Here's my thumbnail interpretation, and it's very general. What I've come up with is drawn from my own reading and experimenting to find a detox system I can live with-- there are so many different approaches and points of view! I can send you some detox recipes that I've used with success, if you wish.
Detox while on LD/co treatment:
-- Many abx are processed through the liver. Some abx, like Rocephin, are notorious for causing gall bladder problems. My own experience is that you can address this very effectively, and even bring elevated liver enzyme numbers down, with a liver/gall bladder flush. I like this site for explaining the liver detox: http://www.liverdoctor.com/02_liverdetox.asp
-- The kidneys are also mightily affected by abx; so is the gut and the lymph. Detox teas have worked very well for me to keep my kidneys healthy (dandelion tea, etc.).
-- All detoxes work best if you've also scrubbed out your colon first -- makes sure that the toxins are actually eliminated, and not just flushing out of your liver and building up in your gut. The sites already listed in this post and the ones above describe how to do this. I like the psyllium husk/bentonite clay drink for this.
-- When you're not well, not moving around much, and taking in a lot of abx, your lymph system is liable to become very inefficient. So you need to get that moving too.
Simple movement is excellent for the lymph system; there are also herbal combos that are said to help flush it. Drinking good water helps. Massage is another great lymphatic drainage technique. If your lymphatic system isn't working well and you get a massage or exercise, you can experience a very nasty flush of toxins into your system that can leave you very nauseated.
--Yeast/gut detox: If you've been on abx for a while, odds are you have a yeast problem. My tongue gets white and heavily coated when I'm yeasty. If you have a food allergy or the abx has messed up your stomach/gut lining, you might have leaky gut as well.
Yeast can get serious fast, and be as awful as LD/co. Detox is usually a fungicide, like Nystatin or diflucan (manufactured), or Oregano oil, olive leaf oil (herbal). Plus fresh, freeze-dried or Kyolic garlic. Plus excellent probiotics and digestive enzymes. Plus a colon cleanse.
Leaky gut can cause dreadful food allergies and bowel dysfunction, so you need to help your gut heal. Saccharomyces boulardii is excellent for this; diet change is key. There are very good articles online about Leaky Gut -- it's a good idea to read up on it. The liver detox site I've listed has good leaky gut info.
--neurotoxins from Bb, babesia, etc: This is a weird area. There is some research that indicates that Bb, babesia, and maybe some of the other infections release toxins that affect the brain (and the rest of you). Some docs like to use cholestyramine(CSM) to bind these toxins and move them out of the brain and the rest of the body (or Welchol, beta sisterol, etc.) The research is very weak in this area. My own experience with CSM is iffy -- it may have helped a great deal, but so much else was going on for me at the time, I just dunno.
--Detoxing when herxing. Just my own experience, but I've found that by the time I hit a major herx, I'm not in a detoxing sort of mood, unless it involves crawling in a warm epsom salts bath. Herxes are thought to be a direct reaction to bacterial die off, whereas the toxin problems I described above are caused by the abx itself, or the yeast, gut problems, etc.
I've found some things that ease some herxes, but I don't know if I'd call them detoxifiers, exactly. But you can assume that keeping your kidneys, gut, and liver in good condition will help flush the dieoff out faster. There's a good overview about herxing at the Jemsek Clinic
--Abx and pharmaceuticals in general cause terrible problems for some people. I'm one of the lucky people with a teflon liver who are not chemically sensitive -- but don't assume that whatever you're going through is simply a herx or an LD symptom. Many folks on this board have done a terrific job of hunting down new ways to help their bods deal with LD AND the chemicals used to treat it. So keep asking questions and trading experiences....
Detox in general:
--There's a whole other side to detox for anyone, even if they are healthy and haven't taken abx. The main issues seem to be
- heavy metals, like mercury and cadmium
- parasites, as in the ones you get from pets, soil, veges, etc.
- blood pH levels (too acidic or too basic)
Didn't mean to write a novel. This is the most coherent I've been in the past week--guess I'm celebrating. Hope I haven't muddied the waters for you...
[This message has been edited by minoucat (edited 02 April 2005).]