Update 7-31-2011

The nature of this blog is going to shift a bit in conjunction with a health issue I am working with, which is being addressed in this blog:  An Experiment in Healing. The short story is that the last few months, weight-wise, have been frustrating, not losing, even gaining a little (hovering around 205 lb), even though remaining active and watching most of what I eat, and even eliminating wheat from my diet these last two months.  Two things have been adding to the weight stabilization and/or gain, and those are the existence of growing fibroid tumors and taking progesterone (which I will be discontinuing with Dr. consent at the end of the week). 

With my new awareness of the fibroids, I plan to modify my diet even further, and I'll explain that soon, to aid with either helping with decreasing the size of the fibroids and the symptoms they are causing, and/or to aid in optimizing my health if surgery is still called for in mid-December, so that the procedure runs more smoothly and recovery is optimized.  Through the other blog I will be exploring the awareness on all levels I gain as I explore the different healing aspects specific to fibroid tumors and the healing modalities I choose to utilize during the next several months. 

I hope you will join me over there, too.
More details soon, but for now I must take my leave.

Parasite Cleanse Information

Here is the protocol for the program Dr. Mikio Sankey presented in Crestone, Colorado at one of his few public appearances.

More information can also be found in his book called Support the Mountain. 

 

PARASIDAL FORMULA CLEANSE

Phase 1 Take 2 capsules twice daily for 4-6 weeks, increase to 3 caps twice daily if needed in between meals.

Phase 2  Repeat Phase 1 again to really be thorough.

What to eliminate while cleansing:

Dairy, Meat, Sugars (organic fruit is ok, no processed sugar.  If you need sweet, use blackstrap molasses and manuka honey) and Alcohol

Caffeine (coffee, alcohol, sodas, black tea)

What to have during cleansing:

Eat as light as possible and as raw as possible to ease the stress of digestion on your body.

Lots of greens

Raw and unprocessed foods

Sprouted grains

Organic fruits and vegetables

Juicing of celery, cabbage, and more greens

Lots of pure water (use Flanaghan’s Crystals if you can)

This can be a huge change of diet and lifestyle.  Please be mindful and stick to the program as much as possible to really shake the parasites.  It is important to start with two capsules twice daily and then increase the dosage to three or four capsules twice daily (6-8 capsules) for maximum effect.  Parasites will replicate themselves very quickly and a new colony can emerge in a few weeks.  Please complete the bottle once you begin.  Some have reported that after taking rounds of antibiotics, the parasites became dormant but were not expelled with medication.  If left untreated, they will worsen your condition and the discomfort will intensify.

Enjoy:

·         Moving your body daily

·         Walking and enjoying the scenery

·         Drinking more water and less sweet and caffeinated drinks (do it for your kidneys!)

·         Feeling relaxed and less agitated

·         Having better quality sleep

·         Cleaning out the house, garage, closets, and getting rid of unwanted things

·         Becoming more clear in all of your relationships and having stronger boundaries

·         Eliminating unconscious actions and replacing them with intention filled actions

·         Having more compassion for yourself and others

·         Creating a GRATITUDE LIST to remind yourself daily of all the GOOD things in life

·         Feeling ready to proceed with the next stage of cleansing:  Support the Mountain Parasidal Formula

CRAMPS – If you experience cramps then reduce your dosage.  There are no known side effects from using the whole herb in this premium organic vegan herbal formula.  Positive signs reported are less bloating, increase of energy and weight loss.

SKIN – Rashes are common during this time as the body will try to eliminate toxins through the pores.  Do no to scratch or irritate the skin, simply take a warm Epson salt bath and use apple cider vinegar to help dry out the affected area.  Be kind to yourself and wear cotton and breathable material.  Drink plenty of water and remember to rest, sweat, and sauna as much as possible.

NO NOs –What not to have while you are cleansing:  dairy, meat, sugars, alcohol, caffeine (coffee, sodas, black tea).  You will want to eat as light as possible and as raw as possible to ease the stress of digestion on your body.

SLEEP and SILENCE – Sleep is vital at this time and if you feel the need to be silent or sleep, please honor that.  Ideally, we cleanse in the high mountains and walk in the forests and live on the earth, but for most of us, that is not the case, so create a little sanctuary where you feel safe and can retreat to.  Turn off the TV and outside media and really focus on what messages are coming to you.  Simply write them down and release them.  The point of cleansing is to release and to not be burdened or attached to the messages.  We are shaking your foundation which can be unnerving and uncomfortable, but you know that you are very much loved.

May you go through your cleanse with the optimism and innocence of a child.

Wheat-free Ponderings and Possible Cleanse

I am now back to 202.8lb, so down 5.4lb from that super swollen weigh-in two weeks ago.  Ever since I reported the next day that the severe burning joint pain was gone, it has remained so, and I am grateful.  I have eaten no wheat for two weeks, and very little refined sugar.  I was exercising regularly until I caught a cold/strep at the family reunion last week, since then I've most been in bed with no appetite, so I'm sure that has helped a bit, although part of my recent diet has included Menchee's frozen non-fat yogurt and some delicious raw honey, all for throat soothing purposes.  Today I'm hoping to stroll a bit to get my lymph moving again; I will also do a focused colorpuncture treatment on myself to obtain lymph draining effects.

I toy with the idea of a cleanse and summer is a good time to do it.  It would probably be helpful to help clear out the remainder of this lingering illness (along with continued journaling and expressing).  I've done a few cleanses in the past.  The parasite cleanse with Dr. Mikio Sankey's parasite cleanse herbs and clean diet was exceptionally helpful for gaining clarity and insight, and removing both physical and emotional toxicities.  If I wanted to explore more of the diet-related allergy related toxicities, I might pursue the cleanse in The False Fat Diet, which is an elimination diet, for awhile, and then add foods back into the diet one by one while noting any reactions, such as congestion, or digestive issues, etc.  There is also the liver/gallbladder cleanse or the Ultra Clear liver cleanse.  I am leaning, at this moment, toward the parasite cleanse since I can still eat a healthy and clean diet, and I have the herbs on hand.  My brain and mind a slowly coming back on board from the illness knockout, so soon I'll be able to decide if this is appropriate for me, and then take action.

As for the wheat sensitivity, I am both excited and dismayed to have isolated one of the culprits of the severe joint pain I was experiencing.  Excited because the pain is virtually gone, and I know what caused it, and dismayed because wheat can be a difficult thing to eliminate from the diet and avoid in the general public.  When we were in the Tetons last week, eating out at one of the resort lodges, I was excited to obtain their gluten-free menu, and super excited when I saw that they had sandwiches available made with Udi's whole grain gluten-free bread.   Udi's is a bakery in Denver, and I often consume their ready-made fresh sandwiches and delicious salads purchased from local health food stores.  They now have a restaurant in Arvada (and other places around Colorado), which we are looking forward to trying.  Thankfully, companies like Udi's are making these products which saves me lots of bread-making experimental time that I can focus on other creative endeavors.  For more about Udi's check out: Udi's Food.  

At the reunion I worked around the wheat thing by making sure I had enough non-wheat foods to gnaw on.  My main intention for the trip was to stay within the DASH diet guidelines, and remain wheat-free.  I made lasagna for the reunion, with the whole kit-n-kaboodle of wheat noodles, eggs, cheese, sausage, etc., which is one of my favorite recipes, however it doesn't work for those of us who are wheat-free, or those of us who are meat-free, like Richard.  

My solution for lasagna night:  quinoa spiral noodles (I was on a big search for quinoa lasagna noodles - to no avail yet) mixed with Italian spiced tomato sauce, fat-free cottage cheese, a bit of grated parmesan cheese and mozzarella, and some Egg Beaters stirred and cooked in.  It was actually pretty tasty, and I didn't feel as though I was missing out on the lasagna at all.  I know my body was very, very happy to not have to contend with the extra calories and high saturated fat food.  I did consume several glasses of red wine that evening, which seemed to exacerbate my increasing sore throat and illness, so I refrained for the rest of the gathering, and since.

My plan is to continue on, possibly modifying the DASH diet to reflect the requirements of the parasite cleanse (no alcohol, no refined sugar/wheat, no caffeine, decreased dairy - and eating organic fruits and vegetables, and whole grains and clean proteins).  

I am glad to be feeling better, finally, and anticipating feeling even more energized as the days go by.  I am looking forward to when the scale decides that it can register under 200 lb for me.  :-)  I will post the details of the parasite cleanse soon.

Blessings and Great Joy in the meantime!

1-29-2011 Still in the Right Direction, Possibly Allergies?

Stats for the week and month:

Weight: 206.6 lb

Weight Lost This Week: 0.8 lb

Weight Lost Since 1/1/11: 4.6 lb

% Fat: 45.5% (total loss since 1/1/11 =1%)

Hips: 45 in. (loss of 1 in.)

Waist: 42.5 in. (loss of 1.5 in.)

Chest: 44.8 in. (loss of 2.2 in.)

Thigh:  24.5 (no change)

Calf: 16 in (loss of 0.5in.)

Upper Arm: 12.5 in. (no change)

Current BMI: 32.5  (still in the early obese level.  At 190 lb, I merely become "overweight" (BMI of 29), a nice stepping stone goal - only 16.6 lb).

Total Measured (on one side) Inches Lost since 1/1/11: 5.3 inches

This week was great in terms of getting lots of exercise, drinking more water, keeping up with the Five Tibetans, meditation, and alternate nostril breathing.  I also was more diligent in planning and recording everything I ate and staying within the guidelines set out by My Food Diary.  This week was easier in this regard than last with, except for the news of another family member suddenly passing on to the greater dimensions.  While I send great love and healing to my uncle Gary and his son, Matt, I seemed to need to process it in my own way.  One of my elliptical workouts was very emotional for me, with tears, and grief escaping, not only for this family member, but also for my cousin, Jenni, my grandfather (who died in 2006), my Uncle Sam, my friend, Theresa, and whoever else popped into my head during the workout.  I also had the distinct feeling that what seems to be a lot of loss of life, lately, may just be the start, so this added the element of worry to my mind, but also the understanding that amazing energetic things are happening on the planet and through the people who inhabit the planet.  So, to balance what could be despair, I felt an odd sense of hope.  I let it all happen, and felt clear afterward.  I don't know how many of us really take the time to allow the expression of the grief, I know that my tendency is to try to sail above it, rather than dive into it.  Sailing above it does not process it out of the body.  It feels as though it was a big clearing for me, as for the rest of the day my heart felt lighter than it has in a long time (and I thought that I HAD already been feeling light.)  It was a good reminder to continue to be emotionally aware, and clear what needs to and can be cleared, to move forward in a heart-centered, emotionally clear, way. 

There are so many techniques for emotional healing, EFT is just one tool.  Acupuncture is another, Colorpuncture is another.  I have techniques that I've used successfully personally and recommend to my acupuncture patients as needed.  They are very powerful.  Some of my favorites have to do with Inner Child work.  Exercising, too, is very useful.  They are all topics and techniques fully worthy of exploration and training. 

On to results for the week and four weeks since I've been working on this plan.  4.6 lb in a month does not seem like a lot to me, for the apparent work I've been putting into it.  Granted, it IS in the right direction, albeit seemingly slow.  Alas, 4.6 lb average per month, lost consistently would mean 55.2 lb lost in a year, which would be wonderful, and seems healthy.  According to My Food Diary, a loss of 1.7 lb per week is the maximum that they consider to be healthy, so I'm within their range of healthy weight loss.   Also, I've lost inches and a fat percentage, all in the right direction.  

It does make me pause, though, and contemplate my diet.  I am still puffy and swollen, and I do not know if that is due to too much salt, or if I am having a sensitivity reaction to food items I've kept in my diet, possibly gluten.   Food allergies can be a contributor for many health issues I've had in my life, including the severe arthritis and chronic heel pain.  

Several years back I read and followed the False Fat Diet by Elson Haas.  I felt great!  Less stiff, less puffy, less everything.  The basic premise was that the foods that we are sensitive to are causing water retention and a "false fat" look.  Essentially the diet is an elimination diet, eliminating the highly suspicious culprit foods from your diet, and then after a period adding them back in one at a time and noting your body's reactions to the foods.   Dr. Haas recommends doing this elimination diet in phases.  I am tempted to go for it, and see if allergies might be contributing to my ongoing issues.  So far I've been pretty good at greatly reducing my dairy, saturated fat, and sugar intake, but perhaps there is more contributing.  I will contemplate it more, as I have time (I have a major exam for which to study this weekend), but may just jump right in.  I imagine by jumping into a more restricted eating plan, especially one that eliminates my reactive foods, and sticking to the increased exercise, I will likely see more dramatic results.

That, or I may switch to a gluten-free diet and see if that helps with the puffiness and achiness, without the extremes of the Elimination Diet.  For now, I must study.

Again, thanks for following and for your support and interest and Great Blessings to You All!

I will keep you posted on what I decide to do in terms of shifting my diet.

Setting the Intention, Creating a Schedule

We are gearing up for the new routine.  Richard goes back to work on Monday, Jan. 3, so we are beginning to implement our new desired activities.  I've also begun entering more recipes into My Food Diary to make the activity of entering the food I eat as easy of a process as possible when my classes begin again on January 10. 

We've agreed that we will start each morning with A Course in Miracles Lesson (we've been working on these slowly over the last few months), and our Five Tibetans and alternate nostril breathing.  This means we get to get going around 5:40, so that there's time for him (or both of us) to get ready and a relaxed breakfast before he's/we're out the door for the day.


My plan is to begin my aerobic exercise, whether it is walking or the elliptical, at 6:45, for 30-60 minutes, do a few EFT rounds on whatever is pertinent, shower and feel fully energized for the day of lectures, studying, patients, or whatever is to come my way.  Throughout the day I will track what I eat, and stay alert to cues, emotions and triggers and use a version of EFT to work through them.

I entered into My Food Diary (getting into practice) the yummy French toast recipe I just posted and sliced fresh pears I had for breakfast.  The homemade pumpkin spice latte with Almond Breeze has not made it into the diary, and then eating out at Red Lobster this afternoon is probably the last time, for awhile anyway, I will not track everything I eat at a restaurant.

It is looking like January 1st is going to be the grand start date with weigh-in and everything.  Why not?  First of the year, new beginnings.  In the past I have not made New Year's Resolutions, but rather have set Winter Solstice intentions after having released the previous year.  I am looking at this as a combination, however it's not JUST a resolution for the New Year, it's a lifetime alteration in my relationship with my health and my self.  I did the Clearing and Cleansing meditation with the one goal in mind of releasing 2010 with all of its wonderful events of weddings and graduations and great happiness, and all of the horribly sad events with the losses of so many young people and immediate family members.  All of this to help clear a fresh path for new and awe-inspiring events to be welcomed in.

This morning we were motivated to complete the following:

Five Tibetans:  9 repetitions, we are gradually increasing our repetitions

Meditation(s):  IAMU Clearing and Cleansing Meditation and 
ACIM lesson 52, which is as follows:

I am upset because I see what is not there.
Reality is never frightening. It is impossible that it could upset me. Reality brings only perfect peace. When I am upset, it is always because I have replaced reality with illusions I made up. The illusions are upsetting because I have given them reality, and thus regard reality as an illusion. Nothing in God's creation is affected in any way by this confusion of mine. I am always upset by nothing.

I see only the past.
As I look about, I condemn the world I look upon. I call this seeing. I hold the past against everyone and everything, making them my enemies. When I have forgiven myself and remembered Who I am, I will bless everyone and everything I see. There will be no past, and therefore no enemies. And I will look with love on all that I failed to see before.

My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
I see only my own thoughts, and my mind is preoccupied with the past. What, then, can I see as it is? Let me remember that I look on the past to prevent the present from dawning on my mind. Let me understand that I am trying to use time against God. Let me learn to give the past away, realizing that in so doing I am giving up nothing.

I see nothing as it is now.
If I see nothing as it is now, it can truly be said that I see nothing. I can see only what is now. The choice is not whether to see the past or the present; the choice is merely whether to see or not. What I have chosen to see has cost me vision. Now I would choose again, that I may see.

My thoughts do not mean anything.
I have no private thoughts. Yet it is only private thoughts of which I am aware. What can these thoughts mean? They do not exist, and so they mean nothing. Yet my mind is part of creation and part of its Creator. Would I not rather join the thinking of the universe than to obscure all that is really mine with my pitiful and meaningless "private" thoughts?

There is lots there to contemplate for a long time!

Blessings to All and Much Peace!

Stevia as a Sweetener

While I continue to work on my memories lists, and devising my new plan, I share with you my thoughts and experience on sugar substitutes.  I have been using stevia as a sugar substitute for years now.  I steer far away from aspartame having been addicted to aspartame Diet Coke through the 1980's and 1990's.  I stopped all aspartame cold turkey the day I commenced my studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2001.  Within days my mind came out of a fog, I had more energy, and was very glad I ended that relationship with Diet Coke.  Now that stevia finally can be (and is) incorporated into food products, as it has been since the 1970's in Japan, it is exciting to watch the possibilities unfold, including the availability of stevia sweetener packets at a few restaurants - I've always had to bring my own stash.  I am appalled that saccharin still appears as an option on restaurant tables.  This stuff has been long proven to cause cancer.  Our other option on the tables is Splenda, aka sucralose, which in larger servings than about a teaspoon cause severe intestinal angish, for me anyway.  Plus, it is not a natural substance like stevia.  Anyhow, I am creating a recipe book of my favorite stevia recipes and other healthy options. 

Below is a paper I wrote last year for our Pharmacy Management class.  This paper is an overview of the convoluted history of the natural sweetener, stevia, and the FDA. 

As reported on December 18, 2008, in the Wall Street Journal, the Food and Drug Administration declared a natural zero-calorie sweetener derived from the herb Stevia

rebaudiana Bertoni from the Compositae family to be safe for use in foods and beverages, which cleared the path for Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and other companies to market the herbal constituent in a variety of products.¹   More specifically, "no objection" letters were faxed for each of two GRAS notices to Cargill and Merissant (the companies that market the sweetener for Coca-Cola and Pepsi).² Technically, the FDA hasn’t granted approval for use of the stevia plant, rather it has affirmed that it will not object to companies using a component of it, rebaudioside A, in foods and beverages.

Rebaudioside A is a highly purified form of stevia, a plant that originated in South America and is traditionally known for its sweetening and herbal medicinal qualities. Only the constituent rebaudioside A has been given the “no objection” status, whereas foods and beverages made with whole stevia leaves continue to be banned from importation and from use as a food additive or sweetener in the U.S. ³  Proponents of the natural sweetener have been waiting a long while for an opening in the use of the plant.  The stevia plant is naturally grown, and is neither a drug nor a food, thus it has traveled a long and ambiguous journey through the regulations and shifts within the FDA.

The public safety concerns with the stevia plant have been controversial throughout decades, ranging from potential mutagenic properties from a portion of the stevia plant, steviol (which more recent studies have shown to been to be inaccurate in in vivo studies), to potentially reducing fertility in both female and male lab animals, and including the purposed political threat of the “newly discovered” sweet herb to the sugar producers and artificial sweetener manufacturers, such as saccharin and aspartame.  If there is a natural sweetener containing zero calories, with no known harmful effects, might that be a better choice for the American public than the consumption of refined sugars with their well-known, undisputed ill health effects, or the consumption of artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin, and especially aspartame, which have been shown to be carcinogenic and cause neurological problems, respectively?  

Since 1985, studies have shown the absence of harmful effects (no genotoxic activity) for both stevioside and rebaudioside A (both extracted components of the stevia plant).   There have been no reported harmful effects in over thirty years of use of the herb in Japan.  In fact, as more studies were required through the years and were done on the parts of the stevia plant, researchers began to find beneficial health qualities, such as the stabilizing of blood sugar in diabetics, and with helping to lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients.⁴  It was not until the larger soft drink companies responded to the public’s increasing health concerns about aspartame as a sweetener in their products that the FDA was convinced to not object to the use of the herb as a sweetener, and food additive, in products. 

Since the time of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, herbal and natural remedies that were supplemental to the diet have been confusing to regulators, because these herbs were neither food nor medicinal substances and their main concern, especially originally, was to clean up the dangerous additives and preservatives that were rampant at the time in foods consumed by the American people.⁵   It wasn’t until the Delaney Clause of the 1958 Food Additives Amendment, that known carcinogens were prohibited in processed foods.   The controversial and eventual ban on saccharin in the 1970s was indicative of the country’s new awareness of the possibility of assessing the risks versus the benefits of a chemically produced product.  On one hand saccharin was proven to cause cancer in rats; on the other it was far cheaper to put into foods than sugar, and did not have the deleterious effects of sugar on one’s health in terms of weight gain, diabetes development, etc.⁶ It was this awareness of the health issues these artificial sweeteners caused that led Japan to greatly restrict the use of artificial sweeteners and turn to cultivating stevia as the main sweetener in their own products and consumption.⁷  

 In 1991, the FDA labeled stevia as an “unsafe” food additive and banned the import of the herb.  Protestors to this move demanded that the FDA was violating its own guidelines from the 1958 statement that natural substances used prior to 1958, with no reported adverse effects, should be classified as GRAS, as long as the substance was used in the same way and format as prior to 1958.⁸ More claims were made that the FDA was responding to pressure by the artificial sweetener manufacturers for their benefit. 

Then, in 1994, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act was passed, but had been opposed by all public health, medical and nutritional groups, because companies were permitted to market their “health” remedies with no safety testing or review by the FDA, which was akin to the exilir sulfonamide days.  The burden of proof fell on the FDA if a substance began to show “unreasonable risk of injury or illness”, and in an emergency involving one of these substances, the FDA is not allowed to remove it from the market.⁹ In 1995, the FDA was forced to allow stevia to be used as a dietary supplement, but the FDA still deemed it as “unsafe” as a food additive and companies were not able to sweeten their beverages and baked products and sell them to the public.  Stevia supporters, who wanted to have the choice to have the herb in their sodas and baked goods, did not have the financial means to move stevia through the FDA approval process.

By the 1990’s the FDA was requiring that all foods be labeled.  According to Hilts, the supplement companies, which by this time were often as large as the pharmaceutical companies, requested exemption from all the safety and effectiveness testing that was required of the drug companies, rather, they wanted a “more lenient standard.”  The supplement companies claimed the benefits of supplements and herbal remedies and the fact that they have been safely used for centuries.¹⁰ This is one of the same arguments that the stevia proponents have claimed about the stevia plant.  Scientific testing on the supplement and herbal products began and showed that in some cases, the argument that “centuries of use” was meaningless.  As further testing progressed more evidence was obtained proving the hazards and less evidence that the substances were actually beneficial.  While this was true for many herbal substances, it did not hold for stevia.

In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) did a thorough review of the most recent experiments and determined that stevioside and rebA are not genotoxic, and it has been shown to have beneficial effects in patients with hypertension and type-II diabetes.¹¹  This significant step, along with the major soda companies finally taking an interest in developing and patenting a new form of sweetener for their products in light of declining soda sales, helped pave the way to the first sign of acceptance by the FDA of this herbal sweetener in 2008.

The first sign of a threat to American (and European) industry came when there was a big stir over the sweet South American herb.  Several promoters at the time were sure there was a fabulous market for stevia in the U.S., however sugar cane growers in both in Europe and in the U.S. in 1913 had become aware of the herb.  By the time stevia was presented in 1921 to the USDA by American Trade Commissioner potential U.S. companies were not interested.¹² It wasn’t until the mid 1980’s that the herb caught the attention of the American marketplace, and almost immediately, the FDA began its crackdown on the use of the herb, including actions taken against firms using stevia in their products, embargoes, searches, seizures of products and cookbooks listing stevia as an ingredient, and an “import alert” which barred stevia shipments into the U.S.  Unsubstantiated rumors of a “trade complaint” by the manufacturers of the new artificial sweetener, aspartame (NutraSweet), were thought to have been the impetus for the FDA to suppress the use of the stevia plant.¹³

Meanwhile, the artificial sweetener, aspartame, was in the approval process with the FDA, even though there were several scientific advisors that recommended otherwise, these advisors were eventually overridden by the FDA commissioner, Arthur Hull Hayes, in the Reagan administration.  Many ill effects came to be revealed by consumption of aspartame, including stimulating weight gain, neurological disorders, and addiction to the substance, and the FDA had refused to approve aspartame for more than eight years because of these health concerns. Aspartame's manufacturer, G.D. Searle, hired former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld as its CEO in 1977, at which point he promised to get aspartame approved via political connections. In 1980, a public board again voted to keep aspartame off the market. That ban was eventually overruled by Arthur Hull Hayes, the new FDA commissioner. In 1983, the chemical was approved for use in soft drinks despite the continuing objections.¹⁴   According to Philip Hilts, this approval came at a time during the deregulation era of the Reagan administration.  Through the halt on new regulations and cutting of current regulatory agency budgets, the FDA felt the cuts deeply in terms of budget and staff to accomplish their goals.  There was much controversy regarding the long lag time of approval on drugs, as well as labeling requirements for patient information and Hayes experienced much political pressure to decrease the standards by which drugs were approved.  He held true to his beliefs in requiring clinical trials for all new drugs.  This struggle had some negative consequences in his ability to take action on the labeling in the Reye’s- aspirin danger because Bayer, a large company that manufactured aspirin, was able to squelch the information through the Center for Disease Control regarding the harmful effects of and likelihood of developing Reye’s Syndrome in children with viral infections who also took aspirin.  The CDC approached the FDA in hopes that Hayes could help.  At this time, Reagan’s Office of Management and Budget were greatly influenced by large corporations, and very little was heard from consumer or health organizations.¹⁵  Did this also hold true for Rumsfeld’s interest in G.D. Searle, and the approval of aspartame?

Proponents of stevia have complained bitterly that aspartame’s odd approval exemplified the forgotten chief lesson of the FDA’s creator, Dr. Wiley, “the principle that the right of the consumer is the first thing to be considered”, as the perceived corporate power was typified by the ascent of aspartame and suppression of stevia.¹⁶ One author’s statements, even though he views the “no objection” status of rebA as a great step forward, he is very clear how he feels about the FDA’s motives:

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued letters of non-objection for the use of a natural, zero-calorie sweetener it once sought to wipe out from the U.S. marketplace.  Following political pressure from powerful consumer product corporations (Coca-Cola and Pepsi, primarily), the FDA has once again fallen in step with the interests of Big Business and legalized a food and beverage ingredient that it once aggressively oppressed…”

“…Realize this crucial point:  The FDA’s decisions these days are based entirely on corporate profits and have absolutely nothing to do with science, safety or consumer interests.  So don’t be fooled for a minute into thinking that the FDA’s approval of stevia has anything to do with serving the People.”¹⁷

I believe it took the FDA an inordinate amount of time to not object to the use of the herb for common use in foods and beverages, especially as proven detrimental artificial sweeteners are still widely available and aggressively promoted.  As with every story, there are exaggerations, and deeper knowledge to gain as to motives and restrictions that are beyond the scope of this paper.  After reading the Hilts book, I can more fully understand from where these pressures might have arisen, and the need for the FDA to find balance between committing to the safety of the people and pressures from drug companies and corporate America.  However, the sheer length of time, and seemingly needless overt suppression and threats and the coincident approval process of aspartame, definitely causes me contemplate the possibilities of large corporate influence over the FDA’s “no objection” status.   Now that the FDA has recognized rebA as potentially safe and products can be created with the herb and present a potentially healthful and beneficial alternative to refined sugar and the artificial sweeteners that are already widely available, it seems that this resolution so far, does help protect the ordinary citizen, and will likely even benefit the ordinary citizen, and, at minimum, allows another alternative sweetener to be considered, one in which the benefits may be shown to far outweigh the minimal risks. In the event the conversation about sweeteners would arise in my pharmacy practice, I would discuss all of the sweetener options, providing as much unbiased information as I could, especially with patients I would counsel regarding their desires to lose weight and/or manage their blood sugar levels.

References:

1)      FDA Clears Use of Herb as Sweetener. The Wall Street Journal. December 18, 2008: B3.

2)      Food and Drug Administration website, available at: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/gras_notices/grn000278.pdf, page 9. Accessed January 15, 2010.

3)      Food and Drug Administration website, Warning Letters, available at:

http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2007/ucm076475.htm.       Accessed January 15, 2010

4)      Food and Drug Administration, GRAS Notices website, available at: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/gras_notices/grn000253.pdf.  Accessed on February 1, 2010 

5)      Hilts, Philip J.  Protecting America’s Health: The FDA, Business, and One Hundred Years of Regulation.  Chapel Hill, NC:  University of North Carolina Press; 2003; 280.

6)      Ibid: 202-206.

7)      Bonvie,  Linda, Bonvie, Bill, Gates, Donna.  The Stevia Story:  A Tale of Incredible Sweetness and Intrigue.  Atlanta, GA:  B.E.D. Publications Co; 1997:26.

8)      Ibid: 28.

9)      Hilts, Philip J.  Protecting America’s Health: The FDA, Business, and One Hundred Years of Regulation.  Chapel Hill, NC:  University of North Carolina Press; 2003; 288-289.

10)  Ibid: 280-284.

11)  The World Health Organization website, available at:

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_952_eng.pdf.  Accessed on February 1, 2010.

12)  Bonvie,  Linda, Bonvie, Bill, Gates, Donna.  The Stevia Story:  A Tale of Incredible Sweetness and Intrigue.  Atlanta, GA:  B.E.D. Publications Co; 1997:25-26.

13)  Ibid; 27

14)  New York Post Online: Diet Soda Diatribe Posted: 5:10 AM, July 21, 2009 Last Updated: 7:02 PM, August 15, 2009.  Accessed February 1, 2010.

 http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/health/item_FtTTER85xFjEBrQpgcwCMK

15)  Hilts, Philip J.  Protecting America’s Health: The FDA, Business, and One Hundred Years of Regulation.  Chapel Hill, NC:  University of North Carolina Press; 2003; 216-218.       

16)  Bonvie,  Linda, Bonvie, Bill, Gates, Donna.  The Stevia Story:  A Tale of Incredible Sweetness and Intrigue.  Atlanta, GA:  B.E.D. Publications Co; 1997:47. 

17)  Natural News.com:  FDA Approves Stevia, Ends the Era of Oppression of this Herbal Sweetener - UPDATE 1, December 19, 2008 Available at:  http://www.naturalnews.com/News_000626_stevia_Truvia_FDA.html.  Accessed on January 15, 2010.