[Healing crisis or herxheimer

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The Healing Crisis

AKA: The Cleansing Reaction, The Detox Reaction, and The Herxheimer

Reaction

What is it?

Also known as the " Herxheimer 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 bodily 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. But 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.

Such reactions are temporary and can occur immediately -- or within

several days, or even several weeks, of a detox. Symptoms usually pass

within 1-3 days, but on rare occasions can last several weeks. If you

are suffering from a major illness, the symptoms you experience during

the healing crisis may be identical to the disease itself. Sometimes

discomfort during the healing crisis is of greater intensity than when

you were developing the chronic disease. This may explain why there may

be a brief flare-up in one's condition. Often the crisis will come after

you feel your very best. Most people feel somewhat ill during the first

few days of a cleanse because it is at that point that your body dumps

toxins into the blood stream for elimination. With a more serious

condition there may be many small crises to go through before the final

one is possible. In any case, a cleansing & purifying process is

underway, and stored wastes are in a free-flowing state.

Cause:

The healing crisis is the result of every body-system, in concert,

working to eliminate waste products through all elimination channels and

set the stage for regeneration. The end result: old tissues are replaced

with new. When any treatment or cleansing program causes a large scale

die-off of bacteria, a significant amount of endotoxins (toxins within

the bacteria itself) are released into the body. The more bacteria

present, and the stronger their endotoxins, the stronger the cleansing

reaction. When any treatment or detox causes the organs of the body

(particularly the liver, which is a storehouse of drug and poison

residues) to release their stored poisons and toxins, a cleansing

reaction may occur. Any program, such as fasting, which causes a rapid

breakdown of fat cells (which are a storehouse for toxins), can cause a

healing crisis as toxins previously lodged in the fat cells are released

into the blood stream.

Symptoms:

The healing crisis will usually bring about past conditions in

whatever order the body is capable of handling at that time. People

often forget the diseases or injuries they have had in the past, but are

usually reminded during the crisis. There are a wide variety of

reactions that may manifest during a healing crisis, the most common are:

Increased joint or muscle pain

Diarrhea

Extreme fatigue and/or its opposite, restlessness

Cramps

Headache (believed to be caused by buildup of toxins in the blood)

Aches, Pains

Arthritic flair up

Insomnia

Nausea

Sinus congestion

Fever (usually low grade) and/or chills

Frequent urination and/or urinary tract discharges

Drop in blood pressure

Skin eruptions, including: boils, hives, and rashes.

Cold or flu-like symptoms

Strong emotions: anger, despair, sadness, fear, etc.

Suppressed memories arise

Anxiety

Mood swings

New phobias develop

Easing Your Way Through the Healing Crisis:

Drink plenty of fresh water (especially water), juices, and herbal teas

to flush the body of toxins. Some professionals recommend distilled

water as the best. Drink from 2 to 4 quarts(liters) per day. This will

help flush the toxins out of your system and speed along the detoxification.

* If you are feeling fatigued, or sleepy, your body is talking to

you, and telling you to rest. Be kind to yourself, and get the rest that

you need.

* Symptoms frequently disappear immediately after a good bowel

movement, use an enema to provide relief.

* For other symptoms, meditation, EFT, acupuncture or a good

massage might be helpful to speed up the healing process, and reduce the

discomfort.

* And, on rare occasions, a reduction of the dosage or temporary

cessation may be required.

Important: 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 may not be in a healing process, you may have a

medical health problem.

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