A new study about a different kind of audio approach during sleep gives insight into how the sleeping brain works, and may eventually come in handy to people studying a language, cramming for a test or memorizing lines in a play.

Scientists at Northwestern University reported that playing specific sounds while people slept helped them remember more of what they had learned before they fell sleep, to the point where memories of individual facts were enhanced.

Researchers taught people to move 50 pictures to their correct locations on a computer screen. Each picture was accompanied by a related sound, like a meow for a cat and whirring for a helicopter.

Then, 12 subjects took a nap, during which 25 of the sounds were played along with white noise. When they awoke, none realized that the sounds had been played or could guess which ones had been used. Yet almost all remembered more precisely the computer locations of the pictures associated with the 25 sounds that had been played while they slept, doing less well placing the other 25 pictures.

The study adds a dimension to a theory that sleep allows the brain to process and consolidate memories.
Sources:

NYTimes.com November 20, 2009

Science November 20, 2009

Find more   9 Things in Your Home That May Be Killing You 13 Easy Ways to Save 200 Calories a Day 10 Things He’s Thinking When You’re Naked 11 Things Guys Don’t Understand About Women

I give health advice to everyone: patients, friends and, of course, my 23-year-old daughter. But it doesn’t really stick unless they know the why. I’ve found that if you understand how your body works—say, the effect that getting four hours of sleep instead of eight has on your brain—you’re more apt to make a healthier choice. So I’m going to share some of the info that doctors usually don’t have time to get into: Use it to help yourself feel, look and live better.

What Happens When…You Try a Fad Diet

The Master Cleanse and other restrictive weight-loss plans seem to have become more popular than ever. But let me fill you in on something: After a few days of massively scaling back food intake, your metabolism starts to plummet. That’s because your brain senses that there isn’t enough food coming in. It tells your body to cling desperately to the fat stores it already has, and starts burning lean muscle tissue for fuel—two things that ultimately increase your percentage of body fat. After several days on a very low-calorie diet, levels of omega-3 fats in your brain can fall as well. Around 30 percent of the brain is made up of these fats, and without enough of them, you may be more prone to depression.

How to help your body: The healthiest, most effective way to lose weight is to eat small, balanced meals and snacks every few hours so your brain never goes into that starvation panic mode, and to never, ever drop below 1,200 calories a day.

What Happens When…You Skimp on Sleep

After even one night of four hours’ sleep instead of eight, you’ll feel crankier and generally “down.” You’ll have more difficulty processing complex information, and you’ll want to eat more—specifically simple carbs like sweets. Why? Your body wants a quick energy fix any way it can get it. When you don’t get enough rest, your body also produces less growth hormone, a substance that helps tissues regenerate and repair themselves, keeping you younger longer.

How to help your body: The exact amount of rest your body needs is very personal, but, on average, I recommend women get no fewer than seven hours. Men are a bit needier (as you probably already knew). They have to get closer to eight.

What Happens When…You Eat a Fatty Meal

Once a bacon cheeseburger gets into your system, the saturated and trans fats cause blood vessels to constrict. They stay that way for about four hours—boosting blood pressure and reducing blood flow and oxygen supply. And here’s the kicker: As soon as those tough four hours are up, it’s time for your next meal; choose another fatty one, and the cycle happens again. Someone who eats this way most days is almost always walking around with tightened arteries—a prescription for heart disease.

How to help your body: To feel your best and live longer, make high-fat splurges like this the exception, not the rule.

What Happens When…You Have a Glass of Wine

Piles of studies have linked light drinking—whether it’s wine, beer or the hard stuff—to a healthier heart. One study illuminated the possible reason: After one drink (4 ounces of wine or 1.5 of liquor, not a glass the size of a soup bowl), your blood vessels relax. That’s a good thing, but having a second drink stresses your circulatory system. And it’s worth noting that men have more of an alcohol-digesting enzyme in their stomach than women do. More of the alcohol you drink gets into your bloodstream than it does for men, making you drunker quicker. Once boozed-up blood hits your brain, your reaction time and your ability to process information slow. And your liver gets pulled away from its work of clearing out toxins to focus on neutralizing the alcohol. Research suggests that alcohol may be two to three times riskier for a woman’s liver than a man’s, even when they drink the same amount.

How to help your body: You’re far better off having a glass of wine a day than having none all week and then seven on Saturday night.

What Happens When…You Kiss Someone

Touching a person you love sets off powerful reactions in the body. One study by Swiss researchers found that young women who got brief shoulder rubs from their partners before a stressful event had lower heart rates and levels of stress hormones than women who didn’t get massages. Touching also triggers the release of oxytocin, a hormone that boosts feelings of closeness and can reduce the perception of pain. All of this happens whether you kiss, cuddle, hold hands or have sex. I say do them all more often. How’s that for a doctor’s order?

What Happens When…You Overdo It on Caffeine

Minutes after you slug back a jumbo java, the caffeine begins to take effect. When you get more than about 250 milligrams (the equivalent of about three 8-ounce cups of coffee) in a couple of hours, your body pumps out stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol, which increase heart rate, tense muscles and push blood pressure higher. Yes, the surge makes your brain more alert, but if you overdo it, you’re apt to experience a crash later.

How to help your body: To get the most out of your caffeine buzz, have small amounts throughout the day, and keep your total to around 400 milligrams. Just don’t sip it after 3:00 P.M. or it’ll disrupt your sleep.

What Happens When…You Go for a Jog

You may have heard a recent report that exercise does not help you lose weight. It’s a juicy story that makes the rounds every couple of years, but I’m here to tell you: Cardio exercise like jogging, biking, running or fast walking will help you lose weight. I’ve seen it in the research, I’ve seen it in my patients—and I’ve seen it in myself! Aside from all that, it’s good for your entire body and mind. Lace up your sneakers and head out for a jog: Right away, more blood flows to your muscles, and they start working more efficiently. As you continue to work out, you’ll strengthen the muscle fibers in your heart, too. Then the feel-good endorphins you always hear about begin flowing, putting you in a more positive, happy mood. When all this happens regularly, your risk for heart problems and cancer drops. Bonus: Your metabolism will stay high for a few hours after—so you’ll be burning more calories just soaping up in the shower.

