The Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction is a reaction to endotoxin-like products released by the death of harmful microorganisms within the body during antibiotic treatment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarisch%E ... r_reaction
Hi friends,
After spending the past three days with a sudden and uncomfortable flu-like reaction (103.8 fever and all the fun that goes with that) to an herbal tincture given by my NP, I'm left wondering:
Is a Herxheimer reaction a necessary part of the healing process when eradicating a heavy load of viruses/parasites/bacteria/fungus etc.? I find it hard to believe that increasing the metabolism with Peat protocols would be a cure-all re: these bugs, but at the same time the level of suffering that these Herx-inducing medications and herbs can cause seems unnecessary. Reading people's logs on Lyme/Candida/etc. boards about patients' Herxing over and over again and what they go through each time in their quests for health is seriously depressing...their already ill bodies clearly get overloaded and take a beating. Yet the Herx reaction is lauded and even actively sought after as a healing response. How is getting the stuffing kicked out of them by endotoxin overload helping people heal??
What would you do to treat something like Lyme, Babesia, Candida, parasites etc. to minimize the Herx reaction? Or do you believe it is a necessary evil and that people just need to suck it up and push through to get better?