Herxheimer Reaction is also called a “healing crisis”, detox reaction or die-off reaction.

This reaction occurs when the body tries to eliminate toxins at a faster rate than they can be properly disposed of.  The more toxic one’s body systems are, the more severe the detoxification or healing crisis.  It is characterized by a temporary increase in symptoms during the cleansing or detox process which may be mild or severe. You may feel worse and therefore conclude that the treatment is not working.  These reactions are instead signs that the treatment is working and that your body is going through the process of cleaning itself of impurities, toxins and imbalances. If you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Lyme’s or other serious illness a Healing Crisis tells you to go slow and even avoid certain therapies. Always start a new supplement or therapy slowly to avoid a severe healing crisis!

Healing crisis  Herxheimer Reactions are temporary. They can happen right away or they can occur within several days or several weeks of detox.  If you are suffering from an illness, the symptoms you experience during the healing crisis may seem as if your symptoms are getting worse. This may explain why there may be a sudden worsening in one’s condition.  Most people feel somewhat ill during the first few days of a cleanse or protocol because it is at that point that your body dumps toxins into the bloodstream for elimination.  With a more serious condition, there may be many small healing crises to go through.  In any case, a cleansing & purifying process is underway.  Stored wastes are now in a free-flowing state. The healing crisis is also called a “die-off” reaction because besides releasing toxins. Any kind of physical healing will probably include killing off parasites and candida. These are two conditions that are thriving with almost any illness and live in every person. When they die, the create toxic wastes.

There are lots of opinions on how to handle a Herxheimer Reaction. Some think it’s great because you are really detoxing, but others including myself, think that only a mild healing crisis is desirable.  When too many toxins are released at once they may find another place to lodge in the body or damage the organs.  That being said, when I was very sick with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and constantly detoxing, I slept a lot. I had all kinds of twitches, anxiety, aches and pains.  I still don’t know if it was the MCS or the healing crisis. I went through this for several months. My MCS did not improve at all during this time.  I was taking so many supplements, doing saunas and coffee enema almost every day. In the end, I  got 95 % and turned out good.

The healing crisis is the result of the body working to eliminate waste products through all elimination channels and set the stage for healing. The end result: old tissues are replaced with new ones.  Releasing chemicals, candida, viruses, and parasites all will have to exit the system. The coffee enema, drinking lots of water, supplementing glutathione, and using bentonite clay (drink it or use in the bath) are the best ways to avoid the healing-crisis Herxheimer Reaction in detox. Coffee enema increases the liver’s ability to detox and flushes wastes out of your body so that they no longer  make you ill.  If you have any type of illness related to toxicity (MCS, Cancer) I strongly recommend coffee enema. I made two videos explaining (posted below). My Coffee enema video.

DETOXING TOO FAST CAN HURT YOU!  If you have moderate to severe MCS dumping too many toxins too fast into your bloodstream can make you sick!  As with any healing protocol that you are doing at home (that you read on the internet!), go slow and see how your body reacts.  Read, research, and listen to your body while following your instincts. We are all different and will heal differently.

Symptoms of Herxheimer Reaction or Healing Crisis:

Diarrhea
Extreme fatigue and/or its opposite, restlessness
Cramps
Headache
Aches, Pains
Insomnia
Nausea
Sinus congestion
Fever and/or chills
Frequent urination and/or urinary tract discharges
A drop in blood pressure
Skin eruptions: boils, hives, and rashes.
Cold or flu-like symptoms
change in emotions
Night Sweats

Always ensure your health by having a thorough medical check-up: don’t assume that if you have any of the above symptoms that you are in a healing crisis. You never know, it may not be in a healing process, but some other health issue.  Being your own doctor can be tricky and it’s always good to work with a doctor you trust. If you have severe or prolonged symptoms, don’t hesitate to get help.

I am not a doctor and this is not “medical advice”.

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