talked of a possible toxin, but it was never pursued.
Katrina was finally home. But, for how long?
In July, 1994, the Carradine's moved to Dallas, Texas. A new friend and neighbor suggested Katrina's symptoms might simply be reactions to aspartame. She gave Carmen an article published by a consumer group concerned about NutraSweet safety, the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network. Handing her the ACSN's telephone number, she said, "It couldn't hurt to check it out."
Finally! Answers!
Jay and Carmen were interested in all the information they could get. Mary Nash Stoddard, founder of Aspartame Consumer Safety Network showed them similar cases from the ACSN files. For the first time since Katrina's illness, they had answers that made sense.
Katrina occasionally had Kool Aid® with aspartame. Carmen fed her yogurt with aspartame when sugar-sweetened was not available. Katrina took sips of Jay's diet drinks. Carmen sometimes used aspartame during pregnancy with Katrina. Her OB/GYN said it was fine. None of these foods was given to Katrina regularly. Maybe once or twice a week. Where could she have gotten enough aspartame to create such serious symptoms?
Carmen called the NutraSweet Company to ask if they had ever received complaints like hers. They claimed to have no idea what she was talking about. They mailed her brochures advertising all the products NutraSweet is found in, professing their unassailable confidence in their product's safety.
The information from the files of Mary Nash Stoddard, told her the answer. Especially one compelling case history of a toddler from Kansas, whose Mother sent Mary a video of Jennifer's erratic behavior and all her medical records. The cases were chillingly similar.
She knew then how Katrina got ill! Katrina's daily children's multiple vitamins contained aspartame. Carmen never knew they contained aspartame because the chewable vitamins were not labeled 'sugar-free.' Carmen bought the popular children's vitamins for Katrina in October and religiously gave them to her until January 9. On October 13, a few days after she started the vitamins, Katrina was taken to the emergency room with a concussion. She had 'stumbled' and fallen. She began developing strange repercussions. She had a hard time standing. She'd stand in one spot with her finger pointed out, turning in circles and mumbling. Carmen talked to the pediatrician about Katrina's strange reflexes. To test Carmen's concerns, the pediatrician asked Katrina 'who her mommy was.' Katrina went over to the nurse, pointed, and called her 'mommy.'
Katrina could no longer see well. She began to develop frequent earaches. Her mother started Katrina on a children's pain reliever, unaware IT also contained aspartame. Katrina was given vitamins and pain relievers containing aspartame without her mother's knowledge. More vitamins, more aspartame, more earaches, more sugar-free pain relievers.
Home from the hospital, Katrina was on prescribed anticonvulsants. Carmen did not start her back on vitamins until she weaned her completely from the medication. Seizure free for over one year, Carmen started Katrina back on her favorite chewable vitamins. Tragically, just one week later, the same symptoms as before her illness reappeared. Katrina began complaining of stomach pains and diarrhea, she began stumbling and falling down.
About this time, Carmen was introduced to Mary Nash Stoddard, one of the nation's leading experts on the topic of aspartame, who gave her copious amounts of information concerning aspartame's reported risk factors for children. She began to put two and two together. Was aspartame in Katrina's vitamins? Yes, but why? Katrina didn't need sugar-free vitamins. Carmen took the vitamins away from Katrina, and her returning symptoms disappeared. Coincidence? She didn't think so.
Katrina suffered from acute toxicity, lethargy, confusion, impairment of articulation, sever headaches, abdominal pain, vertigo, and temporary visual loss. All symptoms of aspartame toxicity. Katrina also had nausea, an unsteady gate, and unusually high liver enzyme levels.
Katrina has suffered so much, and has a hard life ahead of her. She is in need of speech therapy. Her behavior is unpredictable. She requires special schooling. Her diet will have to be watched very closely from now on. Her parents must scrutinize all her meals and snacks. Eating out is risky.  Only God knows what additives are found in contemporary foods. This one thing is certain: Katrina can never have aspartame again, if she hopes to stay well. The artificial sweetener is hidden in so many things. Her life will never again be the same.
April 6, 1995Mary Nash-StoddardAspartame Consumer Safety NetworkPO Box 780634Dallas, Texas 75378
Dear Mary,
After talking with you a few weeks ago, I felt a kind of excitement and relief because I was FINALLY getting an answer to what happened to my daughter in January of 1994. Just 10 days after her third birthday, she nearly died, and would have had my husband not known CPR, and had an ambulance and medical team not been only two blocks away...
Is my child's life worth nothing? It makes me very, very angry that the FDA has allowed something to be put into my children's food that can harm them and even take their lives. The FDA knows it has already taken lives. Are millions of dollars being spent buying up books and other literature so the public doesn't have a chance to read the truth?
I am very grateful to have been informed, and I know from our prior experience that my child could be dead by now if the ACSN had not chosen to speak out. Katrina had so many symptoms listed on the FDA complaint list, I knew immediately, without a doubt, she was a victim of aspartame poisoning. I knew it, even before I figured out where she was getting her largest, regular dose of it.It was helpful for me to be able to put down the words, kind of like therapy. 
I will remain in contact and will do what I can to help you in your efforts to let people know the dangers of aspartame. Thank you for your help, and advice, and for listening!
Yours very truly,Carmen Carradine______________________________________________The following is another case history of a Mother's grieving over an unthinkable loss. Taken from Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame. This one is about Patti, the daughter of one of my dearest friends, Betty Hailand, who gave me Patti's ring to wear when I give keynote speeches and media interviews about Aspartame:
December 7, 1987. Patti Crain was a beautiful girl. She enjoyed a normal and healthy life until she mysteriously dropped dead at age twenty-three. Cause: Death Unknown. Patti's mother, Betty Hailand, witnessed the tragedy evolve.Patti was Betty's adopted daughter. She was the 'All-American girl.' Suddenly out of nowhere, Patti developed eye problems, experiencing blurred vision accompanied by bad headaches. Betty took Patti to have her eyes examined. The doctor found nothing wrong with her eyesight. Patti and Betty were frustrated because they knew something was wrong.
One day after work, Patti returned to her apartment complaining that her vision was intolerably blurred, and she was experiencing unbearable head pain. She progressively grew worse through the night and willingly admitted herself to the hospital emergency room early the next morning, accompanied by her friend, Cheryl. The E.R. doctor diagnosed Patti with a common case of the flu. He routinely ordered medication for her nausea, immediately prescribed IVs to be administered to her while in the E.R. for severe dehydration (she required three IVs), and sent her home after they had done all they could for her. She was told to drink plenty of liquids, which she always did - plenty of diet drinks. She went home and drank countless diet colas to overcome her state of dehydration.
Two days later, Patti's health was returning to normal. Two days after that, Patti was dead on the floor of her apartment. Apparently, she died around 4:00 p.m., while staying home from work. Her hands were tightly clinched and her tongue sharply bitten. Empty diet drink cans were scattered throughout her apartment.
A friend of Betty's called the Aspartame Consumer Safety Hotline and talked to Mary Nash Stoddard for hours on the phone hotline. Betty Hailand and Mary Nash Stoddard met at the DFW airport in Dallas to travel to Washington together to tell Patti's story. 
There was no official cause for the grand mal seizure that ended Patti's life at age twenty-three, but Betty knew what killed her daughter. She always maintained Patti died from the aspartame found in NutraSweet diet products.
Betty charged that her daughter was addicted to aspartame. Patti incessantly drank no fewer than six diet drinks every day and perpetually added in excess of five packets of Equal® to one glass of iced tea.
Betty never stopped believing her daughter's death was connected to her heavy consumption of aspartame. In the memory of her daughter's 'cause of death unknown' as stated on her death certificate, Betty teamed with Mary Nash Stoddard and James Turner, Esq., as they devotedly battled The FDA, Monsanto's NutraSweet Company and fought the suppression of information concerning the dangers connected to this chemical sweetener together - in the halls of Congress, at the headquarters of the FAA and on internationally televised interviews. As a mother fighting for her child, Betty never gave up the battle to prove she was right.
In 1991, Betty was found shot to death in her Vista, California home, in what appeared to be a forced entry through a window.To date, the L.A. police have not determined what really occurred on that day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter died, January 10, 2012This review is from: While Science Sleeps (Paperback)
By Wade (Dallas, TX) - "This book helps me better understand some of the following. My teenage daughter started drinking diet-colas with aspartame, and soon after she started having seizures. That lead to an eternal stream of medications and their side affects, including blurred erratic speech when too many pills were prescribed. She kept drinking that stuff. I begged her to stop. She moved on to bi-polar depressions and screaming rages. When she was in her 30s, a Harvard professor, who created Epilepsy.com, told me 'aspartame definitely lowers the threshold for seizures'. More begging. I couldn't get her to quit. Addiction, I guess, like cigarettes and alcohol. She became ever more mentally unstable. Simultaneous care from a neurologist, psychiatrist, and psychologist. She received government financial assistance. Finally, I felt guilty at feeling relieved when she died in her late 30s, with no quality of life left. 20 years of suffering. Two car crashes with my grandchildren in the car. Tears. Pain. Death for my daughter. At one time she was so lovely and happy. She gave that drink to her young son. He started having rages in the classroom and at home. The father, grandmother, and I, the grandfather, took control with constant adult supervision. My wonderful grandchild never had another rage after drinking no more aspartame in the diet-cola. No more car crashes with adult supervision and her not being alone with the children. I so wish, as a young parent, I had been able to understand what's in this book. I'll never understand why the FDA allows aspartame to be placed in 1,000s of food and beverage products. I could ramble on, like this, in tears, for such a long time ... need to go think about something else."

