FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK FACTSHEET

 

Salicylates

 

All foods are made up of hundreds of naturally occurring compounds that can have varying effects on us, depending on how much we eat and how sensitive we are. Salicylates (pronounced sall as in sally - i as in ink - sill as in silly - ate) are compounds formed from a plant hormone called salicylic acid and are in nearly every mouthful we eat.

 

Salicylates are:

 

·         present in varying amounts in nearly all foods and products that come from plants including fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, seeds, flowers and bark

·         natural regulators of growth, flowering, ripening, senescence and defence against pests and diseases 

·         highest in firm unripe fruit and lowest when ripe fruit is ready to drop off the plant

·         highest in the skin zone (skin and just under the skin)

·         concentrated by processing as in fruit or vegetable juices, sauces, pastes, powders, jams, syrups and flavourings

·         increased in genetically engineered plants for greater resistance to disease

·         made in laboratories in medications such as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

 

Salicylates in medication

 

The best known salicylate is aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), which was originally extracted from willow bark. When introduced more than 100 years ago, aspirin was regarded as a completely safe wonder drug but by now numerous side effects have been documented (Azer 2006):

 

·         gastrointestinal effects including gastric irritation, bleeding, nausea and vomiting

·         cardiovascular effects including rapid heart rate, cardiac arrhythmias

·         effects on liver and kidneys

·         urticaria, hives, itchy skin rashes

·         respiratory effects including asthma

·         (in adults) tinnitus, reversible hearing loss, vertigo, symptoms of Meniere’s Disease

·         central nervous system effects including confusion, short term memory loss, aggression, paranoia, incoherent speech, insomnia, coordination problems, tremors, anorexia (loss of appetite) and lethargy (Courts 1996, Bailey and Jones 1989)

·         changes in children’s behaviour (Schaller 1977)

·         urinary and fecal incontinence (Lemesh 1993)

·         salicylate-induced hypoglycemia (Limbeck and others 1965)

·         salicylate toxicity in a breastfed baby due to maternal ingestion of aspirin (Haslam 1975), showing that salicylates pass into breastmilk.

 

Some people are much more sensitive than others but it is not possible to predict who will be affected or when they will be affected. NSAID-induced stomach problems are estimated to cause 76,000 hospital admissions and 7,600 deaths each year in the USA. (Garnett 1995)

 

Many health professionals warn that chronic salicylism is a common but unrecognised cause of illness in the elderly that is difficult to diagnose because of the huge variety and subtlety of symptoms. One group of researchers described the ‘protean manifestations’ of chronic salicylate toxicity, Proteus being an ancient Greek god who could assume any shape. When their hospital rewarded staff for finding cases, there was a dramatic increase in diagnostic recognition (Bailey and Jones 1989).

 

Salicylates are thought to work by inhibiting the action of two enzymes called cyclooxgenase. Normally these enzymes convert an essential fatty acid called arachidonic acid into prostaglandins - hormone-like chemicals responsible for pain and inflammation - and leukotrienes. When salicylates block the production of prostaglandins, more leukotrienes are produced instead, becoming a problem for people who are sensitive to leukotrienes. Until very recently, research focused on the role of leukotrienes in aspirin-sensitive asthma, but it is now realized that leukotrienes are involved in a wide range of inflammatory conditions (Capra and others 2006). One implication of this research is that it accounts for the protean manifestations mentioned above.

 

 

Salicylates in food

 

It is not widely accepted that the effects of salicylates in medications can also be caused by salicylates in foods, probably because many so-called ‘low-salicylate’ diets use an outdated food list and are in fact not low in salicylates.

 

As long ago as the 1960s, rheumatologists noticed that children’s behaviour could be affected by salicylates in their arthritis medication. One, Professor Eric Bywaters, reported a patient who attacked him with a knife while ‘under the influence of salicylates’ (Bywaters 1966). In the 1970s, American pediatrician Dr Ben Feingold noticed that children’s behaviour could also be affected by natural salicylates in foods (Feingold 1974). His observations were confirmed in a study showing that children’s behaviour and learning ability could be affected by both salicylates in foods and salicylates in aspirin (Fitzsimon and others, 1978) but overall the Feingold diet achieved mixed results.

 

In the mid-80s Australian researchers published a new analysis of salicylate contents in foods showing that there were salicylates in many more foods than previously thought (Swain and others, 1985). For people who had already been following low salicylate diets, the new salicylate information was a revelation. ‘When I found the Australian salicylate lists I was so excited,' wrote a salicylate-sensitive asthmatic from New Mexico. ‘I could finally understand what was happening - I had inadvertently been eating salicylates every day’ (see [228] below).

