Although many bacteria like chlamydia and mycoplasma are common in the environment, they are usually non-invasive. If you have a weak immune system due to chronic Epstein Barr virus, then these organisms can enter your cells causing a persistent, low grade infection which can last for months or years.

If you are diagnosed with one of these infections you will probably need to take an antibiotic for at least a week or two. Chronic, deep seated infections may need several months of antibiotic treatment.
Check with your doctor about the safety of taking antibiotics with chronic Epstein Barr virus. Sometimes the combination of the active virus with antibiotics can trigger skin irritation and rashes.

If you have to take antibiotics during chronic Epstein Barr virus then there are steps you can take to support your immunity and minimise side effects:

• Firstly take some probiotics like acidophilus and bifido bacteria as a powder or capsule during and after your antibiotic course to help maintain a healthy bacterial balance in your gastrointestinal tract.
• Take an immune-boosting supplement with vitamin C and zinc. Other immune tonics like Echinacea, garlic or Olive Leaf Extract can be beneficial.
• Eat a low carbohydrate, sugar-free diet which is high in quality protein and fresh fruit and vegetables. This diet is also a good anti-inflammatory diet for chronic Epstein Barr virus.
• Get adequate rest and sleep, minimise stress and exercise regularly to keep your immune system in tip top condition.
• Drink plenty of pure water and fluids.
• Complete the whole antibiotic course as instructed. Even if you are feeling better finish the whole course. Otherwise some bacteria may remain to re-infect you. Because they have been exposed to the antibiotic, these remaining bacteria may have developed a resistance and will be harder to kill next time. What isn’t killed becomes stronger.
• Do not skip antibiotic doses
• Do not save any antibiotics for the next time you get sick

If your chronic Epstein Barr virus has resulted in a secondary bacterial infection then talking with your doctor about antibiotics is important. If you need to take antibiotics then please ensure you eat well and take the right nutrients to ensure side effects are minimised. For further information on the natural treatments for chronic Epstein Barr virus please refer to the e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures” by qualified naturopath Elizabeth Noble.

Typical symptoms of both conditions include chronic, persistent or relapsing fatigue, mild fever, sore throat, painful lymph nodes, muscle weakness, headaches, sleep problems and digestive disturbances. These symptoms must be present for at least 6 months before a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue can be made.

Treatment of chronic EBV and CFS is along the same lines. Here is an outline of the program I use in my clinics with good results:

1) Bowel detoxification

It is important in both chronic EBV and CFS patients to ensure that the gastrointestinal tract is working well. The gut is the forefront of a healthy immune system. In fact the majority of our immune cells are found lining the gastrointestinal tract. A good starting point is to remove pathogens with a herbal anti-microbial. Irritants like alcohol, coffee, sugar, highly processed foods and known allergens should be removed from the diet.

The next step is to re-inoculate the bowel with the healthy acidophilus and bifido bacteria, digestive enzymes and healing nutrients like glutamine, zinc and fish oils.

 2) Liver detoxification

A sluggish or congested liver may be the culprit in cases of chronic EBV and CFS. To start with some gentle liver cleansing drink half a juiced lemon in a glass of warm water on rising in the morning. Plenty of pure water and a fresh food diet is essential. When you are feeling a bit stronger a liver tonic based on herbs or liver metabolites is worth trying.

3) Immune support

The most important step in treating chronic EBV and CFS is to stimulate the immune system in order to clear residual infections. Supplements like Reishi mushroom, vitamin C, zinc and olive leaf extract are excellent choices to supplement with.

 4) Stress management

Stress is often the trigger for immune problems. Beneficial therapies include graded exercise, deep breathing, yoga, meditation and visualisation. It is vital to learn how to manage your energy. Rest and relax before exhaustion hits. Nutrients to help your adrenals cope with stress include vitamin C, the B complex and magnesium.

 For further information on the natural treatment of chronic EBV please refer to my e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures”. The e-book comes with 30 days personal email support if you need any questions answered.

Fluid retention can be triggered by EBV or other causes like protein or vitamin B6 (thiamine) deficiency, sodium retention, varicose veins, adrenal exhaustion, kidney, bladder, heart or liver problems. Fluid problems are usually worse pre-menstrually, during pregnancy, when on the pill, or after standing for long periods. In some cases of chronic Epstein Barr virus, fluid accumulation is due to an allergic reaction.

To treat fluid retention during chronic Epstein Barr virus it is vital to actually drink more water and reduce your intake of salt, which retains fluid. If you are dehydrated your body will try to retain the fluid you do have. A high protein diet which I give all my chronic Epstein Barr virus patients is beneficial. A high carbohydrate diet should be avoided as it retains salt and water in the tissues.

