08
2019
COPING WITH DIE OFF, WHILE ON A CANDIDA CLEANSE
I’ve been a victim of candida myself, been through this stage – so I can completely relate to you if you are going through die off. Also called a Herxheimer reaction, where your symptoms will first get worse and then better. When on a Macrobiotic approach, I walk my clients through this process – you could experience the following –
- Itching, skin issues
- Vaginal issues (itching, discharge).
- Bloating and gas
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Body ache
- Nausea
- Flu-like feeling
- Digestive issues (constipation or diarrhea)
- Brain fog
Most of my clients get fearful that their diets are not actually working, but this is not true. A lot of them need to be counseled through this period. The brilliance of the Macrobiotic approach is its ‘home remedies,’ which I use to get you through this phase. Combined with assistance in nutrients (that protect you) in the first phase of detoxification, wherein your body is throwing up the toxins; a protocol of using antioxidants to protect you against any free radical damage is essential in this phase. A good practitioner needs to assist you to convert these toxins for proper elimination in phase 2.
Adding MACs (Microbiota Accessible Fiber) – I’ve talked a lot about them in my book The Detox Diet is critical. You can get these from: brown rice/millets, legumes, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts and seeds. The fiber will assist in feeding the good gut bacteria, which will drown out the bad bugs. If you do not focus on elimination, the toxins get pushed back into the blood stream.
Another way of assisting yourself is to add massage to your routine, this could be an Ayurvedic abhyanga massage or any massage that will aid the lymphatic system, in elimination of toxins. Acupuncture, acupressure, craniosacral therapy are all bodywork therapies that can be used to help you get through this phase.
The most important thing you can do is to stay calm, and not generate any anxiety during this time. Anxiety will irritate the digestive system, and not allow the gut to do its job in assisting proper elimination of toxins.
