1964 BS MIT
physics and history double major
1967 MA Boston University Graduate School psychology
Retired 2006 after 19 years as home hospice care giver in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
As a medical layman volunteer information activist on the Net, I have since January, 1999 provided a public, hyperlinked archive of 1569 civil, detailed, balanced, fair reviews of mainly mainstream scientific and
media sources on aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid)
toxicity. This opus speaks for itself and for the author. I here include a typical extract.
"Of course, everyone chooses, as a natural priority, to enjoy peace,
joy, and love by helping to find, quickly share, and positively act
upon evidence about healthy and safe food, drink, and environment."
Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@comcast.net
505-501-2298 1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
http://RMForAll.blogspot.com new primary archive
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
group with 134 members, 1,569 posts in a public archive
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/messages
group with 1,145 members, 23,096 posts in public archive
___________________________________________________
As a volunteer medical layman information activist for aspartame
toxicity and related issues for ten years, during the last 5 years I have reviewed over two dozen quality positive abstracts on stevia safety, and daily use about 1 tsp green stevia powder myself, with no problems.
Reports of symptoms by users are extremely rare on the Net, while some reject the taste.
Years ago, I encouraged the use of sucralose, only to find that its safety has never been confirmed by adequate studies on humans, a substantial fraction of its complex metabolites remains in the body, and there are increasing reports on the Net of alarming symptoms.
Are these dozen studies
science or yet another consummate industry propaganda blitz, as has been the case for aspartame, neotame, sucralose, and Acesulfame-K?
If
science, then financing has to be explicit, the authors, their resumes, and full contact details listed, and, all texts put for free in the public domain.
All evidence and research re aspartame, stevia, and other sweetener
toxicity should be made fully and conveniently available for free.
The huge corporations and government agencies responsible for the major public health debacle and cover up re aspartame rightfully should set up a hundred billion dollar fund for compensation of injured citizens.
The evidence shows that stevia affects
blood pressure and glucose. Therefore, this is a
drug. Few
drugs indeed have no bad effects for some or many users.
All
toxicity research has to be subject to fierce, reason and evidence based public scrutiny and debate, open to all citizens, fully archived and searchible, along with a perpetual record of all citizen and expert negative reports.
The authors of the dozen studies have strong conflicts of interest:
AG Renwick, AR Boobis, and GW Williams are defenders of aspartame, while many of these authors work for Coca-Cola, Cargill, and Cantox, a dedicated industry consultancy.
DJ Brusic ( an "independent toxicologist" ) and GW Williams are authors, both members of Cantox and on the International Editorial Board of Food and
Chemical Toxicology.
AR Boobis is editor of Food
Chemical Toxicology.
BA Magnuson and GW Williams of Cantox were authors of a massive, spurious review in 2007, financed by Ajinomoto, that exonerated aspartame:
two detailed critiques of industry affiliations and biased
science in 99
page review with 415 references by BA Magnuson, GA Burdock
and 8 more, Critical Reviews in
Toxicology, 2007 Sept.: Mark D
Gold 13
page: also Rich Murray 2007.09.15: 2008.03.24
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.htm
Monday, March 24, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1531
"Nearly every section of the Magnuson (2007) review has research
that is misrepresented and/or crucial pieces of information are left out.
In addition to the misrepresentation of the research,
readers (including medical professionals) are often not told that
this review was funded by the aspartame manufacturer, Ajinomoto,
and the reviewers had enormous conflicts of interest."
____________________________________________________
[ End of Extract ] ]
formaldehyde, aspartame, and migraines, the first case series, Sharon E Jacob-Soo, Sarah A Stechschulte, UCSD, Dermatitis 2008 May: Rich Murray 2008.07.18
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.htm
Friday, July 18, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1553
___________________________________________________
Dermatitis. 2008 May-Jun; 19(3): E10-1.
Formaldehyde, aspartame, and migraines: a possible connection.
Jacob SE, Stechschulte S.
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami,
Miami, FL, USA.
Aspartame is a widely used artificial sweetener that has been linked
to pediatric and adolescent migraines.
Upon ingestion, aspartame is broken, converted, and oxidized into
formaldehyde in various
tissues.
We present the first case series of aspartame-associated migraines
related to clinically relevant positive reactions to formaldehyde on
patch testing. PMID: 18627677
formaldehyde from many sources, including aspartame, is major cause of
Allergic Contact Dermatitis, SE Jacob, T Steele, G Rodriguez,
Skin and
Aging 2005 Dec.: Murray 2008.03.27
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.htm
Thursday, March 27, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1533
"For example, diet soda and yogurt containing aspartame (Nutrasweet),
release formaldehyde in their natural biological degradation.
