Biocidin: How to Avoid Detox Symptoms

Biocidin herbal formula has rightly earned a great reputation for clearing the most stubborn infections and conditions. The herbs are powerful on their own and their effect is exponentially stronger when combined. I discuss the basics of Biocidin here, and the medical research here. In this recent blog, I discuss the complete 30 and 60-day Biocidin programs and each supportive formula included in the kit. 

Your body can heal from chronic and stubborn infections.  Biocidin is a powerful blend of herbs that can defeat a wide spectrum of microbes. Whether you are dealing with Candida, SIBO, or Lyme disease, Biocidin is a leading option for restoring balance.  Beside the original herbal formula, Biocidin Botanicals offers supportive formulas to balance your microbiome and assist detoxification.  

Anytime you take a supplement or medication that “kills” something within your body, you may experience a detox or Herxheimer reaction. 

Herxing & Biocidin®: What to Know Before You Start Killing the “Bad Guys”

I remember when I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2006 after having contracted it almost 10 years prior.  I felt so relieved that I now had an “enemy” to go after.  I felt validated that the symptoms were not “all in my head” or a mental illness. At that time, the trend was to use multiple antibiotics or IV antibiotics to attack the spirochetes.  I heard horror stories of people being confined to wheelchairs and beds because of the intense “die-off” or “herx” reaction they were having.  I was already exhausted and had periods of time when it was difficult to get out of bed, so I didn’t think I could handle antibiotic treatments.  I had already been diagnosed with IBS by then and frequently had fairly severe diarrhea.  Everyone knows that antibiotics can cause diarrhea because while the medication may be killing pathogenic bacteria, it is also killing off your good bacteria, which results in diarrhea.  So, antibiotics sounded like a nightmare to me.  I ended up trying a course of 8 weeks of 3 different antibiotics, used simultaneously, that ultimately seemed to make me sicker.  

I also knew that I was very sensitive to medications and supplements.  Through the years, I have found that I have impaired cytochrome p450 enzymes, and the MTHFR gene mutations that are likely the cause of my sensitivity.  Although at the time I didn’t understand detox or herxheimer reactions, I was quite sure I didn’t want to take anything that would make me feel any worse than I already felt.   

The balance between “killing” and detoxifying is a delicate one and often overlooked when people are dealing with long-term or chronic infections.  The detox or herx reaction is a very real physiological issue and can set you back days, weeks, or even years. It is important to understand detoxification and how to avoid herx symptoms before you take Biocidin. 

What Is a Herxheimer reaction?

Clearing pathogens, whether it is Lyme disease or sinus bacteria, is NOT a 1-step process.  When your immune cells, a medication or antimicrobial herbs, kill a pathogen in your body, that is just ONE step in a process.  After the “bad guy” is dead, your body must break it down, transport it through your lymph, blood, and tissues, and excrete it.  You have to get the dead stuff out, or you will continue to have symptoms.  The symptoms are caused by the inflammation resulting from dead organisms.  You must have your “detox pathways” open in order to get rid of dead debris.  Your detox pathways are everything from your lymph flow to sweating and bowel movements.  

The inflammation and secondary symptoms from killing off pathogens are called a Herxheimer reaction, herx, die-off, and detox reaction.  These are all names to describe the process outlined above.  

A good analogy is a toilet.  Your bathroom toilet works really well to get rid of the waste you put in it.  As long as you don’t put anything too big, like a diaper, the toilet will flush and get rid of whatever you put in there.  But if you put something too big in, the toilet will clog.  Also, if you put too much waste in the toilet, it will not flush, and will clog, and eventually overflow. 

The same is true of the detox systems in your body.  If your immune cells, medications, or herbals kill off too many pathogens at one time, the systems get clogged and overflow.    The lymph nodes fill up with dead pathogens and cell fragments.  Your body tries to buffer the dead pathogens and inflammatory molecules by holding onto more water.  You can become bloated, which causes pain.  You can also become constipated because the water is in your tissues instead of your colon.  So your colon doesn’t have enough fluid to pass a bowel movement.  You can get brain fog because of the inflammatory molecules circulating in your bloodstream.  

