Our feature this month is:

Big Corporations: Whose Interests Are At Heart? - Part 2.

Our articles this month are:

The Aspartame Train;
What Is A Hair Analysis; and
Child's Aspartame Case History.

Our recipes this month is in honor of St. Patrick's Day - Special Irish Beef Stew. Then for those of you who are not feeling up for a pot of gold, we have a tasty Green Chili Stew.

March's Newsletter, hopefully, brings with it the end of "winter" in the Northern regions. This has been a record cold and wet winter season here in Texas, and the warmth of Spring is most welcome.

We thank you all for sharing your emails and comments with us, and, again, we hope to inform our readers of the current issues within the "sweetener world."

The Best In Health.

Janet Starr Hull and Staff

So, what was going on??

Your website changed our lives. I started researching the side effects of aspartame and came across your site. I gave the information to Nancy, who had been using the artificial sweeteners since the age of 14....she's now 68.

She consumed at least 2 liters of Diet Pepsi every day. Her body must have been overly saturated.

Along with Diet Pepsi, unbeknown to her, she had been consuming many other sugar-free products that also contained aspartame.

Upon forwarding your information on aspartame to her, she got off her Diet Pepsi, and has progressively improved. It's now been about 7 weeks. Her brain seems clear again, and she is now functioning like normal. It's a miracle.

She is now getting back to her usual bubbly self, and as musicians, we, The Gospel & Folk Weather Girls, are able to perform again.

We are anxious to see what her upcoming brain scan will reveal, now.

If interested, you can see Nancy and The Gospel & Folk Weather Girls on Youtube...KDL940 - type in: The Gospel & Folk Weather Girls. Nancy plays the folk harp and Mountain Dulcimer. I play the Autoharp.

Sincerely,
Lois Loucks

From Dr. Hull and the Newsletter Staff: Check them out!

This train runs on money, and there is no fuel shortage here. As a matter of fact, there is so much fuel to drive this train, it is picking up speed and racing faster down the track. Every year or so, more train cars are added, and each car has its own name, a different color, and is "super-sized" for larger and heavier passengers. It's the same train only with fancy bells and whistles added. The Neotame Car and the AminoSweet Car were recently hooked up to the back of this train.

The Aspartame Train carries many passengers, and most of them are overweight, depressed, and apathetic. Many passengers have a lot of baggage, too, and carry onboard a lifetime supply of medications for headaches, mood swings, vertigo, MS, seizures, or diabetes.

Sadly, there's no engineer safely driving this train - he bailed out years ago when the engine started getting too hot.

There are no tickets for the Aspartame Train sold for natural, raw, or unprocessed sugar transport; there are no seats available for stevia, Agave nectar, or any natural sweeteners. There are no tickets sold for the sugar alcohols, Sucanat^®, Brown Rice Syrup, Turbinado^®, barley malt, date sugar, honey, maple syrup, or molasses.

How do we stop this run-a-way train? Well, the passengers can't stop it, but they can surely find a way to get off before the train flies off the tracks, harming everyone on board.

The thing about this train is that ANYONE can buy a ticket: young and old, the sick and the healthy, male and female, babies and the elderly. And once you step on the train, it can be very hard to get off because this swift train doesn't stop on its own; you have to make it slow down at the closest depot to jump off. Sometimes you can get hurt scrambling off this run-a-way train, but once you are off, you restore good health fairly quickly.

Before going down any road in life's journey, I strongly suggest you carefully select the route you take and the mode of transportation; especially when choosing to allow someone else to drive you there. If you are riding on the Aspartame Train, I advise you to get off ASAP. Avoid ever getting on board with these sweeteners:

• Sucralose (Splenda^®)
• Aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal^®)
• Acesulfame-K (Sunett^®)
• Neotame^®
• Alitame^®
• Cyclamate

If you are buying a ticket for the newest Neotame Car, Alitame or AminoSweet Cars, ask for an immediate refund.

The two newest sweeteners that have recently undergone current and pending FDA approval for public transport are neotame and alitame. Cyclamate was pulled off the tracks when it lost its FDA approval in 1970, but is currently up for re-approval. It has been proven to cause cancer, so the Cyclamate Car has not yet been approved for current public access.

ALITAME
A modified version of aspartame, alitame is a white crystalline powder, soluble in water, with a faint odor characteristic of alcohol.

Alitame is a chemical compound that has a manufactured sweetness 2,000 times that of sugar (sucrose). The manufacturer (Pfizer, Inc., one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and the manufacturer of Viagra) claims alitame is very heat stable, so they project it will be used as a high-intensity sweetener in many applications, either alone or in combination with other sweeteners.

