Q & A with Dr. Hull

This month's Q & A's deal with Sore Feet, Hair Analysis for Pets, and the dangers of isolated amino acids

Sore Feet
Q- I've been experiencing severe problems with hyperhydrosis of the palms and feet. I also get cold hands. I've been a huge consumer of aspartame since 1999. I never had these problems in the past before I started consuming aspartame. I consumed 6 to 8 diet cokes a day plus a sugar-free coffee (take-out) every morning for years. Do you think aspartame is causing my problems with my hands and feet? My doctor is recommending ETS surgery. The side effects of the surgery are scary. Please help.

A- Thank you for your submission. I'm sure you are scared at the prospect of surgery, and you are wise to look into alternatives before you make such a permanent decision.

This may sound odd, but you wouldn't believe how many men complain of pain in their feet first thing in the morning when getting out of bed. When they stop using aspartame, the pain stops. Women do not have the same complaint. I'd love to take the time to study this - why does this happen so often to men and not women??

So, yes, I think aspartame is causing this problem. Get off all aspartame and sucralose - no food chemicals at all. Detox and enjoy real foods and natural sugars for one month. See if your feet return to normal. Maybe this will spare you surgery.

Let us know your progress!

Hair Analysis For Pets
Q- Do you perform the hair analysis on pets? I'd like to have my horse and my dog tested. We think our well water has been contaminated, and I want to know if the animals are getting anything in the water that might harm them.

A- Yes, we do the hair testing on animals. Our lab does not have specific parameters set for the different animal species, but we let them know it is an animal, what type (dog, cat or horse), the gender of the animal and the age and weight. They then set the parameters for the animal based on the same data for a human (typically for a child), and test for the toxic metals present and the vitamin and mineral levels as essential elements.

I suggest you also send in a sample of your well water. If there are metals or metallic by-products from industries upstream or possible dumping up-stream, these will show in the sample. Unless you specify the lab to test for organics and fertilizers, they typically do not show on the water test. Make sure to specify what they test for.

We love working with pets at The Hullistic Network. As you know, my son and I have one of the largest endangered tortoise collections in the world, and have a conservatory for endangered animals on our land in Texas. We routinely give all of our animals vitamins and minerals, and occasionally detox them when we suspect they have gotten into something unhealthy.

The best to you and your "babies."

Danger! Isolated Amino Acids
Q- I have a disease called acromegaly that I am currently taking dopamine antagonists for. I am wondering about aspartame. Aspartame has a lot of phenylalanine in it and in a normal person that's bad... but what about me? I am deficient in dopamine. Wouldn't that make me the exception to the rule? Seems to me I should be drinking lots of diet drinks for the phenylalanine, which then produces dopamine to offset serotonin levels in the brain and reduce the size of the tumor.

A- I'm so glad you contacted me. The phenylalanine in aspartame is NOT a natural form of this amino acid, and when isolated from a basic 8-amino-acid complex found in nature, the brain doesn't know how to utilize isolated forms of amino acids. Nature puts protein and amino acid protein bases in combination for a reason - they work in synergy. When humans pick them out of their natural state for the purpose of manufacturing, it can be very harmful (and unnatural) for the body, especially after long-term use. (Drs. John Olney and Russell Blaylock have pioneered research based on this nutritional principle.) This is one of the reasons why so many different health reactions have been recorded as being attributed to aspartame use.

I would recommend a complete complex amino acid supplement in order to balance the protein amino acids that help regulate the chemicals in your brain. Look for a supplement comprised of a natural amino complex of at least 8 amino acids, and avoid the manufactured, isolated forms of phenylalanine. And try consuming more protein, rich in the amino acid complex.

Good luck with this. Wishing you the best.

Posted April 2007 | Permanent Link

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