 

The Australian researchers identified other food chemicals that could cause symptoms of food intolerance, including biogenic amines and added and natural glutamates. When they used this new elimination diet, nearly 90 per cent of 140 children with behaviour disturbance improved significantly, of whom nearly three quarters were sensitive to salicylates (Swain and others reported in the Lancet, 1985).

 

Other published successes with a low salicylate diet using the Australian list include the following:

 

• Six children with chronic asthma found to be sensitive to salicylates were asked to follow a low-salicylate diet, but compliance was poor. Only one subject maintained the diet for three months by which time this child was free of asthma medication and his lung function had returned to normal (Towns and Mellis 1984).

 

• In an open trial of a low salicylate, reduced amine diet by another team of Australian researchers, 80 per cent of 516 children with behaviour problems improved significantly (Breakey and others 1991).

 

• I used a low salicylate, low amine, low glutamate diet (Clarke and others 1994) for the open trial first stage of a double blind placebo controlled study with 27 children. One hundred per cent of the children who completed two to three weeks of the elimination diet improved significantly (Dengate and Ruben 2002). This is the diet that the Food Intolerance Network supports.

 

• A 27 year old university graduate had been diagnosed with ADHD without hyperactivity and obsessive-compulsive disorder in childhood and developed anxiety and depression in late teenage. After unsuccessfully trying medication, he began a trial of the elimination diet mentioned above. His symptoms improved significantly during a 4-week elimination diet and he began a set of double blind placebo controlled capsule challenges. Within days of the first capsule challenge his symptoms of depression and others worsened so dramatically that challenges were stopped and the blind was broken – the capsule was found to contain salicylates. Over a long period of time, open challenges showed that many other food chemicals were also associated with his symptoms (Parker and Watkins 2002).

 

• Preliminary results from a Melbourne study of diet and behaviour currently underway using the diet mentioned above are encouraging. Enrolments for this study will be closing soon.

 

Life without fruit

 

Most parents are reluctant to consider a low salicylate diet. ‘How can children live without fruit?’ they ask, not realising that it is possible to eat vegetables without fruit. Nearly two thousand years ago, the ancient Greek physician Galen (Claudius Galenus), considered to be the co-founder of modern medicine, wrote that his father had lived to be a hundred by avoiding fruit.

 

I have spent months in remote subsistence villages in the Himalayas where children eat very little fruit. These children are happy, healthy, well-spoken and eager to learn, sometimes walking up to two hours each way to school. They are mostly vegetarians living on home-grown rice, lentils, dried beans, potatoes and a range of other vegetables in season, with a few fruit trees around the house. ‘How much fruit do you eat?’ I would ask. After a lot of thought, they would generally estimate ‘about one piece a week’. As well there might be fresh milk and yoghurt in season from their own yak-buffalo cross and eggs from their own chickens. Their intake of additives is zero and their intake of high salicylate-containing foods is much lower than ours. My daughter, who had been diagnosed with ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder and had been following a low salicylate diet for years in Australia, is able to eat this Himalayan subsistence diet without ill effects. 

 

As income increases, households move from subsistence to supermarket eating, buying more fat, meat, sugar, wheat, expensive fruits and vegetables and processed foods (Griffiths and Bentley 2001). Finally, in the Western diet, intake of whole fruits and vegetables is replaced by products such as fruit juice and hot potato chips and, in adolescence, by soft drinks and fast food such as pizza (Adair and Popkin, 2005).

 

During the transition from subsistence to supermarket diet, our intake of salicylates increases because salicylates are concentrated in products such as jam, juices, sauces, stock cubes, tomato paste and dried fruit and vegetables. As well, foods are usually picked unripe for long shelf life when salicylates are at their highest, plants are genetically engineered with increased salicylates for disease resistance (Cipollini, 2003) and a wide variety of very high salicylate fruit and vegetables are available all year round.

 

Since food chemicals can be addictive, it is common to find salicylate-intolerant children choosing to eat very little other than the highest salicylate foods, especially tomato sauce, orange juice, broccoli, grapes, strawberries, kiwi fruit, sultanas, fruit juice and fruit flavoured yoghurts, while their parents think ‘well, at least it’s healthy’.

 

In addition, exposure to environmental chemicals such as pesticides and solvents may make people, especially children, more sensitive to other chemicals in foods and in perfumes (Miller 2001).

 

Very few consumers are affected by one dose of salicylates in foods. More often, as people are exposed to salicylates many times every day, effects build up slowly causing occasional outbreaks of symptoms and no one realizes what is happening. The table below shows how salicylate exposure increases with the Western lifestyle.