How to help your body: Quite simply, exercise is the most powerful drug I’ve ever seen. Get your fix three times a week at least.

What Happens When…You Stub Your Toe

I know—even though it’s just a toe, it kills. Same thing with other minor injuries, like paper cuts. Research suggests you actually have more pain receptors on your skin than a man does, so you literally feel more pain. That said, I find that women have a higher pain tolerance. (Men—especially young men—are wimps! Believe me, they’re the worst group of people to do surgery on.) It’s a coping mechanism that developed largely to help women endure the pain of childbirth (long before the miracle of epidurals, of course).

How to help your body: You’re probably already doing the right thing: Rubbing an owie makes it feel better by stimulating nerves around the injury and sort of distracting your brain. (And go ahead and yowl—a study found cursing may help.

What Happens When…You’re Stressed

Let’s say your boss calls you into her office and says she has bad news. Wham! Your body’s stress response kicks in and the hormones cortisol and epinephrine flow, making your mind hyperalert and speeding up breathing and blood pressure—all to get you ready to either flee the scene or fight whatever danger you’re facing. Once your brain senses that things are OK and you’re not going to be swallowed by a bear—or, in this case, canned—things return to normal. In small doses, this isn’t a terrible thing, but when acute stresses become chronic—say, you’re forced to work late every day for weeks or you’re going through a divorce—cortisol levels get stuck on high, and your body, heart and mind never fully relax. That kind of chronic stress increases your risk of heart disease, depresses your immune system (and mood) and causes headaches, back pain, breakouts, even weight gain. I can look at a woman’s belly and know how hectic her life is—cortisol overload causes your body to lay down fat, particularly around your middle.

How to help your body: Want a double-whammy cure? Exercise. You’ll burn off fat and reduce the stress overload that leads to belly pooch. Even just a 10-minute brisk walk can make a difference.

Mehmet Oz, M.D., is the director of the Heart Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. His new, nationally syndicated TV program, The Dr. Oz Show, started airing in September.

Mothers-to-be consider Shielding Lotions for relief from skin disorders during pregnancy
Women can minimize effects of common skin disorders resulting from pregnancy

Expecting a first child is one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life, and taking basic preventative skin care measures, such as the use of shielding lotions, can help minimize or prevent the effects of common skin disorders resulting from pregnancy-induced changes to her body.

According to the March of Dimes, common skin conditions plaguing a woman during her nine months of gestation range from improved or worsened acne; flare-ups in existing eczema and psoriasis; bluish discoloration or blotchy skin in the legs; bhloasma – the “mask of pregnancy” or melasma – “glowing” skin from increased blood flow and skin oils; itchiness and dry skin; stretch marks; dark line on the belly; changes in fingernail or toenail growth and appearance; puffiness; rashes, red or itchy palms from increases in the hormone estrogen; skin tags, spider veins; and darkening skin.

Though most of these conditions will usually disappear after delivery, these tips may help reduce or treat common skin problems that occur during pregnancy and help the mother-to-be feel more comfortable:
•    Skin cleansing. Good skin cleansing is the best way to avoid or treat acne breakouts. Wash your face with a mild cleanser two or three times a day. Don’t wash too often or the skin may become dry, aggravating the problem. A shielding lotion can minimize the loss of moisture and it won’t wash off.
IMPORTANT: Do not take any acne medications or over-the-counter treatments without checking with your health care provider. Some of these are not safe for pregnant women to use.
•    Sun protection. Your skin is more sensitive during pregnancy. Good sun protection is very important at this time. Sunlight can darken pigment changes in your skin and increase your chances of getting “mask of pregnancy.” Use a good sun block, cover up, and wear a hat when outside. Limit the time you spend outdoors between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
•    Make-up. Cover-up and foundation can help hide dark streaks or spots on the skin. Avoid make-ups that contain mercury. Look at the label to see if the make-up contains mercury.
•    Stretch marks. You won’t be able to avoid stretch marks entirely. It will help if you gain only the recommended amount of weight (usually 25 to 35 pounds), and do so slowly. Using a quality shielding lotion may help the skin retain moisture and stay supple, minimizing the effects. Stretch marks usually fade and become less noticeable after delivery.
•    Moisturizers. Moisturize your belly and your breasts to reduce itchiness and dry skin. To avoid skin irritation, use an unscented high-quality shielding lotion that won’t wash off and can protect against environmental irritants, like household cleansers and air pollution. Use mild soap when washing. Avoid hot showers or baths. They can dry out the skin.
•    Excessive heat. Heat can intensify itchiness and rashes. When you go out in warm weather, wear loose-fitting, cotton clothing.
Always talk to your health care provider before using any medicated creams or ointments to treat skin problems, as some may be harmful. Ask your doctor if shielding lotions using high-quality all-natural ingredients are right for you in managing your pregnancy-related skin conditions.

By Dr. Mercola

If you still believe sweeteners like Equal and NutraSweet are safe, you’ll want to pay very close attention to this special report.

You’re probably aware of the dangers of consuming too much sugar and that sugar is not healthy for you. You might have been led to believe that artificial sweeteners like aspartame are safer, and less likely to cause you to gain weight.

Well, neither of those beliefs are true.

Slick marketing of products containing aspartame by giants in the food industry — especially marketing that sends the message it’s healthy to consume these products — might be giving you a false sense of security.

You might even be convinced you’re doing the right thing for your health and the health of your family by using products artificially sweetened with aspartame.

You couldn’t be more mistaken.

It’s not pleasant to learn that corporations, government-sponsored regulatory agencies and politicians are more interested in lining their pockets than protecting your health and the health of your loved ones. But unfortunately, these are serious issues that you must consider for your and your family’s safety.

