food for the soul
I've started a cleanse –
why do I feel so bad?
WORDS JOEL grace
H
ave you ever started a bit of a detox and felt fantastic to begin with, but then out of nowhere you get struck down with headaches, brain fog and flu-like symptoms? How could you possibly feel so bad when you’re making changes that seem so positive? If you recognise this scenario, it’s likely you’ve been experiencing the effects of ‘die-off’. The good news is you can reduce the severity and duration of die-off symptoms if you know what to look out for. What exactly is die-off? Also known as the Herxheimer reaction, die-off is a normal bodily process resulting from a sudden increase in endotoxins. When gut pathogens are suddenly killed, their cell wall bursts open and dumps toxins previously contained within the microorganism into the intestines. The rapid destruction of pathogens can cause a flood of endotoxins, which often results in experiencing die-off symptoms for a few days before beginning to feel better again.
What are die-off symptoms? The most common die-off symptoms include fatigue, headaches, aches and pains, skin reactions, mood symptoms and an upset tummy, along with flulike symptoms such as fever, chills, congestion and post-nasal drip. Common causes of die-off symptoms The most common cause of die-off symptoms is beginning an elimination diet. The foods you eat – both healthy and unhealthy – feed the microbiome in your gut. Switching to a cleaner whole-foods diet that removes processed foods, refined sugar and artificial ingredients, cause pathogens to starve as their reliable food supply has been cut off. The more extreme the elimination of foods (e.g., juice fasts or restrictive diets), the greater the die-off symptoms experienced. Die-off symptoms can also occur when you introduce new types of probiotics. Beginning a probiotic protocol can effectively kill pathogens by crowding them out with the increased presence of beneficial bacteria. Similarly, when you start to
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take antimicrobial, anti-fungal or antiparasitic supplements, you will most likely notice strong die-off symptoms. How to avoid autointoxication When you experience die-off symptoms, your body is in a toxic state. The longer you’re feeling miserable, the more chance you have of reabsorbing some of these toxins you’re trying to detox from. This is why it’s important to move through die-off as quickly as possible by supporting your elimination channels to work at their best. Increasing your water intake is one of the most effective ways to flush toxic build-up from your body. Sweating it out in a far infrared sauna is a relaxing yet effective way to release toxins via your skin. Additionally, colon hydrotherapy and home enemas will quickly remove accumulated toxic waste from your colon, banishing those die-off symptoms promptly so you can feel as good as you expected you would from your cleanse!
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