From: Jaffe, Lyle D Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 3:08 PM To: Dockets, FDA Subject: FW: Testimony from EPA co-worker on aspartame, a doctor now believer - and says one patient passes out after consuming diet drink -----Original Message----- From: Dr. Betty Martini [mailto:Bettym19@mindspring.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 2:44 PM To: AspartameSurvivors-yahoogroups.com Subject: Testimony from EPA co-worker on aspartame, a doctor now believer - and says one patient passes out after consuming diet drink Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 10:35:13 -0500 From: Doty.Marie@epamail.epa.gov Subject: Re: A testimony to be shared from one of our own EPA co-workers. To: Foster.Peggy@epamail.epa.gov March 21, 2001 June 9, 2003) at 08/03/2004 11:35:14 AM It is so good to hear testimony's from our own EPA employees. I cannot drink any of these diet drinks without getting sick. It makes my stomach hurt and I just feel full headed and ill. Aspartame is certainly a bad chemical and why we are having such a hard time getting this removed from our foods, medications is beyond me. Are they making that much money on this chemical that they cannot remove it from foods? I know my doctor doesn't believe that Aspartame will hurt me and said I should use the sugar free sugar, because I was having time losing weight. I took his advice this last visit of about a month ago, and I tried using this EQUAL, and the SLENDRA, and for the first few mornings, it was ok, but then it just simply nauseated me and I had to stop. Why are doctors so reluctant to help their patients? I am having a hard time figuring this one out. Peggy Foster To: 08/02/04 07:18 AM cc: (bcc: Marie Doty/R6/USEPA/US) Subject: A testimony to be shared from one of our own EPA co-workers. Peggy 214.665.7106 ----- Forwarded by Peggy Foster/R6/USEPA/US on 08/02/2004 07:16 AM ----- Kimberly Owen To: Peggy Foster/R6/USEPA/US@EPA 07/30/2004 09:40 cc: AM Subject: Re: Are Aspartame-Induced Arrhythmia Associated with Sudden Death? Aug 2004; Re: #88; Re: H. J. Roberts; Re: M.D.; Re: F.A.C.P. F.C.C.P. Nutrition Health Review; Re: The Consumer's Medical Journal Peggy, yes, you may certainly share this with anyone you wish. I am so grateful for all the information you have shared with me. I hope my short declaration was clear as I wrote it in such a hurry. Something else I thought you might be interested in........I saw my Internal Medicine physician yesterday and shared this information with him (e.g. my limiting or stopping the use of Aspartame in my diet) and he was amazed that my heart symptoms had disappeared. Then he told me he had a patient that if she drank even one diet drink or anything with Aspartame in it, she immediately passed out within minutes of consuming the product. I'm a believer. Thank you Peggy. I am now spreading the word about the dangers of Aspartame. Have a great day. Kimberley C. Owen Environmental Protection Asst. U.S. EPA Region VI 1445 Ross Ave suite 1200 Dallas, TX 75202-2733 Mailcode: 6PD-I owen.kimberly@epa.gov Peggy Foster To: Kimberly Owen/R6/USEPA/US@EPA 07/29/2004 03:51 cc: PM Subject: Re: Are Aspartame-Induced Arrhythmia Associated with Sudden Death? Aug 2004; Re: #88; Re: H. J. Roberts; Re: M.D.; Re: F.A.C.P. F.C.C.P. Nutrition Health Review; Re: The Consumer's Medical Journal(Document link: Kimberly Owen) Wow, Kim, that is super! Just think, with the continued decrease and eventual abstinence of aspartame, you may just start feeling better than ever. Would you mind if I shared this with the rest of the group? Peggy 214.665.7106 Kimberly Owen To: buttons0520@webtv.net, marcia bOHLING, 07/29/2004 12:34 Chattam.Julia@epa.gov, ccochran99@aol.com, Chesteena PM Hullum/R6/USEPA/US@EPA, powers.judith@epa.gov, Diane Henderson/R6/USEPA/US@EPA, Lisa Kapsh/R6/USEPA/US@EPA, Shirley Langley/R6/USEPA/US@EPA, Peggy Foster/R6/USEPA/US@EPA cc: Subject: Are Aspartame-Induced Arrhythmia Associated with Sudden Death? Aug 2004 #88 H. J. Roberts M.D. F.A.C.P. F.C.C.P. Nutrition Health Review The Consumer's Medical Journal I've been reading all these articles and I've started to limit my use of Aspartame.....no more in my coffee and only one diet drink a day. The fluttering of my heart which use to occur frequently through the day when I used Aspartame daily,sent me to a cardiologist for numerous tests earlier this month. Luckily, my heart is o.k. but I was told......since I have panic attacks.....I was experiencing one when I had chest pain and fluttering of my