Manufacturers, marketers and others with financial interests have successfully convinced millions of consumers the chemicals used in artificially sweetened products are safe. Don’t believe them! The arguments used to convince you these ingredients are healthy and “natural” will be addressed later in this report.

For now, just keep in mind that the reason you feel products containing aspartame are safe is a direct result of deliberate deception on the part of big business and government.

Remember:

If you’re consuming a food or beverage created in a lab instead of by nature, you can be assured your body doesn’t recognize it. This opens the door to short-term and long-lasting health problems for you and your family.

If you already avoid aspartame, the information you’re about to read will confirm the wise choice you’ve made, and cement your resolve to stay away from any product that contains this potential toxin.

An Accident Waiting to Happen: The Birth of Aspartame

Like an omen, aspartame was discovered in 1965 entirely by mistake. That’s right … by mistake.

G.D. Searle chemist James M. Schlatter was at work in his laboratory developing a drug to treat peptic ulcer disease. The story goes that Schlatter accidentally spilled one of the chemicals he was using onto his finger. He licked his finger clean, and in doing so discovered the sweet taste of the aspartame he had spilled.[1]

This inauspicious beginning heralded the birth of what has become one of the most potentially dangerous and controversial food additives in human history.

How Aspartame Got to Market in Spite of Itself

As you’re about to learn, the tale of how aspartame got to market is a disturbing one. It reads like a crime mystery, one you would assume is based on the author’s over-active imagination. Except it’s all true.

The approval process for aspartame was said to have been riddled with scandal, bribes and other shady dealings within the pharmaceutical industry, large American corporations, and the FDA.

Initially, the FDA strongly denied the approval of aspartame products. Reasons given were sound and included:

• Flawed data
• Brain tumor findings in animal studies
• Lack of studies on humans to determine longer-term effects

How aspartame got to market despite initial FDA concerns and evidence of its neurotoxicity is a study in good timing, heavy financial investment, and the impact of political clout.

Timing is Everything

Aspartame studies were on the rise just after cyclamate was pulled from the U.S. market and saccharin was under serious scrutiny. The disappearance of cyclamate left a void it appeared saccharin might not be poised to fill.

At the time of the cyclamate ban, the “diet” market was a $1 billion dollar per year business in the U.S.[2] Manufacturers of diet products were in a mad scramble to find a substitute product that would insure they left not a dollar of that billion on the table.

Pouring Good Money Into Bad Studies

G.D. Searle spent tens of millions of dollars to conduct the necessary approval tests on aspartame.

Not surprisingly, studies funded by Searle and other groups with a financial interest in aspartame found no adverse health effects. However, independent studies delivered evidence that aspartame consumption did indeed create health problems in test subjects.

Flexing Political Muscle

In addition to its enormous financial investment in favorable study results, Searle developed what can be fairly described as a diabolical political strategy to insure the FDA would end up with a positive view of aspartame.

Deceptive Safety Studies

G.D. Searle provided the FDA with over 100 aspartame studies in early 1973. Later that same year, the FDA asked for additional studies. Searle complied, and in June 1974, the FDA granted preliminary approval for the restricted use of aspartame.

The study findings submitted by Searle were immediately challenged by Dr. John Olney, a neuroscientist who was instrumental in getting monosodium glutamate removed from baby foods, and Jim Turner, an attorney and consumer advocate.[3]

In August 1974, Olney and Turner filed the first formal objections to the approval of aspartame. Their petition prompted the FDA to initiate investigations into Searle’s lab practices.

The investigations ultimately led to concerns within the FDA about the validity of the studies submitted by Searle. Investigators uncovered substandard testing procedures and manipulated test data. In fact, what investigators found at Searle was an unprecedented incidence of bad testing procedures and inaccurate results. Final approval of aspartame was delayed.

Based on the results of these findings, in January 1977, for the first time in history, the FDA requested a criminal investigation into a food manufacturer for willfully misrepresenting results in their safety tests of a product. The FDA asked the U.S. Attorney’s office to examine Searle’s handling of aspartame testing.[4]

In August 1977, the FDA published a report by Jerome Bressler which pointed to specific issues with Searle’s aspartame safety studies.[5]

The Bressler Report revealed stunning examples of very bad research. A few examples included:

• Deceased lab animals were not immediately autopsied, some not for an entire year after death. Decomposition rendered any data from them inaccurate.
• Tumors found in lab animals were reportedly cut out and thrown away.
• Animals from whom tumors were removed were labeled “normal,” and obvious tumors were deemed to be “normal swelling.”

In 1979, the FDA established a Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) to rule on safety issues with aspartame, with the result that NutraSweet would not receive final approval pending further investigation into its link to brain tumors in animals.

Political and Regulatory Dirty Tricks

During the 1977 criminal investigation initiated by the FDA, the law firm representing G.D. Searle arranged to hire away the U.S. Attorney leading the investigation. Samuel Skinner went to work for Searle in July.

Skinner’s resignation from the U.S. Attorney’s office stalled the investigation into Searle’s aspartame studies until the statute of limitations expired. The investigation was subsequently abandoned.

In March 1977, Donald Rumsfeld was hired as the CEO of Searle — yes, the same Rumsfeld that was the Secretary of Defense in the Bush administration. He brought with him additional political clout by appointing several of his D.C. associates to top management positions.

In January 1981, Rumsfeld proclaimed he would get aspartame approved within one year.[6] Worthy of note is the fact Rumsfeld was part of newly elected President Ronald Reagan’s transition team — a team which had carefully selected Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes Jr. as the new FDA Commissioner.

Two months later, in March, Dr. Hayes appointed an internal panel to review the 1979 decision by the Public Board of Inquiry that ruled thumbs down on final approval of NutraSweet.

Three of the five members of Dr. Hayes’ panel advised against approval of aspartame, citing on the record that Searle’s safety study tests were flawed. Hayes then appointed a sixth member to the panel who tied the vote three-three. Dr. Hayes then cast the deciding vote in favor of approval.