 

 

Salicylate (SAL) exposure in subsistence village compared to the Western lifestyle

 

 

Salicylates in village life

 

 

Salicylates in supermarket life

 

Fruit and vegetables

 

·         picked very ripe (lower in SALS)

·         old varieties (lower in SALS)

·         more veg eaten (lower in SALS)

·         more low SAL veg eaten (e.g.lentils, beans)

·         fruit and veg are fresh and unprocessed

·         Spices fresh homegrown, e.g. ginger, cardamom, turmeric

 

·         picked hard, unripe (higher in SALS)

·         long-shelf-life varieties (higher in SALS)

·         more fruit eaten (higher in SALS)

·         more high SAL veg eaten (e.g. broccoli)

·         SALS concentrated in juice, sauces, flavours

·         SALS concentrated in dried spices

 

 

Other

 

·         Medications                   none    

·         Skin creams                  none    

·         Perfumes, cleaners        none

·         Sensitisers                    none                

 

·         aspirin, NSAIDs

·         toothpaste, teething gel, medicated lotions

·         perfumed products, cleaners, air fresheners

·         pesticides, petrol, plasticizers

 

Drinks

 

·         mainly water, weak tea (limited) 

·         rice or millet beer (lower in SALS)                       

·         less water, more SAL containing drinks

·         grape wine, hop beer (higher in SALS)

 

The villagers’ fruit and vegetables are picked very ripe, often rotting within 24 hours. That is when salicylates are at their lowest, compared to hard, unripe, long-shelf-life supermarket produce that are picked green when salicylates are at their highest, stored, and artificially ripened. There are thousands of traditional varieties of fruit, for example, 6000 varieties of apples in the UK that have previously thrived in various districts, but are now not one of the only ten varieties sold in supermarkets. Newer varieties tend to be developed for their firmness and long shelf life which probably makes them higher in salicylates.

 

Villagers eat a very high vegetable to fruit ratio, and it is interesting to note that there are many more low-salicylate vegetables than low-salicylate fruit (approximately 30:1).  Villagers also have a higher intake of the vegetables that are at the lower end of the salicylate scale. Potatoes, lentils and fresh and dried peas and beans are village staples compared to the abundance of high salicylate fruit and vegetables available in supermarkets year round, out of season and from distant locations. In the villages, fruit is eaten mainly as small quantities of fresh, ripe fruit in season, compared with the Western diet’s daily intake of concentrated supermarket products. As well, villagers are not exposed to salicylates through household cleaners and health care products or other industrial chemicals.

 

How to reduce salicylate intake

 

·         choose more fruit and vegetables from the lower end of the salicylate scale, such as traditional pears, potatoes, green beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, celery, lettuce, leeks, garlic, kidney beans and others, golden and red delicious apples, mangoes, carrots, corn and pumpkin, and avoid those at the highest end of the scale such as tomatoes, citrus, avocados, broccoli, grapes, sultanas, plums, prunes and silverbeet.  For recipes with low to medium salicylates see the Failsafe booklet on www.fedup.com.au  under FAILSAFE EATING.

·         eat whole unprocessed fruit and vegetables rather than processed food with strong fruit or vegetable flavours, including juice, lollies, fruit yoghurts, soup stocks and sauces

·         peel fruit and vegetables well to avoid the high concentrations of salicylates in the skin zone

·         coffee is much lower in salicylates than tea, decaf is lower still

·         we are currently experimenting with homegrown heirloom varieties of low acid yellow tomatoes, watch this space …

·         use plain unperfumed soap, washing powder, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, cosmetics, toothpaste, skin cream, sunblock, household cleaners, no perfumes, no airfresheners, no aerosols, no cut flowers, see a suggested list in the Failsafe Booklet www.fedup.com.au

·         avoid salicylates in many prescription and over-the-counter medications including aspirin, nonsteroidal antiflammatory drugs, many painkillers, oil of wintergreen and any medications or skin creams containing salicylates or with a warning for asthmatics in the Consumer Medicine Information sheet, arthritis creams, sports creams like Dencorub, Vicks Vaporub, teething gel and oral gels like Bonjela and Ora-Sed, wart removers, acne cleansers and wipes, some insect repellants. For a useful list of salicylate in medications see the following list but ignore the outdated advice about salicylate containing foods: www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/pierre/documents/TopicalProd.pdf

 

 

For best results with food intolerance symptoms

 

·         do the full elimination diet supervised by a dietitian, write to confoodnet@ozemail.com.au for our list of supportive dietitians.

