Herxheimer Reaction Aka Healing Crisis

[Marlene]

Hello,

I went to see my Naturopathic doctor on Saturday and she started me on some homeopathic drops as part of my healing process. Well, I have been feeling awful and all my symptoms have flared up again. At first I was so discouraged since I was trying to figure out how I could have gotten myself glutened. However, after talking with her again, I find out that part of this homepathic remedy consists of a detoxifier. So what is happening is that as my body is healing, old bacteria and candida is dying off. When this happens it releases toxins into my bloodstream and this in turn makes my symptoms of gluten intolerance flare up again. This is called the "Herxheimer reaction" or healing crisis.

This made me think that sometimes this is what flareups are all about. As our bodies heal and old cells die off, we go through these mini health crisis where symptoms flare up. We might think we are taking one step backwards but actually it is part of the healing process. There is an interesting website which explains this at www.falconblanco.com/health/crisis/htm.

Meanwhile, it has been a rough week for me and the doctor has had to cut back my dosage of the drops since my symptoms have been so intense. I took 2 days off work but had to drag myself back in here today. This is sooo difficult. I am trying to remind myself that sometimes we gotta feel worse before we can feel better.

Anyone else ever research or hear of Herxheimer reaction before? What do you think? Does this make sense to you?

Marlene

[bluejeangirl]

Hello,

I went to see my Naturopathic doctor on Saturday and she started me on some homeopathic drops as part of my healing process. Well, I have been feeling awful and all my symptoms have flared up again. At first I was so discouraged since I was trying to figure out how I could have gotten myself glutened. However, after talking with her again, I find out that part of this homepathic remedy consists of a detoxifier. So what is happening is that as my body is healing, old bacteria and candida is dying off. When this happens it releases toxins into my bloodstream and this in turn makes my symptoms of gluten intolerance flare up again. This is called the "Herxheimer reaction" or healing crisis.

This made me think that sometimes this is what flareups are all about. As our bodies heal and old cells die off, we go through these mini health crisis where symptoms flare up. We might think we are taking one step backwards but actually it is part of the healing process. There is an interesting website which explains this at www.falconblanco.com/health/crisis/htm.

Meanwhile, it has been a rough week for me and the doctor has had to cut back my dosage of the drops since my symptoms have been so intense. I took 2 days off work but had to drag myself back in here today. This is sooo difficult. I am trying to remind myself that sometimes we gotta feel worse before we can feel better.

Anyone else ever research or hear of Herxheimer reaction before? What do you think? Does this make sense to you?

Marlene

Marlene, I couldn't get your web address to work but I've been through the herxheimer thing. Its not fun and I'm glad she lighten the dose because you shouldn't have to take off work going through this. Take your time healing and go slow. Our bodies are always regenerating but its the candida dieing off that is giving you that nasty feeling. Its bad stuff.

Your doing a good thing and I just want to encourage you to continue.

God bless.

Gail

[spunky]

I've heard of healing crises before, but I never used to believe in them. Then I stopped gluten last February(no doctors involved, just desperation and researching and wanting to stop being sicker and sicker all the time and start trying something to get well). Man, my body has just been jerked around quite a bit since then...just on its own. I got confused many times, but since things changed frequently and so many different things happened quite often, some good, but some bad-different though than the bad stuff that led me to suspect gluten in the first place, and the first 4 months or so gluten free I felt I was on some wild roller coaster. I actually started believing in detox, healing crisis theories, and all of that, because the changes were so weird, dramatic and unpredictable.

Now, though, at 9 1/'2 months and counting, I am so glad I went through this, because now I am so much better. I never want to go back to gluten again, because I would never want to go through another year like what 2006 has been for me!!!! Glad I'm here now, though...everything is finally settling down!

I don't know anything about the treatment you're on, but I do definitely now believe in detox and healing crisis and all of that. I think I'm finally starting to see the difference between the healing crisis and truly getting exposed to gluten, because it seems the whole crazy healing process I went through those months repeats itself within about 2 weeks when I accidentally get some gluten in me. I'm still new at all of this, but I think that's how it's working out. I was kind of surprised, because I expected to just get better, consistently, after stopping the gluten; it was much crazier than that for me, though...took a while.

[BRUMI1968]

I went on a yeast-killing sugarless diet, and had herxheimer quite badly. I could barely get out of bed. So I added back some starchy veggies, and that helped. Nonetheless, I usually feel like I'm on a seesaw with stuff like healing, and with exercising -- like I go to far too fast, though I never know where that cutoff is going to be --- and then have to swing back. I think finding the balance is key, and that takes time no matter what you're talking about.

good luck.

