I finally got my mom to cut back on diet sodas, and I'm so glad I did! She only has one or two a week now instead of one or two a day. Now she's drinking Arizona Diet Green Tea, and lots of juices (apple, orange and cranberry) and I'm hoping that's a little better for her.

One of the links in this post is to a "grassroots" anti-aspartame organization that is headed by two people who represent a company that produces stevia, a competing low-calorie sweetener. The other is a pro-aspartame website created by the Calorie Control Council, an industry association representing makers of diet foods and beverages. I'm not sure what the point was of linking these two sites that present opposing points of view motivated by financial self-interest, but it's not a very good way to provide people with reliable health information.

We call diet soda: Devil Sweat.

OK, I agree that diet soda is not good for you, but the statement "aspartame, the sweetener in diet sodas, has now been proven to be insanely toxic, potentially causing everything from migraine headaches to full blow multiple sclerosis." is false.

Elastic Waist, please think twice about your decision to put this "science"-spouting colonic-lover out there as a health expert. We have enough of that on the internet, we don't need more.

I'm going to have to agree with Elizabeth on this one. I feel like I've given Cynthia a fair try and all, but I finally have to say something. Every time there is an Ask Cynthia post I find something just plain incorrect or propaganda-esque happening. In fact, mostly I find myself thinking "really the elastic waist writers/editors agree with this crap? never would have thought..." I love this site and read it religiously, but this just finally had to be said.

Can Cynthia or Elastic Waist provide any sort of proper proof, say a clinical reference, for her overly general claims about soy products? We have all heard about the recent controversy regarding soy and breast cancer in women, but no-one has said anything about soy milk or soy protein powder being full of "nasty [times two] toxic residues" that should be avoided... until now!!! Readers of this blog do understand a thing or two about health-related scientific research, you know.

First, I’d like to thank all the readers of this column for taking their time to respond with questions, comments and controversy. I appreciate all of it and relish in the nature of discussion.

I especially thank the reader who pointed out the opposing aspartame related websites I suggested. That was a clerical error.

Since it was commented upon, I will take this opportunity to stand by my claim that aspartame is toxic. I do not always pour over a medical journal at the time I answer questions for Elastic Waist, but I will certainly refer to a study and formulate an opinion for a claim when I feel I need to. Every health practitioner, at some point, has to formulate solid opinions about many sub-topics in their field that translate into "do or don't do" advice they offer on a regular basis. My opinions come as a result of years of carefully reading numerous journals and position papers, being influenced by several master teachers and practitioners I have studied with, considering age-old systems of health care that have been effectively practiced for hundreds of years (i.e Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, etc) and equally importantly, from clinical, real-life experience with clients. I have personally witnessed migraine headaches ending after eliminating aspartame from the diet.

I love the field of nutrition with a passion, but as much as I love it is as much as I am sometimes frustrated by it. There are often many conflicting scientific studies for so many topics, with controversial subjects such as soy, artificial sweetners and caffeine leading the pack. It is sometimes hard to find completely independent, non-biased studies because funding for scientific research usually comes from one of the two sides about the topic.

So, I do reiterate my statement that aspartame may "potentially cause everything from migraine headaches to full blown multiple sclerosis." Am I suggesting that aspartame is always a contributing factor to migraine headaches ? Absolutley not. Is it possible that drinking two diet cokes a day could be a contributing factor to someone who does suffer from migraines? Yes.

It was suggested by a reader to put forth scientific data supporting some of my claims about soy. I hope you will understand that it is simply not the nature of a website like this to support every health claim with a documented case study. I hope you will find my explanation above as to how I form my opinions and subsequent advice adequate.

I acknowledge that some of my opinions are different, perhaps things you have not heard before. Sometimes they are not the popular or mainstream view, such as my suggestion to stay away from soy milk. There is a very important reason for this – I believe, without question, that anything highly processed consumed on a regular basis cannot promote health. Soy milk, in the form most of us buy it, is often processed with a very high concentration of isoflavones, sometimes added sugars, and sometimes substances to make it creamier or taste “fuller.” And many people, in my experience, drink soy milk as a regularly consumed product in place of milk.

My opinion stated in the paragraph above is not only fueled by research and study, but also from personal experience. If I had continued to listen to mainstream medical advice regarding my recurring sinus infections I would still be taking anti-biotics every two months to clear up the cold that never went away. I was told by one or two practitioners at the time that my diet had no connection whatsoever to my recurring sinus infections. I can only assume this advice was given to me as a result of that practitioner’s interpretation of scientific research, who they studied with, etc. It was well intentioned, of course. I didn’t listen, I changed my diet, and my sinuses cleared without the need for consistent pharmaceuticals or surgery, as was also suggested at the time.

I love and appreciate many medical doctors, and feel grateful for their knowledge and skills to heal. However, if everyone based their health decisions on a particular western medical study, or did not seriously consider the power of natural health care regimes (such as only eating a whole-foods based diet), I feel preventative health care would greatly suffer.

Thanks for reading!
Cynthia

I appreciate the fact that research relating to nutrition is often contradictory or confusing, which is exactly why I find statements like "aspartame...has now been proven to be insanely toxic" and that "[your multivitamin] is proven to be 90 percent absorbable" so objectionable. I understand that health practitioners have to make choices about what to recommend to their patients/clients, but responsible ones take the time to explain both sides of the issue, and don't just make those kinds of simplistic blanket statements.