Although chronic Epstein Barr virus can cause fatigue and lethargy it is vital to promote good circulation in order to eliminate fluid retention. Graded daily exercise, elevating your legs at rest, and avoiding restrictive clothing can all help.

Here’s some natural supplements that can help:

• Vitamin B6 (thiamine) – use at a dose of 50-200 mg per day. 
•  Vitamin C – at 3-5 g per day. Vitamin C is essential for adrenal function and the production of the adrenal hormones. These hormones are essential for fluid balance. 
•  Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), Vitamin D and calcium can help fluid retention by increasing salt excretion.
• Dandelion, either as a tea or tincture (liquid herbal medicine), is a safe natural diuretic.
• The fresh herb parsley is also known medicinally as a gentle diuretic.
• The herbs juniper, horsetail and uva ursi are other diuretics, which are also good for the urinary system.
• Fennel oil as a massage oil or in your bath can also help relieve swelling.

Try to avoid prescribed diuretics as they can leach important minerals out of your body – particularly potassium that is crucial to heart function.

Natural treatment for chronic Epstein Barr virus includes natural herbs, nutrients, foods, stress management techniques, graded exercise and essential oils. These therapies are discussed in more detail in the e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures” by qualified naturopath Elizabeth Noble. The e-book comes with 30 days personal email support for your individual concerns.

So what can be done? The first step for chronic EBV patients is to recognise if you are an emotional eater. The next step is to try other ways of dealing with your emotional hunger, rather than using food to take care of your problems. Let’s see how this can be done:

1) Write a journal or diary of your chronic EBV journey. Not only will it take your mind off eating but it will also serve as a way of letting go of negative feelings that you may be experiencing.

2) If you feel pangs of negative emotion or panic, spend time with someone that you feel comfortable with to talk these issues through. This could be a good friend, counsellor, priest or relative. As long as you feel comfortable with them is all that matters. It is often advisable to seek help from a health care practitioner or counsellor to help you stop emotional eating and deal with your chronic EBV – they have the skills to help you get there. They will work with you by addressing the situation that you are in now, and work through anything that happened in the past that may have contributed to your emotional eating.

3) Constant anxiety and stress from having chronic EBV can cause ill effects on our body. We generally construct our own stress, by generating negative thoughts about ourselves or by focusing on things that we don’t necessarily like about ourselves. It is really important to imagine the future in a positive light.

4) Learn to recognise your negative state as a signal that there is a basic need or needs that are not being satisfied. You will need to develop the behaviours that will satisfy the need without having to eat. Start perhaps by setting yourself a goal for the day. It should be something like gardening, walking, swimming or playing with your pets. This is a way of letting go of negativity by doing something physical as well as calming the mind and body. Daily goals are something I teach all my patients with chronic EBV.

5) Affirmations can be used whilst you are in a relaxed state to help reduce emotional eating. Here are some examples of affirmations that are helpful for emotional eaters with chronic EBV:
 I love my body and treat it kindly
 I have the power within me to eat well
 I am creating a  healthier and happier me.

6) Make sure your eating is not a habit you associate with an activity. For example do you always eat something while watching television? After doing this over a period of time, your mind automatically associates watching television with eating. It becomes an unconscious action. If you do this it is important to become aware and ask yourself questions like the following:
Do I really need it?
Am I hungry?
Will I feel happy after eating it?
Am I really hungry or is it thirst?
Try drinking a glass of water and seeing if you still feel hungry afterwards.

Relapsing into emotional eating
It is not uncommon for people to relapse into their old eating habits, especially if you are under a great deal of stress from an infection like chronic EBV.  If you do have a relapse, think about what you can do to improve your response next time. Do this rather than putting yourself down. It takes hard work and effort to change your eating habits – don’t use short term failure as an excuse to give up. Success does not mean the absence of failures – only the achievement of ultimate goals.

Natural treatment for chronic EBV can include natural herbs, nutrients, foods, stress management techniques, graded exercise and essential oils. These therapies are discussed in more detail in the e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures” by qualified naturopath Elizabeth Noble. The e-book also comes with 30 day personal email support if you need advice on your individual concerns.

Weight loss is common in the initial stage of EBV. However with relapsing or chronic EBV, weight gain is more likely. Steady weight gain can result from prolonged inactivity or from liver, adrenal or thyroid involvement.

Many of my chronic EBV patients who have gained weight frequently ask “what is the best weight loss diet for me?” I find that a ketosis diet works well for many chronic EBV patients. Ketosis is when you restrict your carbohydrate intake so that your body is forced to use its fat reserves for energy. Most people go into ketosis when their carbohydrate levels are kept between 20 to 70 g a day.

