Splenda is FAR From Splendid

My focus in life continues to be on my family and being a chiropractor, but I certainly have been on a nutrition kick lately, haven't I? A few of our patients at Queen Anne Chiropractic are actually providing some feedback on our blog, and one of the issues recently brought up has been people avoiding Aspartame in favor of another horrible chemical sweetener, Splenda.

My opinion is why even choose any chemical to sweeten our food when there are so many other choices? Is it the promise of ZERO calories? Weight loss? I really can't figure it out. My best guess is that marketing firms and copywriters REALLY know what they are doing.

Here is some information about Splenda(sucralose) that might be nice to know, with thanks to Dr. Dan Murphy, D.C.:

Sucralose can cause one to suffer from sluggishness, fatigue, make legs feel like lead weights, mood swings, severe cramps (female), intense pain, painful bowel movements, bloating, dizziness, confusion, and more.

Seven out of ten American women consume sucralose daily.

“The artificial sweetener sucralose (Splenda) is made by binding three chlorine atoms to a molecule of sugar.

The problem: Chlorine reacts with organic material to create chlorination by-products that can trigger chronic symptoms like fatigue, headaches and brain fog, as well as reproductive and immune problems.”

“Sucralose is found in nearly 4,000 food, beverage and health-care products, including diet drinks, ice cream, protein bars, vitamins and toothpaste.”

• It is also found in gum, over-the-counter drugs, and salad dressings.
• Consumer use of sucralose has grown annually by 10%.
• 70% of those who consume sucralose (Splenda) will have a sensitivity to it and develop symptoms.

If one is experiencing symptoms from consuming sucralose (Splenda), the
solution is to stop taking it and to “Flush Your System” as follows:

“Supplementing daily [for 2 months] with 600 mg of the amino acid N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) boosts the body’s production of glutathione, according to a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. This antioxidant (glutathione) flushed CBPs from the body.”

If these symptoms are caused by sucralose (Splenda) sensitivity, elimination from the diet for a minimum of 2 weeks should start to improve symptoms:

• Unexplained Tiredness
• Brain Fog Nausea
• Joint Pain
• Cramps/Bloating
• Diarrhea
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Mood Swings
• Depression

This is from FIRST, “A Magazine For Women On The Go” In an article titled: “Tired All the Time?”
June 26, 2006, pp 25-26.

A book: Splenda: Is it Safe or Not?
By Janet Starr Hull, Ph.D., Pickle Press, 2005

It looks like we are better off choosing ZERO side effects to ZERO calories any day of the week. Chlorinated sugar? No thank you. The more I learn about how science has intruded into our nutrition, the more it makes me want to want to move to an Amish community. Luckily, I won't have to go to those extremes, but it is time to take a few steps back in our food "progression" and ask to eat foods in their natural state.

Let's stop poisoning ourselves with these pollutants, and take our health back naturally. Proper health and nervous system function through nutrition, exercise, and chiropractic care.

Here is a Splenda product list courtesy of Mercola.com