heart. That is not true. I was sitting on my couch w/ my puppy watching a movie. However, I had drank alot of coffee w/aspartame that a.m. and was drinking tea sweetened w/aspartame when I had chest pain and my heart began to flutter and hurt. Since I have limited my use of Aspartame in the last three weeks......my heart does not flutter and I have not had chest pain either. Testimony - Kimberley C. Owen ----- Forwarded by Kimberly Owen/R6/USEPA/US on 07/29/2004 12:15 PM ----- Peggy Foster To: 07/29/2004 07:46 cc: (bcc: Kimberly Owen/R6/USEPA/US) AM Subject: Are Aspartame-Induced Arrhythmia Associated with Sudden Death? Aug 2004 #88 H. J. Roberts M.D. F.A.C.P. F.C.C.P. Nutrition Health Review The Consumer's Medical Journal Please take a few minutes to go to www.wnho.net. Sign the petition to free Diane Fleming from prison. Then read some of the comments from those who have already signed the petition. You can also see the lawsuits that have been filed in California. If we just sit back and do nothing, more people will fall victims to aspartame and it might just be someone you love. Peggy 214.665.7106 ----- Forwarded by Peggy Foster/R6/USEPA/US on 07/29/2004 07:43 AM ----- "Dr. Betty Martini" To: "Activist List-yahoogroups.com" ing.com> cc: Subject: Are Aspartame-Induced Arrhythmias Associated with 07/28/2004 08:24 Sudden Death? Aug 2004, #88, H. J. Roberts, M.D., F.A.C.P. PM F.C.C.P. Nutrition Health Review, The Consumer's Medical Journal A review of sudden death in young athletes, reported in the New England Journal Of Medicine (2003:1064) made no mention of aspartame as a primary cause of suspected contributory factor, especially when demonstrable disease was absent. This problem has assumed great public health importance, because two-thirds of the population, especially those who are watching their weight, are consuming "diet" products containing this chemical. I have repeatedly reported the serious cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric, metabolic and other adverse effects of aspartame products in my earlier publications. Among the first 1,200 aspartame reactors in my database, 16 percent had symptomatic arrhythmias, 7 percent had atypical chest pain and 3 percent had hypertension. My report includes one hypertensive patient who had a complete heart block within hours after consuming his first diet cola. Another patient had undergone unsuccessful radiofrequency ablations in the heart before anyone was aware that he had aspartame disease. In addition, pheochromocytoma, a usually benign, vascular tumor, was suspected in several aspartame reactors. The issue of sudden death related to aspartame and its breakdown products has been raised a number of times, particularly among previously healthy people. Over the years, I have detailed the release of norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine and free methanol by aspartame; a host of related pathophysiological conditions (e.g., cumulative formaldehyde adducts derived from aspartame in tissue proteins and nucleic aids; excessive insulin release); direct oropharyngeal absorption from gum and breath fresheners; and the increasing problem of aspartame addiction. The likelihood of pulmonary hypertension induced by the vasoconstrictive effects of aspartame products also has been considered. It is relevant that 110 aspartame reactors experienced unexplained shortness of breath (dyspnea) and that they usually improved promptly after abstinence. Moreover, one 27 year old woman was found to have primary pulmonary hypertension upon autopsy. The need for clinicians and corporate-neutral investigators to evaluate the contributory role of aspartame in cardiopulmonary disorders and sudden death, along with drug interactions with aspartame, is underscored by the frequency of attributing unexpected deaths to "causes yet to be determined." _________________________________________ H. J. Roberts, M.D., is author of Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, the medical text on the global plague, www.sunsentpress.com or 1 800 827 7991. (and other books and tapes on the subject). Now retired he has treated victims of aspartame disease in the trenches of medical practice for 20 years. COMMENTS BY MARTINI: This report brings to mind the case of Diane Fleming who was sentenced to 50 years for poisoning her husband with methanol. Charles Fleming was a diet pop addict, body builder and athlete, playing basketball as much as four times a week. Many have heard about how many have athletes have