The beauty of the ketosis diet is that there is less breakdown of protein or muscle for energy than the standard low fat diets. This is essential for long term weight control. It also means that your metabolic rate does not drop, therefore preventing rebound weight gain from occurring. Furthermore, on a ketosis diet your immunity is enhanced and your energy boosted – both important benefits when treating chronic EBV.

Foods to focus on to achieve ketosis are the protein foods like seafood, chicken, turkey, lean red meat and eggs. To enhance the protein component of your diet it is helpful to add a quality protein powder like whey protein. Whey protein can be made into a smoothie or added to natural yoghurt or salad dressings. Whey protein is also useful for chronic EBV sufferers as it helps boost glutathionine levels which enhance immunity.

The low carb vegetables that can be included in the ketosis diet are salads, leafy greens, broccoli, beetroot, carrots, celery, capsicum, cucumbers, cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, onion, pumpkin, spinach, tomato and zucchini. Low carbohydrate fruit that can be eaten in moderation include berries, lemon, lime, grapefruit, kiwi fruit and rhubarb. These foods are also rich in antioxidants and enzymes which can help your recovery from chronic EBV.

Foods to eliminate are the refined foods that are of little or no nutritional value. These foods are usually high carbohydrate foods that will sabotage your weight loss efforts. The foods to avoid include bread, pasta, cereals, rice, biscuits, cakes, dried fruit, sugar, soft drinks, sports drinks, potatoes, chocolate and lollies.

Aim to eat three square meals a day plus snacks in between if you are hungry. It is important to monitor your hunger levels – this is an important factor for effective weight loss. Do not overeat and don’t eat too late at night. Make sure that you do not mistake thirst for hunger. Keep yourself well hydrated and aim to drink 1-2 glasses of water before your meals to provide a feeling of fullness. Chew your foods well before swallowing. Eating more slowly lets your brain register when you are full.

To enhance the effects of the ketosis diet, you should add some regular exercise to your regime. Exercise is also good for chronic EBV as it boosts your well being, energy and emotional balance. Exercise for fat loss needs to be slow, sustained and regular. Intensity should be about 70% of your maximum heart rate. The aim of exercise is to build up your muscle mass and increase your metabolism so that you burn calories at a faster rate. Together, both aerobic and resistance training will enable your body to burn fat and allow your new healthy body shape to emerge.

For weight problems in chronic EBV patients, the ketosis diet and regular exercise is showing promise in helping patients lose weight permanently and enhance their immunity. For food lists and tasty recipes for chronic EBV and weight loss please refer to my e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures”. The program also comes with 30 days of free email support if you need advice or guidance on your individual concerns.

So when you have chronic Epstein Barr Virus, what can you do to avoid the misery of suffering a nasty cold or flu?

Firstly it is essential that you keep up a healthy intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, protein foods, whole grains, nuts, seeds and natural oils. Minimise your intake of sugar which is known to suppress immunity. Drinking plenty of pure water, herb teas, green tea and freshly squeezed juices will keep you hydrated and feeling good. All these remedies are no different to what you should be eating on a chronic Epstein Barr Virus diet.

A regular exercise program with a daily dose of sunshine will prime your immune system and lift your spirits. Choose an exercise you enjoy, and aim to do it three to five times a week. With chronic Epstein Barr Virus choose an exercise that does not over-exhaust you. This could mean walking, swimming, cycling, tai chi or yoga.

If you are prone to picking up infections, then add some immune-boosting nutrients like vitamin C and zinc into your diet. Preventative herbs like echinacea are also of benefit. For chronic Epstein Barr virus the Chinese herb Astragalus is particularly good to address the root cause of why you are ill.

Common sense procedures like washing your hands regularly, keeping your hands away from your face (which can transmit viruses to your nose and mouth) and ensuring good ventilation in your home and work place will optimise your chances of keeping infections at bay.

If you come down with a cold or flu, then the best remedy is rest and sleep. Don’t try to struggle on at work or school where you could spread the infection to others. If you have uncomfortable respiratory symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat or cough then try some steam inhalations with added essential oils like eucalyptus or tea tree oil. Taking immune stimulants like olive leaf extract, echinacea, vitamin C and zinc may help to minimise the severity and duration of your symptoms.

Having a potentially serious illness like chronic Epstein Barr virus means you have to take good care of yourself. You can’t afford to pick up nasty colds and flu that could turn into secondary infections and compromise your immunity further.

For further information on treating chronic Epstein Barr virus naturally, please refer to the e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures” by qualified naturopath Elizabeth Noble. Elizabeth has treated hundreds of patients successfully with the use of nutrients, herbs, essential oils, graded exercise and stress management.

Since then, times have changed immensely. We now have an abundance of good, healthy foods to choose from. We even have “designer foods” – foods like deep sea fish, flaxseed oil, green tea, garlic, pineapple, pawpaw, olive oil and raw nuts which have been shown to improve our health, extend our life span and fight infections like chronic EBV.

