Sauna Herxing…Ouch

[Valsmum]

I got my sauna set up and used it for the first time last night. I only went in for 15 minutes because I read it can cause herxing. I loved how well it worked, I was soaking wet!! But then I paid for it this morning, I hurt from the neck down, joints that never usually bother me like my hips were even hurting…I’m in bad shape.

Anyone know a good routine for using a sauna to get the bugs out? I’m in bad shape at 15 minutes. Should I use it twice a week and when does the herxing go away or get better? Do over the counter anti histamines really help with a herx reaction, something such as quercitin(sp?) Is it true; the high heat kills the the bugs and then you sweat them out & the herxing comes from too much die-off ? If you have a herx reaction from too much die-off would it be good to go in a day you are herxing to sweat out the die-off ? Thank you!
Sheri

[Maz]

@Valsmum wrote:

Anyone know a good routine for using a sauna to get the bugs out? I’m in bad shape at 15 minutes. Should I use it twice a week and when does the herxing go away or get better? Do over the counter anti histamines really help with a herx reaction, something such as quercitin(sp?) Is it true; the high heat kills the the bugs and then you sweat them out & the herxing comes from too much die-off ? If you have a herx reaction from too much die-off would it be good to go in a day you are herxing to sweat out the die-off ?

Hi Sheri,

What temp did you set your sauna to?

After going way too fast with my new FIR sauna, last spring, and suffering a big ol’ herx by week’s end, my doc advised me to only use my FIR sauna every other day (max) and start at 10 mins at 110f and then increase the time gradually to tolerance. After a couple weeks, I could manage half an hour at 110f and then began increasing the temp slowly to a max of 125f. Doc told me not to go above 125f or stay in any longer than half an hour. He also told me to drink a couple bottles of water (I do this while in sauna) to replace lost fluids through sweating.

In the case of Lyme disease, borrelia cannot withstand heat and so this is why FIR saunas can induce herxing. These saunas also help our bodies to release other toxins, like environmental pollutants, medications that have built up in our bodies over time, etc. So, too much sauna, too quickly, can actually cause aching from the release of acidic wastes…in addition to dehydration, if in for too long or sweating too much. For this reason, I use a half tspn of Tri-salts and shake it up in my bottle of water.

Everyone is going to be different as to what they can tolerate, but the key here is probably to keep the temp down for a while and limit time in the sauna until one knows what they can withstand. It takes a long time to release toxins from the body that have built up over years, so trying to do too much at once is probably counterproductive. It’s kind of like starting low and slow with AP.

I actually went into my sauna on Monday night when my three-week Mepron/Biaxin pulse herx hit and did a full half hour at 125f, but I have worked up to this time/temp. I felt fab the next day, as if the herx was just a bad memory. I think it’s really just a question of getting to know one’s own body and what it can tolerate…so the rule of thumb with FIR sauna-ing is “low and slow.” 😉

[stwig]

Hi Valsmum,
My experience with the infarred sauna is to start out slow. The amount of sweating does not equal the amount of killing, hence you will experience herxing until your body can clear the toxins. I started with about 10 minutes, 2 or 3 days a week, and worked up from that in both time and frequency. Now I can do 15 minutes about 4 days per week. If I go up to 20 minutes I have a lot of stiffness and pain the following day, so I am still working up to that.

Best wishes,
Starla

[Kim]

Hi Sheri,

You will be wise to ease into the sauna routine, but it’s encouraging that you were able to sweat so quickly. Some of us had to cook to death before we began sweating and had to re-train our bodies to sweat. Obviously, you know it’s important to drink lots of fluids before, during, and after, but it’s also important to towel off and shower immediately so you don’t re-absorb everything you just released.

I’ve worked up to 40 minutes @ 130 degrees. At my sickest I was using it almost daily, but now use it a couple of times a week for maintenance.

You can do a “search” on “detox cocktail” from Sherri Roger’s book, Detoxify or Die, for previous discussions on the forum.

Take care……kim

[Valsmum]

Thank you Kim for the ” detox cocktail ” info. I did a search at rbfbbb and read through about 20 posts or so but I missed that one, so thank you. Lately I have been sweating alot , I think it’s one of the side effects of prednisone, aka the devil. I can’t wait to get off this stuff, I just got 1mg tablets to help my weaning. I have never sweat my entire life, even after a 3 mile run, now I wake up soaking wet. What a weird year it’s been. I’m afraid to get anything checked out, I think my body had gone haywire. Whatever doc I go to it’s “well Iv’e got some good news and some bad news.” Errrr. Thanks again!!

Maz, I had it at 124 degrees because I was still learning to use the controller and excited to try it. I am at my 3 month mark with mino so I am really hoping to stop the herxing right about know and enjoy that downward trend I keep reading about. Thanks for your input!!

Thanks you Starla for your words of advice, I appreciate it. 🙂

Sheri

[Eva Holloway]

Sheri,
I had my sauna for about 5 months and I was just starting to sweat a little ( I don’t sweat much, LOL) and then I broke my hip. It took awhile before I was back in the sauna, but I started low, 10 minutes at a medium heat setting, but right now I am back at the beginning with the sweating, yuck, not much, but it is nice and warm. I do shower right after it and I take buffered Vit C before I go in and drink two bottles of water before and drink some during the sauna and then drink more water with Calm magnesium mixed an hour after that. Sure helps, wish I could sweat but the doctor thinks it will be a long time before I really sweat good. Start slow even dr. Sherri Rogers says so in her book, “Detoxify or Die” 🙄
Eva 🙄

Eva Holloway

[Valsmum]

Thanks Eva,

I never used to sweat, but now I wake up drenched and during the day I am all sweaty.(might be the prednisone??) I’m kind of glad even though I’m not used to it because I am hoping some toxins are making their way out..for good.
Hope your hip heals well, take it easy.
Sheri

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