 

For some people, any amount of dietary salicylates is too much. A common mistake on the elimination diet is to drink pear juice, which contains pears with peel. While a peeled, ripe pear contains very low salicylates, juice with peel will contain salicylates, so one glass per day of pear juice can reverse the benefits of an elimination diet. This is why doctors who advise 'do the diet but not too seriously' are effectively sabotaging the outcome. For best results, the diet must be followed absolutely strictly for three weeks. It is usual then to do a supervised reintroduction (challenge) to confirm whether salicylates are a problem.

 

For conditions clearly associated with salicylates, such as symptoms of Meniere’s diease, physicians recommend that challenges not be attempted. Instead the aim is to reduce exposure to salicylate from all sources until symptoms improve, while at the same time eating as many salicylate containing foods as can be managed so that the diet is not unnecessarily restricted. This is not intended as medical advice – please consult your dietitian or physician.

 

Readers’ Stories

 

[407] My children were on an extremely healthy diet (March 2006)

 

After failsafeing my children we have seen a great improvement in their behaviour. My eldest daughter (nearly 5yrs) was diagnosed with ODD. She is so much happier and easier to live with since being on the diet. My youngest daughter had dry eczema on her arms that has all but disappeared. Both of my children were on what would have been considered an extremely healthy diet (fit for life) with very little junk food and loads of fruit and vegetables. They have both improved considerably over the four or five months on the diet. Thanks for the work you have done in making us aware of what really is in our food. We have tried many things to help our eldest daughter with little success and were at our wits end. Food has turned out to be a big key. Now some of the other methods we had previously tried (eg. reward charts) actually work. If we have a slip on the diet it's like a wall goes up in her mind and she can't listen anymore. – Belinda, by email

 

[036] “Easily enraged” on salicylates (excerpt, April 2000)

 

My daughter reacts to salicylates by becoming easily enraged and blaming everyone for everything. She is, by the way, the most un-ADD person I've every met - highly organised, very logical, and a real old head on young shoulders -very knowing and mature and reasonable. She is also academically gifted. My son becomes hyper and idiotic and unable to learn when he has more than moderate salicylates in his diet. - Qld

 

[125] "To say I felt better would have been the understatement of a new millenium" (September 2001)

 

I was searching on the internet for some clues to my life long digestive problems, when I came across the food allergy section on the About.com website. The featured food allergy topic happened to be salicylates ... just out of curiosity, and for the heck of it, I clicked on the link, and started to read about it … I first off read the list of common symptoms. As I read it the list was all to familiar to me … I answered Yes to every symptom. Needless to say, I started to follow a salicylate free diet. To say I felt better would have been the understatement of a new millenium...... ALL of my life I have suffered from very frequent urination, constipation, stomach bloating, short temper, irritability, inability to concentrate, memory problems, severe acne, dry skin (especially on my hands and feet), those restless legs, and more ...<sigh>… The worst of it for me though was the constant urination, and constipation which led to a lot of gas ... Thank you so much for your work, and your book. Both have changed my life forever. I am finally free of a problem which has literally ruined my life. In case you're wondering, I'm 37 years old ... And yes, 36 years is WAY too long to suffer with this health problem. Sometimes I don't know how I made it this long with my sanity intact. - from the USA

 

[122] Restless Legs Syndrome (August 2001)

 

Restless Legs Syndrome was absolutely driving me crazy. If I forced my legs to be still, they would then jerk with even greater intensity. While I was watching TV, my legs were constantly swinging, because of this urge to move them. They were not itchy - it was just like there was something under the skin driving me crazy. Apparently most sufferers go on to become alcoholics  which I can understand. American websites about RLS basically fall back onto all sorts of medication, which I do not want to take. Within two weeks of trying the elimination diet, I was able to sit still at night, AND get into bed without fear of tossing and turning all night because of this urge to move my legs. I now know the foods I should not touch - salicylates and additives ... when I eat any of these forbidden foods there is a definite reaction. - NSW

 

[114] Paresthesia (numbness) (August 2001)

 

I am sensitive to salicylates as the result of overuse of Ibuprofen (chemically very similar to aspirin). I developed asthma-like respiratory symptoms when eating certain foods but couldn't figure out which foods were responsible. Then I developed paresthesia in my left thigh when I took a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug which was prescribed for back pain. Ironically, all of the muscle pains etc. disappeared once I removed everything from my diet that I was sensitive to. - USA [Commonly called 'pins and needles' paraesthesia is a sensation of numbness, prickling and tingling that is normally felt in a limb or extremity.] - USA

 

[108] Salicylates from the beginning (August 2001)

 

