As explained in detail in the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet
, the intestines of people with gastrointestinal issues,
such as inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's, celiac disease, and
ulcerative colitis, are overgrown with bacteria and yeast. These
organisms typically live in the large intestine, but given the right
conditions, they overpopulate the large intestine and migrate to the
small intestine and, in severe cases, the stomach. (Please see the book
for a more detailed description of this process.)
, the intestines of people with gastrointestinal issues,
such as inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's, celiac disease, and
ulcerative colitis, are overgrown with bacteria and yeast. These
organisms typically live in the large intestine, but given the right
conditions, they overpopulate the large intestine and migrate to the
small intestine and, in severe cases, the stomach. (Please see the book
for a more detailed description of this process.)
All of these bacteria are eating the starchy, sugary
foods your damaged intestines can't digest, releasing waste products
and toxins that further damage your intestines. The bacteria contain
toxins in their cell walls that are released when they die. These
toxins make you sick. When many bacteria die at once, they all
release toxins at the same time. Taking antibiotics or antifungal
medication can cause die-off, as can changing your diet to eliminate
the foods these bacteria eat, effectively starving them.
Symptoms of Die-Off Syndrome
Remember that
die-off symptoms are temporary. Even though you may feel miserable,
keep in mind that these symptoms are a sign of all the bad bacteria
that were causing problems in your digestive tract. The worse you
feel, the greater the number bacteria in your intestines, robbing you of vital nutrients.
Possible symptoms
can include headaches, irritability, dizziness, aching joints, back pain,
rash, and sleep disturbances. You may also experience cold symptoms,
such as a runny nose or cough, and flu-like symptoms, such as fever,
nausea, vomiting, and abnormal bowel movements
(diarrhea/constipation). Extreme hunger and cravings for sugary,
starchy carbohydrates are also common symptoms; as the bacteria and
yeast die, they send you messages to eat the food that will save
them.
Not everyone
experiences die-off symptoms, and those who do experience them to
varying degrees.
How to Ease the Symptoms
Avoid these
symptoms as much as possible by gradually reducing SCD illegal foods
before starting the intro diet. Give yourself at least a week to
eliminate these foods before starting the intro diet. Make sure to
drink plenty of filtered water before and during the intro diet;
staying hydrated will help your body flush the toxins out faster.
Taking antibiotics or antifungal medication during or immediately
before starting the intro diet may make symptoms worse.
Achy joints, back
pain, and other symptoms may be eased by soaking in a warm Epsom Salt
bath. Chicken soup, a key part of the intro diet, has natural
anti-inflammatory properties, as do other bone broths. Be sure any
soup or broth is completely SCD legal. Get plenty of rest and drink
lots of water. If you're able, start the intro diet when you have a
few free days, and temporarily shelve all other responsibilities
until you know how your body will react.
Who is Herxheimer, Anyway?
Karl Herxheimer was a German dermatologist. He and
Adolf Jarisch, an Austrian dermatologist, are credited with the
discovery of the Herxheimer response, also called the
Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction and die-off syndrome. This phenomenon was
first observed during the treatment of syphilis with antibiotics.
Sources:
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