Nov 10 2009
Infectious Mononucleosis Treatment – PMT (Premenstrual Tension)
Infectious Mononucleosis treatment needs to address the hormonal balance of the body. It is not unusual for a woman’s hormone cycle to become irregular or problematic during an illness like mono.
Problems like PMT (premenstrual tension) are common. PMT is marked by symptoms of swollen breasts, loss of libido, mood swings, headaches and fatigue. Painful periods can also result from this hormonal imbalance. Fortunately there is a lot you can do to minimize problems with your hormones whilst undergoing infectious mononucleosis treatment.
Infectious mononucleosis treatment which includes addressing PMT needs to focus on cleansing the liver, nurturing the adrenal glands and eating well. Let’s look at each of these in more detail:
Cleansing the liver during infectious mononucleosis treatment
In many cases, excess amounts of the female hormone estrogen can unbalance the whole hormonal picture of the body, leading to PMT and period problems. Many Western women suffer from excess estrogen or ‘estrogen dominance’, resulting in PMT like symptoms.
Estrogen can be derived from the Pill, fertility drugs, HRT, or from harmful synthetic chemicals in our food and environment. If the liver is not working efficiently, as is common during infectious mononucleosis treatment, the body can’t break down the natural estrogen from the body, or the synthetic estrogen from the environment.
Improving liver function is vital to help break down the natural and synthetic estrogen in the body. Regular liver cleansing with a tonic based on herbs like dandelion and milk thistle plus the lipotropic agents like choline, methionine and inositol should be an essential part of your infectious mononucleosis treatment plan.
Nurturing the adrenals during infectious mononucleosis treatment
The Epstein Barr virus that causes mono can affect the adrenal or stress glands of the body. Once the adrenals become depleted, the whole hormonal balance of the body becomes disturbed.
Under active adrenals can also give rise to increased estrogen. If these glands are under active the ovaries pump out extra estrogen to raise the metabolic rate.
To repair the health of your adrenals you need to focus on getting plenty of rest plus taking some repair nutrients like vitamin C, magnesium and the B complex. Minimizing stress should also be part of your infectious mononucleosis treatment plan.
The right diet for infectious mononucleosis treatment
Estrogen dominance can also be aggravated by excess dietary fat – particularly animal fat in the diet. These fats encourage the bacterial overgrowth of the bowel, which can convert used estrogen back into free estrogen to be reused by the body.
For this reason, I recommend all my PMT patients avoid fatty meats, chicken skin, bacon rinds, excess butter, full cream dairy and anything made from these products. The addition of some acidophillus bacteria in the diet is a good idea as it can help keep the bacterial balance of the bowel in check.
The recommended diet for good hormonal health during infectious mononucleosis treatment centres around fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, legumes and quality proteins, with the avoidance of sugar, caffeine, alcohol and polyunsaturated fats.
Natural plant progesterone in our foods can help to balance out estrogen excess. Soya foods like soy milk, tempeh, tofu and miso are rich in plant hormones that can help balance excess estrogen. In countries where these are eaten in abundance, hormonal imbalances are a lot rarer. Wild yam cream can be used topically to balance excess estrogen in the system. It should be applied on the abdominal area from day 7 to day 26 of the cycle. (Day 1 is taken as the first day of your period).
Certain nutrients like vitamin B6, choline, taurine, magnesium and the essential fatty acids are of great value in addressing hormonal problems during infectious mononucleosis treatment. Botanical medicines used for treating estrogen balance include chaste berry ( Vitex agnus-castus) and cramp bark (Viburnum opulus).
Infectious mononucleosis treatment and freedom from hormonal problems like PMT and painful periods can be achieved through the correct diet, supplements, herbs, detoxification and simple lifestyle improvements. These techniques are discussed in more detail in the book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures” by qualified naturopath Elizabeth Noble.
2 responses so far
*Apologies for my incredibly long comment, I went all over the place in this one*
I was infected with mono a year and a half ago, and I noticed that the kombucha I drank to help heal me also made my periods finally manageable. If only I could have known better how the body works sooner I would have escaped years of agony. A while after I stopped kombucha though, PMS came back with new symptoms so I started a progesterone cream. It says to use it on thin skinned areas and start on the 12th day, I’m wondering if I would benefit more if I followed your instructions? 5 days may not be much, but I can’t say I know the intricacies of my body to a T.
Though part of my problems with this are related to succumbing to the pressure of eating with my boyfriend’s family – which includes inorganic meats & other bad things – I am also very concerned about the state of my immune system as I can’t tolerate any sugar, or else what I assume is mono, comes back. I have had an abscessed tooth that’s persisted since around when my peritonsillar abscess (caused by mono that caused tonsillitis) disappeared, and I’ve had the suspicion that this is a sign of the infection never subsiding in my body. At first I could drain the abscess with home remedies at will, but it always came back. Now it doesn’t budge, and with my recent bout of sickness it’s gotten even larger for the first time, over a year after it formed. Note that I am already in medical debt with no insurance (doctors didn’t help me and only made things worse, I had to heal from the canker sores & thrush from antibiotics on my own, etc) and I don’t trust a dentist to drain this (it would just come back anyway). Now along with a sore throat, sore tonsils making swallowing a nightmare, and painful, very large lymph nodes I also have an eye infection in one eye, which is so swollen I can hardly open it right now. Seriously, I would read more of your blog than I already have if I could actually see properly right now.
Sometimes it’s just really hard to find the right answers, and I can’t afford to see anyone about it, do you think I’m on the right track with assuming that this is all related to mono? I’ve screwed up my eating habits since I moved to where I am now, and now I’m just going to tell others straight up I can’t eat the same food as them, regardless of them possibly not understanding and getting offended. But diet and cleansing alone did not seem to fully clear my system, I think another big factor is that I can’t sleep. I have periods where I go months on 5 mins of sleep per night, and it’s grueling. Lately I’ve gotten more sleep after drinking larger amounts of water than normal, but my body is still obviously having hydration problems as my lips have been chapped for.. years. My skin is not getting hydrated, so it seems unlikely the rest of me is satisfied. Anyway, I think dehydration is related to my insomnia, which has made my immune system horrible. So, I’m wondering what I need to facilitate my body’s hydration.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for your post. Sorry to hear you have been struggling with your health for so long.
Mono is a latent virus that can relapse when you are run down or under stress. The abscess is another possible source of a low grade chronic infection that is suppressing your immunity. Personally I would recommend you find a holistic dentist or naturopath who can advise you. They will probably put you on some zinc, vitamin C, fish oils and immune-boosting herbs.
Sleep is essential to help your body repair itself so I would be making this a priority. Drinking plenty of pure water (but not too much at night), eating an alkalising diet based around fresh vegetables, fruits, quality proteins and healthy fats plus taking some sleep nutrients like magnesium, vitamin C and the B complex should help. Taking some high dose fish oils and/or flaxseed oil can also improve skin dryness.
I hope these ideas get you started.
Elizabeth