On advice from our paediatrician (believe it or not) we took our 3.5 yo son off salicylates from the beginning. I typed in this unknown word and got your website and cried and contacted you and you recommended a dietitian … we have the most unbelievable son now as long as we stick close to his 'food plan', we don't call it a diet. …I just can't express our gratitude enough - life is completely different within our household and for our son himself. – Qld

 

[102] Overweight due to salicylates (August 2001) excerpt

 

Around the middle of last year I realised that I generally felt unwell. But worst of all was my bloated stomach, which most times looked like I was 7 months pregnant, and the related bowel problems. Looking back I had been gradually getting worse for a couple of years … I went on the strict diet for several weeks. I tried the challenges and narrowed my causes down to dairy and salicylates (both of which I had normally in large quantities). I then got caught up in a round of end of year work functions and lunches, so I was not able to be so strict with myself. I went backwards quickly …

Now I avoid all processed foods, eat failsafe at home, and make informed choices when out. I love wine but have cut down to a couple of glasses per week, have decaf coffee, soy milk etc. The result has been a new zest for life - new role at work, back to studying part time and lots of activities. I'm back to size 12 clothes (have bought lots of new ones). I turn 50 next week and feel like 40. I'm a bit evangelical when I tell people why I've lost so much weight. – NSW

 

[212] Weight is dropping off (October 2002)

 

We are doing the elimination diet for my three children. I have been on the diet too and on the two occasions I had chocolate with my husband, I had a huge headache the next day. I have been a chocoholic all my life!! I also had a headache for the first week due to withdrawals, I presume. The best thing is I am not craving sweets and the weight is dropping off me!! I am losing about half a kilo a week (except during the salicylate challenge). – by email

 

[093] Life threatening anaphylactoid reaction to salicylates (October 2000)

 

My friend has followed your diet and had only one small reaction (and she admits to "cheating" some that day) in the last 11 months. Before that, she was speeding to the hospital in an ambulance about every 10 -14 days. Now she has not done that in nearly a whole year - THANKS to your book and food lists. She has also reduced the antihistamines that she takes by more than half ... Her own allergy doctor is very impressed with her current health and has sent for "Fed Up" also. It seems weird that she has had to find her own help and that doctors seem to have little knowledge of her allergy to natural aspirin. Thanks again for your help. She is my close friend and lives alone but now I don't fear for her safety because the life threatening reactions have disappeared. Her overall health and energy levels have greatly increased. Without your website, current correct information, and books, coping was so difficult. - reader's friend, USA

 

[080] Helped us to realise what his problems might be caused by (October 2000)

 

I have a near 7 year old with an intolerance to salicylates. Your book "Fed Up" helped us realise what his problems might be caused by, and since he has been on a low salicylate diet, his behaviour, school work etc have improved dramatically! - reader, email

 

[387] HHT (Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia) and a low salicylate diet (March 2006)

 

Our family has been largely failsafe for the past couple of years due to our daughter’s behaviour, but an added side benefit seems to have emerged. My husband has a rare disorder called Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) which causes his capillaries to balloon and bleed easily. His blood count is always very low and like all HHT sufferers, nosebleeds have always been part of his life. He has had far fewer nosebleeds since he's avoided salicylates and that's the only change that he's made. I wonder if it could be that the lack of salicylates decrease the bleeding? He can't ever take aspirin, so I suppose it makes sense, but if my suspicions are correct, then other HHT sufferers might benefit as well. I would think that it's worth investigating and I will certainly share it with anyone who is interested or concerned. – Chris, NSW(vwilder@optusnet.com.au)

 

[414] Gastroscopy results and the failsafe approach (May 2006)

 

Some years ago now, I remember reading  a message from a failsafer who’d had a gastroscopy before he went failsafe, which showed scarring and evidence of reflux, and he was put on strong antacids and told he might eventually need an operation (presumably to repair the gastric sphincter).

 

Exactly the same happened to me. I get the neurological symptoms (depression, paranoia, neurosis, ADD, visual discomfort and dyslexia - which improves but hasn't been resolved), but I also had years of gastric symptoms and had had two gastroscopies before I discovered failsafe eating. The first one showed no ulcer but that the lining was inflamed. After the second I had exactly the same diagnosis as in the story above. I remember the gastroenterologist telling me that although the symptoms weren't typical, the problem was definitely reflux, and suggesting the operation.

