Beyond the Salicylate Handbook

Beyond the Salicylate Handbook is mainly aimed at people who have already established a low salicylate diet and environment that works for them but would still like more information. Sharla provides information on research carried out after the publication of The Salicylate Handbook and shares some more of her own experience. At first it seems that information in more recent studies contradicts earlier findings. Does that mean the lists in the Salicylate Handbook are wrong? Sharla writes: "Well, maybe but maybe not. Just because a study is more recent does not necessarily mean it is more accurate or valid. The key element to understanding and dealing with your salicylate sensitivity is lowering the level of salicylate in your body. In respect of food that does not mean avoiding salicylate completely (an impossibility) but it does mean reducing the level to a point at which your body can manage without giving you unwanted symptoms. The lists in The Salicylate Handbook and in earlier studies still work because they help you to reduce the amount of salicylate you eat and drink. The key factor is that you simply need to reduce your salicylate level and then find a diet that helps you keep the levels low. Future studies will provide even more contradictory data because there will always be anomalies due to the way food is grown, manufactured, stored and cooked. And there will also be differences due to standards and methods of testing."