Salicylate Intolerance

Salicylate sensitivity posts:
salicylates and insulin resistance

I suffer from salicylate intolerance/sensitivity/dare I say allergy? This means that I have some kind of reaction to products that contain salicylic acid. This is a chemical compound that is found in fruits, vegetables, spices, other plants like flowers and weeds, grass and a lot of cosmetics and cleansers.
There are different types of this acid like methyl salicylate, which is mint. The different types affect me differently. For example, I can eat tomatoes and not feel anything (that doesn't mean nothing is happening), but where I touch the tomatoes, or the tomato plant I will get pin prick like holes all over my hands. When I figured out what was happening I always thought if it is doing this to my hands what happens when I put this inside my stomach? Well, I do have ulcerative colitis, so go figure. Anyway, when I eat egg plant, zucchini, certain spices like turmeric, I have a terrible stomach pain after about 20 minutes. I mean a pain that takes me to the floor. I also feel very nauseous like I am going to throw up, and sometimes I will.
    Cosmetics and soaps and shampoos that contain salicylates will make my skin break out. I thought I had acne until I figured out it was the salicylic acid in the face wash that is intended to get rid of acne. Now my face is clear! Unless I come into contact with it by way of my husband using the banned shampoo and then laying on my pillow. If I have coffee I will have terrible headaches ( I thought I had a brain tumor, for real), if I have a lot of mint or the menthol that is in cough drops or ginger, I will be stuck in bed all the next day and unable to function due to the headache, dizziness and nausea. In the case of the ginger, I threw up all the next morning.  (It's true, I've experimented with this enough times to rule out other factors like a virus.
    Interestingly enough, last year my doctor gave me a medication that is used to treat colitis and it was basically a type of salicylic acid. The next morning I was so dizzy I could not stand. I felt worse than I ever had in my life. My husband thought I was going to die and took me to the urgent care. They gave me a shot of benadryl. I don't know if that worked, but they determined I wasn't going to die and I went home and fell asleep for 4 hours and when I woke up felt better. For me, that was the nail in the coffin that I really cannot handle salicylates. I don't know why exactly, but they make me so sick.
This is a website I turn to and it really helps me to figure out what is low and what is high, Salicylate Sensitivity
 Different types of salicylates affect me differently so I really don't know how to proceed. I peel my fruit (the highest concentration is found in the skin) and veggies. I avoid the spices turmeric, cumin and nutmeg. Cinnamon is supposed to be high but it actually helps me feel better when I have stomach pain, so I do not avoid this. I cannot eat pumpkin or butternut squash even though I love them, and I do eat them anyway. I need to stop really I do. I avoid yams and cooked carrots and juices.
For cosmetics, I use Bare Minerals powder. They have a liquid make up that I think has fruit extracts in it, so there is probably salicylic acids in it. I buy my shampoo and toothpaste off of Cleure, which is a salicylate free line of products. I make my own sunscreen and lotion using zinc oxide and salicylate free or low ingredients.

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