hi im actually a sophmore right now and am going through/went through the same things you are. last semester i missed over 2 months of school. i stayed home with intense headaches of any kind (stabbing, pressure, pulsating, hot/burning feeling, shooting pain, concentrated in one area, etc you get the point) i also had horrible memory problems concentration problems feelings of being overwhelmed exhausted all the time not caring about anything i did so in other words never doing my homework assignments zoning out really bad etc etc the list goes on.

so i pretty much know what youre going through. i got my concussion over a year ago and have since been diagnosed with PCS and have had 4 different relapses of symptoms ( you can read my history on one of my other threads)...but i do have some good news. i am recovering now i ended up passing all my classes except i had to drop out of spanish but im back at school now and doing pretty well.

im back in basketball which i acutally think is bringing on another relapse and yet i continue to hide my symptoms but oh well. so really the reason i posted this was i understand what youre going through and if you have any questions i will definitely try to answer them for you.

Aspartame , msg, and some others are excitotoxins. That means they cause the brain cells to be stimulated to a point of over-stimulation that results in cell damage or cell death. Caffeine also stimulates the brain cells. Its worst problem is it effect on the adrenal system. PCS often leaves the adrenal system compromised so any additional stress to it is counter-productive.

Caffeine to a PCS person is like caffeine for a drunk. You just end up wide awake. My doctor read me the riot act when I told him I was using caffeine to overcome my drowsiness. Actually, two doctors told me this.

Aspartame has three components. Aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methyl ester. The aspartic acid is a neurotransmitter that effects norepinephrine. Phenylalanine is a neurotransmitter that effects serotonin to the opposite of the norepinephrine. This creates a bad situation for brain cells that are struggling to function properly.

The methyl ester converts to methyl alcohol, a toxic substance that the body does not have a system to eliminate. GD Searle tries to down play these problems by mis-stating the science. Aspartame is being slowly removed from the market and replaced by Sucralose, a different toxin.

Aspartame is still used in may low calorie foods. Its worst use is in foods that get heated, whether purposely or just by sitting in a warm location. 100 degrees is enough to cause the aspartame to break down into dangerous components.

Remember this simple fact, aspartame is a neurotoxin that can cross the blood brain barrier. Sucralose is an organic chlorine toxin that is toxic to the rest of the body. The body can handle most ionic chlorine like in salt. It has no way of tolerating organic chlorine. A google or bing for organic chlorine will be an eye opener.

A simple concept to remember is this. Our FDA is the best government agency money can buy. ALL of the people who were part of approving aspartame at the FDA were later hired by the soft drink and aspartame industry. You can thank Donald Rumsfeld for the problems, deaths included, that aspartame has caused. He headed up GD Searle during the aspartame approval process.

Glad that I stopped drinking diet energy drinks last semester. Man, I really wish this information was a lot easier to access.

No more coffee then, huh?

Also, what do you have to say about amalgam fillings?

Amalgam filling are most dangerous at two times. Right when they have been filled and later when they are ground out. The interim time is not too bad, compared to the other two. At least from the non-alarmist reports I find.

Keep your coffee/caffeine to a minimum. I have a Dr Pepper once in a while. Don't make caffeine a continuing habit.