dropped dead. The FDA used ephedra to cover the fact aspartame triggers an irregular heart rhythm, interacts with all cardiac medication, damages the cardiac conduction system and causes sudden death. It was an ideal way for the FDA, handmaiden of the pharmaceutical industry, to snatch another safe supplement for this industry to whom they give their loyalty instead of the American people. Obviously, if ephedra was dangerous they would have removed it completely from the market but since its okay for the pharmaceutical industry to use it, they show you it was only a hoax against the consumer public and ephedra is really safe. Read the Ephedra Story on www.wnho.net, click on aspartame. In fact, one of the most famous neuroscientists in the world today, Dr. John Olney, who founded the field of neuroscience called excitotoxicity, reviewed all the FDA's records and said it was safe. Athletes are quite prone to sudden death from aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal/Spoonful, E951, Canderel, etc.) because when they run they deplete magnesium and its magnesium that protects the brain heart and heart from excitotoxins (the aspartic acid in aspartame is an excitotoxin), according to neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D. You will notice Dr. Roberts mentions the shortness of breath you see in aspartame victims and on the autopsy of Flemings it notes for the month before he died he suffered this. His heart was enlarged (cardiomegaly) showing there had been damage. The autopsy even mentioned the chronic methanol poisoning. Dr. Roberts explains aspartame liberates free methyl alcohol, and its this chronic methanol poisoning that affects the dopamine system of the brain and causes addiction. Fleming was very addicted. Aspartame also interacts with anti-depressants and other psycho drugs and when Fleming was taken to the hospital he was given a drug that was in the Valium family. (Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, H. J. Roberts, M.D., discusses drug interaction, www.sunsentpress.com ). They were not aware Fleming had poisoned himself with this deadly chemical poison. As several physicians looked at the autopsy and realized Fleming died from aspartame, including Dr. Roberts notarized affidavits were written on the real cause of his death. A meeting was set up with Dr. Roberts and medical examiner, Dr. Marcello Fierro. At the last minute she cancelled the appointment, knowing the attorney would be gone on another case for a couple of months. Dr. Roberts realizing this innocent Sunday School teacher would remain in prison because of this said he would make himself available at any time. Dr. Fierro then said she would only do this when the attorney returned. Dr. Roberts waited again. Months later another appointment was set up and Dr. Roberts spent the day gathering all the research Dr. Fierro would need to understand how aspartame caused the death of Fleming. He was to confer with her by conference call. When she got to the meeting she refused to speak to Dr. Roberts even though she had agreed, and this was the reason for the meeting. The attorney handed her the peer reviewed journal article by Dr. Woodrow Monte, Aspartame: Methanol and the Public Health, Journal of Applied Nutrition, l984 (copy can be read on www.dorway.com/nomarkle.html ). She has claimed there is no peer reviewed journal article. Because the autopsy says chronic methanol poison as well she made the ludicrous comment that Fleming must have sustained acute methanol poisoning on two other different occasions. First of all the autopsy showed chronic methanol poisoning with even the expected fatty liver (Trocho Study showed most toxicity in the liver). Anyone knows if a person had suffered acute methanol poisoning on two different occasions he wouldn't have lived to be poisoned the third time. Without treatment consumers don't get over acute methanol poisoning. So she converted the chronic methanol poisoning which she herself wrote about to two bouts of acute methanol poisoning in the past showing she wanted to cover this up. In speaking with a very experienced newsman and owner of a newspaper about the case he said: "If a medical examiner would do such a thing, then an investigation should be carried out. It has been my experience if you see someone in a coverup like this there has been another coverup in the past. I would advise anyone interested in this case to check out the Vince Foster case where you will find it was Dr. Marcello Fierro who moved the