Hayes, an official with no background on the subject of food additives, claimed aspartame was safe for proposed use, and had undergone more testing and scientific scrutiny than most additives on the market. Shortly after approving this drug he resigned from the FDA panel and was hired by the manufacturer of aspartame for a position in which he was paid several hundred thousand dollars per year.

So, despite all the game playing and countless unresolved safety issues, aspartame was approved for use in soft drinks in the fall of 1983.

Less than a year later, the FDA had recorded 600 consumer complaints of headaches, dizziness and other health-related reactions from aspartame consumption.

The unprecedented number of complaints caused the FDA to call in the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). The CDC concluded adverse reactions to aspartame were occurring in “unusually sensitive” individuals, but there was not enough evidence to prove existence of wide-spread health problems attributable to its consumption.

What is Aspartame, Exactly?

Aspartame goes by the brand names NutraSweet and Equal. It is one of the first generation of artificial sweeteners and is 180 times as sweet as sugar.

At the end of 2008, aspartame was found in over 6,000 products including:

carbonated soft drinks	puddings and fillings
powdered soft drinks	frozen desserts
chewing gum	yogurt
confections	tabletop sweeteners
gelatins	chewable vitamins
dessert mixes	sugar-free cough drops

Products containing aspartame are sold in over 100 countries and are consumed by over 250 million people worldwide.

The scientific name for aspartame is 1-aspartyl 1 phenylalanine methyl ester. It has three components:

1. phenylalanine which makes up 50 percent of the chemical by weight
2. aspartic acid — 40 percent
3. methanol (wood alcohol) — 10 percent

How Aspartame Acts Inside Your Body

The two primary components of aspartame, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, are amino acids that are combined in an ester bond. You normally consume these two amino acids in the foods you eat. These amino acids are harmless when consumed as part of natural unprocessed foods. However when they are chemically manipulated and consumed out of the normal ratios to other amino acids, they can cause problems.

Your body initially breaks down the ester link between the two amino acids to turn them into free amino acids. The neurotoxic effects of these chemicals in their “free form” can result in immediate health consequences such as headaches, mental confusion, dizziness and seizures.

Your body does require small amounts of these amino acids to function properly. However, the high concentration of these chemicals in the form of aspartame floods your central nervous system and can cause excessive firing of brain neurons. Cell death is also possible.

This is a condition called excitotoxicity.

Your body doesn’t recognize phenylalanine and aspartic acid in their free form, but your system will try to manage them through metabolization. Whenever your body tries to process an unrecognizable substance, the stage is set for health problems.

The chemicals in aspartame will be absorbed by your intestinal cells, where they will be broken down into other amino acids and byproducts. A large percentage of the absorbed chemicals will be used immediately in your small intestine.

A Formaldehyde Cocktail

Ultimately, aspartame will be fully absorbed into your body. Ten percent of what is absorbed is the breakdown product methanol (wood alcohol). The EPA defines safe consumption of this toxin as 7.8 milligrams a day, which is the amount found in about half a can of diet soda.

It’s not the amino acids themselves or the methanol that are toxic to your system, it’s the breakdown products they turn into along the way — either during transport, on the store shelf, or during the metabolization process.

Stored at warm temperatures or for a prolonged period of time, phenylalanine turns into diketopiperazine, a known carcinogen.

Methanol can spontaneously break down to formaldehyde, also a toxin, which can accumulate in your cells and result in severe health consequences.

Methanol is found naturally in some of the foods you eat; however, it is never bound to amino acids in nature, as it is as an ingredient in aspartame. In nature, for example, methanol is bound to pectin. Pectin is a fiber which allows the methanol to pass through your body without being metabolized and converted to formaldehyde.[8]

Since methanol in aspartame has no natural binder, nearly all of it turns into formaldehyde in your body. Formaldehyde (which is used in, among other things, paint remover and embalming fluid) is a poison several thousand times more potent than ethyl alcohol.

The EPA has determined formaldehyde causes cancer in humans. Specifically, it is known to increase your risk of breast or prostate cancer.

Incidents of both types of cancer have been on the rise at a pace closely associated with the expanding use of aspartame throughout the world.[9]

The EPA has also concluded there is no known “safe” level of formaldehyde in your body — risk depends on the amount and duration of your exposure.

The end waste product of formaldehyde is formate. An accumulation of formate in your body can cause metabolic acidosis, which is excessive acidity in your blood. Metabolic acidosis can cause methanol poisoning and can result in blindness, fatal kidney damage, multiple organ system failure, and death.[10]

The Major Element of Aspartame — Phenylalanine

Your body converts the amino acid phenylalanine to neurotransmitters that regulate your brain chemistry. These important neurotransmitters are:

• L-dopa
• norepinephrine
• epinephrine

However, if your system is flooded with phenylalanine as a result of an aspartame overdose, the resulting increased levels of neurotransmitters can cause problems in the physiology of your brain — problems which have been linked to a variety of psychiatric disorders. You can also be prone to anxiety attacks, depression, headaches, seizures and tremors.

If you consume too much aspartame in a short period of time, you might also experience immediate reactions including nervousness, sweating, feelings of fear, and heart palpitations.

In pregnancy, the concentrating effects of the placenta can magnify phenylalanine levels in a baby’s blood by as much as four to six-fold, and can reach levels so high that cell death results.[11] It’s not much of a stretch to be concerned consumption of high doses of this chemical during pregnancy could result in birth defects.

The genetic disease Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a condition in which your body is unable to use phenylalanine at all. If a toxic buildup occurs, it can result in mental retardation. People with PKU must avoid all sources of phenylalanine, including aspartame.

Aspartic Acid and Cell Death

The second largest component of aspartame is aspartic acid.

Aspartic acid functions as a major excitatory neurotransmitter in your brain. People who suffer from depression or have brain atrophy have been found to have low levels of aspartic acid in their bodies.