Here are some additional Herxheimer reactions that can occur when your body is clearing out pathogens faster than your detox pathways can handle. Common Herx symptoms include:

• Brain fog and fatigue
  
• GI issues (bloating, gas, diarrhea, or constipation)
  
• Body aches, chills, low-grade fever
  
• Skin rashes or breakouts
  
• Headaches or lightheadedness
  
• Increased irritability or mood swings
  
• Swollen lymph nodes and sore throat
  
• Sweet cravings (yes, your bugs want sugar!)
  

These symptoms are counterproductive to healing.  They signal that the detox pathways are overloaded, and your body is making more inflammation, which means you are not healing anything.  You may have killed pathogens, but now you have a bigger problem---systemic inflammation and the associated symptoms. There is no reason to “tough it out” and keep taking Biocidin or any other substance if you are having a herx.  If you experience a die-off reaction, you need to manage that before increasing or staying on Biocidin.  

If you go back to the analogy of a toilet, if you see your toilet is clogged, you don’t want to put anything else in it until you solve the problem.  Likewise, if your detox pathways are overwhelmed by the load of cellular debris, you don’t want to put more in until you clear out the backlog that is causing your detox symptoms. 

I believe the worst symptoms of herxing is the brain fog.  This is likely due to the amount of inflammation that is caused by the dead microbes.  The inflammatory molecules activated by your immune cells are sent through your bloodstream and affect all areas of your body, including your brain.  Once in your brain, this inflammation can cause cognitive symptoms like brain fog and inability to concentrate, and mental health symptoms.  I have had clients report feeling panic and rage when they are experiencing a herx reaction. 

Is it herxing or an allergic reaction?

It is critical that you NOT continue to take Biocidin or any other supplement if you are experiencing an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction involves your IGE cells and mast cells.  When these cells are activated, they can cause a true allergic reaction that involves an anaphylaxis reaction, swelling, breathing issues, and a rash.  These reactions come on very quickly in comparison to a herx/detox reaction.  Stop Biocidin immediately and consult a doctor or call 911 if you have difficulty breathing.

How to Avoid or Minimize Herxing with Biocidin®

It is best to completely avoid detox symptoms while taking Biocidin or any supplement or medication.  That is not always possible, so you must gauge the number and severity of your symptoms.  The symptoms are signs that your body’s detox pathways are overloaded and you need to slow down or provide additional support.  There is no benefit, and actually a danger, to trying to muscle through herx symptoms.  

In this blog, I give my top strategies for supporting digestion and elimination before you start Biocidin.  It is very important that you have a bowel movement at least 1 time per day before you take Biocidin.  Your bowels are a main detoxification pathway, and if you are constipated, you will definitely experience herx symptoms. 

Here are my top strategies for avoiding a herx while taking Biocidin: 

1. Start low and slow with ½ a drop.  You can read about how to prepare ½ a drop in this blog.
   

2. Use binders like G.I. Detox™+ or use the entire Biocidin Program.
   If you are “killing” microbes, you need to make sure they exit your body without causing a lot of residual inflammation and symptoms. A binder soaks up toxic byproducts released when microbes are killed.
   

3. Ensure your detoxification pathways are open.  This can include supporting lymph flow, bowel elimination, liver and gallbladder health, kidney support, and thermo-regulation (sweating and cold exposure).  Knowing which detox pathway is causing a toxin backup and symptoms can be tricky, especially if symptoms come quickly.  If you need to troubleshoot a herx reaction with Biocidin, schedule a consult with me, Carly Neubert BA, NC.  
   

4. Slowly increase your dose and decrease as necessary.  The Biocidin programs have a suggested dosing guide.  If you find that increasing the dose causes you symptoms, go back down to the dose that was not causing your herx symptoms and focus on supporting detox. 
   

5. Track your doses and your symptoms.  It is easy to forget your doses or catastrophize when you feel a detox reaction.  Track your symptoms, both positive and negative, in a notebook that you place by your Biocidin formulas.  This can remind you to take your supplements and record your symptoms and improvements.  

The Biocidin® Advantage

After reading this blog, you may feel some trepidation about taking Biocidin.  It truly is a unique formula because it offers to rid you of biofilms and microbes.  It is so powerful that it may cause symptoms as it performs in your body.  

Don’t despair, just be educated and prepared for possible symptoms and how you will support your detoxification through the process.  Be strategic about how, when, and the speed at which you use Biocidin and the supportive formulas.  Pace yourself and reach out for support if you need it.  If you want to create a custom plan for using Biocidin, schedule a consult with me, Carly Neubert BA, NC.