Alitame is a concentrated form of sweetener wholly developed in the laboratory. Discovered by Pfizer, alitame (brand name Aclame^™) is a chemical sweetener formed from the amino acids L-aspartic acid and D-alanine, plus a new substance amine.

What's this new substance amine? Amines are volatile substances. Ammonia is the simplest possible amine. The ammonia molecule has a low boiling point (-33 degrees C), so it forms a common gas at room temperature. Although ammonia is weak, it is corrosive and can cause severe lung damage or death when inhaled in large concentrations.

Solutions of ammonia in water are called aqueous ammonia. (Ten percent solutions of ammonia in water are used as "smelling salts.") Mixing household ammonia and chlorine bleach is exceedingly dangerous and produces a toxic and carcinogenic mixture of chloramines. If you mix the amine in alitame with the chlorine in sucralose, you get a highly toxic compound in a sweetener blend.

If I were on the Federal Railroad Administration, I would consider this train unsafe for public transportation due to toxicity, and I would slap a HAZMAT sticker on the caboose!

Alitame is projected to be used in all products in which chemical sweeteners are presently used:

• Baked goods
• Baking mixes
• Hot and cold beverages
• Dry beverage mixes
• Milk products
• Frozen desserts and mixes
• Fruit preparations
• Chewing gums
• Candies
• Tabletop sweeteners
• Toiletries
• Pharmaceuticals

NEOTAME
At 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar, neotame is the most potent sweetener marketed today. Neotame has changed hands from its original patent holder, Monsanto Chemical Company, to The NutraSweet Co., to J. W. Childs Partnership, and now to Pharmacia. Neotame, another modified version of aspartame, contains all the same elements found in aspartame and more: the amino acids L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine, plus two organic groups, one known as a methyl ester group and the other as a neohexyl group. Joined together, these components equal 8,000 teaspoons of sugar.

Like aspartame, neotame is a very potent and questionable compound, but it does not have to carry the PKU warning, as aspartame is required by law to do, so its addition to all products goes without warning. I see this as a serious problem for those with PKU, who carry the PKU gene, and are PKU recessive.

The FDA was petitioned in 1997 to approve neotame for use as a tabletop sweetener, and neotame was FDA approved for commercial marketing on July 9, 2002 as a general-use sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods and beverages. In October 2002, neotame was approved for public use in:

• Chewing gum
• Carbonated soft drinks
• Refrigerated and non-refrigerated ready-to-drink beverages
• Frozen desserts and novelties
• Puddings and fillings
• Yogurt-type products
• Baked goods
• Candies

A number of beverages using neotame have recently been introduced in Australia and New Zealand where neotame received its first approval in August 2001. It is also approved in the People's Republic of China, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico and Costa Rica.

As with aspartame, neotame is also a flavor enhancer. Glenn Corliss, senior food scientist for The NutraSweet Company, stated, "Studies have shown that neotame modifies flavors at nonsweetening levels and that it works well to modify the taste of soy. In addition, it works well in combination with other sweeteners. There are a number of product applications for neotame--liquids, chewing gum--where it extends sweetness and flavor."

Tickets, please?

AMINOSWEET
With ticket sales down and more and more people jumping off this train, yet another sweetener is being added to the Aspartame Train to help boost revenue - AminoSweet.

This caboose is actually the same as the Aspartame Car, just renamed. The schematics on this newest chemical sweetener are not available yet, so a more detailed explanation of how this chemical compound "changes the requirements" for being labeled with the aspartame warning for PKU is not known. Believe me, if the manufacturers of this newest "sweetener" can avoid adding any negative warning labels, they will leave it off the packaging. They can sell many more tickets if people do not know the danger on the tracks ahead.

Aspartame, by law, has to be identified as dangerous for those with PKU or PKU recessive. If the formula for AminoSweet is the same, it is still the generic drug, aspartame. To secure the ultimate safety of all its passengers aboard the Aspartame Train, it seems that the legal labeling requirements for AminoSweet (and neotame, for that matter) should go with the name, whatever it is changed to. If any of these aspartame duplicates maintain the same toxicity to those with PKU, nothing has changed.

It's the same train with the same ole' toxic cars. All aboard?

No thanks, I think I'll walk!

Copyright 2010 Janet Starr Hull All Rights Reserved

Cartoon created by Mimi's Memos. Copyright 2010 Mimi's Memos All Rights Reserved http://www.MimisMemos.com/

The hair analysis identifies the root of illness. But, the key to a good hair analysis is in the interpretation - a lost art amid traditional medicine, yet a critical step in disease identification, and recovery. Instead of guessing WHY you are ill, research all that you can to determine THE CAUSES creating the EFFECT.