 

After I had been on the diet for some years, I had another gastroscopy to investigate the possibility of coeliac sprue. This wasn't found (thank heavens) but it did demonstrate that the scarring and inflammation that had previously been there was now gone. The diet had resolved about 10 years of painful gastric symptoms for me. I'm just wondering whether there might be other adults or children who have had the same experience. As people are so keen on physical evidence, maybe someone could pool the results and put out a paper? - reader, NSW

 

[157] The orange-picking monster (June 2002) excerpt

 

My son has an intolerance to salicylates and [since sticking to the diet] we have had two years incident free, until recently. It seems my son can react to salicylates just from handling them. We have a weekend house that has prolific orange trees. One Saturday afternoon when my son was picking oranges for the rest of the family to eat, he became "the monster". There was no improvement and on Monday morning he fought with his sister about juicing the oranges. At school he was worse than anyone had seen him before, running away from the classroom. When he was found and taken back to class, he locked the teacher and children out of the classroom. The deputy took him to her office to try to calm him down (she is a believer in the diet) and claims that he just continued to babble and talk gibberish. He was suspended from school for two days after this incident. All his regular teachers are at a loss to explain how this child who is by nature helpful, courteous and bubbly can suddenly become this "monster". After the monster phase he became very lethargic and fell asleep continually. He was still irritable and altogether it took two weeks for him to return to his old self. - by email

 

[137] Unsettled breastfed baby (December 2001)

 

My sister is finding life much easier with her baby thanks to modifying her diet. She removed very high salicylates and amines and it seemed to have an immediate affect on his behaviour. They now have much more settled nights. She found that every time she ate even a small amount of tomato, wine, chocolate etc, that they had a difficult night and that it just wasn't worth it! Thank you for your information and support. It was also very helpful for me as a breastfeeding counsellor to be involved with a particular case and to see that diet can have an effect. I feel more able to suggest to mothers that this might be something to look into if their baby continues to be unsettled. - reader, Qld

 

[129] "I am an early childhood nurse …" (November 2001) excerpt

 

My daughter Rosie is now 14 months old. She continues the elimination diet, and still loves her food. We finally tried some challenges. Salicylates were a disaster, (pumpkin twice a day for 2 days and a granny smith apple core), she became irritable, clingy, whingy etc, then vomited, with no associated illness. – NSW

 

[152] The first 19 months - Dani's diary (April 2002) excerpt

 

Birth - Chris is born nearly 2 months early. We stay in hospital until Chris is a month old. Staff regularly comment on the huge amount of crying he does and his restlessness. They put this down to a consequence of being prem and assure me he will be more normal and settled by the time he was due to be born.

 

2 mths - Chris doesn't settle - he gets worse, screaming and crying all the time all day and night. Regularly passes out from lack of oxygen.

 

3 1/2 mths - I am totally exhausted and can not cope at all anymore - sick of the lack of support and everybody telling me that babies cry and I should just get over it. They all think I am a hypochondriac. I start colouring behaviour charts showing his screaming/crying/grizzling and sleep. I now know I am not exaggerating or pulling things out of proportion - the charts show he is worse than I thought. He is crying and screaming for about 18 hours out of 24. When he does sleep out of exhaustion it will be for one or two hours only - generally throughout the night. He rarely sleeps during daylight hours.

I ring my doctor in desperation. I am afraid I might hurt Chris if I don't get some sleep soon and get him sorted out. My doctor admits us to hospital. The staff take over Chris and I get to sleep. Staff are amazed at the amount Chris screams - at first they think it is just because he is away from me and home but I assure them he is the same at home. His crying continues non stop even after being in hospital over a week and in my arms a lot of the time. The doctor suggests we try the elimination diet. We see our local dietitian. I start the diet.

 

4 1/2 mths - Chris is getting a lot better. He isn't screaming near as much though is still crying a fair bit. We really notice it when I eat anything on the no go list - we have to cope with his screaming within 24 hours.

 

5 1/2 mths - My behaviour charts show that Chris is improving a lot. He is now crying more than screaming. I still can't get him to sleep during the day. (The diet is not as effective as it should be because I am making salicylate mistakes like drinking way too much lemonade and eating lots of carrots and pumpkin - but I don't find that out for another 10 months.)

 

14 mths - Chris goes off all carrots and pumpkin - makes it really hard for me to find foods to get him to eat as he eats a huge amount of each of these. We notice a big change in Chris - he stops grizzling altogether and is suddenly really easy to manage. He is a lot more agreeable!! Have a look through my books and discover that pumpkin and carrot are moderate in salicylates - I thought they were low!! No wonder he wasn't 100%. He was obviously getting too many salicylates!