The sad news is that this chronic EBV patient’s diet is still back in the 1940’s. Her diet revolves around bread, sugar, a few vegies and meat. She is still eating the skin off the chicken, the fat off the meat and the rind off the bacon. She won’t try fruit and has basically ignored the wonderful foods we now have available to us, and stuck to her war time diet.

And guess what? Her health is poor. She has struggled with chronic EBV, fatigue, weight problems and depression for over 20 years. She is on heavy medication for diabetes and a thyroid problem.

Is your diet stuck in a rut? Do you eat the same foods day in day out? Are you sick and tired of the meals you serve up? (I once read that the average person eats less than 20 different types of foods in their typical week.)

If this sounds like you well, especially if you are battling a serious illness like chronic EBV, then now is the time to explore new foods and experiment with the amazing array of tasty foods at your fingertips. Read through the food lists in “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures” – there are probably some foods you have never even heard of! And then start to have fun – healthy food need not be boring food! Experiment with cooking styles from around the world. Become a connoisseur of the world’s spices. Make your cooking an adventure!

Once your diet is full of varied, fresh produce, you will give your body the best chance of getting over chronic EBV. You can expect your energy to increase, your digestion to improve, your skin to clear and your eyes to look brighter. You should look and feel fantastic.

Even with a deep-seated condition like chronic EBV, your diet can make a big difference. For food lists and tasty recipes please refer to my e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures”.

A diet based on your blood type can optimize your health by helping you to boost immunity, avoid further infections, slow the aging process and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

If you are unsure of your blood type, a record may have been kept on your blood donor card, drivers licence or in your doctor’s files. Alternatively you can get your blood type tested through a simple finger prick test from your naturopath.

The importance of blood type in the development of disease has been recognized for years. The “Eat Right Diet” by Dr. Peter and James D’Adamo works on the premise that certain foods clump or stick together the cells of certain blood types. So when you eat a food that is incompatible with your blood type, the blood cells will clump or stick together. This may occur in the digestive tract, blood, immune system or in a specific organ like the liver, kidneys or brain. All these areas can already be weakened in cases of chronic EBV.

Some specific effects of this cell clumping can include the following:

• Irritable bowel syndrome of the intestines
• Congestion of the liver (a common complaint in chronic EBV)
• Poor blood flow through the kidneys
• Immune suppression causing frequent infections or slow recovery from chronic EBV
• Nervous disorders of the brain like anxiety and depression, which again are common with chronic EBV.
• Weight gain or problems in losing weight. This effect can be due to the adverse food not being digested properly causing toxic overload, or it can be due to slowing of the metabolism or upsetting of the hormonal balance, for example excess insulin production. Weight problems in chronic EBV are not unusual.

A good example of this cell clumping is the effect that gluten – the common protein found in wheat and many other grains – has on blood type O. When gluten is consumed by blood type O it binds to the lining of the small bowel. This acts like a magnet on the cells in that region, clumping them together. These clumped cells are targeted for destruction by the immune system, as if they were a foreign invader. If eaten in excess by blood type O, gluten may lead to inflammation and problems like irritable bowel, Crohn’s disease or colitis.

The development of the different blood types seems to relate to changes in diet during our evolution. The original hunters and gatherers were type O. With the agricultural revolution and the harvesting of grains about 10,000 years ago, blood type A started to appear. People with blood type A were more suited to grains and vegetarian diets and were more likely to survive this era. The type B blood type originated from the nomadic dwellers of Central Asia and Mongolia. These were really the first communities to consume dairy foods in large quantities. Type AB is the most recent blood type to emerge and is a merge between type A and B.

The effects of certain foods on the different blood types has been well researched using hundreds of common foods. The results can be seen under the microscope with the blood cells actually clumping together.

The charts given in Dr. D’Adamo’s book are broken into beneficial foods, neutral foods and foods to avoid for each of the four blood types. The beneficial foods have a therapeutic or medicinal effect on the body. They are good choices in the treatment of chronic EBV. Neutral foods just act like normal foods and should be included in your diet for their nutritional content. The “foods to avoid” act like a poison on your body and are best left alone. These foods are definitely worth avoiding in chronic EBV.

Many of my chronic EBV patients report good results by eating the right foods for their blood type. In the next few blogs we will be exploring the specific foods recommended for each specific blood type.

As far as chronic EBV goes, certain foods have been shown to be particularly useful while others should be strictly avoided. Similarly certain exercise programs are better for one blood type than another. Since exercise is a crucial part of chronic EBV treatment, it is important to know what exercise best suits your body.

For further information on treating chronic EBV naturally please refer to the e-book “Nature’s Amazing Mononucleosis Cures” by qualified naturopath Elizabeth Noble.