If you have been diagnosed with a "new" disease syndrome with no known cause or cure, or if you have chronic health symptoms that your doctor cannot identify using traditional lab tests, then having a hair analysis done is an excellent idea. The hair analysis is used to determine the cause of death in forensic medicine, so I believe that it is just as vital a tool in determining the CAUSE of illness in the living.

How I used my Hair Analysis Program to save my own health.

I've walked the walk!

I used the hair analysis to cure myself of a misdiagnosis of Grave's Disease in 1991. After I identified the cause of my disease as aspartame poisoning, the hair analysis showed me EXACTLY WHAT I needed to do to restore my health. Instead of guessing at WHY I was deathly ill, and instead of guessing at HOW to restore my health, I used the hair analysis as a tool to guide me. The hair analysis was a ROAD MAP to what my body needed to repair the damage from aspartame toxicity. It worked - I cured myself in one month. I had been told that my disease could be fatal, and that Grave's Disease cannot be cured. The hair analysis helped me prove my doctors wrong. And now I use my experience to help others.

I have been using the hair analysis testing in nutritional counseling for 20 years. I have used the same lab, and have perfected the process over the years. Based on my personal illness and recovery, and using my academic background as an environmental toxicologist, I have a very unique approach to the hair analysis.

The patient health submission form is an important tool for me, allowing me to really dig deep into your hair analysis interpretation. I ask a variety of important health questions which help me connect your past health history with your current health symptoms.

The hair analysis provides important information, which, in conjunction with your health symptoms of concern, your medical history, dietary habits, and other personal information, can help you identify negative, unforeseen sources of illness.

Research shows that hair levels of specific elements, particularly toxic elements, correlate with pathological disorders. For such elements, levels in the hair provide a better indication of body stores than the levels in your blood or in unprovoked urine specimens.

Hair has the advantage of long-term memory. It's a permanent record, like tree rings. Hair is an excretory tissue for essential, nonessential, and potentially toxic elements. As hair is formed in the follicle, elements inside the body are incorporated into the hair proteins with no further exchange with any other body tissues. The amount of an element incorporated into growing hair is proportional to the level of that element in your body. So your hair provides an indirect screening for physiological excess, deficiencies, or maldistribution of elements inside the body.

Head hair grows at a rate of about one-half inch in a month, so a three-inch strand of human hair will give a six-month history of what's going on in your body.

A sample of hair sent to the laboratory for analysis will show levels of potentially toxic elements, and levels of essential elements that are necessary for normal body function.

What does the Hair Analysis Show?

My lab's hair analysis shows 22 of the most important body nutrients responsible for healthy body function, such as:

• Calcium
• Lithium, and
• Potassium

Hair calcium levels have been correlated with nutritional intake, several disease syndromes, and metabolic disorders. It is the most abundant element in the human body; contained in the skeletal system, involved in muscle contraction, the nervous system, and in hormone secretion, calcium responds to the immune system.

At low levels, lithium is essential in humans. Lithium is used throughout the central nervous system and interacts with a number of neurotransmitters and receptors in the brain, aiding in escalating serotonin synthesis. Naturally maintained lithium levels help relieve stress and anxiety, phobias, and bipolar tendencies. The majority of people using aspartame and chemical sweeteners are low in lithium. Do you know what your lithium levels are?

Potassium levels in the hair do not reflect your dietary intake of potassium as much as they pertain to adrenal function and electrolyte balance. Potassium IS an electrolyte, and potassium deficiencies can cause muscle weakness, fatigue, and tachycardia.

The hair analysis also shows 17 toxic element levels, including heavy metals, such as:

• Aluminum
• Mercury, and
• Uranium

The level of aluminum in the hair is a reliable indicator that this element is inside your body. Aluminum disrupts protein synthesis, and is commonly elevated in children and adults with behavioral/learning disorders such as ADD/ADHD, and autism.

Mercury is an extremely toxic element, and low selenium levels are commonly found in people with high levels of mercury. Selenium, also tested in the hair analysis, is a very important essential element due to its antioxidant function. It has a protective capability to bind and "inactivate" mercury.

The levels of uranium in the hair usually reflect the levels in other tissues. Interestingly, 97% of my clients from California, Nevada, and Arizona are high in uranium.

Anyone can have a hair analysis done. I have a passion for pediatric nutrition, and even infants can have the hair analysis done, if they have enough hair, that is. I do the hair analysis for people all over the world, for young and old. I do the hair analysis for animals, too; from racehorses to the family pet. Get started with my hair analysis program today!

