From: mary@uicsl.csl.uiuc.edu (Mary E. Allison)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: MSG
Date: 30 Jul 1992 18:33:50 GMT
Organization: Center for Reliable and High-Performance Computing, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
NNTP-Posting-Host: uicsl.csl.uiuc.edu

billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:

>Just show me research that this occurs, except for the rare individual,
>and I will retract my statements. There are many things that could have
>caused that reaction. I am not saying that it wasn't MSG, just that the
>research does not support any such conclusion.

     WELL -- what's wrong if something happens to the "rare
individual"?  Does that mean that the "rare individual" doesn't have a
right to know what's put in the food.  I'm one of those "rare
individuals" and, after determining that SOME kind of food or food
additive gave me an allergic reaction I decided instead of having
expensive and unpleasant medical tests done I would keep track of what
I was eating.  I knew that MOST of the time I would have a food
reaction it would be when I was eating in a restaurant (not
necessarily Chinese mind you - MSG is used in many other foods).
Well, after a while we determined that it MIGHT be MSG.  There's a
Chinese carry-out here that will hold the MSG if you ask, so I
arranged with some friends to get some food from there - one time with
MSG and once withOUT msg.  They weren't to tell me which dinner was
which (and they didn't) but I KNEW right after I ate.  After that it
was easy for me to start figuring out what foods had "hidden" MSG
because I recognized the reaction after I ate them.  After THAT I
started reading labels and if a label indicated that MSG *MIGHT* be
hidden I would avoid the food.  Of course if YOU want to pay for me to
have medical tests and pay for time off work and of course the
discomfort that I'd have after being poked and prodded I'll have the
tests to make YOU happy.

     Now, I CAN take seldane and that will reduce the MSG reaction,
but I'd rather avoid something if my body tells me that it doesn't
like something.  AND -- the only way I can find out if something DOES 
contain MSG is to read the label and HOPE that it's listed on there,
or not eat a lot of stuff "just in case".

     I'm not saying that MSG should be banned -- just LABELLED.  

FLAME ON (warning - duck now)

     And I'm getting REALLY SICK AND TIRED OF PEOPLE TELLING ME THAT
NOBODY HAS A REACTION TO MSG AND IT'S ALL IN THEIR HEADS!!!  *I* HAVE
A REACTION AND IT'S NOT IN MY HEAD IT'S IN MY NOSE AND SINUSES.  

FLAME OFF

     I'm an intelligent person and I can figure out when I'm allergic
to something.  I'm getting real tired of people saying that NOBODY has
a reaction to MSG - or that it's such a small percentage of the
population that it really doesn't matter.  

     I'm also lactose intolerant.  There are solutions to both
problems (Seldane for MSG and Lactaid for the lactose intolerance) but
they ONLY work if I take them BEFORE I have food containing MSG or
dairy - not AFTER.  

     AND -- I don't care if only 50% or 20% or .05% of the population
has a particular allergy -- WHAT'S THE FRIGGING PROBLEM WITH PUTTING
STUFF ON LABELS?????   You guys act like it's some kind of major
violation against your rights if food products are labelled.

     Well -- it IS some kind a violation against *MY* *HEALTH* if
products are NOT labelled.  And if you don't WANT to read labels --
then YOU don't have to bother.  I want the option of knowing what I'm
putting in my body BEFORE I put it there - not after.  And I do KNOW
after - with MSG it's about 15-30 minutes later and with dairy
products it's about 6-12 hours later.  I'd rather know before and take
precautions or avoid a product than figure out after I'm sick ("oh
gee, wonder what I ate that I shouldn't have - oh so THAT'S what they 
mean by additional flavorings").  



--
It is worth while to have a storm of abuse once in a while, for
one reason to read the Psalms - they are a radiant field of
glory that never shines unless the night shuts in.
  -- Harriet Beecher Stowe

    Mary Allison (mary@uicsl.csl.uiuc.edu) Urbana, Illinois
Catx2 Owned, Square Dancer, Leaper, Ballroom Dancer in training 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.radio.shortwave,rec.photo