As you might expect, the chemical is found in abnormally high levels in people who suffer from seizures and strokes. In very high doses, aspartic acid can cause brain damage.

The term excitotoxicity was coined by Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon[12]. It describes the ability of certain amino acids like monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartic acid to literally excite cells to death.

The scientific community has shown widespread acceptance of Dr. Olney’s concept of excitotoxins and its link to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Unfortunately, the FDA refuses to acknowledge the connection between free form amino acids and excitotoxicity. Consequently, no demands have been made of food manufacturers to eliminate chemicals like MSG and aspartic acid from the food supply.

Excitotoxins can also encourage the production of free radicals. Free radicals can damage tissues and organs throughout your body and may accelerate diseases like arthritis, atherosclerosis, cancer, and coronary artery disease.[13],[14]

Your blood brain barrier (BBB) is a system of capillary structures that prevent toxins from entering your brain.

If you have diabetes, hypertension or are a smoker, your BBB may be compromised and you might experience a heightened reaction to aspartame.

Unborn children and infants up to one year of age have incomplete and not well-insulated BBB’s. Excitotoxins enter their nervous systems easily and quickly.

Babies under a year are four times more sensitive to excitotoxins than adults.

During the first year of life, irreversible brain damage can result from chemicals in breast milk that have crossed the unborn child’s blood brain barrier. And yet — few if any pregnant and breastfeeding women are warned of the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners.

Are Your Health Problems Related to Aspartame Consumption?

You might not realize you’re having a reaction to aspartame. In fact, most people don’t make the connection, and a tremendous amount of time and money is spent by aspartame “reactors” (people sensitive to the chemical), trying to find out why they are sick.

To determine if you’re a reactor, take the following steps:

1. Eliminate all artificial sweeteners from your diet for one to two weeks.
   (Note: If you typically consume aspartame in caffeinated drinks, you’ll want to gradually reduce your intake in order to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms.)
2. After one to two weeks of being artificial sweetener-free, reintroduce aspartame or other artificial sweetener in a significant quantity (at least three servings daily) and avoid other artificial sweeteners during this period.
3. Do this for one to three days and notice how you feel, especially as compared to when you were consuming no artificial sweeteners.
4. If you don’t notice a difference in how you feel after re-introducing aspartame, it’s a safe bet you’re able to tolerate aspartame acutely, meaning your body doesn’t have an immediate, adverse response. However, this doesn’t mean your health won’t be damaged in the long run by this chemical and its breakdown products.

Keep in mind aspartame is completely metabolized by the human body, and its byproducts can create a serious risk to your health. Neurological damage can occur from long-term aspartame use.

Adverse Reactions to Aspartame

There have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined. And, there are over 900 published studies on the health hazards of aspartame. You can find a list in the National Library Medicine Index.

There are also some 10,000 documented reports of adverse reactions to aspartame, including death. Since it is estimated only about one percent of people who experience a reaction report it, it is safe to assume at least a million people have had a reaction to this chemical.

Migraines are by far the most frequently reported reaction. Other commonly reported symptoms of an aspartame reaction include:

headache	change in mood
change in vision	convulsions and seizures
sleep problems/insomnia	change in heart rate
hallucination	abdominal cramps/pain
memory loss	rash
nausea and vomiting	fatigue and weakness
dizziness/poor equilibrium	diarrhea
hives	joint pain

Debilitating, Life-Threatening Conditions Linked to Aspartame

Aspartame has been implicated in a number of diseases, and there is special concern among doctors and scientists regarding the role aspartame plays in migraine headaches, epilepsy and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Aspartame has been identified as a definitive causative factor in the following serious health concerns:

Migraine Headaches

Aspartame has been shown to trigger migraines, and to cause more frequent, severe headaches in regular sufferers. This is especially true with long-term exposure to the chemical.

Seizures

In the mid 1990’s, a hotline was established specifically for pilots to report acute adverse reactions to aspartame. The hotline received several hundred calls from pilots complaining about reactions to the chemical, including many who suffered grand mal seizures while in the cockpit.

In 1992, the United States Air Force issued a warning to pilots to avoid products containing aspartame because it has been linked to seizures and vertigo, dizziness, sudden memory loss and gradual loss of vision.

Seizures are a primary side effect of aspartame consumption. As if that weren’t disturbing enough, they occur in people who’ve never had a seizure before, and disappear just as quickly when aspartame consumption is stopped.

MIT conducted a survey of 80 seizure sufferers. Survey results showed the role aspartame played in those seizures met FDA criteria for an imminent hazard to the public’s health.[15] This measure is what the FDA normally relies upon to pull unsafe products from the market. Products other than aspartame,apparently.

Depression

A study begun at Northeastern Ohio University to determine whether aspartame was linked to depression had to be halted. Can you guess why?

Nearly a third of the test subjects in the depressive group dropped out due to the severity of their reactions to aspartame consumption. Two others left the study due to serious eye problems — one developed a detached retina that ultimately led to blindness, and the other experienced a bleeding conjunctiva of the eye.

Visual Changes

The individual ingredients in aspartame as well as their breakdown products can do serious harm to your retina and optic nerves. Aspartame has been linked to blurred vision, eye pain, visual hallucinations and blindness.

Formaldehyde is known to cause retinal damage, and methanol poisoning can lead to changes in your vision and ultimately, blindness.

According to Dr. H.J. Roberts, an expert on aspartame who has treated hundreds of patients with sensitivity to the chemical, the visual problems seen in frequent aspartame users are identical to those found in people who developed methanol poisoning from wood alcohol during the era of prohibition.

Brain Cancer

The subject of aspartame and cancer continues to be controversial. However, there is sufficient evidence of a link to warn off anyone who is concerned about maintaining good health.

On the heels of its approval for use in diet soda in 1983, over a million pounds of aspartame was consumed. Less than a year later, in January 1984, the incidence of brain cancer took off at a rate far higher than any other type of cancer.[16]

According to the National Cancer Institute, there was a 10 percent increase in malignant brain cancer in 1985 — just two years after aspartame flooded the market in diet beverages.

Young women who drink large quantities of aspartame-laced diet drinks are especially susceptible to developing three specific types of brain cancer:

• alioblastoma
• astrocytoma
• primary lymphoma

Equally alarming is evidence women of childbearing age who consumed aspartame during pregnancy were delivering babies with an increased risk of brain and spinal cord cancer.

Aspartame and Weight Gain

Would it surprise you to learn aspartame may cause you to gain weight? It’s true — products marketed as “reduced calorie,” “sugar-free,” and “diet” can actually sabotage your weight control efforts.[19]

The two main ingredients of aspartame, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, stimulate the release of insulin and leptin — hormones which instruct your body to store fat.

In addition, a large intake of phenylalanine can drive down your serotonin levels. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that tells you when you’re full. A low level of serotonin can bring on food cravings which can lead to weight gain.[20]

What Will You Do, Now That You Know?

I hope this report has convinced you one of the worst things you can put into your body, or feed to your family, is the artificial sweetener aspartame.

You can read more about aspartame and other artificial sweeteners in my comprehensive book, Sweet Deception, as well as in the outstanding book by H.J. Roberts, Aspartame Disease — An Ignored Epidemic. I also recommend you watch the excellent documentary Sweet Misery.

Neotame: The “New and Improved” Aspartame

You’ll also want to be on the lookout for this modified version of aspartame, as it likely carries similar health risks to the original.

Neotame is chemically related to aspartame, but has greater heat stability and is 72 times sweeter.

Breaking the Cycle

If you consume a lot of “diet” products, you probably have cravings for sweet foods and beverages.

Why?

Because if your body isn’t receiving the fuel it needs in the right combinations, you’ll develop sweet cravings.

To optimize your diet, you’ll want to determine your nutritional type, and begin to eat the kinds of foods your body requires.

When you are eating right for your nutritional type, your sweet cravings will disappear.

There may also be an emotional component to your cravings. If so, you’ll need to address it, as well. I highly recommend the Meridian Tapping Technique, or MTT.

You can find links to information about nutritional typing, MTT, and a wealth of other resources to help you kick your artificial sweetener habit at my website, www.Mercola.com.

I can’t overstate the importance of avoiding aspartame to your short and long-term health, the quality of your life, and the lives of your loved ones. I hope you’ll take this information to heart and eliminate aspartame and other artificial sweeteners from your diet.

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References:

[1] Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Aspartame, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame (Accessed 2/20/09)

[2] Time.com, Cyclamates’ Sour Aftertaste, October 31, 1969, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839127,00.html (Accessed 2/20/09)

[3] Rense.com, How Aspartame Became Legal – The Timeline, http://www.rense.com/general33/legal.htm (Accessed 2/21/09)

[4] H.J. Roberts, Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press, 2001/James Turner, The Aspartame/NutraSweet Fiasco, http://www.stevia.net/aspartame.htm

[5] Bressler, J, et al. FDA Report on Searle, August 4, 1977

[6] Constantine, A, History of Aspartame, 2004, http://www.wnho.net/history_of_aspartame.htm

[7] “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,” www.cdc.gov

[8] Bowen, J., Aspartame Toxicity and Methanol, Ethanol, Pectin, Methyl Alcohol, http://www.321recipes.com/aspartame.html

[9] Schwartz, G.R., “Aspartame and Breast and Other Cancers”, West J Med (1999)

[10] Sejersted, O.M., Jacobsen, D., Ovrebo, S., Jansen, H. “Format Concentrations in Plasma from patients Poisoned with Methanol,” Acta Med Scand 213 (1983): 105-110

[11] Kerr, G.R., Waisman, H.A. Transplacental Ratios of Serum-Free Amino Acids During Pregnancy in the Rhesus Monkey; Amino Acid Metabolism and Genetic Variation. New York: McGraw Hill, 1967

[12] Russell Blaylock, MD, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, Health Press (NM), 2006

[13] Fichtlscherer, S., Breuer, S., Schachinger, v., Dimmeler, S., and Zeiher, A.M. “C-Reactive Protein Levels Determine Systemic Nitric Oxide Bioavailability in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease” Eur Heart J. Vol. 25, No. 16 (Aug. 2004): 1412:8

[14] Napoli,C., Sica, v., deNigris, F., Pignalosa, O., Condorelli, M., Ignarro, L.J., Liguori, A. “Sulfyhydryl Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition Induces Sustained Reduction of Systemic Oxidative Stress and Improves the Nitric Oxide Pathway in Patients with Essential Hypertension” Am Heart J. Vol. 148, No. 1 (July 2004): e5

[15] Wurtman, R.J., Press Conference on Cable News Network (CNN), July 17, 1986

[16] Olney, J.W., Farber, N.B., Spitznagel, E., and Robbins, L.N. “Increasing Brain Tumor Rates: Is There a Link to Aspartame?” J. Neuropathol Exp Neurol 55 (1996): 1115:123

[17] National Cancer Institute SEER Program Data, Jellinger, K.E. et al. “Primary Central Nervous System Lymphomas: An Update” J Nat Cancer Inst 84 (1992): 414-422

[18] Gurney, J.G., Pogoda, J.M., and Holly, E.A. “Aspartame Consumption in Relation to Childhood Brain Tumor Risk: Results from a Case-Control Study” Natl Cancer Inst 89 (1997): 1072-1074

[19] Hall, W.L., Millward, D.J., Rogers, P.J., and Morgan, L.M. “Physiological Mechanisms Mediating Aspartame-Induced Satiety,” Physiol Behav. Vol. 78, Nos. 4-5 (Apr. 2003); 557-62

[20] Chen, L.N., and Parham, E.S. “College Students’ Use of High-Intensity Sweeteners is Not Consistently Associated with Sugar Consumption,” J Am Diet Assoc. 91 (1991): 686-90

Breathing has been long considered essential for maintaining chi, the life-force energy of Eastern cultural traditions. Only more recently, however, have Americans begun to embrace the wisdom of taking a deep breath.