City: Naples;

Age: 12;

Sex: Male;

Aspartame Consumption: Since May 2009;

Health symptoms started after consuming aspartame: Yes;

Diet Products Used: Diet sodas and diet Kool-Aid;

Do you use Equal: No;

Are you aware of products not labeled sugar-free: No;

May we include your case history on website: Yes;

Do you want your information anonymous: No;

Comments: My son, Austin, had a grand mal seizure 3 weeks after being diagnosed Type 1 diabetic. We assumed he had a hypoglycemic reaction, but his blood glucose reading was 68 during the seizure. I could not understand why the seizure occurred, and I was concerned about any brain damage that it may have caused.

Upon researching grand mal seizures, I came across multiple articles on aspartame poisoning. After we administered glucagon, he still took over an hour to be responsive...I thought he was dying!! We were camping in Vermont during the Memorial Day weekend, and were giving him only diet sodas and Crystal Lite all weekend. Even our pediatric diabetes nurse was surprised to hear that his seizure occurred at 1 PM (diabetic seizures occur primarily at night, during sleep).

After the seizure I did not sleep for over a month, scared he would die during his sleep. I had initial reservations regarding Splenda, aspartame and Equal because I had heard before this that they were poison, but the nutritionist at the hospital said they were perfectly fine and he could have as much as he wanted - as they pumped Diet Sprite into him in the hospital for 2 days during his initial stay, May 4th.

I know that a 68-blood glucose level is not low, and to this day, I truly believe that he had aspartame poisoning!! We have removed every sugar-free product from our home, and I, myself, have lost 10 lbs within 3 weeks after I stopped using it, without any change in my eating habits.

I am furious that the FDA has not removed these products and deemed them unsafe, particularly for children's use.
Every doctor/nurse/nutritionist that I speak to about this tells me "moderation is key."

I always say to my husband...really...so poison is okay in moderation??

So many friends of mine think I am going overboard, but if they saw their child the way I did mine during that seizure, they would want answers, too! Please forward any additional info/articles/books for me to read on these poisons. Thank you so much for all that you do to inform us of these dangers to our children and to everyone using them!

Q: Hi. My daughter and I are concern about the acesulfame-k in the product FITLINE. The people selling it say it's too little to worry about. Please advise. Regards, from Australia.

A: Ace-K is made with methylene chloride used as a solvent to make the sweetener. Methylene chloride is a carcinogen. I would not use it or any chemical sweetener, ever. Use the natural sweeteners, or just don't add any extra sweetness at all. Use the products with stevia or pure cane sugar, and if the product doesn't have good additives, then don't buy them, period.

Hair Loss

Q: Dear Dr Hull, for the past 15 months my spouse has been losing her hair at a faster than normal rate.

We live in Brazil where the food is good except for the package junk in the supermarkets. We eat a lot of fruit, veggies, meat and fish. I consider our diet good.

We use only cane sugar, honey and stevia to sweeten with.

I would like to know if you would possibly determine why her hair is falling out using your hair analysis? She has not been able to find out from local MDs.

Looking forward to your reply. Best regards.

A: Many people email asking for help with rapid and sudden hair loss. Yes, the hair analysis will provide some specifics for you and your wife; it is so much better to know what's inside the tissues than guessing what is at the root of this common issue.

Your diet sounds wonderful, so I will look for toxic metals and nutrient deficiencies at the root of this.

I think this is a wise route for your wife to take, and again, I have many people coming to me with hair loss concerns.

French Green Clay, Natural Skin Care and Makeup

Q: I saw on another site for the French Green Clay that said it's very good for detoxing the skin. I've recently started switching over to truly all-natural and as chemically-free skin care as possible, and am wondering if detoxing the skin is necessary? If so, is it better to put the clay ON the skin or detox from within?

The only experience I've had with detoxing was not a pleasant one, and the only thing I've done to detox since that time is drinking warm water with fresh lemon in it. I would appreciate any advice concerning this and any recommendations you might have for all natural skin care and makeup.

A: Great questions, BTW. In the USA, we use clays as external skin cleansers and facial masks more than using them for internal cleansing. Some clays harden and cast, like bentonite clay, and I do NOT recommend ingesting these types of clays. But for the clays that powder when dry, like the FGC, they have been used internally for centuries in Europe.

So, the FGC is good to use both internally and externally.

If skin issues are present, and if you have had a negative reaction to detoxing in the past, more than likely you do have toxins within you that you are stirring up as you detox your skin. This typically creates a temporary worsening of symptoms as they come out of you.