wound! Further investigation showed she had covered up the forensics in another case. Dr. Roberts and I reported Dr. Fierro to the Grievance Dept of the Virginia Medical Board. We ask everyone reading this new report by Dr. Roberts to stop off at www.wnho.net and sign the petition to free Diane Fleming. She has two sons and little girl who wants her mother. We hope anyone who can help Diane please get involved so we can bring her home. She has lost because of aspartame her loving husband, her children, her home and her freedom. If you would like to see Diane Fleming tell her story a new movie has been released on aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal) called Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World. You will also hear some of the world experts including Doctors Roberts, Blaylock, Walton and Bowen, as well as James Turner, a Washington, D.C. consumer attorney who along with the famed Dr. John Olney attempted to prevent approval of aspartame. He explains Donald Rumsfeld was CEO of Searle, the original manufacturer. And when the FDA tried to get them indicted for fraud and refused to approve this neurotoxin, Rumsfeld said he would call in his markers and get it approved anyway. He was on President Reagan's transition team and the day after taking office appointed Arthur Hull Hayes as FDA Commissioner. But Reagan was afraid it might take a month to get Hayes there so he actually wrote an executive order making the current FDA Commissioner powerless to do anything about aspartame. When Hayes got to the FDA the Board of Inquiry met and said aspartame was NEVER PROVEN SAFE and caused brain tumors, that the petition for approval was hereby revoked. Arthur Hull Hayes over-ruled the Board of Inquiry and approved it anyway, and then went work for the PR Agency of the manufacturer, and has refused to talk to the press ever since. And that's why the consumer public in 100 countries of the world using aspartame suffer Sweet Misery, and why we have A Poisoned World. Also in the film is Arthur Evangelista, a former FDA Investigator, who gives you the real facts. He left the FDA many years ago because of corruption there and because he saw reports being "altered". Reminds me of the FDA audit, the Bressler Report. In speaking to Jerome Bressler, he stated the studies on aspartame were so bad that when the FDA retyped his report they had 20% of the most damning information removed. You can read this report on www.dorway.com If you want a copy of this film, Sweet Misery, simply email Cori Brackett at cori@soundandfuryproductions.com or you can fill out the form on www.wnho.net You can also call toll free to 1 866-624-9710. Remember the first weekend after Labor Day is Aspartame Awareness Weekend. The Idaho Observer has provided 24 page booklets to give out on Rumsfeld Disease called the Artificially Sweetened Times. You can either email Don Harkins at observer@coldreams.com or go to www.idaho-observer.com We suggest you also get the movie into the hands of your congressman, doctor and let it be shown at schools so pop machines will be removed. Today our children suffer from serious brain problems because of this neurotoxin including ADD, ADHD, Tourettes, autism and behavioral problems. It interacts with all vaccinations meaning our children don't have a chance. Even young athletes in school are dropping dead according to a multitude of reports. One of the scientists who did the research on aspartame for Searle left in disgust after telling them not to market aspartame because it was poison. He went all over the US warning people not to use it. He evidently was up in years and told a woman in Atlanta he wouldn't live to the horrors it would cause and said: "In twenty years people everywhere will be having seizures, and it interacts with anti-seizure medication. The people will actually be dropping dead in the streets!". It's very sad this prophecy has been fulfilled. The last call I got about him was from a woman about three years ago in Boston who worked in a dental office. She said she worked on his daughter's teeth. Her father had now passed on, his last words, warn everybody aspartame is a killer! Dr. Betty Martini, Founder, Mission Possible International, 9270 River Club Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30097 770 242-2599 www.wnho.net and www.dorway.com Aspartame lawsuits against some of the largest companies in the world for knowingly poisoning the public are on www.wnho.net Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame