Thank you K.W. for sharing your story with our visitors.

On 3 September 2005, we received an update from K.W.:

"Hello again.

I am cleaned up and much sweeter smelling that the last time I wrote to you!

Today is September 3. On August 18, 16 days ago, I wrote to you about the horrible, horrible sickness I was having. At that moment, I had suffered a night of explosive, messy, embarrassing diarrhea and had stopped in the middle of tidying up to try to find out what was wrong with me. I had gone online to research Splenda and finally arrived at your site.

Once again, let me say how astounded I was by the symptoms and side effects of Splenda and how closely they corresponded to the Lyme Disease that I had been diagnosed with 16 years ago.  I would also like to say now, too, that your site is truly one of the best, most informative, and easy-to-navigate sites there is on the net on any topic.

That morning, I continued to do research on both Splenda and aspartame. I had had over the years used aspartame heavily. When Splenda came along, I began to use that just as heavily, thinking it was safer. You'd think I would have learned by now, because of having Lyme Arthritis, I have been through the Vioxx and Bextra disasters.

What I found was that I have been equally poisoned by aspartame as well as sucralose! Some of the symptoms overlap, so it is hard to say which causes what, but the point that hit me in the face was that ALL ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS ARE POISON!

That morning, I went through all of my cabinets and gathered things sweetened with anything other than sugar. It was appalling.  I threw away at least a hundred dollars worth of groceries. It seemed a shame at first to be throwing away "perfectly good food," but then I realized that I couldn't pass along this poison to someone I loved. So, out it went, and with a smile!

Since then, my stomach problems have gone.  It was not a quick fix... it took over two weeks before my bathroom experiences became normal again without diarrhea, gas, cramps, but, sadly, not more musical farts. I'm teasing, of course.

I started to make my own flavoured water by just squeezing oranges or lemons or berries (YUM!) into a pitcher of water and refrigerating it. Sometimes, I would stir in a little demerara sugar (that's a natural sugar that comes in big brown crystals with a distinct rich flavour).

So, here I am a little more thatn 16 days later writing to you first, far more comfortable physically and a LOT more informed. I have gone back to my old "hippie" roots where I ate much closer to the way God intended.  More fruits. More vegetables. More tofu, miso, and whole grains. All the things I used to love before life got busy and I fell into Middle America. I've also realized that the food I eat isn't the whole package, important as it is.  I'be begun to exercise as much as I can with my Lyme-compromised body, and I am paying attention to my own space--my need to get control of my body with things like meditating.

While I certainly don't sit around chanting "om," I hae been shocked by this bad experience into an awareness of how much of my Middle American lifestyle has been bad, bad, bad.

It has been an eye-opening, life-changing experience, at least for this woman.  I'm grateful for the part you and your site, as well as all of the other contributors (writers), have played in turning my life around.  If I can ever be of any help, write my story for anyone, or in any way contribute to your great mission, please don't hesitate to contact me.  My time is yours in any way!"

Thank you, again, K.W. for sharing your story and your very nice comments with us and our visitors.

.