Does anyone has this? Have you found a doctor that understands this condition?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/salicylate-sensitivity
May I ask why you’re asking?
The only sensitivity I’ve heard of is problems with taking aspirin and stomach ailments.
There are a multitude of MUCH more common things that cause problems before looking into salicylate sensitivity.
In the experience of many friends, the Whole 30 diet is the best way to determine sensitivities. It’s not easy though.
You cut out almost everything that may cause a reaction (gluten, dairy, caffiene, soy, alcohol etc) . The cookbook really helps to create meals (recipes also available on-line but the co (okbook is easier).
Keeping off everything for 30 days helps to ensure a “reset” (for lack of a better word) for your body.
After 30 days you add ONE component at a time back into your diet to see if you have a specific trigger.
My D did the Whole 30 and discovered her trigger was gluten (immediate reaction)–she had thought she was dairy intolerant (the symptoms are very similar). Life changer (back to ice cream! but forget regular flour)
. Another of her friends found out that gluten triggered arthritis symptoms–another life changer.
But the diet isn’t easy–it is only 30 days (think survivor) but many people can’t do it because it cuts out many of their favorite foods (which are often the culprit).
By the process of elimination my son believes this is his issue. Mainly because in addition to reactions from vegetables and fruits he also reacts to cosmetic products. He is not getting much guidance from his primary care doctor or the allergist. I think I will get him this book for Christmas. It is worth a shot.
I do have salicylate sensitivity. I was diagnosed when I was 8 years old, so I don’t have a lot of advice for finding a doctor who understands it. I remember a lot of tests at a children’s hospital and an elimination diet that involved a lot of rice and lamb and pears. There were definitely dermatologists and allergists involved. I think there was also a dietician.
I just tell my current doctor I am allergic to aspirin and leave it at that. My reaction is thrombocytopenic purpura, which is less common than other reactions. I also develop the purpura in response to viral illnesses, even now in my 40s. I have no idea what the connection is between the two.
I can tolerate a modest amount of salicylates in my diet at this point, and if I over do it, such as during strawberry season, then I take potassium bicarbonate. The bicarbonate has its limits, but is still useful at times. I keep a food diary to see which foods I react to and make adjustments as necessary. On the down side, I am terrible dinner guest. On the bright side, I can fill out food questionnaires very accurately.
I wish your son luck in figuring out what’s going on.
@MadcityParent it is amazing the different reactions that people have to this sensitivity. His symptoms are more like rheumatoid arthritis. It is very frustrating that food that is good for most people makes him feel so bad. Did you ever try the elimination diet?
Note that D’s friend found out she was allergic to gluten–it immediately triggered her arthritis. While on the Whole 30 diet her arthritis (she took meds and couldn’t draw, her hands would be swollen and painful) cleared up totally.
If your son does decide to try the diet he needs to make sure he includes only ONE food group back into his diet at a time. Otherwise he won’t know what his triggers are and it’ll be a waste of time.
"Mainly because in addition to reactions from vegetables and fruits he also reacts to cosmetic products. "
There are many vegetables not allowed on the Whole 30.
Cosmetic product allergy is most commonly associated with preservatives in the product or to the fragrance added.
@Knitkneelionmom I’m pretty sure the terrible lamb-rice-pear diet from my childhood was an elimination diet. I haven’t tried one in adulthood, since I seem to avoid reactions most of the time and the food diary makes it fairly easy to spot patterns. I do a quasi-elimination diet where I only eat foods I know are low in salicylates for a few weeks now and then if I seem to be bruising too easily, I have pet or if I my period seems heavier than usual.
If you want to try elimination diets, it is best to do it in a double blind situation. The one I did in childhood was under medical supervision, though I do not remember the details. There are a lot of chemicals in foods, so it may or may not be salicylates giving your son trouble. Has he had a chance to talk with a registered dietitian yet?