Posted by bleauberry on March 13, 2011, at 9:37:35
In reply to Trying Candida Detox - So Tired and Foggy!, posted by Hombre on March 1, 2011, at 1:49:26
What you described is textbook Herxheimer reaction....the die off of organisms, the release of their body parts, corpses, and toxins into your blood system and brain, and the detox organs (kidney, liver, lymph glands) not able to keep up with the load.
It would not be accurate however to assume it is candida. Oil of oregano and black walnut hulls have wide antimicrobial action, suppressing various fungi, protozoa, worms, bacteria, and viruses. All you know for sure is....you are killing something that needs to be killed.
From my own experience the two most helpful things can be:
Japanese Knotweed (the Source Naturals brand which is called Resveratrol on the bottle). This plant is loaded with ingredients that scavenge toxins, offer neuroprotection, kills a wide variety of organisms on its own, lessens Herxheimer reactions, anti-inflammatory, on and on. Amazing plant. Read about it in Stephan Buhner's book Healing Lyme. Another is Red Root tincture, which is first and foremost a lymph gland stimulant. It speeds up the removal of the traffic jam of cellular debris during die off.All the other die-off aids on the net I have tried. Stuff like activated charcoal, bentonite clay, on and on. Pretty much worthless in my trials. The one that did surprise me with some amazing help was Burbur. It is a tincture of an Amazon plant, mostly used by Lyme patients. It did indeed offer clear relief to me during a herx, beginning about 4 hours after starting it. And it works every time I need it to.
My best antiherx however is....1/2 Vicadin and 1/2 advil at the same time.
The timeline from when you started taking the supplements until your symptoms hit is normal....usually 3 to 5 days, sometimes delayed up to 2 weeks if the infection is really deep and hiding deceptively.
I have sampled most of the antimicrobial plants of the world. The most potent to me, sparking an incredible viscious herx filled with bizarre psychiatric symptoms followed by dramatic improvement, is Pau D'Arco tea. It is said to be primarily antifungal. But with deeper research one discovers it is a bacterial cyst buster, antiviral, and antitumor. Whatever it is targeting within me, it dead on bullseye.
A herx is bad because is feels bad. But it is also good, because it means evil is being removed from within you. I have found no supplements to totally help. You can reduce dose, pulse doses periodically, or in really bad cases stop and take a break before resuming.
For longterm maintenance....garlic. This is probably one of the most potent antimicrobials on the planet...fungi, bacteria, and viruses, even antibiotic resistant strains. The odor is the only downfall. The antimicrobial potency is in the odor. The deodorized stuff, despite internet sales claims, is useless for infections. I like the kind sold at Whole Foods. It is equivalent to 5 cloves of garlic in an enteric coated pill. On the package it says odorless....but it's not. The enteric coating keeps most of the odor bottled up inside the tablet...but the good stuff is still there.
Hey best wishes on your healing journey! Herx's suck. It kinds of reminds me of treating cancer....you have to get a lot worse on chemotherapy before you start to get better. Infections are similar.
You may never know what infection you had. Doesn't matter. What you have done here is something I preach all the time....a diagnostic challenge test in the absence of solid proof....try something to see what happens. The result is a bunch of clues you would not otherwise have had. In your case you know you are infected with something, and you know that Oregano OIl and Black Walnut attack it whatever it is.
Have to mention another wide spectrum favorite of mine....Wormwood.
poster:bleauberry
thread:979957
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20110214/msgs/980422.html