submitted 4/14/12 by Mary Nash Stoddard/author Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame (Odenwald Press 1998)
URLs:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/661834.Mary_Nash_Stoddardhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825841/http://twitter.com/#!/marystod/http://marystod.blogspot.com/
http://www.aspartamesafety.com/ http://www.worldeducationcouncil.org/the-council/founding-board-members/mary-nash-stoddard/

Aspartame Maker: GD Searle Ordered to Pay $9 million For Falsifying Test Results Submitted for FDA Approval

*** Suit Against Makers of Aspartame Who Should Also Have Been Sued for 'Intentionally Misrepresenting' Their (Aspartame) Sweetener's Safety As Well. Same Scientist Coverup of Adverse Reactions as Ones In IUD Suit:
______________________________________________________
Dallas Morning News - Sept. 1988

Woman Wins $9 Million in IUD Suit
(G.D. Searle Drug Co. also makes Aspartame Sweeteners)


ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. PAUL, Minn. - A federal jury Friday awarded a woman nearly $9 million in finding that G.D. Searle & Co. made intentional misrepresentations of  the Copper~7 intrauterine device, leading to the woman's sterility.
The Jury also decided the company was negligent in its testing, but not in its design or manufacture, of the Copper-7 worn by Esther Kociemba.
Kociemba, 30, of Elk River, was awarded $7 million in punitive damages, $1 million for emotional distress and $750,000 for pain and disability.
The jury did not award damages to Kociemba's husband, William.Jurors refused to comment on the verdict.
Searle attorney Paul Strain of Baltimore said the verdict will be appealed.
About 500 lawsuits have been filed over the Copper-7, the most widely used IUD in 'the United States' before it was withdrawn from the U.S. market, in January 1986, in the midst of the litigation. 
Searle won 15 of the previous 18 cases to  be decided, but Kociemba's attorneys' have said none of the previous cases included as many documents or as much deposition testimony as this one.
(submitted by: Mary Nash Stoddard/author Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame) http://marystod.blogspot.com/

FALSIFIED TEST RESULTS GET ASPARTAME APPROVED

Drug Company Committed Illegal Acts to Get Aspartame Approved by FDA:
The FDA task force observed laboratory methods at Searle from April 25 toAugust 4, l977.  The Bressler Report (named for team leader JeromeBressler), identified major discrepancies including "substantial differences between gross observation on pathology sheets when compared with those submitted to the FDA" in a rat toxicology test of aspartame.  (FDA, Bressler Report, Investigation of Searle Laboratories, 8/7/77)
According to the Bressler Report, one rat even appeared to have been resurrected.It stated: "Observed records indicated that animal A23LM was alive at week88, dead from week 92 to week 104, alive at week 108, and dead at week 112."Sloppy Laboratory Practices by G.D.Searle applicant:
The actual meal fed to the rats was also in question.  Raymond Schroeder, a former Searle employee, said in an FDA interview on July 13, l977 that "the particles of DKP were large enough to allow the rats to discriminate between the DKP and the basal diet."
Dr. John Olney, psychiatrist, neuropathologist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, found: 12 brain tumors in 320 dosed rats and nonein 120 control rats when he examined FDA files on aspartame (aka: NutraSweet, Equal, Neotame, Canderel, etc.) animal studies in l978.  Olney advised that the high number of brain tumors was unusual.
Olney voiced another concern based on his research.  He showed that whenglutamate and aspartic acid are ingested together each agent augments theneurotoxic effects of the other.   
Olney, along with consumer attorney James Turner, (co-founder of Aspartame Consumer Safety Network), initiated court action over aspartame.  In a l986 interview, Turner said he had battled approval of aspartame 15 years. Because, "It is hurting people".  
The late Dr. M. Adrian Gross, an FDA toxicologist, in sworn testimony, againstaspartame in the August 1, l985 Congressional Record.  
Gross, who took part in on site investigations at G.D.Searle laboratories, said the studies carried out by Searle to show the safety of aspartame were "to a large extent unreliable."  He said "at least one of those studies has established beyond any reasonable doubt that aspartame is capable ofinducing brain tumors in experimental animals and that this is ofextremely high significance."  
(Congressional Record SID835:131 Aug 1,l985)
Gross also testified that because aspartame is capable of producing braintumors and brain cancer, FDA should not have been able to set an allowabledaily intake (ADI) of the substance at any level.
He said at least one of Searle's tests "has established beyond any reasonabledoubt that aspartame is capable of inducing brain tumors in experimental animals and that this predisposition is of extremely highsignificance. In view of these indications that the cancer causing potential of aspartame is a matter that has been established way beyond any reasonable doubt, one might ask: What is the reason for the apparent refusal by the FDA to invoke, in the case of this food additive, the Delaney Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)?"
The Delaney Amendment makes it illegal to allow any residues of cancer causing chemicals in foods.  In his concluding testimony Gross asked,"Given the (cancer causing potential of aspartame) how would the FDAjustify its position that it views a certain amount of aspartame as constituting an allowable daily intake or 'safe' level of it?  Is that position in effect not equivalent to setting a 'tolerance' for this food additive and thus a violation of that law?  And if the FDA elects to violate the law, who is left to protect the health of the public?"
(submitted by Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Co-Founder, Journalist & Talk Show Host, Mary Nash Stoddard, whose husband was diagnosed with Brain Cancer on Oct. 9, 1984 and died Jan. 5,1985, at age 42, leaving behind a widow and 3 children. 
Mary has met personally with each of the researchers mentioned in this article, on many occasions. 
Stoddard co-founded ACSN and Pilot Hotline (1987) and gave sworn testimony at the Nov.3, 1987 Sen.Hearing on The Safety of Aspartame. After researching Aspartame literature at U.T. Southwestern Medical School Library for many months, with her doctor and a neuropharmacologist researcher friend. She edited/published the first Toxicology Sourcebook on the sweetener: Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame (Odenwald Press 1998). 
On March 12, 1992, Stoddard, a former appointed judge for the State of Texas, was officially qualified in courtroom proceedings in Lansing, Michigan, as an Expert Medical Witness on Aspartame Sweeteners. 
Since that time, Stoddard has appeared as a keynote speaker in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, where she received a special award for her research, from the Government of Mexico, after giving the Keynote Address, at their national Conference  on Sweeteners in Pto. Vallarta, in 1998.
Stoddard, with an impressive background in Broadcasting and Journalism, has helped produce television news segments for 60-Minutes, both here and in Australia and an hour long Documentary, in which she and James Turner, Esq. are featured, for French TV, in 2011. She has participated in over a dozen Aspartame related court cases and written articles for a law journal as well as cover stories for Extraordinary Science magazine of The Nikolai Tesla Society, articles in Flying Journals around the world and Low Carb Monthly magazine for her friend, the late Dr. Robert Atkins. 
In the late nineties, she was the Spokesperson for AIM, International in the US and Canada. 
In 1998, Stoddard was a member of the U.S. President's Select Committee on Food Safety, which also included representatives from: US FDA (Food and Drug Administration), USDA (US Department of Agriculture); EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency); CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) and others.

