XTEND-YOUR-LIFE Newsletter
Issue - 25th June 2003
Aspartame... Seasilver... Barefoot Coral Calcium...
Last week in the Xtend-15sec-News we included a link to an article on Aspartame the artificial sweetener used so extensively in foods and drinks. The article in question was quite an old one which has been circulating around for quite a while. Because we published this I received a number of emails from well meaning subscribers disappointed because they felt that we had not done our research very well.
Their assertions were based on a number of published comments by esteemed 'experts' and organizations about aspartame, who not only argue that aspartame is safe but also suggest that the article by Betty Martini is not credible because she is neither a scientist or a physician. I don't disagree that the author perhaps does not hold a 'degree' of some sort, but on the other hand does one really need a 'degree' to sort out information and present a logical argument... I don't think so!
Anyway, if you dig into the matter of aspartame you will discover there is a lot of 'smoke'. If you believe in the old saying: "where there is smoke, there is fire" I think that you will agree there are some very compelling arguments to suggest that there is "some fire down below". For example, what about the fact that In February of 1994, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the listing of adverse reactions reported to the FDA (DHHS 1994). Aspartame accounted for more than 75% of all adverse reactions reported to the FDA's Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS)
What about a study done on rats to test the possibility that micromolar formaldehyde, a metabolite of methanol derived from aspartame, exerts cytotoxicity? The link for this is at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12686735&dopt=Abstract
What about a study done by Millichap JG Yee MM from the Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA. This study looks at the diet factor in pediatric and adolescent migraine. It suggests that the diet factor is over overlooked in favor of 'preventative' drug therapy. They list aspartame as one of the problem substances. The link is at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12657413&dopt=Abstract
What about an email which appeared in the Lancet's website on July 1999 by neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock outlining the dangers of aspartame? To read his email click here.
What about the record of fact that the FDA withdrew approval for aspartame in 1980 and just two years later Dr. Hayes, the FDA commissioner appointed by Ronald Regan (friend of Searle, the inventor of aspartame) ignored his own departments findings and others reports against aspartame and went ahead and approved it anyway in spite of the then fully operational "Delaney amendment" (that forbade the use of carcinogenic substances in or as a food additive)... (That's another story, as this amendment was removed from the statute books after intense lobbying by the food industry!)
I could go on and on like this, but I think that you get the picture. What I will add however is that after the release of articles from Betty Martini and others concerning the dangers of aspartame there was a very powerful public relations campaign initiated specifically to discredit the authors of those articles. (Funded by the manufacturers) The thrust of this discrediting campaign was that studies had proven without doubt the safety of aspartame (these studies were done by the manufacturers. Remember I talked about studies like these in the last issue of Xtend-Your-Life)
They argued that on the strength of these studies and the lack of peer reviewed studies to the contrary that all the fuss about aspartame was nonsense. This is a pretty convincing argument when put to the general public…until you ask yourself who is going to fund a study to counter the studies run by the manufacturer? It costs an enormous amount of money to do this and unless it is done over an extended period of time it is difficult to be conclusive.
I accept that most of the evidence against aspartame is anecdotal but as I mentioned before there is an enormous amount of 'smoke' around concerning it.
It's interesting that on the 19th February this year that the members (MEPs) of the European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy Committee voted for a re-evaluation of the artificial sweetener aspartame (E951). Why did they do that? I would suggest that they had a bit more than just anecdotal evidence to initiate such an enquiry!
If you believe that the 'authorities' look after the public health, don't bank on it! Remember the sweetener cyclamate that was banned in the US many years ago even though it was originally considered safe? The list can go on and on. Just remember that when an 'esteemed' organization comes out in favor of an unnatural product or chemical it does not mean it is necessarily OK... there are sometimes 'wheels within wheels' and vested interests!
Enough said on this subject. I will leave it to you to decide what is right and what is wrong. As for me I won't be taking the risk!
Oh... if you would like to look at some of the arguments in favor of aspartame here is a link:
http://www.aspartame.org/aspartame_myths_statements.html
Seasilver
Most of you have heard of this product. It's been getting an enormous amount of exposure due primarily to it being a multi level marketing product. I devoted an issue of this newsletter to this product back on the 16th Oct last year. You can access it by going to our newsletter archives by clicking here. The article was entitled "Misleading advertising? Seasilver... you be the judge!"
In this article I suggest that their claims are 'way over the top' and inaccurate. Well, it appears that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) agrees with me because last week they took over control of the company's office in Carlsbad, California and have put a halt to their trading indefinitely!
This is a classic example of a product sold by hype and half truths and by people getting caught up in the 'fever' because it is marketed via MLM (Multi level marketing) and they believe that not only is it going to restore their health but they will make a comfortable second income whilst doing so. If only it was that easy...
Their main thrust in their marketing is that they claim 98% bio-availability of their product because it is liquid as opposed to pills, the majority of which they claim ends up in the toilet. That's using as an analogy a cheap poorly formulated pill from a supermarket and putting all pills into the same category. That's a bit like saying an old Russian built LADA car drives the same way as a Rolls Royce or a Lincoln!
Barefoot Coral Calcium
Also last week a federal court in Chicago issued temporary restraining orders to stop Kevin Trudeau and his company Shop America from claiming that Barefoots coral calcium supplements can cure cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other serious diseases. Through the use of infomercials Trudeau hosted interviews with coral calcium's leading promoter, Robert Barefoot.
During the same week Barefoots coral calcium was found to have excessive levels of lead in their product. This is not surprising because before we started using coral calcium in our superphytonutrients we researched the sources of the raw ingredients in Okinawa including Barefoots source and decided against the marine version because of purity issues. (It is cheaper though). To get the full facts on coral calcium I would suggest that you read the special report that I prepared on the subject which you can access by clicking here.
Sadly another example of hype to sell a substandard product!
Yet another 'health' scam...
Last week was certainly one for 'cleaning' up a few companies. An Arizona company was raided by state authorities…with good reason! $35M of assets was seized from the owners! These were the prime people responsible for those annoying spam ads promoting penis enlargement pills. They also sold breast augmentation pills and another one that claims to increase your height. The reality is no pill can do these things.
But they were able to convince hundreds of thousands of people that they could!
Upon analysis of their products it was found that all the bottles contained a few cheap herbs that would provide no benefits at all. Even worse they were blatant enough to use the same capsule in all products and just change the labels.
Although I am a strong advocate of minimal government intervention I have to say that they acted responsibly on all the three above examples. I think we will see more of this until the industry gets cleaned up and owners and executives of companies change their focus from the extraction of money from the unsuspecting public to one of actually caring about their customers and subscribing to the philosophy that you get back what you give out and a short term gain is usually a long term loss.
Here's hoping...
In good health,
Info about the editor.
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Important notice: All material provided within the newsletter XTEND-YOUR-LIFE is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this publication. Consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and wellbeing or on any opinions expressed within this newsletter. The information provided in this newsletter is believed to be accurate based on the best judgment of the editor but the reader is responsible for consulting with their own health professional on any matters raised within.
