Herxheimer Reaction
Recently, I experienced a healing crisis, otherwise known as a Herxheimer Reaction or “die-ff” reaction. This is a short-term immune system reaction in the body to a detoxification process against parasites, fungus, viruses, bacteria, and pathogens. It’s common to experience flu-like symptoms (headache, fatigue, sweating, chills, joint and muscle pain, sore throat, body aches, nausea, etc), especially when the pathways are not fully open to allow the body to release all of this mess. What are the pathways? They are our intestines, kidneys, liver, lungs, skin, and even the blood. The Green Smoothie Girl states, “As yeast overgrowths, cancerous cell clusters, parasites, and bacteria starve in the detox process and die off, the weakest parts of your elimination pathways may become blocked, clogged, and overwhelmed, leading to pain, fatigue, and other uncomfortable Herx symptoms.”
My symptoms were lack of sleep (so of course fatigue as well), right shoulder pain, right neck pain, and migraine. I did not run a fever at any time. Although it is cold and flu season, I would not suspect that there was any cause for concern to make me think my symptoms were related to a cold, flu, or Covid. Knowing your body, turning on your inner physician, and self-screening is vital to natural health.
Did you know that bruxism (teeth grinding) is found to be caused by parasitic infections according to the NIH? I have suffered from teeth grinding since I was a child and well into adulthood. I felt I had pretty good success with the first parasite cleanse I did, so I decided to do another one when I started grinding my teeth again. I had just completed a 17-day parasite cleanse for the second time. I had not been sleeping again at night and this should have been my first clue of the healing crisis beginning. Allow me to add a little background. I don’t have a gallbladder so my liver struggles to produce enough free-flowing bile. I have mthfr, a gene mutation that also prevents me from effectively detoxing on my own. When performing any type of detox or cleanse, it is vital to make sure that your body can release these toxins out of your body. Otherwise, they begin recirculating in your system and it is not pleasant at all. I find that performing many detoxing protocols at the same time work well for me. So, for instance, I usually do what I lovingly call a green tea flush to help flush my liver while I’m doing the parasite cleanse.
On this day, I woke up around midnight with a migraine. (The second clue I should have been aware of.) As the day progressed, so did the migraine. My right shoulder began hurting, and then my neck began hurting. (I should have recognized this as my third clue since there were no physical injuries to cause this pain.) The toxins were just filling upward in my body without the pathways to eliminate them being open. In my case, the closed pathway happened to be my liver, in my opinion. As well, my head does not drain, so if I’m not careful, my head will become clogged up quickly.
What would make me think this is a Herxheimer Reaction and not anything else? One very important thing is being body aware. Let your inner physician guide you. Our bodies are smart and knows what to do to heal itself. Another reason is that I have experienced this several times in the past under a doctor’s care. The liver is connected to right shoulder pain, and this leads to the neck by way of the vagus nerve. Did you know that often times a headache is triggered by the liver or gallbladder hitting this nerve? You can literally massage the inner area by your liver and gallbladder to help relieve a headache. Another sign for me is when my allergies are heightened. I have never had allergies growing up, until about five years ago. Part of this is also related to the condition of my liver and the mthfr mutation. The body is amazing!
What’s next? I did what I know how to do in order to heal. Here’s what worked for me.
Rest. First and foremost, be gentle with yourself. It’s ingrained in us that we must keep going till we literally drop. It’s just a sign of the times. However, our body repairs during rest. So, especially when you are healing, in pain, suffering, or even feeling good, make time for rest.
Sauna to improve blood circulation. I used my far infrared sauna to cause perspiration, which allows the body to excrete or eliminate toxins and waste through the skin. I often do dry brushing as well before the sauna to help eliminate dead skin cells and prepare the increased blood circulation before getting into the sauna. During the sauna, I relax. I don’t play on my phone. I like to do a meditation during this time. During this sauna, I did an energy sound bath. This is simply listening to music that’s at 432 Hz, which is equaled to the Earth’s heartbeat. Truly amazing! (Many turn up their nose to the sound bath. I have to ask; do you get pumped up with music for your workout or cleaning your house? Do you feel a certain way when listening to a love song? A sad song? A religious song? Heavy metal music? Then, it makes sense that music at 432 Hz is just as effective.)
Induce a fever, naturally. You read that right. A fever is one of the ways the body pushes out infections and invaders. Conventional medicine quickly prescribes medicines to stop this process, but this goes against the natural healing process of the body. Since I have low thyroid function, I used the sauna to help me induce a fever. My normal body temperature runs about 96 degrees. Although my body quickly bottomed out once I was out of the sauna, I was able to get my body temp up to a balmy 99.8 degrees for almost 30 minutes! I stayed in the sauna for 50 minutes at 150 degrees. Don’t have a sauna? Simply take a sea salt bath or just stay bundled up. Try to keep your body temp ramped up. Don’t overdo it, though.
Stop all things damaging to your liver. Stop all supplements, medications (within reason), drink green tea to flush and support the liver. Try intermittent fasting to give the digestive system much needed rest. It depends how serious things are for you so understand I am not giving medical advice. I am only explaining what I do for myself. My body reacts very well to these protocols. I only remain off any supplements and/or medications for 1-3 days. Generally, with supplements, I take monthly breaks for 5-7 days to give my liver a break anyway.
Refuel your body. Refueling the body with tons of greens, fiber, and healthy nutrients helps tremendously. Hydrate with plenty of filtered or good quality water to continue to support your body with metabolism and excreting out the toxins. You can also try a coffee enema. These are known for taking away pain and opening up the pathways to faster elimination of toxins.
The most important thing to remember during a Herx reaction to stay calm, keep with the process, rest, and hydrate. It will be over in a day or so. Anything more or more serious symptoms, contact your doctor right away. Natural health is a wonderful thing!
HONEY HILL NATURALS, LLC DISCLAIMER:
I am not a doctor, a chemist, nor a dermatologist and this is not medical advice. I am a certified Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach, sharing my opinion of life experiences and what I was taught in the AFPA certification program, who wants to provide a more natural and healthy lifestyle for my family and others. The information contained on the Honey Hill Naturals, LLC, or blog websites, including but not limited to all workout plans, nutritional advice, and healthy lifestyle tips, is provided for informational purposes only, and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your doctor or other qualified health care practitioner. The information available on or through the Honey Hill Naturals newsletters, or (including, but not limited to, information that may be provided by writers, editors, healthcare and/or nutrition professionals employed by, or contracting with, Honey Hill Naturals, LLC, and / or their associates), is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or prescribe medication. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements or ailments on any of the above sites or newsletters, may not have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States of America.
Sources:
https://greensmoothiegirl.com/herxheimer-reaction/
https://www.silver-colloids.com/herxheimer-reaction/
https://www.alkaway.com.au/blog/herxheimer-reaction/