The Bitter Truth Behind Aspartame Sweetener

Aspartame: What are the Pros?

For so many years, this sugar alternative has been extensively promoted as the vigorous substitute to regular sugar because of many advantages such as:

Has power overweight: This synthetic sugar is well thought out as non-nutritive meaning the calorie present in this sugar is insignificant hence adding almost no calories. Aspartame is 150 to 200 times sweeter than usual sugar this just a fraction is required for the preferred sweetness, this makes the best option to avoid weight gain, reduce the intake of calorie and lose weight. But, some research recommends that consuming aspartame consumer could result in weight gain, even the basis remains unknown.

Avoidance and managing diabetes: Aspartame, first of foremost contains amino acids, which are phenylalanine and aspartate which is not a carbohydrate. So, it is improbable to boost the level of blood sugar without compromising the sweetness of your beverage and food. This makes this sugar alternative a great alternative to usual sugar for those suffering diabetes.

Prevent Dental Cavities: Not like usual sugar, this synthetic sweetener doesn’t enhance the chance of having tooth decay.

Aspartame: What are the cons?

Aspartame is one of the most controversial artificial sweeteners. There are numerous websites, books, and articles stating various reasons why aspartame should not be consumed. Some site studies to support their theories while others base their claims on industry-related conspiracies. One fact is that aspartame does get metabolized, meaning that it doesn’t get excreted in the same form that it is when ingested. This is the reason why it can’t be consumed by people with the metabolism disorder PKU. The following is a summary of some of the controversial dangers of consuming aspartame.

Industry conspiracies: Conflicts of interest in the studies performed on aspartame and the way in which its approval was obtained is an ongoing controversy. Dr. Robert Walton surveyed the studies of aspartame in the peer-reviewed medical literature. He states that of the 166 studies felt to have relevance for questions of human safety, 74 had Nutrasweet industry (those who make aspartame) related funding and 92 were independently funded. One hundred percent of the research performed by the company who makes aspartame confirmed aspartame’s safety, whereas 92% of the independently funded research found problems with consuming aspartame. Other reports of federal employees working for the companies responsible for the testing and distribution of aspartame are cited on all of the sites and books opposing the use of aspartame.

Aspartame disease: H.J. Roberts, MD, coined the term “aspartame disease” in a book filled with over 1,000 pages of information about the negative health consequences of ingesting aspartame. Dr. Roberts reports that by 1998, aspartame products were the cause of 80% of complaints to the FDA about food additives. Some of these symptoms include headache, dizziness, change in mood, vomiting or nausea, abdominal pain, and cramps, change in vision, diarrhea, seizures/convulsions, memory loss, and fatigue. Along with these symptoms, links to aspartame are made for fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, and various cancers. While the FDA has assured us that the research does not show any adverse health complications from aspartame, there has been some evidence to suggest that some of the following symptoms can be related to aspartame.

Headaches: One study confirmed that individuals with self-reported headaches after the ingestion of aspartame were indeed susceptible to headaches due to aspartame. Three randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with more than 200 adult migraine sufferers showed that headaches were more frequent and more severe in the aspartame-treated group.

Depression: In a study of the effect of aspartame on 40 patients with depression, the study was cut short due to the severity of reactions within the first 13 patients tested. The outcome showed that individuals with mood disorders were particularly sensitive to aspartame and recommended that it be avoided by them.

Cancer: In an initial study, 12 rats out of 320 developed malignant brain tumors after receiving aspartame in an FDA trial. There have been other studies to both support and contradict this finding. A recent study, conducted by Italian and French researchers indicates there is no association between low-calorie sweeteners and cancer. The researchers evaluated a variety of studies between the years of 1991 and 2004. These studies assessed the relationship between low-calorie sweeteners and many cancers, including oral and pharynx, esophagus, colon, rectum, larynx, breast, ovary, prostate, and renal cell carcinomas. The researchers examined the eating habits of more than 7,000 men and women in their middle ages (mainly 55 years and over). Based on the data evaluated, there was no evidence that saccharin or other sweeteners (mainly aspartame) increase the risk of cancer at several common sites in humans. The debate continues while more research is conducted.

Increased hunger: A study done with 14 dieters comparing the effects of aspartame-sweetened and sucrose-sweetened soft drinks on food intake and appetite ratings found that substituting diet drinks for sucrose-sweetened ones did not reduce total calorie intake and may even have resulted in a higher intake on subsequent days. In another study of 42 males given aspartame in diet lemonade versus sucrose-sweetened lemonade, there was no increase in hunger ratings or food intake with the diet group. Weight loss results from consuming fewer calories than your body needs. When you replace a caloric beverage with a noncaloric beverage, you will be saving calories and could lose weight if it is enough calories to put you in a negative balance. For aspartame to increase weight, there would have to be something else going on. There is not enough research to determine if something does exist so the jury is still out on this one.

