How To Dodge The Dreaded Detox Herx, Part II
So you’ve decided to start a detox regimen. That’s great. Get ready to feel better, healthier, more energetic, and more empowered. But you should also be ready to experience herxing or herx symptoms.
Herxing refers to Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which sounds like a complex and serious medical condition, but in actuality refers to the body becoming overwhelmed during the process of removing toxins. The good news is that herxing serves as an indication that your detox program is actually working, and that toxins are successfully being eliminated from your body.
Common Herxing Indicators
You’re excited about your detoxing regimen, yet at the same time you’re feeling, well, emotional and vaguely off-kilter. What’s going on? When attempting to detox parasites from your body, especially from drainage organs, the parasites can interfere with brain neurotransmitters, resulting in herx symptoms such as feeling overly emotional. Another fairly common symptom is nausea, often the result of your body eliminating toxins.
Before you start feeling like your hexed, keep in mind that most herx reactions are temporary, and that it’s all part of the detox process that leads to holistic healing. The symptoms you experience can occur whether you’re detoxing for parasites, mold, or even heavy metals.
Common herxing side effects include:
- Muscle stiffness
- Bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
- Anxiety or mental fatigue
- Hair loss
- Insomnia or tiredness
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Swelling
- Itchy skin
Managing Your Herxing Symptoms
During detoxing, it may not be possible to avoid herxing altogether, but you can prepare yourself to manage its symptoms better. In general, herxing can be addressed in two ways:
- Providing additional support to drainage pathways with specific therapies and dietary support like lymphatic massages, drinking more water, or dry brushing.
- Try reducing your detoxification efforts for a specific period of time, and note whether the change lessens herxing symptoms.
Parasite Die-Off As Part Of Herxing
Considered part of herxing, die-off symptoms occur when parasites in your body die as a result of detoxing and subsequently release toxins that can cause uncomfortable symptoms. To help eliminate these types of toxins, you’ll want to take binders, as well as pathogen-killing herbs, to help remove toxins from the body.
Die-off reactions and herxing can sometimes seem indistinguishable; to address both issues simultaneously, consider reducing the amount of pathogen-killing herbs you’re taking while at the same time increasing binders. In addition, if you’d like to reduce herxing symptoms while you’re detoxing, you can decrease binding and increase drainage. Once your ymptoms have subsided, increase your detox regimen in small amounts until you’ve reached a tolerable and sustainable detox level.
Retracing
Detoxing can bring previous health issues or traumas to the forefront as your body works to heal itself and restore balanced health. Chronic conditions and symptoms you may have experienced in the past can resurface, which is known as retracing.
As the detoxing process disrupts your body’s toxins and pathogens, original symptoms can be triggered. Keep in mind that this a normal part of the detoxing process, and that once the underlying cause of your symptoms has been rooted out, the symptoms themselves will diminish and, ultimately, be resolved.
Herxing Hurrah: It Doesn’t Last Forever
The intensity and duration of herx reactions depends on cellular energy. When cells have high energy, the immune system functions at a better level, leading to more efficient management of toxins and pathogen infection, which, in turn, means less noticeable herx symptoms. Conversely, lower cellular energy can result in more intense and frequent herxing reactions.
It can also vary widely from person to person. How long you’ll experience the symptoms depends on your individual needs and functioning, including the speed and intensity of your detox process, your toxic load, and your body’s cellular energy level.
You can help to increase cell energy, and thereby decrease some of the symptoms, by ensuring your mitochondria are sufficiently supported. Because mitochondria serve as the body’s energy source, they can help to support or enhance the energy that cells need to function effectively throughout the detoxing process while at the same time minimizing herxing symptoms.