By Dietitian Jill Place
Yes … I’m STILL angry (see below!). Because people contact me almost daily SURE that they have salicylate sensitivity.
They’ve had problems for some time. And are grasping at diagnostic straws (the medical model) without looking for the root cause (the functional one).
Functional medicine is the new paradigm that looks at dysfunction before it turns into disease. And treats individuals … not individual symptoms.
It’s the medicine of the future. Actually Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said over 2,000 years ago “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
My apologies to Hippocrates. But, in our toxic world, being healthy is a lot more complicated than that …
I haven’t shaken off the anger from my last article yet. If you want, read it here. I’m still mad because more people out there are self-diagnosing and then medicating themselves based upon that incorrect diagnosis.
And here’s one horrific example … one that, true to my talent for attracting synchronicity … just fell into my lap the other day.
I was talking to one of the nurses at one of my consulting jobs about self-diagnosing and she told me this story (no lie … I DIDN’T make this up! But I AM paraphrasing because my memory isn’t THAT good … )
My brother told me a few weeks ago that his eye was red, that he had “googled” a solution, and was sure it was Pink Eye. He also had medicated himself accordingly per internet advice.
I begged him to see a doctor. Weeks later, when it didn’t improve, I begged him again to see a doctor. When he finally did, HE FOUND OUT THAT HE HAD A SLIVER OF WOOD IN HIS EYE!”
She also told me that, many weeks after his mis-diagnosis, he’s still not better. MY final verbal “diagnosis” back to her … HE COULD HAVE BLINDED HIMSELF!
Beware the Dangers of Self-Medicating or Diagnosing
So if you’re absolutely sure it’s salicylate sensitivity … or one of the other popular diagnoses below … here’s a wake-up call … and a fun game for you! I’ve “googled” the symptoms for …
Salicylate Sensitivity … Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) … Parasites … and … Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Now can you guess which is which?
SYMPTOMS #1: fatigue, stomach pain, weight loss or gain, depression, anxiety, difficulty breathing, headaches, swelling, rash, hives, diarrhea
SYMPTOMS #2: fatigue, stomach pain, weight loss or gain, brain fog, rash, hives, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas
SYMPTOMS #3: fatigue, stomach pain (i.e. bloating, gas), weight loss or gain, diarrhea, constipation, brain fog, anxiety, depression, skin issues (i.e. rash/hives),
SYMPTOMS #4: fatigue, weight loss or gain, constipation, brain fog, thinning hair, depression, heavy menstrual periods
Wondering which is which? Wondering why they’re so similar?
Well … that’s exactly the point! WITH THE EXCEPTION OF VERY FEW CONDITION-SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS, (i.e. swelling and difficulty breathing for salicylate sensitivity and thinning hair and heavy menstrual periods for Hashimoto’s) SYMPTOMS FOR EACH ARE EXACTLY THE SAME!
And many other conditions can cause Hashimoto’s symptoms, like other hormone imbalances. And salicylate symptoms … there are nine-plus causes for shortness of breath coupled with swelling, like renal cysts, COPD, and pericarditis to name just a few.
How do I know? I “googled” them. Still want to know which is which? Well, I didn’t mix them up … the symptoms are in the original order that I mentioned their conditions.
So, can you now see that you shouldn’t be going around self-diagnosing yourself? My “diagnosis” … see a physician or a practitioner who specializes in alternative medicine.
Because MDs will laugh you out of the office when you say you want to be tested for “salicylate sensitivity”.
There are tests for many health problems. But specific testing for salicylate sensitivity? IBS? Parasites? There aren’t any.
The only salicylate test I know of is used to detect toxicity from medication. And IBS is diagnosed from symptoms … you CAN test for leaky gut … the main cause of IBS … but those tests are alternative and mostly not covered by insurance.
Parasites … forget it. I recently learned that parasites are smart little “buggers” … they secrete an enzyme which dissolves their bodies AND their DNA when they detect any change of condition in their environment.
There are two parasite tests that are pretty good. I do both of them in my practice depending upon the suspected parasite. As one is better for larger and the other for smaller.
But neither are 100% conclusive. And … at 45% … the COVID-19 one isn’t either.
The solution, then, for these conditions?
Find an alternative practitioner (alternative MDs are few and far between) who understands these conditions. There ARE, however, definitive tests for Hashimoto’s and subsequent medication.
But perhaps the best treatment appears to be … as for many autoimmune conditions … alternative also.
What else can you do?
The best thing to do when you have all the symptoms I talked about (and more) is to DO FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTING. Because all the symptoms above can all be caused by inflammation, which is the root cause of many dysfunctions and diseases.
I’ve treated all of the above … including salicylate toxicity, which can be kind of (but not definitively) detected and then treated by avoiding sensitive foods and food chemicals.
I wrote an article a while ago about salicylate sensitivity, and am still hearing from people who are possibly mis-diagnosing themselves with it. In the article, I also mentioned doing food sensitivity testing instead of “googling”.
But, like many people today … like those who contacted me … they’re still looking for a definitive diagnosis and treatment.
I’ve also been saying for years that our increasingly toxic environment plus lousy living has led to all this dis-ease and autoimmune. So I was very heartened when I heard Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, toxicity and integrative medicine pioneer, say exactly the same thing in a web-based Parasite Summit.