“Breathing incorrectly can produce tension, exhaustion and vocal strain, interfere with athletic activity and encourage aches and illnesses,” says Nancy Zi, a Glendale, Calif.-based breathing expert and author of the book and video set, “The Art of Breathing.” Breathe correctly, however, and you can “melt away tension and stress, improve energy or simply relax and unwind.”

Dennis Lewis, who leads breathing awareness workshops and is the author of “The Tao of Natural Breathing,” observes: “Most of us take our breathing for granted. The great Taoist sage Chuang Tzu says that most of us breathe from our throats, and that real human beings breathe from their heels.”

Here’s what happens: Breathing oxygenates every cell of your body, from your brain to your vital organs. Without sufficient oxygen, your body becomes more susceptible to health problems. For example, in a study published in The Lancet, cardiac patients who took 12 to 14 shallow breaths per minute (six breaths per minute is considered optimal) were more likely to have low levels of blood oxygen, which “may impair skeletal muscle and metabolic function, and lead to muscle atrophy and exercise intolerance.”

In contrast, deep breathing raises levels of blood oxygen, promoting health in many ways — from stimulating the digestive process to improving fitness and mental performance. Even alternative health icon Dr. Andrew Weil says: “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly.”

Are You a Shallow Breather?
Zi observes that most people are “shallow breathers” — they use only the narrow top portion of the lung surface for oxygen exchange. Our breath literally stops at the diaphragm — a band of tissue that Lewis calls our “spiritual muscle.”

To find out if you’re a shallow breather, try Zi’s simple test: Put your palms against your lower abdomen and blow out all the air. Now, take a big breath. If your abdomen expands when you inhale and air seems to flow in deeply to the pit of your stomach, you’re on the right track.

More typically, though, shallow breathers are likely to take a breath and pull in their stomach, which pushes the diaphragm up so the air has nowhere to go. What happens next is that the shoulders go up to make room. “All this effort for something, which should be a natural gift!” Zi exclaims.
To fill the lungs more deeply, “Lower the diaphragm muscle by expanding the abdomen. When this happens, the lungs elongate and draw in air. You don’t breathe into the abdomen; you allow it to expand comfortably all around its circumference — back, sides and front. Proper core breathing is really the foundation for all things — it’s the foundation of health.”

“Where is the core? It’s below the navel a few inches or so. It isn’t a thing, you can’t see it: it’s a sensation. Zi likes to use the image of a lotus blossom when teaching people how to breathe from their core:

“When you inhale, imagine a blossom opening within your abdomen; when you exhale, the blossom closes. You open from the center of the blossom, the core. What causes the petals to open is the energy from the core; the more you breathe from the core, the more you stimulate and nourish its energy, and you become more in control.”

So Where Does Our Breathing Go Wrong?
Zi attributes shallow breathing to trauma and fashion. “When you are a child, and are sent to bed without dinner, or when you are afraid, you hold the breath. So the child goes to bed angry, sad or tense, and holds the breath. We lose that innate ability of pumping with the stomach. The lungs should just be a container; when we use them as a pump, they become overburdened and the muscles get tight; everything is restricted.” Zi observes that frequently, asthma can develop as a result of such constriction.

Adults also can lose the capacity for deep core breathing from a traumatic emotional experience, or physical pain. “When we are in pain,” Zi explains, “we want as little movement as possible. This again restricts breathing; later, when you are well, your breath may remain shallow.”

In addition, modern fashion teaches us to “suck in our tummies” and have flat abdominal muscles. This type of posture, which Zi calls the “statue,” also contributes to shallow breathing.

“This is such a mistaken attitude,” she says. “The abdominal area contains the most vital organs, and we must let it pulse. When you tense your stomach all the time, like a perfect statue, you create lower back tension, stiffness and pain.”

If posture is when we look like a model statue, texture is when we are flexible, extendible, stretchable, nimble, opening up and closing. “You allow the front of the chest, the back, the sides and the bottom of the torso to freely expand,” Zi explains.

To test your flexibility, stand in the “saddle” position so that you stand with feet apart, and then bend down so your knees spread outward, opening the lower torso. “We need to be more like a pagoda — an anchored pagoda, with a stable bottom, not top-heavy,” says Zi. That way, you can’t be knocked over. “Shallow breathers are top-heavy and are teetering around through life.”

Breathing Posture v. Texture
When you breathe with your abdomen, you create a center; when you have a center, you are more confident and coordinated; when you have confidence, you have much more potential and are not afraid of challenges. In effect, you are bringing back the potential that God gave you. You are not afraid anymore.

And this potential can be put to use in many arenas, from music to ballet, calligraphy to equestrian sports, archery to cycling. “Once you learn it, you can apply it to anything,” says Zi.

Working with the breath for even brief periods each day can bring a new sense of internal balance, says Dennis Lewis.

“You don’t have to work with the breath all the time, day in and day out. He recommends starting out by spending “20 or 30 minutes a day sensing and observing your breath.” His Ten Secrets of Authentic Breathing is worth printing out and keeping handy for quick reference.

In her book and video set, Zi takes the student through 24 exercises comprising six lessons. “Give it 30 days and you’ll have it,” she maintains.

She suggests doing about four exercises per lesson, devoting about 10 minutes to each lesson. Do each exercise three times for three days; then go to Lesson 2 and add the new ones, reviewing previous ones as needed. Even people recovering from surgery or in wheelchairs can adapt these exercises to their needs.

When you can learn to follow the breath to your center, to your core, and open the lotus blossom, “Your thought goes there and you quiet down. Otherwise your mind will be flitting and fluttering. It’s a bringing together of the breath, and then you can bring together your thoughts, and everything becomes not that drastically important.

“Your new car, the new dress are not that important anymore when you look into yourself and follow your mind to the center. It’s really what meditation is about.”