I suggest doing a hair analysis, especially if you think toxins may be inside of you; no use in guessing and trying to detox something that remains a mystery. Determine for sure what is at the root of your skin concerns, and then I can design a detox to target that, once and for all.

Drinking lemon water is great, but I do suggest charting your body pH just to make sure it's the right thing to continue for your body. If you have yeast, bacteria, or fungus present, or metals such as mercury, cadmium, copper, lead, or even arsenic inside of you, it will take more than the lemon juice to get them out of you.

Always, wishing you the best in health.

Every time you drink a glass of water, read a newspaper, put on a vinyl raincoat, brush your teeth, drive your car, or drink a diet cola with sucralose, you are using chlorine in some form.

The most common industrial use of chlorine is in the manufacture of a versatile plastic known as polyvinyl chloride, or PVC.

To be used in manufacturing, chlorine must first be separated from the other elements with which it is combined.

Chlorine is a highly corrosive substance capable of damaging the skin, eyes, and other delicate membranes.

Chlorine was selected to be the substitute "atom" for the sucrose molecule in which to make Splenda, 1,6-dichloro-1, 6-dideoxy-BETA-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside.

Chlorine is used in thousands of products; diverse items such as cars, computers, pharmaceuticals, and military flak jackets. And diet sweeteners.

Most people assume sodium chloride (common table salt) is the chlorine form in Splenda, but it is not. Sucralose is NOT sodium chloride - it is just chlorine.

Hospitals to swimming pools use chlorine-based compounds (such as bleach) for disinfectants.

Caustic Soda is actually a scientific name for industrially produced chlorine from the compound sodium chloride.

Chlorine vapors can irritate your lungs and pose a serious risk to people who suffer from asthma and other lung problems.

Special Irish Beef Stew

Ready in: 1 hr 20 min
Serves: 6

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pound lean beef stew meat
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Irish stout beer
4 cups sliced carrots
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Prepare in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Coat beef cubes with flour, shaking off the excess. Fry beef cubes until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic to the pot, and cook stirring constantly until onion is tender, about 3 minutes.

Return beef to the pot, and stir in tomato paste, beef broth, and beer. Add potatoes and carrots, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Mix together the cornstarch and cold water. Stir into the stew, and simmer until thickened. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Source: AllRecipes.com, Kim Rehfeldt

May you be rich in blessings, poor in misfortune,
Slow to make enemies, quick to make friends.
But rich or poor, slow or quick,
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
- Irish Blessing

Green Chile Stew

Ready in: 1-2 hrs
Serves/Makes: 6

1/2 pound tomatillos
4 fresh green chiles -- roasted and peeled
1 onion -- chopped
1 clove garlic -- minced
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 onion -- chopped
1 green or red bell pepper -- chopped
2 cloves garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 carrots -- sliced
3 potatoes -- cubed
15 ounces stewed tomatoes -- drained
30 ounces pinto beans -- rinsed and drained
7 ounces canned chopped green chiles
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Husk and wash tomatillos. Slice into wedges. In a large saucepan, combine tomatillos, chiles, onion, garlic, broth, cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Pour into a blender and pulse to desired consistency.

In a large pot, saute onion, pepper, and garlic in oil. Add remaining ingredients and tomatillo puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Serve with warm tortillas.

Source: CDKitchen.com

May the lilt of Irish laughter lighten every load.
May the mist of Irish magic shorten every road...
- Irish Blessing

MCNEIL NUTRITIONALS /TATE & LYLE (Manufacturer and Developer of Splenda)

McNeil Specialty Products Company (MSPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, along with Tate & Lyle PLC, a world leader in sweeteners and starches, all share responsibility for developing and manufacturing sucralose for commercial use. Sucralose is the first product from McNeil Specialty whose mission is "to develop and market innovative food ingredients that help consumers control, maintain and improve their health."

Internationally, McNeil Specialty markets sucralose in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. Tate & Lyle markets sucralose in Africa, Asia, Europe and Canada. Internationally, McNeil Specialty markets sucralose under the name SPLENDA^® Brand Sweetener. SPLENDA is a registered trademark of McNeil Specialty Products Company.

In the midst of the continued controversy over aspartame, many pharmaceutical and health food manufacturers - Pro Lab, Twin Lab and Ross Products, makers of Pedialyte^®, for example - have switched to using sucralose in their manufactured products.

