Epstein Barr . . . my story

I have chronic reactivated Epstein Barr virus . . . . . do you know what that is? It's a mouthful! Back in the 80's, I had a case of mononucleosis . . . I had 2 babies and it knocked me on my butt for several months. After I recovered, I had shortness of breath and it took a long time to get over. . . . but . . . it wasn't over.

In 2005, I began to have pain . . . all over type pain . . . at nerve areas. Along the arms (where people come up and poke you to say hi), down the sides of my legs, under my arms, . . . you get where I'm going. The cat could climb in my lap and stand . . . and I couldn't stand it. It would HURT! I was also having foot pain which turned out to be plantar fasciitis . . . and I could barely handle small things around the house. I would go to the grocery store, come home and put them up, then I was done for the day. I researched my symptoms and decided that I had a thyroid disorder. After confirming this with an Endocrinologist, I found out I had an auto-immune thyroid disorder called Hashimoto thyroid disease. It is hereditary - runs in families - and you find out whether you have it by having a thyroid antibody test - not a TSH test. Because it was an aut0-immune disorder, I decided to consult with a Naturopath to see how I could strengthen my immune system. After reading about auto-immune diseases, I found that they sometimes run together . . . Hashimoto with lupus or multiple sclerosis . . . . This made my quest to strengthen my immune system even more important.

I consulted a Naturopath here in Oklahoma. He had me go to my regular physician (Naturopaths aren't recognized in Oklahoma and lab tests wouldn't be covered under him) and they ran some blood work and it was discovered that I had an reactivated case of Epstein Barr. He stated that this was probably the cause of my Hashimoto thyroid disease . . that caused my cells to attack each other. He put me on heavy doses of Lysine (3000 mg per day) and a supplement called AV Plus (which has antivirals such as licorice in it). I have been on this regimen for about a year.

After I was put on hormone treatment . . . and was feeling MUCH better, I decided to stop taking my lysine and AV Plus. BIG MISTAKE. I guess it really does help me. I won't stop again. The nerve pain returned and the fatigue too.

My Naturopath is Dr. Michael Leu in Jenks, OK. He is on the internet.