One of aspartame's metabolites, aspartic acid methyl ester, is
converted to methanol in the body, which is oxidized to formaldehyde
in all
organs, including the
liver and eyes. 22
Patients with a contact dermatitis to formaldehyde have been seen to
improve once aspartame is avoided. 22
Notably, the case that Hill and Belsito reported had a 6-month history
of eyelid dermatitis that subsided after 1 week of avoiding diet soda.
22"
Avoiding formaldehyde allergic reactions in children, aspartame,
vitamins, shampoo, conditioners, hair
gel, baby wipes, Sharon E Jacob,
MD, Tace Steele, U. Miami, Pediatric Annals 2007 Jan.: eyelid contact
dermatitis, AM Hill, DV Belsito, 2003 Nov.: Murray 2008.03.27
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.htm
Thursday, March 27, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1532
Sharon E. Jacob, MD, Assistant Professor of
Medicine (Dermatology)
University of California, San Diego 200 W. Arbor Drive #8420, San
Diego, CA 92103-8420
Tel: 858-552-8585 �3504 Fax: 305-675-8317 sjacob@contactderm.net;
Dermatitis. 2008 Jan-Feb;19(1):9-15.
Systemic contact dermatitis.
Jacob SE, Zapolanski T. tamar.zapolanski@gmail.com;
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami,
Miami, FL, USA.
Systemic exposure to allergens resulting in a cutaneous eruption is
known as systemic contact dermatitis (SCD).
Once sensitization occurs, varying exposures to antigens via multiple
routes (including transepidermal routes, intravenous or intramuscular
routes, inhalation, and ingestion) can result in systemic flare.
This article highlights the different categories of common
contactants, metals, medications, and plants, exposure to which leads
to SCD.
A comprehensive approach that takes into account all possible routes
of exposure is essential in diagnosing SCD and in helping patients
successfully avoid their allergens. PMID: 18346390
"We present a case of a medical student who presented with
erythematous eczematoid plaques on her trunk and legs and fine
vesiculation of her scalp, 3 weeks after starting
anatomy class.
Of note, she routinely washed her face and arms after leaving the
anatomy lab, but remained in her scrubs for the rest of the day.
Formaldehyde and Quaternium-15 positive reactions in the same patient.
[ photo ]"
"Our patient underscores the importance of appropriate patch testing
and education.
Once we identified the allergy to formaldehyde and quaternium-15, we
provided patient education materials regarding the common and not-so-
common locations of these chemicals and cross-reactors.
We also gave the patient information on avoidance and safe
alternatives (see Table 5).
Fortunately, with technical advances, this student completed the
anatomy section via electronic learning tools.
By avoiding formaldehyde, including
anatomy lab, FRP in her shampoo
and cosmetics, and aspartame in her diet, this patient dramatically
improved.
As with all contact dermatitides, the mainstay of treatment for
allergic contact dermatitis is avoidance."
http://www.skinandaging.com/article/5158
Skin & Aging Journal
ISSN: 1096-0120 - Volume 13 - Issue 12_2005 -
December 2005 - Pages: 22 - 27
Allergen Focus:
Focus on T.R.U.E. Test Allergens #21, 13 and 18:
Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives
-- By Sharon E. Jacob, M.D., Tace Steele, B.A., [now MD] and Georgette
Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H.
http://www.eczemacenter.org/eczema_center/meetfacultystaff.htm
[ photo ]
The Eczema Center
Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego
8010 Frost Street, Suite 602, San Diego, CA 92123
or call... (858) 966-6774
Sharon E. Jacob , MD
Dr. Sharon E. Jacob is Assistant
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and
Medicine (Dermatology) at the University of California, School of
Medicine and Rady Children's Hospital.
She earned her medical degree from the Temple University, and
completed dermatology training at the University of Miami and advanced
contact dermatitis training at New York University (NYU).
She has been board certified in dermatology.
Dr. Jacob's
clinical interests include atopic and contact dermatitis
and education.
She is considered a national expert on
chemical sensitivities in the
skin and has published more than 45 journal articles, book chapters
and abstracts on this topic.
In 2005, Dr Jacob was the first to present contact dermatitis data on
U.S. pediatric patients to the American Contact Dermatitis Society
(ACDS).
She has received an excellence in teaching award from the University
of Miami Dermatology and the
Clinical Research Award from the ACDS.
She is an active reviewer for the following medical publications
including Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Pediatric
Dermatology, Dermatitis, and the Archives of Dermatology.
Dr. Jacob also serves on the medical board of the Inflammatory
SkinDisease Institute and the
Skin and Aging Journal.
Dr. Jacob enjoys taking care of children and their families and is an
advocate for children's dermatologic health.
[ End of Extract of this post ]