I have been feeling a bit under the weather the past few days. I believe it is what is called a “healing crisis” and is part of the detox process. After a few months of eating too much cooked food and too much food altogether I am back to eating all or mostly raw. The extra pounds I gained are going away. I have felt much better and lighter over all.
But the last few days I have been tired, headachy, congested and have had times of feeling queasy. This often happens when you are in the detox process. It can happen when you are on a juice fast and it can happen when you make a change to a healthier diet. As your body begins to breakdown and rid itself of the toxins you have accumulated the toxins are released into your system to be eliminated through your breath, skin, bowels and urine. During that time many people develop cold or flu-like symptoms. Some may develop rashes or other skin eruptions.
Some people mistake this as a sign they need to stop doing what ever they are doing. That it isn’t working. The reverse is true. This means it IS working. It is usually short-lived. Within a few days you should be feeling much better.
You can help the process along by encouraging the elimination process. Drink more water. Do some deep breathing exercises. Soak in the tub. Use a dry brush or a loofah to help remove dead skin sells. Get some fresh air and sunshine. Rest and let the body do its work.
Don’t let your healing crisis make you think your new healthy diet is making you sick. Take it as a sign to slow down and take care of yourself for a few days while your body does its work and your internal healing is happening.
Have you ever had a “healing crisis”? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Looking for more juice fast help? Click here for our resource page.
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I just made the decision to try a whole plant based diet. This is my second day and I just started to feel horrible. I have headaches, foggy brain, keep on making trips to the bathroom and feeling like there is more to come, nausea, and just feel wiped out. Detox was not even on my radar when I decided to try the diet. After doing some research online, including your article, I understand that I am going through this. I am just drinking more water and resting, but I am very uncomfortable. Are there any foods that are gentler on the stomach at this stage? Or anything I should be doing to help ease this transition?
Jane I am sorry to hear you are feeling bad. It’s hard to say what you should do without knowing more about what you are eating now and what your diet was like before or what addictive foods/substances you may be detoxing from. I recommend you keep a food journal and track what you are eating and how it makes you feel. This will help you identify the problem. In general we recommend whole foods, that being fruits, veggies, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds in their unprocessed states. If you want more help please request a consultation from Dr. Opare by going to https://opare.net/consultation. He can find out more about your situation and recommend what to do. Don’t give up!
I did a juice fast for 5 days March 2014. I had a dull headache for two days. I felt light-headed a few times. I kept waiting to have extreme reactions, but it never came. The most I dealt with the first few days was food cravings.
Jimeta, congratulations on doing a fast. Everyone is different. In fact every fast is different each time you do one.
I experienced a healing crisis during my first detox. I had flu-like symptoms with extreme nausea. In addition to releasing toxins, I did not take the advice I was given about easing into the detox by altering my diet. It was definitely a learning experience that is still with me.
Yes, the tapering before is important. Did you do something to ease the symptoms?