19 mths -  Chris is now fantastic. We are really enjoying him. - Dani, WA

 

[228] Severe Aspirin Induced Asthma (January 2003) excerpt

 

I have Samter's Triad syndrome, also known as Aspirin Induced Asthma (AIA). About 10 per cent of people with Samter’s syndrome also get urticaria (hives) and/or angioedema (swelling of the lips, tongue, neck etc). Angioedema can be so severe as to cause death by suffocation, so it is considered a medical emergency. …

 

When I was 18, I went into anaphylactic shock when I was given the wrong pain medicine (Darvon - containing aspirin) by accident. I took one pill and within 15 minutes was unconscious. I was in intensive care for a week, then in the respiratory wing for another week. During that time, I was given a gingerale soda and went into another anaphylactic reaction. That is when they figured out I was sensitive to salicylates in foods and yellow #5 dye and was diagnosed with what they called Triad Asthma back then.

 

Since that time I have tried just about every low salicylate diet that the doctors or I could find. I know now they were not complete nor correct. I was ingesting many foods like broccoli, cauliflower and onions on a daily basis, under the impression that they were safe. I had what they called mini-anaphylactic reactions nearly every day and was put on prednisone, asthma medication and an antihistamine on a daily schedule to control reactions. Salicylates kept building up in my system until the daily prednisone wasn't stopping the reactions and I would end up in the hospital again …

 

When I found the Australian salicylate lists I was so excited. I could finally understand what was happening. I was inadvertently eating salicylates every day. - from the USA

 

[215] Autism and diet (October 2002) excerpt

 

My son is 3 ½ and was diagnosed with Autism at 2½. He also presented with almost all of the criteria for the hyperactivity side of ADHD. The diagnosing doctor gave us very little information to go ahead with. By good fortune my husband picked up Sue Dengate's Failsafe Cookbook the weekend after our son was diagnosed, when I was still reeling and had no idea which direction to head in. We went looking for triggers for our sons hyperactive bouts, he was always active, preferring to permanently run rather than walk, and he had no attention span, but sometimes he would just go off, usually for about two days, where he would literally climb the furniture, sitting on top of the bookshelf, watching TV upside down, while lying on top of it, and he was causing his older sister, not to mention his parents, huge amounts of grief.

 

Early intervention has proved a godsend, but even so, we couldn't get him to sit still, or even sit down! and ADHD drug trialling was mentioned, if we couldn't improve his behaviour. This made me very nervous because previously any medication, bar panadol, for more than 3 days, sent him berserk. I now understand this to be the flavourings in all children's medication (I thought I was covering my bases buying colour-free!) Before I went to RPAH I had done quite a lot of work on his diet myself, and we had discovered a lot ourselves, but after I'd read Sue's book and been to RPAH I was able to make a real difference for our son. His biggest problem is salicylates and colourings - why didn't anyone know to tell me that bad nappy rash is always a sign of salicylate intolerance? That sign was present from when he was a baby. I always put it down to teething - how wrong I was! What a huge amount of grief we could have been saved if we'd known.

 

Our son is a typical limited Autistic eater. We were told that he was eating a good nutritious diet and we shouldn't interfere. After RPAH and Sue's book, we learned that almost everything our son was eating was bad for his intolerances ….

 

We are only in the second month of the elimination diet, with several mishaps already under our belts, but I really wanted to encourage anyone who is thinking about the diet, dealing with Autism or ADHD - give it a go - you'll learn a lot. It has lowered the stress on our family, particularly his five year old sister, considerably, and has made our son far easier to deal with. Also, when he is not affected by a food infringement, his eye contact improves, he is coming out with new words every week, and is approaching other teachers, apart from his regular carer, something he's never done before.

 

Interestingly, before we went to RPAH, Sue Dengate told us the main problem would be salicylates but I couldn't face it, I thought it was too hard. It really wasn't that hard, and the fast results were well worth it … I hope I can encourage others out there to give it a go. - from the failsafe2 discussion group

 

[182] 282: "wonderful changes" (September 2002)

 

My son was experiencing behavioural and learning problems. Through diet (eliminating 282, other additives and some salicylates) I have seen some wonderful changes in him, especially in his sleeping. For the first time in his five years of life, he is sleeping 12-14 hours a day. - email, WA

 

[169] "I didn't think I could do without" (September 2002)

 

I'm starting to get on top of this diet but it has taken ages because I've only just got around to eliminating the things I didn't think I could do without - like a cup of tea with breakfast. Sometimes you just can't believe something that feels so good, so right, can be so bad - but I seem to react (with migraines) to both salicylates and amines. I also react to milk - not incredibly sensitive, but more than about half a cup and I'm gone - and it took me quite a long time to admit that. - email, NSW

 

[237] " better than on full medication with NO side effects" (February 2003)

 

I'd like to tell you what your diet has done for my son. He used to be on Ritalin. I talked with our doctor about you and how I was going to do the diet (our whole family is doing it). We felt the claims may have been a bit exaggerated but have some benefit possibly. So I thought 'I have tried everything else with Sam, I may as well give this a go. I have nothing to lose'.

