What is a Healing Crisis?

THE HERXHEIMER REACTION

Illness is a symptom or sign of what is going on within the mind and body

 

The body has an inbuilt desire for good health and has the ability and desire to work its way back to that state, no matter how bad our health becomes, unless it completely damaged or impaired Or we decide against well-being.

 

Much of conventional medicine  attempts to suppress or eliminate symptoms of illness. The holistic approach tries to treat the whole person and underlying causes – looking at symptoms as a map of what is wrong with the whole person. When working holistically with health the Herxheimer Reaction can occur. This is more commonly known as a healing crisis. This means that some symptoms may start to feel worse rather than better as the body prepares itself for healing.

 

There are a number of different reasons for this, depending on the condition that is being treated. One common cause of the Herxheimer Reaction is toxic overload. This is where the body is unable to deal with the amount of toxins that it is trying to eliminate in a short period of time. An Herxheimer reaction that involves toxicity usually lasts around three days but if the energy of the patient is low, it may last a week or more.

 

Another cause of the Herxheimer Reaction is when a re-balancing of the Endocrine (hormonal system) is taking place. A common example of this is when women have treatment for their periods such as in PMS. They find that their symptoms become a little worse for one or two periods before they settle down into a better pattern.

 

Some symptoms are unpleasant and it is common for people to stop treatment thinking that it isn’t working. This will depend on the level of their sensitivity. One crisis is not always enough to help heal. The person with a chronic illness will often have to go through cycles of crises, with each one improving the condition. It takes time to develop chronic diseased states, and time is required to let go of illness.

 

During this process, it is important to try and avoid suppressing these temporary symptoms wherever possible (for example with drugs such a pain relievers), or healing processes may be interrupted or take longer. As we regain health, every body system works together to set the stage for regeneration.

 

A disease occurs when the body cannot make it through its natural regeneration process and the body becomes ‘locked’ in to an unhealthy or destructive pattern. These sustaining patterns can occur on all levels – not just physically in the form of toxic overload, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The Herxheimer Reaction can help bring past conditions or personal issues out of the unconscious and into the conscious mind, helping to ‘unlock’ repetitive emotional patterns and defence mechanisms that are acting as sustaining factors in disease.

 

Any one truly wishing to heal themselves must accept the ongoing process of renewal and regeneration and not fear their symptoms or the healing crisis.