Can quitting artificial sweetener reverse autoimmune disease?

There are many, many, and many more causes of autoimmune disease. And then, too, there are none. Ultimately no one can really pin point a root cause. It’s truly a clusterf*ck.

There are factors, of course, that flare the condition. Like gluten, sugar and anxiety.

Image by Lissy Elle
Image by Lissy Elle

But one I haven’t really covered before is fake sugar. So, we’re talking saccharine (Sweet’N Low), sucralose (Splenda) or aspartame (Equal and NutraSweet). More people are consuming these chemicals, more people are getting AIs. And what do you know, there’s now some links connecting the two phenomena.

1. Aspartame is linked to immune disorders. Aspartame is converted to formaldehyde (an embalming fluid) in your body. Your liver can’t clear this toxin normally, so it remains lodged, activates inflammation and can lead to autoimmune issues and cancer growth.

2. Sucralose is linked to IBS, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis… according to a study in the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. Sucralose has an inhibitory effect on beneficial gut bacteria, which, as we know is linked to AI (the microbiome makes up 80 per cent of our immune system). A report by the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health confirms this. It was shown to halve the good bacteria in the microbiome and raise gut pH levels.

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This is what it looks like when dads get parental leave

Many moons ago I did a political internship at Parliament House. I wrote a paper for Lindsay Tanner, then Member for Melbourne, looking at the worth of paid paternal leave.

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Martin Gagner: “I feel guilty about not having been at home with Matilda (4) as much as I am now with Valdemar (1). I worry that my relationship with her will be weaker in the future.”

It was all about comparing the Australian situation with Sweden where half of the very generous paid parental leave provisions must/can only be taken by the father. Today, 480 days of paid leave can be taken by either parent, of which 60 must be taken by the father or else the paid days are lost. So there is a clear disincentive for the father not to take the leave. Yet, still, only 12 per cent of Swedish dads take up the offer.

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The best toxin-free cosmetics – my personal listicle

Yesterday, I shared how to choose the best toxin-free cosmetics. As promised, here’s my own safe beauty shopping list. It’s not a definitive list. And I recognise that nothing is ever fully toxin-free. As ever, it’s about doing what you can. As ever, it’s mostly about doing with less. Less is more. Less is more.

Me 'n' my made-up face
Me ‘n’ my made-up face and salty hair

Talking to experts over the years, we all agree: It’s not always feasible to go completely chemical-free; we can simply reduce the chemical load by making safer choices where we can.

Also be aware, I’ve not been paid to run this list. By anyone. The recommendations are genuine. In the past few days a few advertisers have asked to place ads on this site, however. Just so you know.

Hair products:

I have previously used Avalon Organics shampoo and conditioner (made in Australia), Vanessa Megan and currently use A Bit Hippy. It’s taken quite some time for my hair to adjust to the cleaner brands (and I’m yet to find one I truly love) and when I occasionally get stuck using a conventional shampoo it can take weeks for my hair to adjust again (the silicon build-up takes a number of washes for my more rustic shampoo to cut through…which gives you an indication of how loaded conventional shampoos and conditioners are). For hair styling products… I swear by the ocean. Salt water is my beauty secret. I haven’t really found a styling product that doesn’t make me feel sick when applied (of all the cosmetic products out there, hair sprays and lotions affect me the most). Fortunately, sea water is the best hair volumiser I’ve come across.

For covering my greys I use my Ere Perez mascara. See below. That said, I do get my hair coloured at a hair salon about 3-4 times a year. They try to use minimal chemicals…but I know it’s not ideal. As always, I choose my battles and until I can come up with a

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