May 2010
Welcome to the monthly Ask Dr. Marty Newsletter. In response to several requests, I have decided to share some information based on questions that I frequently receive regarding natural health topics. I promise to keep the newsletter short. But if at any time you get overwhelmed with emails, please let me know and I’ll be glad to take you off of the mailing list. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the newsletter and hope that you will forward any questions you may have as well. Even if they don’t make it into the newsletter, I promise to answer all questions. All questions will be anonymous.
Question: I don’t seem to react to MSG like some of my friends do. Some of them get headaches, some even migraines. So is it safe for me to eat out at Chinese restaurants that use MSG?
Answer: Even if you don’t have a noticeable reaction to monosodium glutamate, after reading this newsletter, you may not want to get anywhere near it…
Unfortunately, MSG is not limited to Chinese food. It is added to a wide variety of foods, including fast food and the vast majority of processed food. So if you consider the four major food groups to be “fast”, “packaged”, “microwaved”, and “frozen”…
Even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers MSG generally regarded as safe (GRAS), the organization requires all manufacturers to list this ingredient on their labels. But beware of sneaky manufacturers who put MSG in their products under other “aliases”. MSG is also called hydrolyzed vegetable protein, Aginomoto, Accent, or natural meat tenderizer. Natural meat tenderizer is a real stretch. MSG has synthetic ingredients, as opposed to the natural, soy-derived MSG originally used in Asia.
The FDA reports the following symptoms to be common reactions to MSG:
Burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms, and chest
Numbness in the back of the neck, radiating to the arms and back
Tingling, warmth, and weakness in the face, temples, upper back, neck and arms
Facial pressure or tightness
Chest pain
Headache
Nausea
Rapid heartbeat
Bronchospasm (difficulty breathing) in sensitive individuals with asthma
Drowsiness
Weakness
The next time you eat a food that contains MSG, pay close attention to any symptoms you might have. In the past you may have experienced some of the symptoms listed above, but may not have associated the problem with what you ate.
But last of all, and just as scary. Laboratory rats are fed MSG to make them obese for experimentation. Rats are not normally overweight, so researchers learned long ago that if they needed to experiment on obese rats, MSG does the deed. This explains a lot, doesn’t it?
Hot Tip: Stick with real food instead of processed food and fast food, and only eat at non-MSG Asian restaurants to avoid the majority of MSG pitfalls. For more information, read The Slow Poisoning of America by T. Michelle Erb and John Erb (available on Amazon.com.)
Next month…Fruit and when to eat it
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Maureen (Marty) Kernion is not a physician and does not diagnose nor prescribe. She received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Louisiana State University, and a Master of Science degree and Doctorate of Natural Health degree from Clayton College of Natural Health. She is the author of Going Natural with Herbs. Marty lectures on natural health topics across the country and has been featured at 78 Barnes and Noble book stores since her book was published. She is also a retired adjunct professor with Clayton College of Natural Health where she authored 39 courses in nutrition and herbal remedies.
It is always wise to advise your pharmacist or health care practitioner about any change in diet or supplements you plan to take, especially if you take any prescription medication.
“Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12
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