“Many times, however, people try to do it the reverse way: “You try to meditate, and then you breathe better; whereas if you learn to breathe first and then you do everything else, it’s much, much easier.”

Remember, you are breathing right now. Every day, you have 20,000 opportunities to transform how you breathe and enhance your health and well-being.

In this article, we discuss the origin of aromatherapy and give you information about aromatherapy benefits and how to perform aromatherapy in your own home. Did you know that aromatherapy was discovered in the late 1920s? In 1928, French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefoss was working in a laboratory at his family’s perfumery. A sudden explosion severely burned his hand, which he quickly plunged into a container of lavender oil. Afterward, he was surprised by how quickly his hand healed.

Gattefoss began exploring the therapeutic properties of plants and later coined the term “aromatherapy.” For many people, aromatherapy conjures up images of scented oil and candles, maybe a bubble bath at the end of a stressful day. But nowadays aromatherapy is far more than just fragrant lotions and sweet-smelling incense.

Aromatherapy — the application or inhalation of what are called essential plant oils — is a growing industry. Many essential oils have medicinal properties that heal infections or calm frazzled nerves. You can purchase essential oils in stores that sell natural products and through catalog and Internet companies. Most are mixed with a lotion made from vegetable oil, such as almond or grape seed, and then applied to the skin.

One of the most popular ways of enjoying the effects of aromatherapy is with a diffuser and a few drops of an essential oil — perhaps lavender to calm down after a hectic day or lemon for a little pick-me-up. The simplest diffuser is a pot of boiling water on the stove with a few drops of an essential oil added to it. Carefully lean over and you have a facial steam.

The Cadillac of diffusers is the nebulizer, a small machine that diffuses essential oils on a current of air. The nebulizer ionizes and suspends very fine oil molecules in the air for maximum effect. An increasing number of health professionals are using aromatherapy to alleviate stress, pain and infection. One key factor in the success of aromatherapy is the nose and its powerful sense of smell.

A Mood-Altering Experience
Scientists at several major research centers have concluded that certain odors can affect mood and behavior. Lavender and vanilla, for example, can relax a person, says Dr. Alan R. Hirsch of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.

Hirsch and his colleagues have found that the quickest way to change a mood is with the sense of smell. Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia have shown that odors provide the best memory cues because a person’s oldest and most emotionally laden memories are connected with smells.
Michele Erwin, who runs a small aromatherapy business on the Internet from her home in Colorado, has found that vanilla triggers a tremendous feeling of happiness because it reminds her of making ice cream as a child with her great grandmother in Ohio.

“For me, vanilla is tied to one of the best things in life,” says Erwin, who now lives in the small town of Telluride in the San Juan Mountains.

“There are a lot of wonderful memories connected with that — spending time with my great grandmother, turning the crank, eating homemade ice cream.” Erwin, who is 30, learned about aromatherapy while trying to figure how to get rid of acne that cropped up about five years ago. Nothing seemed to work. She tried natural skin products and then started experimenting with aromatherapy.

She learned to make facial masks of green clay, floral water, eggs, lavender and juniper berry. Her acne cleared up and has never returned. She also works as a bookkeeper, but her real love is aromatherapy.

“Aromatherapy has enhanced my life in many, many ways,” Erwin says. “I have become confident and happy. My emotions can always be changed with a single whiff. I am more emotionally balanced, and stress over everyday life is less of an impact.”

According to Hirsch, the future of medicine lies in aromatherapy. “We’re already seeing aromatherapy more and more in the treatment of patients. Ten years from now aromatherapy will be a regular part of the physician’s palette.” Hirsch says that in the future, instead of simply prescribing valium as a sedative, a physician will prescribe a small dose of valium supplemented with lavender. For male impotence? A small dose of the revolutionary new drug Viagra along with a mixture of lavender and pumpkin, known to heighten male sexual arousal.

Erwin is likewise convinced. “With the right oils, my muscle aches heal faster, my burns and bruises disappear, and fatigue is no longer in my vocabulary … All of these things have made my life safer, simpler and more enjoyable.”

Carbon monoxide has been called “the senseless killer” because it is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas and thus nearly impossible for the human senses to detect. When inhaled, it quickly crowds out oxygen molecules that normally attach themselves to the hemoglobin molecules in red blood cells. The carbon monoxide-hemoglobin bond is more than two hundred times stronger than the oxygen-hemoglobin bond. As a result, not enough life-sustaining oxygen gets to tissues, causing illness and sometimes death. Each year, carbon monoxide poisoning contributes to an average of five hundred unintentional deaths and two thousand suicides in the United States, and accounts for roughly 15,000 emergency-room visits, according to the CDC.

Inside your home, fuel-based furnaces, space heaters, water heaters, clothes dryers, and fireplaces typically produce some carbon monoxide. Outside, gasoline-powered engines, such as those in cars, lawn mowers, and generators, emit carbon monoxide as well. When properly ventilated and in good working order, all are safe to use, but potentially deadly problems may arise when they are not. That being so, how can you ensure that your home is safe from carbon monoxide?

* Check for clues that may indicate a problem: excessive condensation on walls and windows; a damaged, rusty, or sooty furnace, heater, chimney, or flue; stale, smelly air (a sign of improper ventilation); or a furnace that runs constantly or fails to heat the house adequately.

* Be aware of physical symptoms, since the human body may also give indications of carbon monoxide buildup in the home. Headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and general flu-like symptoms are the most common symptoms of low-level poisoning.

* Have your heating system, water heater, and any other gas-, oil-, or coalburning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year. A chimney sweep should clean and inspect your fireplace and chimney, too. Follow the advice of these experts, and have them make the repairs needed to keep your home safe and healthy.

* Invest in carbon monoxide alarms and install them on every floor of your home, especially near sleeping areas.

* Don’t use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline- or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage, or near an open window.

* Don’t leave engines running inside your garage or use your oven or stove to heat the house. Never burn charcoal inside your house, even in the fireplace.

Excerpted from How Not to Die by Jan Gar