Flower Essences & How to Make Them

Taken from Nature’s Creation – Knowledge & Guidance through Healing Plants Book & Cards – Information & Reference Guide 

Explanation of the Electrical System in the Body and How Flower Essences Work  by Perelandra – Centre for Nature Research (www.perelandra-ltd.com) 

THE HUMAN BODY HAS WITHIN and surrounding it an electrical network. When we experience health, this electrical network is balanced and fully connected. When something in our life or environment threatens that balance, the electrical system responds by either short-circuiting or overloading. That imbalance in the electrical system immediately impacts the central nervous system. The body then goes into high gear in an effort to correct the imbalance. If our body does not succeed, we physically manifest the imbalance. We get a cold or a headache or our allergy pops up again or another migraine belts us. Or we get back pain or our neck goes out. Or we become seriously ill. Perelandra Essences work directly with both the electrical and the central nervous systems. By taking the correct essences, we immediately balance the electrical system, stabilize the nervous system and stop the domino effect that leads to illness.

Nature’s Creation – How to Make Flower Essences

Flower essences can be used as a means of self-transformation and healing.  Each plant creates a particular vibration and the healing works on its own precise vibrational level.  Flower essences are extremely safe for everyone, including children and pets, with absolutely no toxic effects or contraindications.  They are also very easy to make.  You may wish to make your own essence from a specific plant.

You will need:

  • small clear glass bowls, one for each flower type
  • purified or spring water
  • filter paper for straining – unbleached coffee filter papers or cheesecloth
  • scissors or knife for cutting off flower heads
  • glass jug
  • brandy for preserving the finished essence, or vinegar if you do not wish to use alcohol
  • small funnel (preferably glass or stainless steel)
  • large bottle with dropper top for mother essence
  • smaller bottles with dropper tops for stock bottles
  • labels and pen

All the items should be very clean and the glassware sterilised.

  1. Choose a nice sunny day to make your essences.  Go out early to observe freshly opened flowers.
  2. Have in mind what flower(s) you wish to use.  Walk in meditation through the garden or around the property.  Allow the energy of a particular plant to draw you to it.
  3. Begin with one type of flower.  Fill a small glass bowl with spring water and place on the ground in the sun.
  4. Consciously connect with your intended flower.  Once you feel a connection, ask permission to use the flower … then carefully snip off enough flower heads to cover the surface of the water in the bowl.
  5. Leave the essence to develop in the sun.  The sun’s rays help the energy signature of the flower move into the water.
  6. It is best if left in the sun for three to four hours.  You will intuitively know when it is ready, or check with kinesiology or a pendulum to be sure.
  7. Strain off the water from the flowers into a jug using filter paper or cheesecloth.
  8. Using the funnel, decant into the larger bottle, filling it two-thirds full, then add approximately 20% brandy (30% vinegar) to preserve the essence.  This is the MOTHER ESSENCE.      Made with care and kept in a cool place it will last at least two years.
  9. Cap the bottle and write a label with the date and type of flower.
  10. ACTIVATE the essence by tapping the bottle 30 times on the palm of your hand.
  11. The mother essence can then be diluted to make ‘stock’ bottles:  Fill one of the smaller clean bottles with brandy.  Just two or three drops of the mother essence added to the stock bottle will carry the energy signature throughout the contents.  In this way, your mother essence will last an extremely long time.  Most essences on sale in shops are stock bottle strength.

The flower essence can be taken by adding a couple of drops to a glass of water, or add a few drops to a bottle of water to sip throughout the day.  Be sure to activate the essence before using each time by tapping the bottom of the stock bottle 9 times or so on the palm of your hand.

Essences can be made with crystals in the same way.  Make sure that the crystal is well cleaned, physically and energetically, non-toxic and will not dissolve in water.

Note:  For endangered species of flowers, use this method:  Hold a bowl containing purified water under the flower head on the plant.  Using a dropper or clean spoon … drop water onto the flower … allowing it to run through the flower head and drip into the bowl … then continue by following the directions above.  This is an accepted method that will still capture the essence and energy of the plant and make a potent flower essence.

An excellent YouTube video, “How to Make Flower Essences,” is at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6NYNgcfXNU