What is MSG?

Monosodium Glutamate, better known as MSG, is a form of concentrated salt added to foods to enhance the flavor. This salt version of glutamic acid is an amino acid the body can produce on its own, but the MSG we find on store shelves is processed and comes from fermented sugar beets. Because this kind of MSG is processed, it can cause many adverse reactions, including skin rashes, itching, hives, nausea, vomiting, migraine headaches, asthma, heart irregularities, depression and even seizures (http://www.msgtruth.org/migraine.htm).

Since MSG acquired its infamous reputation for causing migraines, the food industry has given it new names and new forms, including autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, maltodextrin, hydrolyzed protein, sodium caseinate, mono-potassium glutamate, and textured protein. Consumers who are watching out for monosodium glutamate in long ingredients lists usually don't know the aliases, but should.

Because MSG is so cheap, the food industry can use much lower quality foods and simply add MSG as a flavor enhancer. Currently, there is a huge investment by the food giants in MSG medical research to convince consumers of its safety. Monsanto, the giant biotech company that creates genetically modified corn, soy and canola, also controls more than 90% of the sugar beet industry; therefore, MSG contains the gene of the pesticide Roundup. Consumers who don't filter MSG out of their diet are catching a double dose of toxicity.

Foods which contain the largest doses of MSG are spicy corn chips, many soups, certain Chinese foods, ranch dressing, sausages, hot dogs, barbecued meats, smoked meats, processed deli meats, and sauces. Also included are most powdered packets like chili, gravy, taco seasoning, French onion dip and dried dip mixes.

Ibuprofen is the polar opposite of MSG. This widely used painkiller is specifically designed to relieve symptoms from MSG headaches, but only temporarily. Unfortunately, most research on MSG is done by its manufacturers in independent labs. The FDA itself consists of food industry reps and lobbyists who help keep MSG approved, so most doctors (except naturopath doctors) will not point their finger at MSG as the cause of headaches, inflammation, weight gain, muscle pain, or nerve disorders.

MSG affects nearly everyone

Consuming products loaded with MSG on an empty stomach or without water can be especially dangerous. MSG affects nearly everyone because it causes a spike in glutamic acid, which is used throughout the body as a neurotransmitter, so many migraines are accompanied by photo-sensitivity (sensitivity to light) and phono-sensitivity (sensitivity to sound). This explains why many people need to relax in a dark, quiet room to recover.

MSG compromises the way the liver and gall bladder use bile to break up fats for digestion, so many people experience diarrhea and even gall bladder attacks. Others will vomit or stir up their Irritable Bowel Syndrome (http://www.msgexposed.com/msg-cause...).

Also, the hair cells of the ear use glutamate as a neurotransmitter, so over stimulation of these cells can result in ringing in the ears (also tinnitus or vertigo). MSG is known to cross the blood brain barrier to damage brain cells, especially in infants. Research has also shown that MSG can cause sterility in female animals (http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/he...).

Since there are no regulations on the potency of MSG, consumers have no way of knowing how much or how little they are getting(http://www.truthinlabeling.org/pres...).

The sooner MSG appears in an ingredients list, the more there is in that product. Consuming MSG at any time is a risk many consumers are not willing to take.

Your best bet is to avoid MSG in general and just add your own natural spices to foods. Sea salt and fresh garlic or organic minced garlic can give a dish the same taste and flavor enhancement. Simply Tasteful's "Garlic Garlic" or "Onion Onion" and Trader Joe's "21 Seasoning Salute" are great natural seasonings that take food flavor up a notch and don't cause headaches, nausea or nerve damage.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ans/psych...
http://www.msgtruth.org/migraine.htm
http://www.uhs.wisc.edu/docs/uwheal...
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-artic...
http://www.rense.com/general52/msg.htm
http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/he...
http://www.msgtruth.org/whatisit.htm
http://www.msgexposed.com/msg-cause...
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/hea...
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/pres...
http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/30...

The Gerson Miracle 

The Gerson Miracle examines many of the elements of the Gerson Therapy, explaining why we are so ill and how we have in our grasp the power to recover our health without expensive, toxic or mutilating treatments, using the restorative forces of our own immune systems. Even the most advanced cases of cancer can be successfully reversed using this method. While the results seem miraculous, the real "miracle" lies within our own body and its healing processes.


The Beautiful Truth
Everyone should watch this!

Raised on a wildlife reserve in Alaska, 15-year-old Garrett was interested in the dietary habits of the farm animals. After the tragic death of his mother, Garrett's father decided to home-school his son and assigned a book written by Dr. Max Gerson that proposed a direct link between diet and a cure for cancer.

Fascinated, Garrett embarks in this documentary on a cross-country road trip to investigate The Gerson Therapy. He meets with scientists, doctors and cancer survivors who reveal how it is in the best interest of the multi-billion dollar medical industry to dismiss the notion of alternative and natural cures.

Dying To Have Known 

 

In Dying To Have Known, filmmaker Steve Kroschel went on a 52-day journey to find evidence to the effectiveness of the Gerson Therapy -- a long-suppressed natural cancer cure. His travels take him across both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, from upstate New York to San Diego to Alaska, from Japan and Holland to Spain and Mexico. In the end, he presents the testimonies of patients, scientists, surgeons and nutritionists who testify to the therapy's efficacy in curing cancer and other degenerative diseases, and presents the hard scientific proof to back up their claims. You will hear from a Japanese medical school professor who cured himself of liver cancer over 15 years ago, a lymphoma patient who was diagnosed as terminal over 50 years ago as well as noted critics of this world-renowned healing method who dismiss it out of hand as "pure quackery." So the question that remains is, "Why is this powerful curative therapy still suppressed, more than 75 years after it was clearly proven to cure degenerative disease?" The viewers are left to decide for themselves.

MSG- monosodium glutamate

Hidden Names for MSG and Reported Symptoms of MSG Toxicity

http://www.oasisadvancedwellness.com/learning/msg-tables.html

MSG (monosodium glutamate) is used as a flavor enhancer in countless processed foods. But while it works enhancing your food’s flavors it is also at work doing potential damage to your brain and body.

Not many people who want to truly be healthy would actually consciously use this toxin as they become better educated. However the problem results from eating processed foods or eating in a restaurant where you have virtually no control of what is added to your food before you eat it. Believe me on this one, your body could care less if you or someone else put the MSG in your food, or if you even know about it. If you are ever going to Take Control of Your Health you will need to take responsibility for ALL the food you eat and be very conscious of avoiding this food in processed food you purchase or restaurant food you eat.

Unless of course you don't mind losing your brain cells.

If you don'’t believe this then you clearly have not watched Dr. Blaylock's (retired neurosurgeon) lecture on MSG.

MSG is an excitotoxin, a type of chemical transmitter that allows brain cells to communicate. The problem is that excitotoxins can literally excite your brain cells to death. Aside from harming your brain, MSG has also been linked to eye damage, headaches, fatigue, disorientation and depression.

Children are most at risk from MSG. The blood brain barrier, which keeps toxins in the blood from entering the brain, is not fully developed in children. MSG can also penetrate the placental barrier and affect unborn children as well. Nonetheless, most major brands of infant formula contain some processed free glutamic acid (a form of MSG).

For more information about MSG, and how to protect yourself against it, take a look at these 2 sites-

Truth In Labeling - The whole truth about MSG

Holistic Healing Web Page