Did you ever find yourself sick, but didn’t realize how some old habits can consistently making you toxic? I have a friend who drove himself to the hospital yesterday, because after taking all of his prescribed medications with additional NSAID’s, he still was experiencing excruciating headaches, dizziness, joint pain and a sick stomach. He brags about how exceptional his insurance company is that he was able to receive all the top notch test. He said- “We take it all for granted, however it’s pretty amazing that there is a place you can go to take care of emergencies and get the right medication. They can tell me in 10 minutes if I have a brain tumor or not. And with the right Medicare it cost zero to even go to the Mayo Clinic.” Included in the test given were MRI’s, CAT scans, blood analysis and the Ultrasound of his Aortic Valve. Surprisingly enough, nothing was found.
I’m familiar with his habits so I asked, “when was the last time you had a drink of water?” He barked “he just finished a diet cola and had 3 cups of coffee today”. My inquiry continued with, “is your medication still the same?” He confided, added sleeping pills & Gerd meds, while Actonel for osteoporosis and his prescription for statins remained the same. In the same breath, he claimed they had scheduled him for more test on Tuesday.
His headache returned. Aspartame has a strong mal-effect on the functioning of the brain. So in my pursuit to be helpful, I suggested he cease diet colas for a few days to see how he feels. He didn’t agree. I continued with, do you know any of the side effects from your medications? He said “his doctors know all about what his needs are.” OMG. Did I really hear that? I thought -how can I encourage a “bite size step” with such a closed mind?
Surprised? No. This is a business owner who reads every newspaper and will incessantly argue that diet has nothing to do with headaches. In fact he claimed “diet sugars” are not dangerous for your health. Unfortunately, I have seen this particular method of denial occasionally in my business. I refer to it as “diminished thinking” from a unhealthy brain co-mingling with chemical ingredients.
If we ask-“Can the body heal itself?” The answer is, YES. However if we don’t have that belief system in place who do we think does the healing? Science? If we look at illness being completely individual ~as in one size “does not fit all” than science alone can’t heal people. Does taking medication cure dis-eases? No. Taking medication to suppress any physical or mental dis-ease can negatively prolong issues and consequently cause a risk of creating a secondary problem.
The final word from those doctor visits and the Mayo clinic, all test came back negative. The doctors were not looking clearly at all the obvious clues. My husband reminds me that you can’t find your keys if you look in the wrong house.
Let’s revisit Aspartame:
Aspartame is comprised of methanol, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, is a GM Organism and used in diet related products. Aspartame damage is cumulative and may not show up for about 10 to 30 years. Aspartame can play a causative roll in brain inflammation and /or tumors, (1) plus additional health risk. (2) The toxic effect can compromise learning and emotional functioning. (3)
Some quotes here- “If you develop migraines after drinking or eating aspartame-sweetened foods, you’re definitely not alone. In her book, The Doctor’s Complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals, Dr. Mary D. Eades reports that aspartame is the trigger for migraines in a percentage of migraine patients. According to Jean Carper’s Food: Your Miracle Medicine, aspartame increased migraine frequency in more than 50% percent of the migraine patients who participated in the study.” “Additionally, Carper writes, “headaches lasted longer and some subjects experienced an increase in ‘unusual symptoms’ during aspartame-inspired headaches, such as dizziness, shakiness and diminished vision. Though migraines are not fatal, they can be a precursor to potentially fatal grand map seizures and convulsions.” “In fact, half of the aspartame reactors with grand mal convulsions who completed the survey questionnaire had suffered prior migraines or other severe headaches,” writes Dr. H.J. Roberts in his book Aspartame (NutraSweet): Is It Safe? (4)
Some suggest that everything can be taken in moderation. When I hear this I respond with “since when is a poison in moderation good for you?” Research has shown as far as Aspartame is concerned, it damages the brain in any dosage. (5)
With all this talk about brain health, let’s connect the Aspartame dots to our digestive wellness. Statistics say about 80% of our immune system is in our gut. When we compromise our good gut bacteria with toxins and GMO’s a host of symptoms can manifest. Studies show Aspartame increases inflammation and oxidative stress in the immune organs and could be immune suppressive. (6)
When coaching I teach, if we experience inflammation in our gut, it is also in our brain, all the while contributing to hormonal disruption from a decline in immune function.
Some key notes include:
*Both high cholesterol levels and osteoporosis can be linked to Excitotoxins such as Aspartame.
*Caffeine, Aspartame, refined sugar, Alcohol and a junk food diet, appear to significantly increase the risk of irritable bowel disorders as they disrupt the intestinal flora.
*Simultaneously ingesting Excitotoxins such as Aspartame, Fluoride, Mercury and MSG increase glutamate in the brain causing neuron misfiring.
*Endocrine Disruptors such as Aspartame, refined sugar and caffeine can damage the elimination process. All can prevent a good nights sleep, a healthy body and a fit brain, while paving the way toward an inside environment of immune disruption.
Today, he visited yet another doctor and a little voice inside of me asked-“does he truly want wellness or a label for his illness?”
Our nervous system, (the brain) controls every thought and action we have. This includes beliefs put into actions, memories of yesterday, whole body movement and choosing to eat chemical free for health or chemical rich for sickness. Studies continue to show we can rebuild our brain with the foods we put in our gut. We can change its function and structure throughout our entire life. If we continue down a destructive path, it does not necessarily offer much room for change.
So the second question is, “can our addicted body let go of it’s addictive habits long enough to seek out wellness?” The answer is, Not without the brain!
Connie Rogers is a Integrative Nutritional Holistic Health Coach, Radio Show Host, Researcher and Owner and Founder of www.bitesizepieces.net and www.weightlossforlifechange.com. She teaches a Lifestyle Philosophy providing the “tools’”and “support” clients need to create healthier life habits with food. Changing the internal environment of the body through high quality nutrition, is necessary in the tapestry of true health.
View here~ http://lp.bitesizepieces.net/TuneupandTuneintoyourHormones.html
Footnotes:
1-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1964906/
2-http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/aspartamebrain.pdf
3-http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v62/n4/abs/1602866a.html
4-http://www.amazon.com/Aspartame-NutraSweet-Safe-H-Roberts/dp/0914783580
5- http://www.collective-evolution.com/2012/10/06/aspartame-damages-the-brain-at-any-dose/
6- http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1394641544_Choudhary%20and%20Devi.pdf see also http://www.scopemed.org/?mno=153985
Connie believes health and wellness are established with proper nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness. Connie takes a natural and holistic, common sense approach to rebuilding well-being from the ground up. As she works with each client, together they open a door that empowers them to rewrite their life, one bite size step at a time!
