Responding to Mike:

I have no doubt that there are food allergies out there causing
problems: many of which we may not even be aware.
However, the debunked email I was referring to was claiming aspertame
as the cause of MS, lupus, etc...
I have copied the debunk info below.
Again, I have no doubt that allergies can cause some problems, just not
as many problems or perhaps the specific problems mentioned in the
email: lupus and MS. IF you go to the snopes site, the below references
are linked to the debunked email story.
Now I am looking for my smokes!
Char

Is Aspartame Safe?   (FDA):
To date, FDA has not determined any consistent pattern of symptoms that
can be attributed to the use of aspartame, nor is the agency aware of
any recent studies that clearly show safety problems.
Aspartame and the Internet   (The Lancet):
Our research revealed over 6000 web sites that mention aspartame, with
many hundreds alleging aspartame to be the cause of multiple sclerosis,
lupus erythematosis, Gulf War Syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, brain
tumours, and diabetes mellitus, among many others. Virtually all of the
information offered is anecdotal, from anonymous sources and is
scientifically implausible.
ACSH Debunks Internet Health Hoax   (American Council on Science and
Health):
Health scare artists have found a whole new medium for terrorizing the
public - the Internet. Individuals in search of accurate health
information may literally become caught in the Web, where health hoaxes
and urban medical myths run rampant. The health scare messages are
always the same - whatever it is, it will make you sick.
Beware The E-Mail Hoax: The Evils Of Nutrasweet (Aspartame)   (Dr. Dean
Edell):
A highly inaccurate "chain letter" is being circulated via e-mail
warning the reader of the health dangers of aspartame (Nutrasweet) diet
drinks.

There is so much scientific untruth in it, it's scary. Be careful,
because others know how to manipulate you by this. Just because
something is beyond your comprehension doesn't mean it is scientific.

FDA Statement on Aspartame   (FDA):
Analysis of the National Cancer Institute's public data base on cancer
incidence in the United States - the SEER Program - does not
support an association between the use of aspartame and increased
incidence of brain tumors.
Study Reaffirms Safety of Aspartame   (MIT News):
Even daily large doses of the high-intensity sweetener aspartame, also
known as NutraSweet, had no adverse effect on study subjects' health
and well-being, a visiting scientist at MIT reported in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition last week.

"We conclude that aspartame is safe for the general population," said
Paul A. Spiers, visiting scientist in the Clinical Research Center
(CRC).
A Web of Deceit   (TIME magazine):
A widely disseminated e-mail by a "Nancy Markle" links aspartame to
Alzheimer's, birth defects, brain cancer, diabetes, Gulf War syndrome,
lupus, multiple sclerosis and seizures. Right away, the long list
warrants skepticism. Just as no single chemical cures everything, none
causes everything.
Last

And what was quoted was misinformation and half truths. It's scare
mongering regarding aspartame: claiming that it's converted to
formaldehyde in our bodies because our body temperature is over the
temperature you quoted is absolute crap. Claiming it's a neurotoxin is
crap, too, as water is deadly in high doses as well. It's like I said in
another post, if you have problems with nutrasweet then avoid it, just
like people who have reactions to MSG should avoid that food additive as
well!

So your point was that the manufacturers of aspartame create scare
mongering websites and then debunk them?