McNeil Nutritionals markets nutritional products and dietary alternatives including cholesterol-lowering foods and supplements, products for lactose intolerance, and calcium supplements. Some of their product websites are:

• www.benecol.com
• www.hearthealthyhospital.com
• www.lactaid.com
• www.splenda.co.uk
• www.splenda.com
• www.viactiv.com

• Analgesics
• Anti-infectives
• Anti-epileptics
• Urology
• Wound healing

The company's line of women's health products includes:

• Contraceptive patches
• Oral contraceptives
• Diaphragms and vaginal therapeutics

More of their product websites are:

• www.levaquin.com
• www.orthoevra.com
• www.ortho-mcneil.com
• www.orthotri-cyclen.com
• www.orthotri-cyclenlo.com
• www.orthowomenshealth.com
• www.topamax.com
• www.ultracet.com

OrthoNeutrogena, a Division of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, Inc. markets skin and hair care products recommended, used, and prescribed by many dermatologists. OrthoNeutrogena dermatology prescription products include:

• RETIN-A
• RETIN-A MICRO
• RENOVA
• GRIFULVEN V
• SPECTOZOLE^®

Some of their product websites are:

• www.retinamicro.com
• www.tryrenova.com

JOHNSON & JOHNSON (Mother Company of McNeil Specialty Products and Tate & Lyle)

In 1876, unclean cotton collected from sweeping the floors of textile mills was used for surgical dressings. Surgeons operated wearing street clothes.

Realizing what was happening, Robert Wood Johnson searched for a more sanitary way to help people, so he joined his two brothers, James Wood and Edward Mead Johnson, who had already formed a partnership in 1885. Operations began in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1886 with fourteen employees on the fourth floor of a small building, once a wallpaper factory. In 1887, the company was incorporated as Johnson & Johnson, and the brothers entered the surgical dressings industry.

Johnson & Johnson's history began with the discoveries of Sir Joseph Lister, a noted English surgeon who identified airborne germs as a source of infection in the operating room. He called them the "invisible assassins." Medical science was beginning to understand, however poorly, the need for greater care in protecting the wound area. Yet, this concept of countless living organisms, unseen and deadly, remained beyond the understanding of many surgeons in the nineteenth century who were doubtful and even condescending of Lister's work.

Robert Johnson heard Lister speak in 1876 and for years afterward, nurtured the idea of a practical application of Lister's teachings. What he had in mind was a new type of surgical dressing, ready-made, sterile, wrapped and sealed in individual packages and suitable for instant use without the risk of contamination.

In some hospitals prior to Lister's discoveries, the postoperative mortality rate was as high as ninety percent. Stubbornly, surgeons could not bring themselves to believe they were contaminating their own patients by operating ungloved with unsterilized instruments.

The first products the Johnson brothers marketed were improved medicinal bandages containing medicinal compounds mixed in an adhesive. Then they quickly developed a revolutionary surgical dressing and placed it on the market. Recognizing the critical need for improved antiseptic surgical procedures, the company designed a soft, absorbent cotton and gauze dressing that could be mass-produced and shipped in quantity to hospitals and to every crossroads physician and druggist.

Johnson & Johnson broadly promoted their antiseptic surgical products. In 1888, the Company published a book, "Modern Methods of Antiseptic Wound Treatment," which for many years remained the standard text on antiseptic practices.

For more information on the past history of Johnson & Johnson, click here.

Today, Johnson & Johnson has become a worldwide network of over 200 companies, marketing health care products to more than 175 countries. The companies' more than 109,500 employees produce products that supply a broad segment of medical needs, ranging from baby care, first aid and hospital products to prescription pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and products relating to family planning, dermatology and feminine hygiene.

While they should be applauded for their contribution to antiseptic practices and commended for most products, they now market an unhealthy diet sweetener.

Don't forget that any big business has your money in mind. Unfortunately, your health and wellness isn't always their primary goal, but it is important to learn about the companies that play such influential roles in your lives and the lives of our young children.

Our feature this month is:
Big Corporations: Whose Interests Are At Heart? - Part 1.

Our articles this month are:
Toxic Chemicals DO Affect Autism ;
I'm Nuts About Seeds; and
Aspartame Case History.

Our recipes this month will show you that you can use nuts in dishes other than desserts and sweets. Our first recipe is Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Maple Hickory Nuts - Now don't turn your nose up, even those who don't like Brussels Sprouts will think this is an outstanding recipe and ask for it again and again! Next we have a perfect fish recipe - easy to make and easy to clean up - Mahimahi with Macadamia Nut Crust served with Mango Salsa.

This month's Healthy Newsletter is about how toxins DO affect autism, about the health benefits of nuts, seeds and eggs, and each month, we'll have an aspartame case history that, sadly, many of you can relate to. Over the next three months, I will have an article about the Big Corps who produce and market the diet sweeteners. It's good to know who is producing these chemicals, and this month, we look into Monsanto.

