I made a post in the anxiety attack thread that was wrongly started in the D&D forum a few days back. I have been suffering from them for about 8 months, causing me to quit my gigging among other things. I have had a few episodes where I literally thought I was having a heart attack (chest pains, shortness of breath, palpitations, the whole 9 yards). I have been hospitalized twice, the second time receiving a heart catheterization. The doctors all gave me a clean bill of cardiac health. I haven't really discussed it with many people because, frankly, I was embarrassed. I've been truly puzzled by these attacks because it just doesn't fit my modus operandi. I started to go over the things in my life that have been different over the last year. I came up with: 1. more responsibilty at my job 2. Been on the Atkins diet off and on (mostly on) since last November 3. The realization that my gig of the last 15 years was just not going to make it any longer. I ended up focusing on the diet but not because of why you may think. Because of Atkins, I have taken sugar out of my diet altogether. I started using products that had Splenda (Ice Cream, Chocolate and the like). I decided to do a little research on it and what I found was a little bit shocking. here is one source: http://www.foodanddiet.com/NewFiles/splenda.html In response to the studies about the dangers of saccharin and, more recently, aspartame (NutraSweet), along came Splenda. Splenda is the marketing name for sucralose. Sucralose is a chlorinated sucrose derivative used as an artificial sweetener. It is sold in packets and in bulk for home use under the tradename Splenda, and is used in thousands of products. It's everywhere and, according to reports from our visitors, so are the problems arising from its use. The problem with sucralose, as it was with aspartame, is that it was rushed to market and through the FDA approval processes without thorough, long-term testing to prove or disprove its potential health hazards. The information is only now being considered by independent organizations and watch groups. Based upon information supplied to us by our visitors, we note the following possible side effects from consumption of sucralose: bloating abdominal pain gas nausea diarrhea headaches migraines (severe headaches) heart palpitations (fluttering) shortness of breath depression or overwhelming anxiety spaced-out or drugged sensation joint pain dizziness here is another: http://www.deepdownwellness.com/althealth/splendasymtoms.html Is Splenda Making You Sick? Find Out Some Common Reaction Symptoms (from Mercola.com) Splenda, which is the brand name for the non-nutritive sweetener sucralose, is added to hundreds of foods and beverages sold in the United States and abroad. At this time there have been no long-term studies done to show how this manmade substance reacts in the human body. Despite this lack of research, Splenda is showing up in many products, even those that claim to be “healthy,” and Americans are buying them thinking they are somehow better than those with sugar. In all actuality, if you eat Splenda you are acting as a guinea pig in a science experiment since no one knows what the long-term effects of Splenda will be. Maybe you are thinking, but it is FDA-approved so it must be safe. Well, I could fill many pages listing all of the “approved” substances that have turned out to be unfit for human use, but here are just a few: Aspartame PEDIARIX combination vaccine for children Food irradiation FluMist nasal flu vaccine If you would like to know more about why Splenda is essentially chlorinated table sugar, you should read The Potential Dangers of Sucralose. Some chlorinated molecules serve as the basis for pesticides such as DDT and accumulate in body fat and tissues. Although is commonly thought that surcralose passes through the body unabsorbed, FDA research says otherwise. According to FDA tests, 11 percent to 27 percent of sucralose is absorbed by humans, and tests by the Japanese Food Sanitation Council show that up to 40 percent may actually be absorbed. In fact, here is what it says on the Splenda Web site: “Studies have shown that about 15% of ingested sucralose is passively absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. The small amount of sucralose that is absorbed is distributed to essentially all tissues.” Along with the lack of long-term studies, sucralose has been the subject of fewer scientific studies than any other non-nutritive sweetener. Perhaps they are afraid of what they may discover. Already Splenda has surpassed Equal in dollar-market share, and any negative findings would surely cut into these massive earnings. The Splenda site also states that Splenda causes “no known side effects.” Well below I’ve included a list of reactions compiled from those that readers have experienced. Although many of these symptoms could indeed have other contributing causes, most people stated that the symptoms began around the same time they started using Splenda, and then subsequently disappeared when Splenda was removed from their