Die-off Symptoms and How to Handle Them

© Copyright Bee Wilder

What are "Die-Off" Symptoms?

Die-off symptoms are "flu-like" symptoms caused by candida being killed off in large numbers, releasing its toxins into the system at one time. These "flu-like" symptoms are a type of healing or detoxifying reaction, also called Herxheimer reaction, that occurs within the body when it is trying to deal with the large numbers of toxins being released.

As the body starts to detoxify it creates flu-like symptoms including headaches, joint and muscle pain, body aches and pains, sore throat, sweating, chills, fever, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, excessive mucus in the lungs, throat, nose, sinuses, etc., along with other types of symptoms. Herxheimer reactions can occur in anyone whenever their body needs to be cleaned up. One person who suffers chronic candida overgrowth and has experienced these reactions many times made the remark, "Got my typical Herx reaction: cold, dizzy, light-headed, faint, can't-really-think-straight feeling." Others describe it as a bone-tired or an ache all over feeling.

These "die-off" symptoms are simply cleansing (detoxing) or healing reactions caused by the body getting rid of candida toxin and/or other types of toxins. This causes increased mucus in all mucus membranes (nose, throat, sinuses, lungs, vagina, intestines, stomach, etc.), along with muscle and/or joint aches and pains, itching, rashes and other eruptions of the skin, headaches, digestive disturbances, etc. It's like that "bad all over feeling" you experienced during a bout with the flu. At time you may feel like you have been drugged, with symptoms similar to a bad hangover. This is because most candida toxins are alcohol in nature, which will cause hangover-type symptoms.

Die-off reactions can start to occur when you change your diet, and particularly as you eliminate foods that feed candida. That is why you start on the diet and supplements first and stay on them long enough to kill off as much as candida possible before starting on antifungals, other than coconut oil which is considered part of the diet. When you are able to consume a total of 6 tablespoons of coconut oil per day without severe die-off reactions you can add one of the other antifungals.

The severity of die-off reactions and the length of time you experience them depends upon:

  • how long you've had candida,
  • the general condition of your body and your state of mind, i.e. how often or severely your body has been exposed to toxins and/or traumatized during your lifetime by injuries, disease, illness, losses and stress,
  • how closely you follow the candida program (diet and supplements), and
  • how much detoxifying and healing your body can accomplish at one time.

Healing Reactions are "Not" Allergic Reactions.

An allergy is defined as: "A condition in which the body has an exaggerated response to a substance introduced by inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin contact, often manifested by itchy eyes, runny nose, wheezing, skin rash, hives, diarrhea, gas, bloating, headaches, aching muscles, joint pain, and many others."

Please note that the list of allergic reactions is exactly the same as the list of healing reactions.

That is because these reactions are created by the body's immune system, which are healing responses, indicating that it is working very hard to eliminate and/or minimize the effects of toxic overloads on the body, or the ingestion of toxins or poisons. Candida overgrowth itself contributes over 79 different types of toxins, most of which are alcohol. Handling this overload is like trying to handle a bad hangover every single day of your life until you cure candida. There are many other toxic sources in our environment and foods as well, which add to the toxic overload on the body. And please note that some substances aren't simply toxic, they are downright poisonous, which causes direct debilitating damage.

It is widely published that allergies are caused by a depressed immune system. At the same time allergic responses and symptoms indicates that the immune system is working extremely hard. When the immune system isn't working up to par it results in a total breakdown, so that bacteria, viruses or diseases, such as cancer, are allowed to take over. However, a healthy immune system does not allow germs, bacteria, viruses, cancer, or even candida to occur.

Many people mistakenly assume they are allergic to many healthy foods, herbs, spices, etc. because of allergy tests or body reactions, which the medical community labels as allergies. Please note that almost all allergy tests are inaccurate and they should not be relied upon to determine your allergies. Some allergies are obvious, because they are caused by toxic substances, i.e. smoke, chemicals, smog, chemtrails, pesticides, etc. But allergies to animal dander, dust mites, dust, mold, pollen, etc. are less obvious. However, not everyone reacts negatively to those substances, which points to a difference in the people that do react, and that difference is a depressed immune system.

The fact is the body can, and will, react to healthy unadulterated foods with allergic-like symptoms. This is exactly the same way the body reacts to toxins or poisons. After all, the body only has one set of responses. However, reactions to good foods are not allergic reactions, they are healing reactions. When the body receives nutrients it needs it goes into high gear doing its job of healing. The results are healing symptoms.

In fact hives are a healing reaction too. It is caused by the immune system releasing histamines and other chemicals into the bloodstream to handle toxins or to affect healing. Histamines causes hives, rashes, itching, swelling, and other related symptoms. Although hives may be uncomfortable, they are generally quite harmless and disappear on their own.

Therefore, do not be alarmed if you get healing reactions from healthy foods like eggs, coconut oil, butter, and many other good healing foods. If you get reactions that are alarming or intolerable, cut back on the amount you consume at one time and gradually increase it.

Increased Symptoms

Any symptoms you had while candida was out of control may also intensify. These symptoms vary person to person according to how candida attacked their particular body. Women who had vaginal yeast infection will find their symptoms will become more intense and there may be additional related symptoms as well. If someone experienced a lot of digestive problems, their digestive upsets and disturbances will increase. If someone had a lot of head-related symptoms, their symptoms will become worse. And so on. In other words, symptoms in any areas of the body originally affected by candida overgrowth will become more intense during natural healing or "die-off" and new symptoms may also appear as part of the healing process.