A compassionate hug and gentle look to a fellow warrior. Great job again on your book... :) You're very talented, Janet! Thank you so much in words that I cannot express.

xo

To A Healthier Tomorrow,
Your Friend,

Ray

My answer? "YES! Toxic chemicals DO affect and CAN cause autism, especially if toxic food chemicals are eaten during pregnancy or given to a child within the first 18 months of its life. As long as chemical toxins remain in our food supply and in childhood vaccinations, this pandemic isn't going to end."

Years ago, humans were only concerned about environmental toxins, but today, the focus needs to be on the corporations marketing toxic chemicals in our public food supply and in our medications. Many of the big corps will continue, sadly, to manufacture toxic products, so it's up to YOU, the consumer, to stop buying them.

Be aware that over 10,000 chemicals toxic to human health are added to our public food supply. The dangerous effects of the diet sweeteners, particularly aspartame, are prime examples. Go to www.SweetPoison.com for the research and information on aspartame's toxic effects on human health, especially during pregnancy. Also be aware that advertisers steer consumers toward these chemical products because these toxic food chemicals net mega profits. Notice how many diet food products are marketed to children. I wrote an article in September 2006 warning consumers back thenthat advertisers are NOT nutritionists. Please take this warning to heart, especially if you are pregnant or if you have children.

Err on the side of caution, and avoid ingesting ALL food chemicals during pregnancy; reject exposing your babies to ALL chemicals during the first 18 months of their lives.

So, how do you know what food chemicals you are exposed to or what toxins your child is exposed to?

Take it upon yourself to find the answers that few corporations provide you; research all the food chemicals and environmental chemicals you think you are exposed to, and seriously consider having a hair analysis done before pregnancy and on your children. Go to www.HairAnalysisProgram.com to get some answers: about why your child is suffering so, to learn what toxins are inside of your baby, and to learn what toxins may have been inside of you during pregnancy. Discover what toxins you need to avoid right now; now and forever.

When your child is suffering from autism, never stop searching for the answers why this has happened, and find the tools you need to make this situation better. Waiting for the "powers-that-be" to uncover the answers for you is wasting precious time. Implement, for yourself, the action needed now, and learn how to avoid future health issues caused by the chemical toxins to which you are not even aware you or your child are exposed.

Toxic chemicals in our environment, chemicals in our medications, and toxins in our food supply are all at the root of autism. Only YOU can implement the solutions; ― find the answers you have been seeking, and never stop searching.

The following links will be helpful in your search for answers and solutions:
HairAnalysisProgram.com
SweetPoison.com
JanetHull.com
Autism Blog

Think about this: the seed, the nut, and the egg are tiny capsules that support life all rolled into one little bombshell. Life comes from each of them, so it simply makes sense that they are also wonderful tools to sustain health.

The seed has everything inside of it to grow a plant; a nut has everything inside of it to produce a tree; and an egg has everything inside of it to form a living animal. Now, why wouldn't you want to feed off of such a power-packed piece of living nutrition? Nature has provided a super-fuel rolled into one little entity with enough nutrition for any animal to survive.

Every animal on Earth knows that seeds, nuts, and eggs are a treasure of nutrition, and a predator who finds a raw egg, can live off that egg for one-week. Squirrels save nuts and eat them all winter long. Every herbivore grazes on seeds from the plants that they eat.

Humans? Well, many humans are afraid of seeds, nuts, and eggs because they believe that they will make them fat. In the 1960s, the medical community popularized very out-dated and incorrect information that nuts, seeds, and eggs are unhealthy for your heart. No wild animal I know of has heart disease; all animals treasure eating eggs, seeds, and nuts.

The problem may be what people eat WITH the eggs, seeds, and nuts, and HOW MANY of them they eat in a day.

Seeds

Seeds exist for the survival of any species. It is said that every oak tree is the result of a squirrel that forgot where it buried an acorn. Conifer trees hold their seeds inside the cones as a survival technique in case of forest fires. If a forest fire occurs, the cones burst open and reseeds the forest floor. Seeds are nature's way of perpetuating the plant life covering the Earth.

There are great benefits to including seeds in your diet because the nutrients in seeds are life supporting. Apricot seeds contain B17, a cyanide-containing compound that helps prevent cancer. The ancient flax seed lowers LDL cholesterol levels, lowers blood triglycerides, and helps lower blood pressure. Flax seeds also keep blood platelets from becoming sticky, which reduces the risk of heart attack.

