MSG Poisoning - Our Scary Story!

So, remember when I was trying to do a post on health every week?  52 Weeks?  

Ugh.  I hate it when I can't stick to my own ideas.  Alas, I find motherhood always calls.  I have a post written in my drafts about MSG but I think this one will scare you into avoiding it more than my original idea.

We went out for dinner yesterday.  Lunch rather, after meeting up with my sister, her hubby and my niece at Home Depot.  

We never go out to eat.  
Seriously. 
Never.
 
There is a fun place in the Chicago suburbs; dark, cozy, good burgers and the kids love it.  As we sat down my sister and I made snarky conversation pretending to ask the waitress if their beef was grass-fed and organic, Yeah, cause we won't eat conventional beef or GMO filled beer... but we'll mow on your MSG laced popcorn all afternoon.  I joked.  My sister bursting into laughter.

Turns out.  Not so funny.

We got home, spent the evening as a family and commenced the tuck-in hour during which I began to feel dizzy, just slightly; so that I wondered if I was imagining things.  But it began to get worse.  I almost asked the family if they thought there was an earthquake.  Then I felt a flutter in my heart as I leaned over the baby to change her diaper but again, I brushed it off and thought, Surely my heart did not not have a palpitation.  I must really be imagining things.  Then I noticed I was stumbling as I walked.  I then actually tumbled down in the hall way.  Not a hard fall, but I ended up on the floor.  I went into Aidan's room where all the action was happening and told them what was up.  Joel confessed he felt a little weird but he didn't expand on it.  It was just so odd and I expected it to go away at any second.  I then laid down with the baby to nurse and the room began to spin.  Like when you are drunk.  (Yes, sadly, I've been drunk.)  Seriously.  The chandelier was just zooming by over and over again.  I laid very still, praying for it to stop and nursed her into oblivion.  Then I went back into the kids' quarters to pick out the next day's clothes and kiss them goodnight.  I felt a little better but standing at the girl's closet I felt it again.  I stumbled over to their beds and quickly sang and kissed them goodnight.  I fell over onto Juliette's bed and began to get a bit nervous.  I scared Amélie.  What the heck was wrong with me?  

The baby woke up so I went back into her and again the ceiling just went round and round in circles.  It was a ride and I wanted OFF.

Finally everyone was asleep and Joel went with me down the stairs.  I went to the couch and slumped down and things began to get worse.  The room wobbled and my legs got really heavy.  My arms did not want to function, my heart fluttered again in my chest and I slouched over, very tired, to one side.  I actually had the thought, I wonder if I am going to die?  Joel then told me that when he woke up from snuggling with the boys he laid there thinking he was going to have a panic attack.  He said he could hear his heart in his ears and his hands were swollen.  He had pressure across his forehead.  He took my pulse which was barely there and then would surge.

What the hell was going on?

We prayed for each other and Joel asked, Do you think it's something we ate?  As he got up to dial my sister to see how they felt I exclaimed, The popcorn!  That popcorn had to be covered in MSG ridden flavoring.  They served it before the food and we ALL munched on it.  I noticed while sitting at the table that there was this goober on the roof I my mouth.  It was so disturbing that I stuck my finger in there and scraped my nail across the roof of my mouth to get rid of it.  I mentioned this to Joel as he began to google "MSG poisoning" and he said he did the SAME thing!  

My sister said they felt fine but she confessed that perhaps it's because they go out to eat a lot more than we do.  Perhaps they were more used to it or not as sensitive.

Joel found a list of MSG poisoning symptoms.  Here's what we read on NaturalNews.com:
The following are some of the symptoms you may develop from eating food laced with MSG. Headaches, numbness, dizziness, burning sensations in the neck and chest, tingling nausea, palpitations, elevated blood pressure, difficulty breathing, panic attacks, sleepiness, depression, confusion, cognitive disorder, and food cravings are common symptoms for sensitive people.


I have always noticed my heart racing in the middle of the night if I have MSG which is why I avoid it like the plague at all costs.  I don't know why my judgement lapsed so poorly yesterday but I sure paid the price.  


We took the recommended cream of tartar cure and just quietly watched an episode of Sherlock waiting to feel better.  I finally began to drift off and went to bed.  Slightly dizzy.  Joel stayed up.

This morning he felt better.  I was horribly dizzy when I woke up and my face was terribly puffy.  It's now 4:06 and I finally feel like myself with the occasion woosh of disorientation but as fast as it's there, it is gone.  

Our sweet Hoolie woke up in the night twice screaming from neck, face and shoulder pain.  She's only four so we can't figure out if she hurt herself out in the snow yesterday or if she too is suffering the affects of the neurotoxin.

So here's the deal - MSG is in SO MANY THINGS and it doesn't have to be labeled MSG which is why you need to steer clear of so many, dare I say most packaged foods.  MSG is a NEUROTOXIN and is VERY dangerous.  If you suffer from migraines I would ELIMINATE this from your life... I would eliminate it anyways!!!  Here is some information I am cutting and pasting from a post I have in my drafts.  I am sorry - I do not remember the source.  It's probably Mercola.com.  We made these changes years ago which is why I think this time affected us so strongly.

To be on the safe side, you should also know what ingredients to watch out for on packaged foods. Here is a list of ingredients that ALWAYS contain MSG:

Autolyzed Yeast	Calcium Caseinate	Gelatin
Glutamate	Glutamic Acid	Hydrolyzed Protein
Monopotassium Glutamate	Monosodium Glutamate	Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein	Yeast Extract	Yeast Food
Yeast Nutrient

       
These ingredients OFTEN contain MSG or create MSG during processing:[10]

Flavors and Flavorings	Seasonings	Natural Flavors and Flavorings	Natural Pork Flavoring	Natural Beef Flavoring
Natural Chicken Flavoring	Soy Sauce	Soy Protein Isolate	Soy Protein	Bouillon
Stock	Broth	Malt Extract	Malt Flavoring	Barley Malt
Anything Enzyme Modified	Carrageenan	Maltodextrin	Pectin	Enzymes
Protease	Corn Starch	Citric Acid	Powdered Milk	Anything Protein Fortified
	Anything Ultra-Pasteurized

One last comment regarding the exposure of infants to processed free glutamic acid (MSG): the presence of processed free glutamic acid (MSG) in infant formulas.
We have found that major brands of infant formula, if not all infant formulas, contain some processed free glutamic acid (MSG). The hypoallergenic soy formulas contain very high levels of MSG. See www.truthinlabeling.org/formulacopy.html for further detail.

Look at that list and see if most of your pantry doesn't end up in the trash!  Geesh!  I know this was a long post but I hope it can help you and your family.

Blessings and stay healthy.
Angela,
Parisienne Farmgirl