Food Addiction and Withdrawal Symptoms

You may not realize it but you may have become addicted to foods that feed candida or that are damaging to your body. Just as a drug addict suffers withdrawal symptoms when the drug is withdrawn, people experience discomfort when they lose access to a particular food. It is also a known fact that the food industry purposely adds substances to foods to make you addicted to them.

Therefore you may experience withdrawal symptoms when many foods you normally consume are removed. As soon as you stop eating these foods changes begin to occur in all of the body's systems. Some symptoms may occur within a few hours of not eating a regular food, while other symptoms may occur within days. Withdrawal symptoms can even make you feel as if you are starving, when you actually aren't. You will find your cravings will increase the longer you prolong eliminating certain foods, i.e. sugars, high carb foods, alcohol, grains, etc. If you indulge by eating them they appear to make you feel better for a time, but that won't last. Soon you will experience increased candida overgrowth symptoms from such indulgences.

In order to overcome food addictions do the following:

  1. Do not have any addictive foods in your home that can entice you.
  2. Increase your intake of healthy foods, particularly saturated fats which satiate your appetite, helping you to curb addictions.
  3. Every time you think about an addictive food: 1) drink some lemon and ocean sea salt, or eat some ocean sea salt; 2) take 500 mgs of vitamin C, which helps curb cravings, or 3) take a teaspoon of a good fat or oil, i.e. butter, lard, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, etc.

Natural Healing

Unfortunately natural healing means your symptoms will get worse before they get better, but eventually your good days will increase and your bad days will decrease. It takes time, patience and persistence on your healing program to get healthy.

To help you "endure" the onslaught of symptoms and reactions keep in mind that these reactions mean you are succeeding in ridding your body of candida toxins and other toxic substances, and that "healing" is taking place. Every drugless healing practitioner is well aware of the healing reaction phenomenon.

For example, Cancer Clinics in Mexico explain to their patients that without a healing reaction within the first two weeks of the program they must be re-evaluated for what could be causing the delay. (This could be from ingesting things that counteract the program or from using personal care items such as lotions, cosmetics, hair care items, etc. that interfere with the program, or not taking the prescribed amount of coffee enemas.) When a patient experiences a healing reaction all of the staff rejoices with the patient.

Treatment for Severe Die-Off and Healing Symptoms, and Digestive problems

Try this mild 9-Day Treatment. Your die-off symptoms will be much less after this treatment.

Note: Every day of this treatment take two enemas of clear, room temperature warm purified water only. These enemas will help physically remove a substantial amount of yeast present in the large colon and help your body detoxify.

Day One - Consume plenty of clear, salted meat and vegetable broth (salted with a good ocean sea salt like Celtic). Do not eat any solid foods.

Day Two - Add solid foods pureed in a blender or food processor. Foods should only be meats, eggs, good fats, and low carbohydrate vegetables. Cook and highly puree all foods to maximize digestion and minimize food residue in the intestines.

Day Three through Nine — Eat cooked pureed foods as described in Day Two above, and gradually add more and more solid foods each day over the few days until you are completely back on a solid food diet.

Die-off Symptoms, Withdrawal Symptoms and Food Cravings can also be alleviated by the following:

  • Vitamin C - take 4,000 mgs when symptoms first start to appear, and take 1,000 mgs every hour until symptoms subside or bowel tolerance is reached, i.e. loose stools or diarrhea. When you reach bowel tolerance take less vitamin C each hour until you reach bowel tolerance again, and so on. Vitamin C helps the body detoxify since it is a powerful antioxidant.
  • Ensure you are taking enough calcium/magnesium according to the Essential Supplements list. It helps minimize aches and pains.
  • Take baths with Epsom salts, or 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide. Baths help draw toxins out through the skin which helps minimize symptoms. Add two cups, or 500 grams, of Epsom salts to your bath. Soak for 15-20 minutes. Use 1/2 cup of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide in 1/2 a bathtub of very warm water. Soak in the tub until you sweat.
  • Drink 4 cups of Pau D'Arco tea per day. It is a powerful antioxidant and it will help your body detoxify.
  • Clove tea. Cloves are one of the most powerful antioxidant there is. Only buy spices that are organic or certified organic at the health store because commercial spices are all irradiated.

Clove Tea

  • Boil 4-1/2 cups of water.
  • Take it off the heat
  • Add two level teaspoons of ground cloves.
  • Let it steep for 20 minutes. Strain well, and drink 4 1/2 cups hot or cold every day or when needed.
  • Whole cloves are more effective — put them in a heavy plastic bag and pulverize them with a hammer. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons in 4 1/2 cups of water.

Other Simple Things to Help You

  • For relaxation do this for 15 minutes every day. Lie on the floor with your feet on a chair so your thighs are at a right angle to the seat of the chair and the calves of your legs are lying across the seat of the chair. It is as simple as that.
  • Do dry skin brushing which will stimulate the liver and adrenal glands, increasing their ability to handle the toxins — see the Candida Group Dry Skin Brushing File.
  • Thump your thymus to stimulate it. Using your knuckles thump gently but firmly on your middle of your breastbone. Thump about 10 times in a row. Do this several times a day to wake up your thymus which is very important part of the immune system.