Pumpkin seeds aid in the prevention of prostate cancer, and serve as a natural anti-depressant. Chia seeds have been used for centuries as an herbal remedy for many ailments. They have energizing qualities, and Aztec and Apache warriors called the chia seed "Indian Running Food." Chia was used to treat injuries and wounds from gunshots centuries ago.

Not only are seeds a very valuable food source, but they are also a valuable commercial source of oils that are used in a variety of ways, too.

Nuts

Yes, many nuts (walnuts, pecans, and pine nuts for example) are high in calories and fat, but that doesn't mean you don't eat them; just eat less of them. Nuts are one of the best plant sources of protein, they are loaded in fiber and antioxidants, and the fats in nuts are the good fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (omega 3).

People who eat nuts regularly have lower risks of heart disease. Studies have found that men who consume nuts two or more times per week have reduced risks of sudden cardiac death.

The best way to add nuts to your diet is to eat them as "replacement foods" for the foods that are high in saturated fats, processed food chemicals, or refined sugars. If you need a sweet fix, eat five or six roasted pecans or almonds one at a time. Limit your intake so you don't over do, but notice how the fresh roasted nuts will satisfy your cravings. Instead of grabbing a scoop (or two) of ice cream, grab a few nuts.

Eggs

All animals in nature, except for the human animal, that is, eat eggs raw. When cooked, the egg protein changes its chemical shape, and this alters its total health package. A regular consumption of raw eggs will do wonders for your overall health. Raw (or lightly cooked) eggs provide a wonderful boost to your immune system, and have many benefits. Eggs are a complete balanced, nutritional package because eggs , CREATE an animal with a complete, balanced nutritional package. Get your nutrients from their source - the egg of life.

Eggs contain essential nutrients for your brain, nerves, glands and hormones. Eggs contain all the amino acids for protein; they have all the essential fatty acids; they provide niacin, riboflavin, biotin, choline, vitamins A, D and E, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, iodine, copper, zinc and sulfur. (Egg yolks are one of the few foods that contain vitamin D.)

The bad press about eggs has too much to do with the improper way modern humans have eaten their eggs, typically with fatty meats and cheeses, and refined grained breads topped with sugary jams and jellies.

Find a healthy way to enjoy the incredible, edible egg of life.

Cartoon created by Mimi's Memos. Copyright 2010 Mimi's Memos All Rights Reserved http://www.MimisMemos.com/

City: Starkville;

Age: 48;

Gender: female;

Aspartame Consumption: ten years;

Health symptoms started after consuming aspartame: yes;

Diet Products Used: Equal, gum, ice cream;

Do you use Equal: yes;

Do your children use aspartame: yes;

Are you aware of products not labeled sugar-free: yes;

May we include your case history on website: yes;

Do you want your information anonymous: yes;

Referred by other: researching for answers;

Comments: I had a hysterectomy in November of 2007. I woke up one week after my surgery and couldn't lift my arms. My vision was blurry; all of my joints were in extreme pain. I phoned my OB/GYN to find out if this was part of having a hysterectomy, and she told me she had never heard of those symptoms following a hysterectomy.

She told me to come in, and after telling her all that was going on, she told me I was becoming a problem. I have done my own research over the last 2 years, but was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I was getting extremely frustrated and continued my mission to find out what was really wrong with me. I REFUSED to accept this diagnosis when there is not even a test for Fibro!

I was an over user of Equal - I lived off of coffee, and I love my coffee sweet. I used three packs of Equal in one cup of coffee, and I made coffee all day long. I have been off of Equal for just three weeks, and I am already seeing some relief with my joint pain. At first, I blamed it on the caffeine and NOT the Equal; I now blame the Equal and NOT the caffeine.

How long until I am 100 percent? I was depressed and I suffered from migraines, but I am stubborn. I am very angry because I would never use or abuse drugs, but that is what I was doing! I had no idea that aspartame or Equal was a drug. I am furious and I want someone to pay for the damage that has been caused by this DRUG.

My vision is shot and I hope that I find out that will be restored in time. The aspartame withdrawal was a "b-tch" for lack of a better word. With H1N1 going around, I was afraid I had that. In all of my 48 years, I have never been to the doctor so dang much. That is not my cup of tea.

Because Fibro is such a mystery illness, you are soon labeled as a hypochondriac. But, I push myself rather than complain. Tell me how this product can be removed from the shelf and where do I begin to put an end to it and keep this from happening to others? I am 48 and my eye doctor told me I am now legally blind. Will my vision return to normal?

Please help!

From Dr. Hull

Janet Hull