My Artificial Sweetener Nightmare

My Artificial Sweetener Nightmare


I was recently reading a great post on Dr. Mercola’s web site about the dangers of Splenda and it got me to thinking about my own personal experience with these harmful sweeteners. Having had a weight problem my entire life and not being able to tolerate sugar (it made me want to eat and eat!), I did what most people do in my situation- I used artificial sweeteners. On top of that I am quite compulsive, so I used a lot of it. Drinks sweetened with Equal and Splenda were a daily staple, as well as packets and packets of Splenda, which I put in my coffee and on my food. It took me many years to face up to the fact that these so called “safe” sweeteners were really poising my body, and on top of that I had a chronic illness, which was exacerbated by anything chemical and highly processed.
Needless to say, I finally was willing to let all of them go about a year and a half ago, and although it was difficult, it wasn’t the hardest part of my withdrawal from them. About three days into it, I had a severe liver attack which lasted for almost an hour, and I had to lie on my back and deep breathe the entire time so that I didn’t throw up or have to head to the hospital. I had terrible stabbing pains in my side, burning in my intestines, and hot and cold flashes running through my body. Not a pretty experience at all! It has taken me months to heal my liver, and it still gives me trouble now and then.
The reason that I am sharing this with you is because I really want to get the word out about just how toxic these substances are! Splenda may be derived from sugar, but the end result is that it becomes chlorinated artificial sweetener once it has been molecularly altered. Do you really want something like that in your body?

Please go to the following websites for more information:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/10/New-Study-of-Splenda-Reveals-Shocking-Information-About-Potential-Harmful-Effects.aspx
www.truthaboutsplenda.com

Do yourself a huge favor and stop using these poisons as soon as you can!

Do What You Love

As many of you know, I have been working to overcome chronic illness and depression for a while now and I have finally figured out that making it a point to do the things that I love brings me closer to being completely well.
People have been telling me for years to follow my heart and to do things that I enjoy, and I would just dig in my heels and respond that I didn't feel well and I would get to it when I was better. Well, it turns out that I had the cart before the horse! The more that I make having fun and doing things that excite me a priority, the better I feel (physically and emotionally). One thing that helped me to figure out just what those things were was to look back over my life at the times that I was happiest. What came up for me was going to college, singing, attending church, riding horses, and just hanging out with friends. The sad part was that I hadn't been doing much of anything fun for a very long time, and once I began to make an effort to bring those things into my life, the stronger and happier I have felt. Once I made a firm decision to move forward with some of the things that bring me joy, amazing things started to happen: I began to look forward to getting out of bed in the morning, I was able to accomplish more things during the day, and it gave me the strength to affirm that I am no longer a victim and that I really want to be well. Pretty powerful stuff if you ask me!
I can't recommend doing what you love enough- please take the time to put your passion and what makes your heart sing at the top of your list(or at least on the list!)- it will make all the difference in the world. I promise!

Vitamin D Deficiency

A few weeks ago I got my blood tests back from my new Endocrinologist and the biggest issue was a very low count of vitamin D. This was news to me! I was expecting it to be my adrenals or my hormones, but vitamin D? How strange. The doctor’s answer was to prescribe 50,000 IU’s of vitamin D to be taken twice a week. She also said that I should check my levels again in three months to see if I have made any progress.
Well, it was no surprise to me that my body couldn't tolerate such a high dose of the supplement. The first time I took it, I ended up having to lie down for a few hours until my feelings of sickness passed. About four days later I took a second dose (but this time at night) and the next two days were difficult for me as well. I felt dizzy, nauseated and a bit weak. Finally I decided that this was not the way for me to get my vitamin D levels up. My acupuncturist asked me to get some of the supplement in liquid form, which I may do, but I have a feeling it won’t come in a high enough dose to make a real difference. My other choice is to take a supplement- so within the next week I will make a choice and start to take care of this piece of my wellness puzzle. Feel free to share any experience you may have with this issue- I would love to hear what has worked or has not worked for you.
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency
- Inadequate dietary intake of vitamin D
- Malabsorption of vitamin D
- Too little exposure to sunlight
- Chronic Pancreatitis
- Celiac disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Colitis
- Fistulas
- Bilary Obstruction
- Renal disease
- Malfunctioning parathyroid gland

If you can’t go out and spend some time in the sun every day, here are some other ways of increasing your vitamin D:
- Take 2 teaspoons of cod liver oil daily
- Carlson Labs and Solgar make a 1,000 IU vitamin D supplement that can be very helpful. Take one daily. Swanson also carries some great brands too.
- Eat foods rich in vitamin D: bone broth, egg yokes, milk, salmon, sardines and cod.
- If you do decide to supplement do so under the care of your doctor- it is easy to increase your vitamin D to toxic levels- this can be avoided with regular blood tests to monitor your progress