Once, maybe long ago, you came down with variation of mono, what your doctor called infectious mononucleosis. You have the antibodies in your blood to prove it. These are antibodies to a specific human herpesvirus (called human herpesvirus 4), better known as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).<\/p>\n
Back then, you may have felt a sudden onset of spookily severe fatigue, fever, a terribly sore throat, painful glands in your neck, and maybe even pain in your abdomen from a swollen spleen. Your doctor tested to make sure it wasn\u2019t strep throat (whose symptoms are virtually identical to those of mono) and likely ordered a screening test for mono called Monospot.<\/p>\n
This test may or may not have returned positive results because it sometimes takes two to three weeks for EBV antibodies to appear. If your Monospot test was negative, your doc relied on her clinical judgement to decide whether or not you had mono. It\u2019s certainly possible to have both strep and mono, in which case you received an antibiotic for the former. If no strep, only mono, you were told to rest up until you felt better.<\/p>\n
With both mono and strep, virtually everyone gets better and forgets they ever had it. But now, years or maybe decades later, you\u2019ve developed some persistent and worrisome symptoms, like chronic fatigue, muscle aches, and brain fog.<\/p>\n
Your doctor runs a battery of diagnostic tests related to fatigue, including tests for EBV. If you have antibodies you might hear her say \u201cAh, I see you once had mono.\u201d Sometimes patients remember this (\u201cOh yes, I\u2019d just arrived at college\u201d), sometimes not.<\/p>\n
EBV reactivation linked to wide range of other conditions Interestingly, although you yourself may suggest it, your doctor may be less than enthusiastic. After all, since there\u2019s no known treatment in conventional medicine for EBV, she just might say \u201cGo rest up.\u201d<\/p>\n An important takeaway: if you\u2019re seeing your doctor for persistent fatigue symptoms, getting tested for EBV reactivation is important. Not only can reactivation of EBV cause lots of symptoms, but it\u2019s also now associated with numerous other conditions. These include neurological diseases, like Parkinson\u2019s and multiple sclerosis, certain cancers (lymphoma, nasopharyngeal), digestive issues (ulcerative colitis, Crohn\u2019s), and autoimmune disease (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto\u2019s thyroiditis, celiac disease, and Sjogren\u2019s). See last week\u2019s Health Tip<\/a> for links to these and other associated conditions.<\/p>\n When you take the EBV questionnaire I suggest below, you may be surprised at the risks of having unchecked EBV in your body. However, if you\u2019re feeling well you don\u2019t have to worry about it being there. Just take care of yourself and it will stay asleep and harmless. All the usual recommendations apply. Eat a nutritious diet, move\/exercise regularly, get good restful sleep.<\/p>\n Testing for EBV reactivation Most of the 98% of all people who test positive for EBV have two or three positives out of five. This pattern indicates past infection, but no current problem.<\/p>\n If a person is ill and tests positive for the last four, then the likely diagnosis is reactivated EBV. The first of the group, VCA IgM, tests for acute, not chronic EBV.<\/p>\n At this point, your doctor might say, \u201cYou were right! Looks like EBV reactivation,\u201d adding that there\u2019s really nothing for you to do but take care of yourself and let your immune system do the rest.<\/p>\n To a certain extent, she\u2019s right. But you can make the situation a lot better, and quite quickly.<\/p>\n Understanding and treating EBV reactivation 1–Give careful thought to what reactivated your EBV (the trigger)<\/u>. Usually, it\u2019s a period of physical or emotional stress (an illness or death of a loved one, a health scare, a painful breakup, the job from hell, exposure to environmental toxins, or just not taking care of yourself). You\u2019ll very likely identify something. For future reference, now that you know your EBV reactivation requires a trigger, when confronted with potentially stressful situations you\u2019ll remember how you became ill and learn to control the situation.<\/p>\n Maybe it just means saying no to one more request for your time or cutting way back on after-work drinks with colleagues. It\u2019s worth noting that the concept of reactivation is not limited to EBV. The rules for preventing reactivation also apply to cold sores, shingles, chronic Lyme disease, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Cytomegalovirus, and even HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.<\/p>\n 2–Whether or not you\u2019re in a reactivation phase, your new lifetime hobby will be using different strategies to support your immune system<\/u>. This will benefit you in numerous ways: fewer infections, reduced cancer risk, and better odds for a healthy longevity. Immune support means eating a healthful whole-foods diet (consider all processed foods as working directly against good health), regular exercise (go slow if you\u2019re feeling ill, e.g., a nice walk, yoga, tai chi), sound sleep, and regular total body detoxification (twice a year is plenty, many products are available–here\u2019s ours<\/a>).<\/p>\n 3–Immune support supplements<\/u>: N-Acetyl L-Cysteine<\/a>, Selenium, and Five Defenders Chinese mushroom blend, available in our Apothecary. Use them together during a reactivation; use them in monthly rotation for prevention.<\/p>\n 4–During a reactivation period, the following herbs and supplements are EBV-specific (meaning they target EBV) as shown in testing labs<\/u>: turmeric (Theracumin HP<\/a>), berberine<\/a>, boswellia, selenium, and vitamins A, C<\/a>, and E<\/a>. Interestingly, since conventional medicine seems to have thrown in the towel regarding antiviral medicines for EBV, other physicians have become quite skilled at working with reactivated EBV. They include homeopaths, naturopaths, functional physicians, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.<\/p>\n For more reading, a very useful resource is the website of Dr. Kasia Kines<\/a>, author of The Epstein-Barr Virus Solution<\/em><\/a>. When you visit her site, I urge you to take the EBV quiz, if for no other reason than to learn all the ways chronic EBV has been shown to manifest itself.<\/p>\n However, don\u2019t be too worried if your score says you likely have EBV. After all, at least 98% of us show EBV antibodies and fortunately most of us are just fine, living a balanced life in peaceful coexistence with these and many other fellow travelers.<\/p>\n Be well, Once, maybe long ago, you came down with variation of mono, what your doctor called infectious mononucleosis. You have the antibodies in your blood to prove it. These are antibodies to a specific human herpesvirus (called human herpesvirus 4), better known as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Back then, you may have felt a sudden onset of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2087,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,2,14,195,2333,50,226,130,3,43],"tags":[2054,2055,2046,2047],"class_list":["post-15834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alternative-therapies","category-blog","category-c","category-diseases","category-functional-medicine","category-healthy-lifestyle","category-immune-system","category-integrative-medicine","category-knowledge-base","category-nutrition-nutritional-supplements-vitamins-herbal-remedies","tag-ebv","tag-epstein-barr","tag-viral-infections","tag-viral-syndrome"],"yoast_head":"\r\n
\n<\/strong>Let\u2019s say that after this diagnostic test panel all your tests are negative (no anemia, no thyroid problem, everything is fine) except for the EBV antibody evidence of your old mono. At this point, you should get checked for the possibility of Epstein-Barr reactivation.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Complete testing for EBV includes five separate tests on a single blood draw: VCA IgM, VCAIgG, EA-D, EBNA IgG, and EBNA IgM. I won\u2019t bother you with what each of these means, but will say that a doctor looking at all five together can determine where you are on the EBV spectrum.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Treatment is presented here in four parts, to make it easier for the DIYers:<\/p>\n
\nDavid Edelberg, MD<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"