The reality is that, when you decrease the inflammation caused by that lousy living, you decrease the overall toxic load, and give the body a chance to heal itself.
I started this whole journey toward healing by working with Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, who wrote the famous book, Fit for Life. Their idea was to clean up that lousy living so people could heal.
And, boy, did they! Food sensitivity testing and other alternative treatments can be like Fit for Life on steroids. Boy, are they!
Here’s the link to learn more about FOODStrong™ for food sensitivities … my unique take on testing using LEAP Mediator Release Testing (MRT). Need to know more about the test itself … here’s the link.
Want more peace, less anxiety, more awareness? Need to reign in overeating? I’ve got the answer! Click here to experience the very first of my video Micro-Mindfuls™ … short, simple, sequential, downloadable mindful experiences. There’s also a link for my mindfulness collections on that page … audio versions coming soon!
Doctors have either did nothing for my conditions or made them worse – this goes for both allopathic and naturopathic doctors. I had the privilege of paying big bucks for their services either through insurance premiums, out of pocket costs and decreases in pay due to being not well.
Dorie
I’ve heard this story so many times that it just makes me sad. I don’t know if they got to the core of what was actually ailing you … but it’s worth a talk. But I’ve got to tell you that being bitter and blaming isn’t the answer either … and I can sense that in you. Feel free to leave me a message at 833-YOUHEAL or email me at jill@healyourhealthnow.com.
I’ve been lucky enough to come across 2 books that have been indispensable in helping to get “well” as much as is possible. They are
1. Salicylate Handbook by Sharla Race.
2.The Beginners Guide to Histamine Intolerance by Dr. Janice Joneja.
Not much research is available in the US. for these conditions. More has been done in Europe and Australia. That is why so many people are reaching out across the Internet for help. Yes errors in diagnosis can be made. Even Doctors misdiagnose conditions. But at least for conditions that most Doctors are unfamiliar with there is hope to find answers and relief from the suffering. Hopefully as more information and research is done and Doctors here in the US. admit to needing more information and are willing to learn more about these conditions we can then trust them for the correct diagnosis and treatment.
Bunny
You’re doing what I advise everyone to do … and what most alternative practioners have done to cure themselves of their own problems … you’re looking for your own solutions. But you said the magic word “diagnosis”. It’s time for ALL of us to look beyond diagnoses to find the root cause of these problems. I would like you to get more than well as much as possible. Instead of reading about diagnoses, read about functional medicine. Would love to talk with you to take your health to the next level … feel free to contact me.
At 64 years old I self diagnosed with salicylate intolerance. 71 now. Took a few weeks to determine that was the main culprit. Use to have rough, scaly elbows and very thick shin around finger tips. Used a pumice stone on them twice a week. Took a long time of eating low salicylates, maybe a year?, and elbows are smooth. Nail skin is thinner and most time smooth. It is the only visible sign of the intolerance. Could go on and on how they affect me inside. Don’t know if there is anything else I should be concerned about. Can tell everyone, my life has turned round since then. My current doctor accepts the fact that I have diagnosed and he keeps me healthy. The previous doctor didn’t want to hear about it. That was the last appointment.
Over the years I thought certain foods affected me, never could pinpoint. Doctors couldn’t help with elbows, of course that was in my younger years. At 64 I was binging on raw spinach in the evenings. Didn’t want to eat again. That is when all my past reactions to salicylates came crashing down. Took about 2 weeks of research to, more or less, decide I would try a low SAL diet. Took another few week to test the theory.
Sure, I over indulge at times, but within limits. Last time I had pizza was 4 to 5 years ago. Learned my lesson.
Not telling people to self diagnose. I just happened to stumble across it. THANK GOD!
Hey Seemseek
I am so glad for your recovery. And that you intuitively found the right path. But … you’re right … you “just happened to stumble across it”. A lot of people try so many things without stumbling across it though. So this article was more for them. Because trying and failing can be so frustrating. But I’m wondering … there may be things that you’re missing just doing diet … and not getting to the root cause of why this happened in the first place. Willing to take the journey even further? I do a lot of functional testing that could give you more answers. Willing to try? please feel free to contact me at 833 YOUHEAL or jill@healyourhealthnow.com.
I don’t agree,
Selah said sensitivity with aspirin and food since I was a little girl snd that was in 1950’s!
You may want to be more open minded and listen to your clients. I felt your anger coming through and it felt horrible.
OK … let me back up here. First of all, you have a TRUE allergy … and those are very rare. I’m not talking to people like you at all Sue. I’m talking to people who are using the medical model to try and “diagnose” a problem that they have. And THAT makes me angry as the mindset should be … “Something in my diet and my life is causing this … I need to get to the root cause of the problem.” Because all of the people I’ve worked with did NOT have salicylate sensitivity … they usually had some problem with immunity or leaky gut that caused them to manifest those reactions to high salicylate foods. And it’s also interesting that most of the people who profess to have a salicylate sensitivity don’t go any further with me and … I suppose … anyone else. They’re just looking for someone or something to blame for their problem. So … again … I apologize if you thought my anger was aimed at you … it wasn’t. Less that 1% of people have full-blown food allergies. You are a rarity!