herx or flare or just worst?

hey
i hate this wondering about is it herx or not bla bla bla. But i feel a bit insecure. So some symptoms coming back the last two weeks. (I had a tick bite, two weeks ago, it was nothting red or anything. Also had no cold or something.)
At the same time i took all my herbs up, I triple androgrophis, i double crytpo and sida almost and i added red sage 4gr. So i dont feel crap at all, just my ear ringing is quite heavyir, my muscle switching is back and a bit of air hunger, headace and more tired. Because im so unsecure i will do a blood test tommorow to see if there is anyhing going on with the new tick bite. If yes i will take some abx.

But in my theory its a good sign, because i just taking that high doses of herbs now and im herxing? I read that androgrpahis has a wide spectrum and it hits babesia and red sage hits it too. And my POTS are was getting even better the last weeks, they are on the way to normal. What is also a good sign i would say. I really wasnt sure if i send this post, because your probably couldnt answer my dilemma.. but maybe you got some words
thank you

I too have difficulty determining the difference between symptom flareup and a herx. I have been in treatment for quite a few years. It almost feels as if I am in a constant. Herx without any true break in symptoms. I have come to except that this is just the way my body is handling the treatment.

MargaritaLyme said...
I too have difficulty determining the difference between symptom flareup and a herx. I have been in treatment for quite a few years. It almost feels as if I am in a constant. Herx without any true break in symptoms. I have come to except that this is just the way my body is handling the treatment.

For me, a herx was a ramping up of my “regular”symptoms and a few new ones added on.

For example - when I was on the Bartonella/Persisters I had very bad head pain and a high fever. Those weren’t my “usual” symptoms…

Difficult to know for sure when several things are going on at once.

But my guess would be the step in the herbs is the cause.

If you wanted to confirm you could increase them again by a similar step when ready. Or take a break for a week or two.

Thanks Girlie for your response to my post. That helps me with that explanation. This is such a difficult condition to manage, but I’m looking forward to reaching the end of the symptom rainbow. Happy to know you are feeling so much better!

Dear friends,

an interesting discussion. Yes, lyme and co helps me - amidst of all the suffering last for years now - to appreciate good things in life and not to take it for granted.
Regarding herx and symptoms, my observation is that herx is felt like a dull pain all over the body, lasting for some hours. Strangely enough, can come any time, sometimes caused by, sauny sauna, change/intesification of abx or herbs, or just randomly. For me the main thing is not to freak out, but instead to try to rejoice and accept it, knowing what is taking place and that it is good, even painful and uncomfortable.
Symptoms are all the tiredness, stiffness of neck, head aches, joint pains, shifting pains, pain in lymph nodes, hundreds of more gross or subtle symptoms that keep changing, even though there are days or weeks when some are more prevalent, but again strangely, they keep changing over time, nothing remains as ongoing stable symptom all the time. I m trying to survive, make it and not to give up, especially when things appear to get worse and worse, in spite of keeping protocol, diet, exercise, everything.
Thank you for reading up to here, and that I could have an occasion for a small psycho-therapy session by writing all these things here. Hopefully it will be of some encouragement to others who suffer similiarly from lyme and co and tortures they are every day providing.

andrographis should taste like the absolute bitterest thing you have ever put in your mouth
if it doesn't - something is wrong
high quality herb should also be quite a vibrant green - not brown

its not uncommon for herbs to be a significantly different strengths when purchased from different sources - as we know the whole supplement market is unregulated and prone to gross mislabelling issues, quality issues, adulteration etc

however good sources should have very similar strength from batch to batch - i find it best to find one you are happy with and then stick to that - rather than shop around different brands each time

hopefully - a good source will also have many of the herbs you need - which makes ordering easier and more cost effective with postage etc

in Europe - for Buhner herbs - Lymeherbs.eu has worked best for me
i have no affiliation - just settled on them after trying several others first

The best way I've found to tell if it's just a herx or a flair up is to take some binders and see if they help at all. My logic is if its a flare up, the binders won't kill anything so I won't feel any better, but if its a herx then the toxins will get soaked up which will make me feel better.
My binders of choice are: Chlorella (Now brand), Bentonite Clay(Sonnes Detoxificant #7, Great Plains) and if I'm really feeling bad Alka-Seltzer gold or activated charcoal.

the one at the bottom of the photo looks as expected

the other looks too pale to me

if the pale one doesn't taste ultra bitter - by which i mean more bitter than any other herb you have tried - i suspect something has gone wrong - it could be a different herb packed or labelled incorrectly ( i have had this happen once in the past )

so i would write to lymeherbs and see what they say - they have always been super helpful and fair in my past experience

so they just anwered me this;

thank you for your email. We have two suppliers of Chinese herbs. The darker andrographis is from our regular supplier. We've ordered from our second supplier previously because otherwise we would be out of stock for of this herb for a long time. The color difference is due to different drying methods. Both bathes of andrographis are tested and are of good quality. We have also the andrographis you've used in stock as well. Some people prefer the darker one and other the greyish one.