Epstein-Barre Virus (EBV) Stalks Us

Reference Article Linked Here.

When we speak of the microbiome, we often think about bacteria and sometimes about fungi. But we also have a viral microbiome that can either be a part of our background flora or it can be part of a disease-causing flora.

In the case of EBV, the data is growing that indicates EBV can cause Multiple Sclerosis which is a disease that breaks down the insulation around nerves and causes the nerves to lose functionality. It is a challenge to conclude that EBV can cause any particular disease because EBV infects almost 90% of the population, usually when we are young.

EBV is the agent that causes mononucleosis. EBV has been associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and with Fibromyalgia. Most often we remove EBV effectively from our systems and the result of that battle can be discerned in the circulating immune cells that produce antibodies which watch for the virus. Fortunately for most, we only catch EBV once in our lives and the immune system keeps it at bay.

For some individuals, EBV seems to be able to continue living and evading the immune system. Sometimes this shows up as a persistent infection. Sometimes this shows up as a hidden infection that can re-activate. I check for the actual viral DNA rather than just the antibodies to a previous infection. This allows me to differentiate between whether the person had a previous infection or whether they have viral particles still affecting their system.

This study does an elegant job identifying the relationship between EBV and MS. Interestingly, it implies that the initial degradation of the nerve insulation can occur as much as 6 years before diagnosis.

MS is an autoimmune disease. It is possible that the EBV mimics a protein in the nerve insulation which can attract our immune system’s destructive cells.

Some mushroom products can be helpful when treating EBV since there are no effective pharmaceuticals. The mainstay for addressing autoimmunity evoked by persistent or reactivated EBV infection includes reducing the overall dietary inflammatory burden, drastically reducing stress and enhancing stress resilience, beginning anti inflammatory herbs and botanicals like ginger and turmeric, optimizing gut function, and calming the overall inflammatory response.

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