The Hon. Mary Nash Stoddard has collected thousands of adverse reactions to the sweetener Aspartame, manyof which have been turned in to the FDA for their Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS) files.
Reports, including many from brain tumor patients or their spouses, include pilots and others. 
Stoddard is quick to remind us, her battle is with the FDA, as team Turner and Stoddard fight for recall and retesting as a drug, for Aspartame, which is how it was discovered - as a drug for peptic ulcers. 
And, it all began when her husband, Mike, succumbed to Brain Cancer in 1985 and her research at one of the nation's top Medical Schools, which showed how Aspartamecaused Brain Tumors in the laboratory. 
In 1998, in a career-defining moment, Stoddard was a paid Guest Lecturer at that same prestigious Medical School, as the first layperson ever to teach the class.###

• https://twitter.com/#!/marystod• http://www.marystod.blogspot.com/• http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Recent (2011-2012) Radio Interviews w/Mary S.:• http://ppjg.me/2012/02/10/ts-radio-wi...• http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorgan...-  aspartame <http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorgan...-  aspartame> • http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorgan...
VIDEOS on Youtube.com <http://Youtube.com> :• http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/artifi...• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELgW4K...• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgBiw_...• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mVA03...• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-vO8a...• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoAtw...• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzJ6Zb...

RESEARCHING THE ASPARTAME BRAIN CANCER CONNECTION

Drug Company Committed Illegal Acts to Get Aspartame Approved by FDA:
The FDA task force observed laboratory methods at Searle from April 25 to August 4, l977. The Bressler Report (named for team leader Jerome Bressler), identified major discrepancies including "substantial differences between gross observation on pathology sheets when compared with those submitted to the FDA" in a rat toxicology test of aspartame. (FDA, Bressler Report, Investigation of Searle Laboratories, 8/7/77) According to the Bressler Report, one rat even appeared to have been resurrected.It stated: "Observed records indicated that animal A23LM was alive at week 88, dead from week 92 to week 104, alive at week 108, and dead at week 112."Sloppy Laboratory Practices by G.D.Searle applicant: The actual meal fed to the rats was also in question. Raymond Schroeder, a former Searle employee, said in an FDA interview on July 13, l977 that "the particles of DKP were large enough to allow the rats to discriminate between the DKP and the basal diet." Dr. John Olney, psychiatrist, neuropathologist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, found: 12 brain tumors in 320 dosed rats and none in 120 control rats when he examined FDA files on aspartame animal studies in l978. Olney advised that the high number of brain tumors was unusual. Olney voiced another concern based on his research. He showed that when glutamate and aspartic acid are ingested together each agent augments the neurotoxic effects of the other. Olney, along with consumer attorney James Turner,(co-founder of Aspartame Consumer Safety Network), initiated court action over aspartame. In a l986 interview Turner said he had battled approval of aspartame 15 years. Because, "It is hurting people". The late Dr. M. Adrian Gross, an FDA toxicologist, in sworn testimony, against aspartame in the August 1, l985 Congressional Record. Gross, who took part in on site investigations at G.D.Searle laboratories, said the studies carried out by Searle to show the safety of aspartame were "to a large extent unreliable." He said "at least one of those studies has established beyond any reasonable doubt that aspartame is capable of inducing brain tumors in experimental animals and that this .. is of extremely high significance." (Congressional Record SID835:131 Aug 1, l985) Gross also testified that because aspartame is capable of producing brain tumors and brain cancer, FDA should not have been able to set an allowable daily intake (ADI) of the substance at any level. He said at least one of Searle's tests "has established beyond any reasonable doubt that aspartame is capable of inducing brain tumors in experimental animals and that this predisposition of it is of extremely high significance... In view of these indications that the cancer causing potential of aspartame is a matter that has been established way beyond any reasonable doubt, one can ask: What is the reason for the apparent refusal by the FDA to invoke for this food additive the Delaney Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)?" The Delaney Amendment makes it illegal to allow any residues of cancer causing chemicals in foods. In his concluding testimony Gross asked, "Given the (cancer causing potential of aspartame) how would the FDA justify its position that it views a certain amount of aspartame as constituting an allowable daily intake or 'safe' level of it? Is that position in effect not equivalent to setting a 'tolerance' for this food additive and thus a violation of that law? And if the FDA elects to violate the law, who is left to protect the health of the public?"
(submitted by Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Co-Founder, Journalist; Talk Show Host, Mary Nash Stoddard, whose husband was diagnosed with Brain Cancer on Oct. 9, 1984 and died Jan. 5, 1985, at age 42, leaving behind a widow and 3 children. Mary has met personally with each of the researchers mentioned in this article, on many occasions. Stoddard co-founded ACSN and Pilot Hotline (1987) and gave sworn testimony at the Nov. 3, 1987 Sen. Hearing on The Safety of Aspartame.
The Hon. Mary Nash Stoddard, was a member of the Panel of Ex-perts at the Washington D.C. National Press Conference called to announce Dr. John Olney's findings on the connection between Aspartame consumption and the dramatic 10% rise in Brain Tumorcases since 1982, the first year Aspartame appeared in retail sales. After researching Aspartame literature in 1987, at U.T. Southwest-ern Medical School Library for many months, with her doctor and a neuropharmacologist researcher friend. She edited/published the first Toxicology Sourcebook on the sweetener: Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame (Odenwald Press 1998). On March 12, 1992, Stoddard, a former appointed judge for the State of Texas, was off-icially qualified in courtroom proceedings in Lansing, Michigan, as an Expert Medical Witness on Aspartame Sweeteners. Since that time, Stoddard has appeared as a keynote speaker in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, where she received a special award for her research, from the Government of Mexico, after giving the Key-note Address, at their national Conference on Sweeteners in Pto. Vallarta, in 1998. Stoddard, with an impressive background in Broadcasting and Journalism, has helped produce television news segments for 60-Minutes, both here and in Australia and an hour long Documentary, in which she and James Turner, Esq. are featured, for French TV, in 2011. She has participated in over a dozen Aspartame related court cases and written articles for a law journalas well as cover stories for Extraordinary Science magazine of TheNikolai Tesla Society, articles in Flying Journals around the world and Low Carb Monthly magazine for the late Dr. Robert Atkins Diet. In the late nineties, she was the Spokesperson for AIM, International in the US and Canada.
In 1998, Stoddard was a member of the U.S. President's Select Committee on Food Safety, which also included representatives from: US FDA (Food and Drug Administration), USDA (US Department of Agriculture); EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency); CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) and others.
The Hon. Mary Nash Stoddard has collected thousands of adverse reactions to the sweetener Aspartame, many of which have been turned in to the FDA for their Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS).reports, including many from brain tumor patients or their spouses. These include pilots and others. Stoddard is quick to remind us, her battle is with the FDA, as team Turner and Stoddard fight for recall and retesting as a drug, for Aspartame. 
And, it all began when her beloved husband, Mike, succumbed to Brain Cancer in 1985 and her research at one of the nation's top Medical Schools, showing how Aspartame caused Brain Tumors inthe laboratory. In 1998, in a career-defining moment, Stoddard wasa paid Guest Lecturer at that same prestigious Medical School, as the first ever layperson to teach the class.###
• https://twitter.com/#!/marystod
• http://www.marystod.blogspot.com/
• http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/2119604-cancer-risks-from-aspartame-in-studies