[rinne]

I am familiar with herxing, I have Lyme disease and have been doing a salt and Vitamin C treatment that causes herxes.

I think it is interesting that you bring it up in the context of going gluten free, I did have more night sweats when I first went gluten free last May and at that point I didn't know about the Lyme or herxing.

I think it is important to detoxify the body in as many ways as we can, I am also going for infrared saunas and taking epsom salt baths in addition to the Noni and Samento I take. I agree with Bully4You that we need to be gentle with ourselves, I'm glad your naturapath had you back off a bit.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

[lindalee]

Did anyone have the itching with this?

[Marlene]

Well, I am going to stop taking these homeopathic drops. I was doing soooo good and had not had diahrea for over 2 months. Now I am back to watery diahrea, pain after I eat, pain if I don't eat, etc etc. I was only doing 3 drops of this stuff a day -- obviously I just can't handle it. I have done a candida detox about 10 years ago (before I knew I was gluten intolerant) and I felt "off" for about a week but nothing like this. I can't deal with this on an emotional level either. I am so depressed. Finally, after months of feeling perfectly awful I was starting to feel half normal again and now I feel like I am back at square one. It's not worth it. Maybe I will try again in 6 months or so.

Marlene

[bluejeangirl]

Well, I am going to stop taking these homeopathic drops. I was doing soooo good and had not had diahrea for over 2 months. Now I am back to watery diahrea, pain after I eat, pain if I don't eat, etc etc. I was only doing 3 drops of this stuff a day -- obviously I just can't handle it. I have done a candida detox about 10 years ago (before I knew I was gluten intolerant) and I felt "off" for about a week but nothing like this. I can't deal with this on an emotional level either. I am so depressed. Finally, after months of feeling perfectly awful I was starting to feel half normal again and now I feel like I am back at square one. It's not worth it. Maybe I will try again in 6 months or so.

Marlene

Don't feel bad about it Marlene. I won't take any anti fungals anymore because I just can't handle how you feel. I personally feel if you just take a good probionic the good bacteria will start to thrive and beat up the bad ones. I would try to stick to a diet thats very low in carbs too. Thats all I do and it works for me. I also heard from a very good Doctor who started his own line of digestive enzyems say the same thing. He works with my husband to sell his line called enzyme formulations (for Chiropractors to sell.) His web site is enzymeformulations.com.

take care,

gail

[nanafur]

Wow, that is super interesting. I just posted on a "tell your story" thread that I got really sick when I first went gluten free. I mean really sick, extreme fatigue, dizzyness, heart palpitations, nausea and horrible shaking cold sweats. I ended up in the emergency room for dehydration and they told me they didn't know what it was. (the ER staff talked to my doc who likely said I was somatic). They diagnosed me with lymphodemia because my glands were swollen, but had no explaination. I feel like I may finally have the answer. Thank you... I've never heard of such a thing before.

[echopod]

I just wanted to add what's happened to me. I stopped eating gluten about 2 months ago, and my digestion has been better than ever after about 2 weeks and just keeps improving, and has remained that way - I can actually run outside without taking toilet paper and a plan.

Anyway, everything else aside from that has been MISERABLE. ITCHING so intense it was making me angry and mean. Hives and rashes so bad my doctor put me on Prednisone, which worked great until I went off of it, and then my whole world exploded. The worst acne breakout I've ever had by far. I had to work from home for an entire week. Fever. So exhausted I slept for an entire weekend, and joints so painful I couldn't run, even with my brand new stomach.

I finally went to my chiropractor who suggested I was detoxing. It makes sense - there's years of poison (to me) in there that is working its way out now that I'm not putting it back in and my intestines are healing. The same thing happened to me when I quit smoking, I felt worse and was hacking up terrible things for a few weeks before I started to feel better.

I'm on a probiotic specifically for candida along with some vitamins. I got much worse before I'm finally starting to feel a bit better. The Prednisone was AWESOME at the time, but I think it just prolonged my detox symptoms and maybe made them worse.

Good luck to anyone who has to go through all this! I'm so glad I found this thread...I've been feeling very alone the past month!

[ClevelandGuy]

Hello,

I went to see my Naturopathic doctor on Saturday and she started me on some homeopathic drops as part of my healing process.

Marlene

I'd be very suspicious of any kind of homepathic "medicine": Open Original Shared Link