MY BATTLE WITH EBV
Feb 07, 2021It was frustrating as fuck, specializing in hormone optimization, helping so many people to feel worlds better than they did when they first came to me, yet not being able to help myself.
The hormone medications I tried helped me to have an occasional good day, but after being on them for a few years on and off, one by one I started experiencing intolerable side effects and eventually stopped them completely. I didn’t know what to do or where to turn. I realized there had to be other things going on in my body and it was time I started deep diving down the rabbit hole of what that could possibly be.
So, I started researching. I tried almost every diet, every meal plan, every workout plan, and every disordered eating method out there. Shockingly, none of them helped. I pushed on, struggling, and continuing to read and research what could be making me feel so terrible. Then, on New Year’s Day of 2019 I had just flown back from Santa Monica, landed in Philadelphia, and woke up on the plane with the initial thought that I was dying. My body was in so much pain I could barely move. My throat was on fire and felt like I was swallowing knives. I was so tired I had no idea how I was going to make it home from the airport. I eventually made it home and slept for days without eating or drinking anything. I became so dehydrated I ended up in the hospital for IV fluids and a medical work up. They tested me for everything – blood clots in my legs, a kidney infection, kidney damage, strep throat, the flu. My mom looked at me in the ER and said, “Could this be mono?” I responded no – I had mono as a sophomore in high school and it’s extremely uncommon to get it a second time. Something they tested me for had to come back positive. But, nothing did. They discharged me leaving me even more confused about my health than I had been prior to getting sick.
Again, I started researching all of the symptoms I was experiencing including body aches, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, insomnia, and blood in my urine. Could this be mono? Turns out I had almost every random symptom of it. I checked my Epstein Barr (EBV - the virus that causes mono) antibodies and they were through the roof indicating I had a reactivation of the virus. But, why? What did this mean? I was addicted to finding answers. I read through forums on EBV. I learned about what foods and habits can reactivate the virus in the body. Turns out not sleeping enough, stress, drinking alcohol, eating carbs, sugars, dairy, gluten, fried foods, and exposing the body to extreme temperature fluctuations can cause a recurrence of EBV. I researched what foods and habits can help heal the body from this chronic condition. Turns out a gluten free, plant based diet, gentle exercise, plenty of sleep, and lots of supplements can help prevent reactivation of the virus. So, I started trying to implement these changes into my life.
I was sick with strep throat as well as flares of EBV every month for the first six months of 2019. I missed at least a week of work each time I became sick. It was time to consider removing my tonsils at the age of 30 because I couldn’t keep living like this. I finally decided to take my health seriously. I spent two weeks not drinking alcohol, I eliminated coffee from my diet, I became mostly plant based, I started many supplements to support my immune system, and I started really listening to my body.
This all happened around the time I came across Anthony William, the Medical Medium, and finally started finding some REAL answers. No matter what your opinion is of him, nothing he recommends is anything that would hurt to try. So, as someone who was absolutely desperate and had literally nothing to lose I deep dove into his books and tried his approach whole heartedly.
Anthony’s theory is that chronic exposure to heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses through our mother’s womb, food, air, cleaning products, environments, etc. wreaks absolute havoc on our bodies. This exposure leads to so many chronic conditions that we don’t know much about, to include hormone imbalances like polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS. His approach to manage this is to eliminate things in our diets that viruses and bacteria feed off of like sugar, gluten, dairy, eggs, pork, corn, soy, vinegar, fermented foods, canola oil, natural flavors, and nutritional yeast. This is when I really started getting into learning about what is actually in our food, how to really read a food label, and how to avoid the overly processed stuff.
I finally started to see a difference in the way I felt. I noticed my bad days were less and less. I generally felt really good on a daily basis. I still got really sick when I ignored my body or pushed myself too much, but those instances were becoming less and less frequent. They went from monthly to every 6 weeks, to every couple of months throughout the rest of 2019. In 2020 and now in 2021 I can list the number of times I’ve been sick on one hand. I feel better than I have felt in years. My mind is clear. My energy is great. My weight fluctuates, but is manageable and highly dependent on how I’m fueling my body. I’m able to participate in regular intense workouts a few times a week without feeling overly exhausted. I work hard for it, but I feel good. And I do my best not to take that for granted.
I truly believe I was put on this complex, complicated, long, messy path so that I can find the answers to help women like myself. I’m grateful for this journey everyday. And as a result of all of my own personal experiences, I’m here to give back and help serve you.
If you’re interested in learning more about Anthony William, The Medical Medium, and his approach to health here are some great books to help you get started on your healing journey:
Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal
Medical Medium Celery Juice: The Most Powerful Medicine of Our Time Healing Millions Worldwide
Medical Medium Life Changing Foods
Medical Medium Thyroid Healing
And better yet, they're currently on sale!
As always if you need helping weeding through all this information and figuring out what is really going on with your body I am always here to help - make sure to set up a FREE 20 minute call with me to learn more.