diet. You can read our Splenda testimonials to get their entire stories, and if you find yourself experiencing any of the symptoms below I urge you to remove Splenda from your diet if you have not done so already. Splenda Reaction Symptoms Flushing or redness of the skin Burning feeling of the skin Rash Itching A panicky or shaky feeling Swelling Blisters on the skin Welts Nausea Stomach cramps Dry heaves Becoming withdrawn Loss of interest in usual activities Feeling forgetful Moodiness Dulled senses Unexplained crying Acne or acne-like rash Anxiety Panic attacks Feelings of food poisoning Headache Seeing spots Mental or emotional breakdown Altered emotional state, i.e. feeling irate, impatient, hypersensitive Pain (body, chest) Bloated abdomen Diarrhea Trouble concentrating/staying in focus Feeling depressed Vomiting Seizures Shaking Feeling faint If you Google Splenda side effects you will find a slew of similar information. I just wanted to get the word out and also to see if anyone else has had any issues with it. (sorry, I realize this a post of Macbethian proportions but I thought it was worth the bandwidth)
doesn't everything that comes out seem to have something go wrong with it ater they do more research on it? I mean nutrasweet and other stuff like that? They are the biggest things make the most money then they decide to spend some time to research more, and BOOM they find out it's bad for you...i mean it's getting predecitable..
Let us know if you start feeling better. My g/f recently started using Splenda exclusively in her coffee and she has been feeling really run down of late. She has a lot of other things going on in her life, so it might not be the Splenda, but if you start to feel better, I will definitely recommend that she stop using it.
Last spring, my wife and I considered nixing sugar from our diet in favor of Splenda. After some research, we were concerned that that 15% gastrointestinal absorption rate wasn't accurate. We were further concerned with how Splenda was rushed through the FDA. Anyway, we ended up fiddling around with Stevia. Stevia is a natural sweetener, has no calories, causes no tooth decay, and in clinical research, its only side effect has been lowered blood pressure. Its way sweeter than sugar, but on the down side, it has a funny after taste and, in the US, its use is heavily associated with hippies . The FDA won't approve it as a food additive but has approved it as a "dietary supplement," keeping Stevia out of the food market. There is also no shortage of conspiracy theories regarding why the FDA won't consider Stevia as a food additive despite the fact its been used by millions of people around the world for even hundreds of years without being connected to any illnesses or side effects. Its been used in the Japanese food market since 1970. You might want to do a little research on it and see what you think. I don't use it a lot, but its been good in tea and some baked goods.
Growing up my family doctor told my folks not to give me or my little brother anything with nutrasweet or splenda, because he wasn't sure "how it would effect a child's development." Take it for what you will.
it was supposed to be found to be mutagenic in a study funded/requested by nutrasweet. recently the british governent carried out their own tests and disputed the fda/nutrasweet claims. it's also alleged that the fda and nutrasweet share a questionable relationship.
It has long been known that the healtiest diet is one that is as free from processed foods, chemicals, high fats, trans fats and processed sugars as possible. Anytime you start adding chemical or processed food by-products to your diet in large amounts, you are asking your body to consume and process things it was never designed to consume and process. Personally, I'll take butter and sugar over margarine and sweet and low every day of the week. Reduce the portion size (which happens anyway when you eat whole foods because they are more filling) and include plenty of fiber in your diet and, chances are, you'll be a lot healthier.
Guess its time to call the folks that make the Dr. Pepper from sugar intead of Corn syrup and order a few cases...
I was recently diagnosed with mild gestational diabetes which means I can't have any sucrose, fructose or carbs until after lunch and still have to watch it after that. My doctor and dietician both recommended Splenda so I tried a diet drink made with it and found it tasted just as plastic a Nutra-Sweet. When I researched it I found much the same information B-Ball did. I did find a website that listed a number of alternative sweeteners but all of them are contrary to my purist philosophy regarding foods. If you can't have the real thing, skip it. So far my solution has been to stick to savory foods for breakfast and lunch. I get tired of eggs for breakfast so in the last couple weeks I've had pork chops, steak, salmon, and falafel.
My wife went through the same thing when she was pregnant. She has a ton of great information on that, as far as food choices and stuff if you are interested.
