Kitt do you also have lyme disease?? Thanks for all the info!

No, I do not. However, I do know a few people who have it.

Karen I have been reading about some people experience the "herx" as a side effect of starting DE, sorta like the candida die off. Especially people with a lot of fungus/candida and other type problems, which would make sense.

I think I am going to go very slow as you said with starting DE since I have candida.

Since we have been talking about lyme disease, here is a very good page on it I found today.

http://www.livingwithlyme.info/137764039

There also are a bunch of useful sites on the Lyme forum by Bobbi, Lara and others. Thanks for the site.

I read it isn't to be used on skin as it sucks out all the moisture. HMMM?

I had read it isn't to be applied directly to the skin but I think you ment taking it internally. Right?

Well what happened was - the same obgyn doc who told me that the progesterone "will help your neuropathy," also told me that to aviod taking estrogen (which is more dangerous) to eat all this soybean stuff per day and soy milk. At first all seemed fined and I figured it would be no problem with the neuropathy - the soy cleared up the menopausal brain fog wonderfully so I was pretty happy - although it got old kinda quck eating all that soy bean per day....

Then, after a bit of time went by, when I ingested it, particuarly the soy milk, wham - all of a sudden the nerve pain in the legs would start up. Soy is a phytoestrogen, one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful... and it was estrogen dominance that was at least partly the culpret for my PN - as proven by additional relief from my PN symptoms that I receieved nearly immediately when I went on progesterone... which reduces estrogen dominance.

So on the one hand, same doc told me - progesterone helps neuropathy, and although that turned out to be completely true, also told me but take soy to help your falling estrogen levels - soy a phytoestrogen, increases estrogen dominance which works against the relief I was getting from the progesterone.

When my neuropathy seems to be able to tolerate something for a while, then whatever the new things is builds up in my system and beings to cause additional neuropathy symptoms, it takes me a while to realize - Oh, ok, now the soy is causing more problems my neuropathy for me than it's worth for me in getting relief from the menopausal symptoms.

During that period of not realizing what was increasing the leg nerve pain all of a sudden, I was taking the maximum benfotiamine permitted, four, 250 mg per day, that according to the instructions on the bottle, at least (so much as I can believe that) which is the Life Extention brand (by the way). I felt better doing that than taking drugs for the pain, because when the pain went away when I took the benfotiamine that made me feel proud that I was managing neuropathy symptoms with supplements.

Also, just to note, I finally (at some point) took the advice that I had seen so many times at this site from many others, and began taking 200 - 600 mg alpha lipoic acid and had even further reduction from nerve pain.

Also, Mrs. D - when I wanted to splurge on chocolate or some other neuropathy trouble making goody - I will pop my supplements before doing so hoping to minimize the increase in neuropathy symptoms - although I would still wind up paying for that slurge with at least some pricking in the toes.

Again, the Diatomaceous Earth has taken all that chocolate craving away from me, which is part of the wonderful relief I have recieved from that.

Just a story of mine as to how I came to take so much Benfotiamine, just one example too, there have been others; along the same lines as this one, just different supplements I tried that didn't agree with my neuropathy.

I am starting my DE today. Right now, lol. I am starting with only 1/2 teaspoon as I have read for days on a couple forums about this and some people really have the herx/detox reaction with flu, headache, pains. I do not want this to irritate my feet too much so I am starting slow and small.

No reason to rush - start small!!! I got the morning head ache for a couple of days but that was it. I'm not surprised - never done a detox ever before... so I figure I was probably pretty clumped up

Great luck to you with it!