Can Chronic Pain come from Food Additives?
Sugar, soft drinks and artificial sweetners
by Jane Oelke
It is always amazing to me when I find a food substance
that when taken in excess can cause pain the body. And
sometimes these foods, and food additives that are
regulated by the government, are supposed to be safe. When
I test clients and their supplements, or ask about their
dietary habits, or chemicals in their work environments, we
often discover chemicals or foods that are causing their
chronic pain symptoms. When these chemicals are removed,
much of their pain subsides.
When I talk to clients, I often ask if they can decipher
what foods tend make the pain worse or better, and if they
crave certain foods in their diet. One of the foods I am
always listening for are diet soft drinks with aspartame
(Nutrasweet). From personal experience, I have been
relieved of constant headaches when I was convinced to stop
drinking Diet Pepsi. I was a regular user and once I
stopped drinking it, the nagging headaches that I had for a
long time totally cleared up. So if you are drinking diet
soft drinks, STOP NOW, and see what difference it makes. I
have had quite a number of clients feel much better just a
couple weeks after abstaining from soft drinks.
Recently, we have been introduced to the new fake sugar
called Splenda. Advertising for Splenda says that is made
from sugar, so it tastes like sugar. But this doesn't tell
the whole story. Splenda is made by taking out 3 of the 6
molecules that make up sugar, and adding chlorine
molecules. If you are avoiding chlorinated water because of
chlorine toxicity, then you should be avoiding Splenda. You
are getting chlorocarbons from Splenda that can cause
immune system problems, such as thymus gland shrinkage, and
other genetic and reproductive damage.
The FDA approved Splenda in 1988 as a sucralose sweetener
that tastes just like sugar. But the sugar flavor is
artificial, since Splenda is about 600 times sweeter than
natural sugar, so the sugar flavor is forced out of the
partial sugar molecule. And our body cannot use the sugar
in Splenda as fuel for our brains. It does not turn into
the glucose we need for brain function and energy
production. Early studies show many of the same side
effects, such as headaches and chronic pain, as found with
aspartame.
Soft drinks have surpassed water as the number one choice
of beverage in the United States. Aspartame is not the only
problem. When you have fibromyalgia or any other autoimmune
disease, you need good minerals in your diet to distress
the immune system, and the phosphoric acid in the dark soft
drinks will rob your body of calcium. The sugar version is
not better for you either, since sugar stresses your
adrenals, especially when it comes in concentrated doses,
like it does in any sugar-laden soft drink.
Also all soft drinks are very acidic, with an average
reading of 2 to 3 pH. Acid urine and saliva pH readings are
related to immune system stress, and joint and muscle
stress. So if you want to have your urine and saliva pH
levels stay in balance (in the 6.4 pH range or higher)
avoiding soft drinks is very important. Coffee is another
acid drink, along with beer. Green tea is the only
relatively popular alkalizing drink. Or you can add lemon
or lime to your water (without sugar) for flavoring.
Other substances also can cause chronic pain. Fillers,
preservatives, food additives and coloring agents in
supplements can build up as toxins in the tissues. This
often makes it harder to lose weight, and can create pain
when these toxins are stored in your tissues disrupting
your nervous system pain response. This is why it is
important to use high quality nutritional supplements
without a lot of fillers. Too many over the counter
vitamins and minerals seem to have more fillers than
nutrients on the label, and these are the ones to avoid.
When choosing foods for your daily diet, or supplements
that support your daily diet, look for foods and
supplements that do not have fake sugars, preservatives
like propylene glycol, and any food colorings. By finding
out what chemicals, processed foods, or supplements are
causing your pain; you will also be able to see a
remarkable difference in just a short period of time.
Copyright 2005 Jane Oelke
Jane Oelke, N.D., Ph.D. is a Traditional Naturopath and
Doctor of Homeopathy in southwest Michigan. She is the
author of "Natural Choices for Fibromyalgia" and "Natural
Choices for Attention Deficit Disorder." She is a
professional speaker on natural health topics. She can be
contacted at DoctorOelke@aol.com or through her website at
http://www.NaturalChoicesForYou.com.