 

WELL, within 2 days !!!!!!! my feral son DID in fact become an angel!!! just like - no, better - than on full medication with NO side effects and it has lasted. It has been two weeks now. I don't know yet what he is intolerant to until we start the challenges.

 

It's not as though we had an unhealthy diet. We used to check the labels for artificial food colours, preservatives and other additives because we already found out that made him ten times worse.

 

I'm excited about it. I never dreamed it would work SO well! We did put him on the medication for Sunday morning at church but that was the only bad time on the diet. He cried the whole morning till it wore off, so we won't be giving it to him anymore. He is so much better. I can't wait till his next appointment with our doctor - he wants to know the results. I will sing your praises. I have stuck to the diet like the Bible. None of us have compromised in anything, although I desperately crave pizza, Diet Coke and tomatoes and hope I'll get over that soon. I have attached a photo of Sam before. The picture says it all. Thanks so much.- Lisa. (Footnote: So far, Sam has reacted to both salicylate and amine challenges.)

 

[319] 'Most improved mathematician' (April 2004)

 

I tried the failsafe diet several years ago unsuccessfully. I realise now that I was not strict enough with the salicylates and additives. So, once again I've turned to the book, this time with new vigour. After three days, my child who has learning difficulties and is repeating year 1 has been praised by three different teachers and is receiving an honour certificate at school (a positive reinforcement program). My older son (9) received an award on the same day for the 'most improved Mathematician - Years 4-7'. They do a fortnightly maths test (same test each time -they have a copy at home to practice) - he doubled the number of questions answered in the allotted time and got nearly all of them right with only one short trial at home. I am determined to continue this time. Thanks so much - we may have finally found the answers. - email.

 

[270] A 21-year-old looks back on diet (June 2003)

 

When I was around 4 years old I had quite severe behavioural problems, so my mum went from doctor to doctor looking for a possible solution. Eventually one doctor suggested the Feingold diet. I started the elimination diet in 1986, and my parents found an immediate improvement. One day my grandparents gave me red cordial which pretty much confirmed the effects of food additives. My parents and I found that I reacted to salicylates, and lots of artificial colours and flavours.

I went from a kid who everyone said would grow up to be a juvenile delinquent, to a better behaved kid who is now 21, studying for an Information Technology Bachelors degree. I also finished a 12-month employment contract not long ago and started a new job.

I'm surprised that it's only recently that people have been talking about the link between food and behaviour. – student, Australia

 

[265] Reversals during salicylate challenge (June 2003)

 

We started our salicylate challenge on a Sunday. By Monday afternoon, my son was climbing the furniture more than normal and told me he felt silly. He was very giggly. On Tuesday afternoon he was again climbing the furniture and not responding to me when I talked to him. He was very happy and giggly again and it was actually kind of nice. His writing has improved so much lately, I was astounded when we sat down to do his homework and he started writing badly again. About 75% of his letters were backwards and he couldn't work out how to spell easy words. This is what really shocked me and what will make me avoid salicylates. When he got dressed he even put his clothes on backwards! - failsafer, by email

 

[262] Stuttering (June 2003)

 

Our latest mistake was when our son was given a "special treat" of a glass of orange juice by his well meaning grandparents. Aaaaaargh. Since then his speech has gotten worse. We noticed his speech worsened when we did the salicylate challenge. The speech problems come into play when he is hyper, which is days 1-2 post salicylate and slowly improves from there. - by email

 

[312] Naturopathic way makes us sicker (April 2004)

 

I have been using your book like a bible for my four-year-old and have had wonderful success. Without it I don't think our family would have survived. Our little boy has salicylate sensitivity and is also affected by a lot of preservatives and colours. He previously suffered from severe bloating, diarrhoea and stomach cramps which are controlled with this diet. His severe rages and tantrums also went away almost instantly when we started failsafe eating. My son is very grateful because he doesn't like having stomach cramps. He said to me one day when he was only three, 'Mummy what are we going to do about my tummy, it really hurts' and that was when I found your book.

 

I am a nutritionist and have studied through natural health colleges. I have found that trying to help my son and myself the naturopathic way only makes us much sicker, as you stated in your book. My son cannot take herbal supplements or eat lots of fruit and vegetables. - NSW.