The Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction, or more commonly  knows as  ”herx,” is a detoxification reaction your body has from die off of bacteria. It is the worsening of symtpoms before getting better.  As the body detoxifies, or tried to get rid of dead bacteria and toxins,  it is not uncommon to experience flu-like symptoms including headache, joint and muscle pain, body aches, sore throat, general malaise, sweating, chills, fever, nausea, hives or other symptoms. This is a normal reaction when starting a treatment for Lyme Disease , Syphillis, or Candida, and some other infections.  It  indicates that parasites, fungus, viruses, bacteria or other pathogens are being effectively killed off.

The Herxheimer Reaction is an immune system reaction to the toxins that are released when large amounts of pathogens are being killed off, and the body does not eliminate the toxins quickly enough. Simply stated, it is a reaction that occurs when the body is detoxifying and the released toxins,(endotoxins) released from the cell walls of dying bacteria due to effective treatment,  either exacerbate the symptoms being treated or create new symptoms. The important thing to note is that worsening symptoms do not indicate failure of the treatment in question; in fact, usually just the opposite.

There are ways to help you get through your Herxheimer reaction. This entails proper detoxification. To read on Biotoxin Illness and ways to detox click here: http://whatislyme.com/biotoxin-illness-and-detoxing/

Info from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarisch-Herxheimer_reaction