Formaldehyde: Have You had Your Daily Dose?

Millions of Americans every day are willingly drinking a chemical that breaks down into formaldehyde in the digestive system. Why do they do this? Because they think it’s good for them; because they want to lose weight or, at least, to avoid gaining weight; and because they, along with millions more, like to drink soda. They know sugar is unhealthy, so they choose “diet” soda.

Do they know they are introducing formaldehyde into their bodies? Probably not. Unfortunately, we can’t always believe what the advertisers tell us, even the really big names in soda manufacturing. We have to take the trouble to know at least a little about what we are consuming.

Aspartame, a sugar substitute marketed under several household names such as NutraSweet® and Equal®, has a complex chemical structure. One part of that structure is methanol, commonly known as wood alcohol. Methanol itself is already a controversial ingredient. There is strong evidence to suggest that it has caused blindness and even death when consumed in quantity.

It gets worse. When consumed as part of the aspartame chemical, the methanol is broken down by the small intestine into formaldehyde, which is a strong preservative known to the general public for its use in preserving body parts in jars. The formaldehyde is further converted in the intestines to formic acid, the same poison conveyed by ant stings. That’s not antacid, a substance commonly taken to settle the stomach, but ant acid, a toxic acid, which of course does just the opposite. One common practical use of formic acid is as an activator to strip epoxy and urethane coatings. This is not a substance calculated for the well-being of the human digestive system.

True, it is not likely that the amount of aspartame in a can of soda will kill you or send you to the hospital; it is true that many foods we know and love are not traditionally classified as “healthy.” But there is a significant difference between eating a food generally considered unhealthy—for example, a candy bar—and eating something that is actually a toxic chemical. Sugar is not healthy, but it isn’t a poison.

Today, aspartame is available in a huge variety of popular food items—cakes, cookies, gum, beverages, and many others. Read the small print on the gum packets at the grocery store checkout counter. You might be surprised at what you find.

Since its 1981 approval, the FDA has published a list of close to 100 symptoms of aspartame poisoning. The FDA admits approximately 80% of the consumer complaints it receives each year are aspartame-related. Just a few of the documented physical side effects are abdominal pain, asthma, burning eyes or throat, diarrhea, fatigue, heart palpitations and death. Yes, death is listed as one of the possible side-effects. And there is also a long list of mental side-effects, including mental confusion, irritability and memory loss.

Unfortunately, halting consumption does not completely reverse the physical damage and mental side-effects. However, there is something effective you can do.

According to the New York Times bestseller Clear Body, Clear Mind by author and humanitaria
L Ron Hubbard, toxins are stored in the fatty tissues in the body and can remain there for years after the initial exposure to the toxins occurred. The book offers a program that can reduce the amount of toxins in the body. This supervised program is a careful balance of exercise to increase circulation, vitamin and mineral supplements and time sweating in the sauna. Many of those who have completed the program since its inception in 1979 have experienced results such as thinking more clearly and having more energy.

This program, which is endorsed by many health professionals, was administered to New York firefighters who were suffering from side-effects of exposure to toxins at Ground Zero. The program received rave reviews. One graduate, a firefighter of 19 years who had been told his days were over because of his symptoms, reported simply and joyfully, “I am finally back to my old self!”

We live in a toxic world and need to minimize our exposure to pollutants and toxins while at the same time cleaning out the accumulated toxins in the body. For more information, visit www.clearbodyclearmind.com.