• http://www.aspartamesafety.com




Recent (2011-2012) Radio Interviews w/Mary S.:

• http://ppjg.me/2012/02/10/ts-radio-with-special-guest-mary-nash-stoddard-on-aspartame/
• http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2011/04/05/author-mary-nash-stoddard-deadly-deception-story-of-   aspartame
• http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2012/01/18/mary-nash-stoddard-what-you-need-to-know-about-aspartame




VIDEOS on Youtube.com:
• http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/artificial-sweeteners-and-other-food-substitutes-dangerous-your-health

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELgW4KBY-o4

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2sVe8...
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgBiw_Il5YM&list=PL816E179E4563EA4B&index=1&feature=plpp_video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mVA03IzsFM&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-vO8aY-I4Y&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoAtwVyzZI&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzJ6ZbQN9mY&feature=endscreen

Athletes & Aspartame (Case Histories)

Thyroid Disease and Aspartame - Athlete's and Former U.S. President's Grave's Dz. (Hyperthyroidism)
Response to Dallas Morning News article from Mary Nash Stoddard

Aspartame Consumer Safety Network's efforts to educate the consuming public and healthcare professionals is well known, and documented on our website: www.aspartamesafety.com. Now, virtually every web site on the Internet which features information about the adverse effects of aspartame and Neotame is using our original research (at U.T. Southwestern Medical School, etc.) to support their writings. Without affirmation, in most cases, and with added editorial commentary in many, but at least our educational efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Although we are Dallas-based, our work has been featured by media on five continents. As founder, I have conducted a multi-national lecture tour and been paid as a visiting professor [the first non-M.D. to address the class] locally at U.T. Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

The threat of illness from consumption of the diet sweetener, aspartame, is real and has been felt by many locally and all around the world, as documented by our organization. Therefore, we appreciate the mention of adverse reactions in your interesting article. Thank you for including it as a result of your background research on this topic.

Please allow me to add: Aspartame Consumer Safety Network is not in a battle with Coca Cola, Pepsi, or any other manufacturer who uses the FDA approved sweetener in their product. Our efforts have been directed at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and their flawed [in this case at least] approval process.
All best regards,
Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline [since 1987]
http://www.aspartamesafety.com

P.S. I am sure you noticed the following wire story out this past week re: Texas Olympic's Reaction to Aspartame. He used our information to reverse his illness:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympi...

Posted 6/10/2004 10:03 PM Updated 6/11/2004 1:04 PM

Disease diagnosis doesn't deter diver By Vicki Michaelis, USA TODAY

ST. PETERS, Mo. - Justin Dumais was just so tired. Seven months ago, he
hardly could muster the energy for a shower, let alone for the 10-meter
dives he had been practicing more than half his life.

Justin Dumais, left, and his brother Troy compete during the 2004 Olympic
Team Diving Trials. Photo By James A. Finley, AP

Initially, he thought he was overtraining. After two weeks, he went to his
doctor, who detected a high white-blood-cell count and sent him to a
specialist. The diagnosis: Graves' disease, which causes overproduction of
thyroid hormone.

Dumais, headed to the Athens Olympics in August after winning the 3-meter
synchronized event at this week's U.S. trials, was perplexed.

The disease most often strikes middle-aged women.
"A 25-year-old male elite athlete is about as far from the stereotypical
Graves patient as you can get," he says.

Now, he has his doctors baffled.
He began taking medication in February but continued doing his own research.
He found a nutritionist who suggested he cut aspartame, an artificial
sweetener found in products such as diet soda, from his diet.
In mid-March, he quit diet soda and his medication.
Now, Dumais feels so much better, he questions whether he really has Graves'
disease, which has no known cure.

He returned to the 10-meter board two weeks ago and will compete in the
individual platform finals Saturday
.
This isn't the tough part, he says. That came in January, when he and his
synchro partner, his brother Troy, had to do well enough at a World Cup to
earn the USA an Olympic spot in the event.

"If Troy and I weren't there, chances are we weren't going to bring back the
spot, and that was our event," Justin says.

The Dumais brothers, who are from Ventura, Calif., and train in The
Woodlands, Texas, have won the last three national titles in 3-meter
synchro. They are considered the USA's best chance for a diving medal in
Athens.

Before the critical World Cup, they decided to trim the difficulty of their
dives because of Justin's condition. Going into their final dive, they were
behind and had to improvise with moves they hadn't tried in a long time.

"We had to fake it," Justin says. "That was a true competitive moment
because we were down going into the last dive, and we knew we needed it. We
said, 'All right, this is the Olympics, right now.' And we wound up doing
the best dive of the competition."

They finished fourth at the World Cup, high enough to earn the spot.
Over the last seven months, Justin and Troy haven't trained together very
much. Neither considered it a handicap. Troy, a 2000 Olympian, continued
training for the individual events. He leads the men's springboard going
into tonight's finals.

"I have to do my dives, and I have to believe that he's going to be ready
when the time comes," Troy says.

Justin was ready this week. The duo won the 3-meter synchro event by such a
wide margin they didn't need their final dive for a winning point total.
****************************************************************

from article by Paul Newberry, AP reporter, at end of this post:

"Justin had to overcome a debilitating thyroid condition that struck in
December, causing him to lose 15 pounds and making it difficult just getting
out of bed.

The condition was initially diagnosed as Graves disease, a serious illness
that also struck Olympic track star Gail Devers and would have prevented
Justin from joining the military.

But a change in diet cured the symptoms quicker than expected, so the
doctors are still trying to determine what went wrong. The illness also had
an unexpected benefit, bringing the brothers closer together.

"We've had to learn to trust each other the last couple of months because I
haven't been there physically," Justin said."
****************************************************************


These observations appear relevant to the occurrence of Graves disease
in both former President George Bush and his wife, Barbara.

(Extracts) Case I : A 34-year-od university professor (environmental
studies) developed classic primary hyperthyroidism
after she began using considerable amounts of products containing
aspartame-- specifically, 4-5 cans of a diet soda daily, four liters of
a diet cola weekly, 3-4 servings of diet ice cream a day, and ohter
products (gelatin; gum; breath mints). Such consumption was
superimposed on her added capacity as a supervisor of aerobics classes
to attain "the mean, fit look". She had enjoyed excellent health until
then.

The patient suffered severe sweats and attacks of sinus tachycardia (up
to 180 beats per minute). Other suggestive aspartame-realated features
included recent vascular headaches, bilateral decreased vision, dry
eyes, tinnitus, severe dizziness, tremors, "numbness and shooting
pains in the arms and legs," confusion and memory loss,
slurred speech, extreme swings in mood (including thoughts of suicide
that never had been experienced previously), personality changes (almost
leaving her husband and children), a paradoxic gain of weight despite
her physical activity, itching, abdominal pain, thinning of the hair,
menstrual problems, and swelling of the lips, tongue and eyes.
She then evidenced a goiter.

She had been adopted by a couple unrelated to her parents.
Her biologic mother was diabetic.

She received propranolol and propylthiouracil. Radioiodine therapy was
then recommended. Since no search for "an environmental trigger" had
been attempted, this keen educator opted for a delay in order to review
the events preceding her illness. She regarded a doctor's suggestion
that her hyperthyroidism has been caused largely by stress as "a
copout".

The only plausible factor that seemed pertinent was the considerable
use of aspartame-containing products. Her extreme fatigue, headache,
swelling of the eyes, depression, tachycardia and several other
symptoms abated within a few days after abstaining from them.
The thyroid studies progressively improved, and normalized within three
months. An "accidental retest" from drinking aspartame-sweetened tea
promptly precipitated most of her symptoms.
There was no recurrence over the ensuing two years notwithstanding her
cessation of all medication, continuing a full academic teaching
schedule and aerobics instruction, and rearing three children.

Case 2 This 39-year-old woman developed Graves disease after her
stepsister (Case 1). She was an insulin-dependent diabetic who began
using aspartame products to avoid sugar. Shortly thereafter, her blood
glucose concentrations became highly erratic, coupled with loss of
urinary bladder control (ascribed to diabetic neuropathy.)

The patient sought advice from her stepsister when the diagnosis of
hyperthyroidism was made. A comparable clinical remission ensued after
abstaining from aspartame products, along with striking improvement of
her bladder function and diabetes control. The latter are consistent
with my repeated experience that aspartame products can cause loss of
diabetes control, and aggravate or simulate diabetic retinopathy and
neuropathy. (1-4)

Case 3 A 43-year-old woman began ingesting two cans of aspartame
containing diet cola, one liter of another aspartame soda, one glass of
a dietetic mix, and one serving of an aspartame gelatin daily for two
years to avoid sugar because of noninsulin dependent diabetes. She
experienced multiple symptoms five months later that resulted in the
loss of her job. They included palpitations, tachycardia, unexplained
chest pains, severe headache, dizziness, two grand mal seizures, (5)
paresthesias, slurred speech, "anxiety attacks,"
swelling of the tongue, and painful swallowing [dysphagia].

The diagnosis of Graves disease was subsequently made.
She then chanced to read an article citing comparable complaints in
persons having reactions to aspartame products. Her symptoms improved
within weeks after avoiding them... and then disappeared.
They recurred one month after resuming aspartame, coupled with neck
discomfort and dysphagia attributed to "an overactive thyroid".

Case 4 A 54-year-old woman had consumed increasing amounts of
aspartame-containing products-- including 15 packets of a tabletop
sweetener in hot drinks daily. She had been energetic until her health
"mysteriously deteriorated with a bewildering number of symptoms so
varied and strange that it didn't make sense". She did not smoke or
drink alcohol.

The diagnosis of Graves disease was made. She received methimazole and
propranolol, with improvement of her tachycardia.

The patient's other symptoms within the previous year included fatigue,
anxiety, headache, "fuzzy mind," depression, recurring abdominal pain,
tinnitus and insomnia. She had gained weight, despite "light eating
habits" until losing weight when her hyperthyroidism became overt.

The contributory role of aspartame products came under suspicion by her
daughter, who had rarely used aspartame products, when she stayed with
the patient for four days after beginning treatment for Graves
disease. After adding the tabletop sweetener and drinking diet colas,
she began to experience "extreme irritability which felt totally
irrational and uncontrollable," depression, tremors, panic attacks and
difficult breathing. These symptoms disappeared when she returned to
her own home, but promptly recurred after purchasing the tabletop
sweetener. "Then it clicked." She and her mother promptly improved
after abstaining from aspartame products.

Case Reports: Prior Graves Disease
A 44-year-old executive developed headaches, blurred vision in both
eyes, and irritability ("being short with my staff and clients.")
These complaints began six months after consuming 2-3 cans of diet soda
and chewing five sticks of aspartame gum daily. They abated after he
avoided such products -- only to recur predictably on eight separate
challenges. A subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves disease has been done
in 1963.

A 49-year-old female realtor had been treated for Graves disease five
years previously. She experienced palpitations, severe dizziness,
intense nausea, and an unexplained rise of blood pressure after
ingesting three cans of diet soda and other aspartame products daily.
Her symptoms disappeared within one month after stopping them. They
promptly recurred on three separate challenges.

A 43-year-old nutritionist had been treated for Graves disease 20 years
previously. She developed severe depression and visual problems for
the first time within two weeks after consuming 8-10 glasses of an
aspartame drink daily.
These complaints disappeared within two days after
avoiding the beverage. She refused to ingest it again on a trial basis.

A 59-year-old female writer underwent two partial
thyroidectomies for Graves disease three decades previously, and then
received radioiodine therapy. She suffered severe headaches, abdominal
pain, bloat, and diarrhea after beginning to ingest diet colas, a
tabletop sweetener containing aspartame (5-6 packets daily), and other
aspartame products. These complaints subsided within two days after
avoiding them...only to recur within 30 minutes on two challenges....

Aspartame Consumption and Hyperthyroidism: Common Denominators

The occurrence of Graves disease in these patients while consuming
aspartame products is explainable by the cumulative effect of several
factors. These include (a) voluntary severe caloric restriction, (b)
increased energy demands relating to excessive exercise and other
physical activity, and (c) metabolic derangements caused by aspartame
and its metabolites. The latter include changes in satiety,
alterations of neurotransmitter and hormonal homoestasis (insulin,
growth hormone, glucagon, cholecystokinin) by the amino acid components
of aspartame and their stereoisomers, and the effects of free methanol,
a metabolic poison. (2,3).

I previously emphasized the precipitation of Graves disease and
thyroiditis following voluntary severe caloric restriction to lose
weight, (7-8), especially with concomitantly increased physical
activity.

The vulnerability of two stepsisters to hyperthyroidism also may have
been influenced by their family history or past history of diabetes
mellitus. It is widely recognized that diabetics have a greater
tendency to develop thyropathies. Mention was made earlier that
aspartame products can aggravate diabetes and its complications. (1-4)

Possible Insights into a Presidential Disease

The affliction of former President George Bush and his wife with
primary hyperthyroidism intrigued the medical profession.
Public health sleuths sought some offending substance in their
environment, especially the contamination of water at several "First
Family" residences. Failure to uncover such an agent led many to regard
the occurrence of Graves disease in each spouse as coincidental.

The encounter of two biologically unrelated stepsisters who developed
Graves disease, as well as other aspartame reactors who became
hyperthyroid, justifies considering the etiologic or contributory role
of this chemical in the hyperthyroidism of President and Mrs. Bush.
Such an association appears to have validity of these reasons.
* There is information "from highly reliable sources" that they
frequently consumed aspartame in the form of
both beverages and a tabletop sweetener.
* Being highly conscious of their weight as public figures,
both spouses undoubtedly limited their caloric intake.
* The 66-year-old President took pride in continuing his athletic
activities.

WHAT ABOUT SUGAR SUBSTITUTES??

This is an excerpt from nutritionist, Ann Louise Gittleman's book, Your
Body Knows Best.....

"What about Sugar Substitutes? Since we know that sugar will elevate
insulin levels, creating the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart
disease, what about artificial sweeteners?

I remember well the story of Jan Smith, from Idea Today (September,
1991) who at 35 taught bench and low-impact aerobics and circuit
training.
She also drank a lot of diet soda sweetened with NutraSweet and ate a
lot of sugar-free foods, also containing NutraSweet.
Although she seemed to be fine, Jan suddenly began gaining weight,
topping out at 30 pounds above her usual weight.

She began losing her hair, her skin broke out, and she suffered from
headaches, heart palpitations, and mood swings severe enough to be
suicidal. Her cholesterol sharply increased and she developed ear and
vision problems, shooting pains in her limbs and problems with her
menstrual cycle. Jan worked out even harder to try to
combat the weight gain, but then her blood pressure shot up.

Doctors finally diagnosed Graves' disease and told her she had to have
her thyroid removed or she would die.
Fortunately, Jan had a background in environmental science.
She began to investigate, and discovered her body
lacked chromium, an essential mineral that aspartame (also known as
Equal and NutraSweet) removes from the body. She linked her symptoms,
including--surprisingly--her sudden weight gain, to the use of diet
foods laced with NutraSweet that she had
begun using in earnest about 18 months earlier.

Within a month of quitting the NutraSweet and all the products it was
found in, Jan's symptoms (and the extra weight) disappeared.
Many people, in an attempt to avoid sugar, use sugar substitutes.
Aspartame (known as NutraSweet and Equal) is an ingredient in more than
3,000 foods, including diet sodas and diet foods like sugar-free yogurt
and powdered drink mixes. Toothpaste, sugar-free gum, pudding, packaged
desserts, dietetic foods, sweets for diabetics, and just about any
product you can think of that used to have sugar in it now may have
aspartame instead.

Aspartame is a combination of three substances: the amino acid
phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol (wood alcohol).
Each of these has been known to cause serious side effects.

Phenylalanine, for example, lowers or blocks production of serotonin,
an amine that sends messages from the pineal gland in the brain. This
blockage is a potential cause of carbohydrate cravings, PMS symptoms,
insomnia, and mood swings.

In some circumstances, people may be getting excessively high levels of
methanol; it is estimated that on a hot day after exercising, if you
drink three 12 ounce cans of diet soda, you could easily be consuming
as much as eight times the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended
limits for methanol consumption.
[Thus, 600 mg aspartame gives 66 mg methanol,
which is 8.5 times the EPA daily limit for drinking water of 7.8 mg
daily methanol.]

Exercise can be a component in the dangers of aspartame. Jan, who now
avidly supports the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network (ACSN) in
Dallas, Texas 214-387-4001, pointed out that aspartame and its
breakdown products (including free-form wood alcohol) can race
through the system of very fit person who has a high metabolic rate.

When you work out, the activity of all your body systems
is intensified, and so are reactions to whatever is in the body at the
time. Ironically, it seems that fitness instructors are particularly
prone to drinking diet soda with NutraSweet in between classes,
and so may be in the most danger.

Far from being the answer to the sugar problem, aspartame has instead
spurred numerous complaints from unsuspecting consumers, which now
represent 80 - 85 percent of all food complaints registered with the
Food and Drug Administration. Among 93 different symptoms are
attributed to aspartame use, including dizziness, headaches, loss of
equilibrium, ear problems, hemorrhaging of the eyes, and visual
impairment.

The dangers of artificial sweeteners have become so widespread that the
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network now offers scientific information
and acts as a clearinghouse of information on adverse reactions. Three
Senate hearings have been conducted on the safety of aspartame, and the
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in Washington, D.C.,
now lists it as the third-worst additive.
Since you never know how much you could be ingesting, I suggest you
completely avoid any foods with added NutraSweet
or any other artificial sweetener."

submitted by:
Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network
email: marystod@airmail.net
http://www.aspartamesafety.com

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NEUROLOGICAL ASPARTAME DAMAGE

Aspartaam Onderzoek In NoorwegenNEUROPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROTOXICOLOGYVolume 6 1995 (PP318-320) Rapid Communications of Oxford Ltd
Effects of aspartame on Ca influx and LDH leakage from nerve cells in culture 
Ursula Sonnewald, Tomm Muller, Geirmund Unsgard, S.B. Peterson MR-Centre, SINTEF UNIMED, N-7034 Trondheim; University of Trondheim, Dept. of Neurosurgery, University Hospital N-7006 Trondheim; Norwegian Institute of Tecnology, Drpt. of Biotecnology, N- 7034 Trondheim, Norway.
Aspartame (ASM), an artificial sweetener, was shown to dose dependently increase CA influx into and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage from murine brain cell cultures. Astrocytes were more resistant than neurones to the effects of ASM. In cerebellar granule neurones, a 20% increase in calcium was found after an incubation time of 22 h in the presence of 0.1 mM ASM; at 0.5 mM concentration, calcium influx increased 40% compared with control cultures. At a concentration of 10mM, influx was increased 13-fold after 5 h. Morphological appearance as judged by phase contrast microscopy was first visibly affected after exposure to 1mM ASM for 22 h. Citrate, another food additive, was included in the study to demonstrate that cerebellar granule neurones could tolerate 10mM additions to the medium and citrate did not cause Ca influx or morphological changes in neurones after 22 h. LDH leakage, a sign of severe cell damage, was observed at 1 mM concentrations of ASM after 22 h. Cerebral astrocytes on the other hand were more resistant and showed morphological changes, increased calcium influx and LDH leakage first at 5 mM concentrations of ASM.Keywords:Aspartame, Neurotoxicity, Cerebellar granule neurones, Lactate dehydrogenase leakage (LDH) Calcium influx
INTRODUCTIONAspartame (L-aspartyl--L-phenylalanine methyl ester, ASM) is a widely used artificial sweetener in soft drinks and low calorie food. There have been reports of adverse neurological effects such as headache (1), insomnia and seizures after ingestion of aspartame, which may be attributed to the alterations in regional concentrations of catecholamines.(2) Brain phenylalanine and tyrosine were increased following ASM ingestion. (3) Studies using radioactively labelled aspartame in comparison with labelled methanol, aspartame and phenylalanine have shown the 30-40% of the total dose of aspartame of the labelled components remains in the body after 8 h; the remainder is primarily secreted through expired air. (4) Analysis of tissue distribution of orally administered isotopically labelled aspartame in the rat showed part of the label remaining in the brain for up to 24 h. (5) From these studies it was not possible to determine whether ASM or its degradation products reached the brain.Both aspartate (6) and aspartame (7) have been shown to have excitatory activity. Olney et al (8) have shown that systemic administration of glutamatae, an excitatory amino acid, produced brain damage in a number of animal species including primates, and excitotoxic analogues such as aspartame had the same effects. (9)In order to investigate potential toxicity of aspartame on brain cells, lactate dehydrogenase leakage and (45) Ca influx into astrocytes and neurones were measured after incubation with varying concentrations of aspartame.Materials and MethodsPlastic tissue culture dishes were purchased form NUNC A/S (Denmark), fetal calf serum from Seralab (Sussex, UK), poly-L-lysine (mol wt. 300 000) and amino acids from Sigma (St. Louis, MO) ; 45Ca was from Amersham. All other chemicals were of the purest grade available from regular commercial sources.Cortical astrocytes were cultured essentially as described by Hertz et al. (10) Prefrontal cortex was taken from newborn NMRI mice and passed through Nitex nylon sieves (80 um pore size) into a slightly modified Dulbecco's medium (DMEM) containing 20% (v/v) fetal calf serum and plated in NUNC 3 cm culture dishes. Medium was changed twice a week. Cells were used for experiments after 2-3 weeks in culture. Cerebellar granule cells were prepared from 7-day-old mice; (11) they have been shown to possess NMDA receptors (12) and are useful in the study of neurotoxicity. (12) Tissue samples of cerebella were exposed to mild trypsinization followed by trituration in a DNAse solution containing a soyabean trypsin inhibitor. Cells were suspended (2-3 x 106 cells ml-1) in a slightly modified DMEM with 10% (v/v fetal calf serum. Cytosine arabinoside (20 uM) was added after 48 h to prevent astrocyte proliferation. Cells were used after 7 days in culture. Prior to experiments, the incubation medium was removed and substituted with Hanks balanced salt solution without MG2+ (HBBS) containing 1.5 uCi ml-1 (45)Ca. The experiments were terminated by the removal of the incubation medium. The cells were washed five times with ice-cold phosphate-buffered saline containing 25 mM MgCl2 to displace (45) Ca bound extra-cellularly. The cells were lysed in 0.5 M HCL and the (45) Ca content was determined by liquid scintillation spectrometry. When appropriate, cell integrity in the cultures was assessed by determination of leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH< EC 1.1.27) from cells into the medium, using a diagnostic kit supplied by Sigma Chemical (catalogue no. DG 1340-K). LDH was measured in cell extracts and medium and expressed as percentage of total LDH ((14)Results and Discussion
Aspartame has been shown to dose-dependently inhibit L-(3H) glutamate binding to the N-methyl-D-aspartame (NMDA) receptor in a synaptosomal preparation from rat brain. (7) The NMDA receptor is an ionotropic glutamate receptor mediating calcium influx into neurones. Aspartate, a constituent of ASM, is a potent NMDA agonist and has been shown to induce widespread late neuronal degeneration. (14) Delayed cell death mediated by the NMDA receptor depended on the presence of extracellular calcuium. (15-17) Thus the present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of ASM on primary nerve cell cultures in terms of calcium influx. Furthermore measurement of LDH activity released to the extracellular media has been found to be a quantitative method for determining neuronal cell injury. (18) Table 1 shows that ASM dose-and time-dependently increase calcium influx into and LDH leakage from cerebellar granule neurones. No effect was detected at 0.1 mM, but at 0.5 mM ASM LDH leakage was increased slightly and at a concentration of 5 mM LDH leakage was increased by a factor of 2.5 after 22 h (Table 1). After this time cells had detached from the culture dishes and intracellular (45)Ca could not be determined. At 10 mM, calcium influx was increased 13-fold after a 5 h incubation (Table 2). Citrate, another food additive, was included in the study to demonstrate that cerebellar granule neurones could tolerate addition of organic substances at 10 mM concentration to the medium and citrate did not cause (45) Ca influx or morphological changes in neurones; however, deleterious effects on astrocytes were seen. The above findings further confirm the hypothesis of Pan-How et al (7) that the neurotoxicity produced by ASM is mediated by a calcium coupled receptor. In the case of cerebellar granule neurones it is likely to be an NMDA receptor-mediated effect. The excitotoxin responsible for this effect could either be free aspartate (an NMDA receptor agonist) derived from proteolytic cleavage of ASM or ASM directly. Astrocytes on the other hand are not believed to have NMDA receptors and the observed calcium influx at 5 mM ASM (Table 1) must therefore be mediated through a different mechanism. LDH leakage, a sign of cell damage,was also observed in astrocytes (Table 1). Thus it has been shown that ASM has adverse effects both on glia and neurones in culture.Clearly the concentrations used in these studies are not likely to be physiological, but subpopulations of neurones might be affected by lower doses, and long term exposure to low concentrations might produce cumulative irreversible damage. Based on the results presented here, we cannot draw any conclusions for the in vivo situation, there is the need for additional in vitro and in vivo studies, to evaluate the safety of this food additive that is consumed in increasing amounts by adults and children.
References
1. Johns Dr. Migraine provoked by aspartame. N Engl J Med 315, 456 (1986)  2. Coulomb, RA and Sharma RS. Neurobiochemical alterations induced by the artificial sweetener aspartame. Toxicol Parmacol 83d, 79-85 (1986)  3. Fernstrom JD, Fernstrom MH and Gillis MA. Acute effects of aspartame on large neutral amino acid and monoamines in rat brain. Life Sci 32, 1651-1658 (1983)  4. Opperman JA. Aspartame metabolism in animals. In Stegink LD and Filer Jr. eds. Aspartame Physiology and Biochemnistry. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1984: 161-200.  5. Matsuzawa Y and O'Hara Y. Tissue distribution of orally administered isotopically labelled aspartame in the rat. In. Stegink LD and Filer Jr. eds. Aspartame Physiology and Biochemistry. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1984; 161-200  6. Watkins JC. Excitatory amino acid and central synaptic transmission. Trends Pharmacol 5 373-376 (1984)  7. Pan-Hou H, Ohe Y, Sumi M et al. Effect of aspartame on NMDA sensitive L-(3H)glutamate binding sites in rat brain synaptic membranes. Brain Res 520, 351-353 (1990) 8. Olney Jw. Sharpe LG and Feigin Rd. Glutamate-induced brain damage in infant primates. J Neuropathol Exp eurol 31, 464-488 (1972)  9. Olney JW, Sharpe LG and Feigin RD. Glutamate-induced brain damage in infant primates. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 31, 464-488 (1972)  10. Hertz l, Juurlink BHG, Hertz E et al. Preparation of primary cultures of mouse (rat) astrocytes. IN: Shahar A, De Vellis J, Vernadakis A, Haber B, eds. A dissection and Tissue Culture Manual of the Nervous System New York: Liss, 1989:105-108  11. Schousboe A, Meier E, Drejer J et al. Preparation of primary cultures of mouse (rat) cerebellar granule cells. In Shahar A, De Vellis J, Vernadakis A. Haber B, eds. A Dissection and Tissue Culture Manual of the Nervous System. New York: Liss, 1989: 183-186  12. Lysko PG, Cox JA, Vignano MA et al. Excitatory amino acid neurotoxicity at the N-methyl-E-aspartame receptor in cultured neurones; pharmacological characterization, Brain Res 499, 258-266 (1989)  13. Frandsen AA and Schousbor A. Time and concentration dependency of the toxicity of excitatory amino acids on cerebral neurones in primary culture. Neurochem Int 10, 583-591 (1987)  14. Choi DW. Non-NMDA receptor-mediated neuronal injury in Alzheimer's disease? Neurobial Aging 10, 605-606 (1989)  15. Hartly DM, Kurth MC , Bjerkness L et al. Glutamate receptor-induced (45) Ca2+ accumulation in cortical cell culture correlates with subsequentneuronal accumulation in cortical cell culture correlates with subsequent neuronal degeneration. J Neursci 13 1993-2000 (1993)  16. Sijesjo BK and Bengtsson F. Calcium fluxes, calcium antagonists, and calcium-related pathology in brain ischemia, hypoglycemia, and spreading depression: A unifying hypothesis. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 9, 127-140 (1989)  17. Eimerl S and Schramm. The quantity of calcium that appears to induce neuronal death. J Neurochem 62 1223-1226 (1994)  18. Koh JY and Choi DW. Quantitative determination of glutamate mediated cortical neuronal injury in cell culture by lactate dehydrogenase efflux assay. J Neurosci Methods 20, 83-90 (1987) Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the Research Council of Norway. The use of the animal facilities at the University Hospital in Trondheim are gratefully acknowledged.Received 26 October l994; accepted 25 Nov l9
Second Norway Study:Aspartame Brain Damage In MiceSee the original athttp://www.aspartaam.nl/artikelen_eng/nordagbl.htm Hetle & Eltervaag: 2001 thesis abstract aspartame brain damage in mice: Sommewald 1995 study.For thesis in Norwegian, mailed by regular mail, contact: Anne V?rnes anne.varnes@medisin.ntnu.no"Cola light, one calorie" men hva med jhernen?Hovedfagoppgave hosten 2001 Utfort av ArnsteinEltervaag og Elisabeth Hetle Det medisinskefakultet Institutt for kliniske nevrofag Trondheim Norway 10.desember 2001
The 48-page thesis has 35 references, and includes an English abstract. Faculty and helpers listed in the Forword are: Ursula Sonnewald (with 134 items in PubMed since 1988, showing a distinguished research career in biochemical studies of neurotoxins-- one of her studies on aspartame, published 1995 with three partners, Tomm Muller, Geirmund Unsgard, and S.B. Peterson, is given in full at the end of this post, with 18 references, and obviously presents much the same laboratory technique as applied in 2001 in the thesis.), Hong Qu (female qu.hong@phys.ntnu.no), and Bente Urfjell. Obviously, this team has the experience, facilities, funding, faculty support, and motivation to study the biochemistry of aspartame toxicity in detail.
ABSTRACTIntroduction: Aspartame (ASM) is a product that was originally made for diabetics, but today ASM is widely used by healthy people as an artificial sweetener in many food products.
Purpose: The main goal with this research was to see whether ASM was harmful to brain cells (cerebellar granule cells). We wanted to check if the damage to the neurons is connected to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptors on these cells.
PROCEDUREBrain cells from 7 day old mice were used. They were cultured in 24 Petri well dishes, and different quantities of ASM were added. After 7 days, the cultures were analysed by two different tests: Lactate dehydrogenases (LDH) test, which gives a picture of cell death (LDH leakage to the medium in which the cells were cultured). 3-[4,5- dimethylthiazol-2yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromid (MTT) test, which can be used to analyse mitochondrial activity in living cells. To test whether the NMDA-receptor was involved in the damage done by ASM, the receptor was blocked by (?)-2-amino-5 phosphonopentanocid (AP5).
RESULTSOur results showed damage/cell death from an added quantity of 0.06 mg/ml ASM each day for 4 days. As a comparison there is 0.24 mg/ml ASM in Cola Light. MTT- and LDH-tests showed damage to the neurons at an added quantity of 1.5 and 3.00 mg/ml ASM after 22 hours of incubation. The results also show that ASM is in part acting through the NMDA- receptor because AP5 reduced or blocked the damage to the granule cells.
CONCLUSIONIn light of these results, our conclusion is that in order to be on the safe side, it should be warned against use of ASM as a food additive, maybe especially in products consumed by children, because NMDA-receptors and the synapses involved also are connected to learning.
http://www.dagbladet.no/print/?/dinside/2001/12/17/301529.html[A major newspaper in Norway]
FARLIG FOR HJERNEN?Medisinstudent Elisabeth Hetle (32) har sluttet ? drikke lettbrus, mens medstudent Arnstein Eltervaag (40) aldri har drukket lettbrus.I edited this into a fairly accurate English version:
DANGER FOR BRAIN?
Medical student Elisabeth Hetle (32) has stopped using aspartame diet sodas, while fellow student Arnstein Eltervaag (40) has never used them.You can also read this article at: [article on newspage]http://www.dagbladet.no/dinside/2001/12/17/301529.htmlDagbladet 2001:hetle@stud.ntnu.no eltervaa@stud.ntnu.no
(Posted by Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline (since 1987) Founder: Mary Nash Stoddard marystod@airmail.net)
Other URLs:• https://twitter.com/#!/marystod
• http://www.marystod.blogspot.com/
• http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/2119604-cancer-risks-from-aspartame-in-studies
Recent (2011-2012) Radio Interviews w/Mary Nash Stoddard:• http://ppjg.me/2012/02/10/ts-radio-with-special-guest-mary-nash-stoddard-on-aspartame/
• http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2011/04/05/author-mary-nash-stoddard-deadly-deception-story-of-   aspartame
• http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2012/01/18/mary-nash-stoddard-what-you-need-to-know-about-aspartame
Aspartame Videos:
• http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/artificial-sweeteners-and-other-food-substitutes-dangerous-your-health• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELgW4KBY-o4•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2sVe8...
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgBiw_Il5YM&list=PL816E179E4563EA4B&index=1&feature=plpp_video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mVA03IzsFM&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-vO8aY-I4Y&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoAtwVyzZI&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzJ6ZbQN9mY&feature=endscreen

ASPARTAME LIMITS SEROTONIN PRODUCTION

The dose – dependent effects of Aspartame on Serotoninergic Parameters in Albino Rats

Iwalokun, B.A
Department of Biochemistry, Lagos State University, P.M.B. 1087 Apapa – Lagos Nigeria

Scientific evidence to validate anecdotal claims that aspartame (ASP), a low calorie sweetener may modulate Serotoninergic mediated behaviours remains inconclusive. This study determined the effects of ASP on plasma tryptophan, serotonin, monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and platelet aggregation in rats intraperitoneally administered with 40, 100 and 200 mg/kg doses over 14 days. The sweetener induced dose – dependent decreases in MAO activity (9.27 – 4.16 unit/ml vs. 11.4 units/ml) and plasma levels of tryptophan (10.4 – 5.8 mM vs. 14.7 mM) and platelets serotonin (7.3 – 2.6ng/ml vs. 8.6ng/ml) when compared to the control with ASP200 eliciting significant effects (P < 0.05). ASP100 and ASP200 further caused moderate (1.95 + 0.2ng/ml vs. 1.30 + 0.07ng/ml, P > 0.05) and significant (P < 0.05) elevation in free plasma serotonin in the experimental animals. The increased platelet aggregation induced by ASP200 associated strongly with platelets serotonin level (r = – 0.63; P < 0.05) but weakly with plasma free serotonin (r = 0.14; P > 0.05). The results of this study have provided a strong indication that aspartame may alter serotoninergic parameters and associated behaviours when consumed at doses greater than 100mg/kg per day. The healthiness inherent in acceptable daily intake compliance of aspartame in foods, candies and beverages is discussed.

[ACSN Founder has been talking about aspartame's negative effects on serotonin production for almost two decades. See Transcript of Lecture at UT Southwestern Medical School: http://www.aspartamesafety.com/Transcript3.htm ]

https://plus.google.com/u/0/60 Minutes Aspartame Alert Ma...

https://plus.google.com/u/0/60 Minutes Aspartame Alert Mary Nash Stoddard Helped Produce