Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a virus that most of us are exposed to when we’re young. For the most part, it doesn’t cause health issues, and we may not even know it’s there because our immune system is doing such a good job at keeping it in check.
But things can happen in life that cause the virus to become strong enough to break out of dormancy and become active again. When this happens you have reactivated EBV or chronic active EBV.
In this post I’ll go over a few of the triggers for EBV reactivation. If you’re dealing with reactivated EBV, I’m sure you can pinpoint what caused it for you.
Stress
This reason might be the one I hear the most. The effects of chronic stress can greatly impact many areas of your life including your immune health. Stress can come in many forms and can change depending on how you personally view the stressor.
Stressors can include changes in your routine, health issues, starting or losing a job, getting too little sleep, changes in your diet or physical activity, buying a new home or changes in your relationship. And don’t forget to include the common stressors that we all deal with on a daily basis like working too much, feeling overwhelmed or worrying about things like finances or our family.
Whether the change is perceived as good or bad, it can stress the body and over time it can add up and weaken the immune system.
Environmental Toxins
Chemical exposures can increase your susceptibility to viral infections. One chemical in particular, dioxin, can contribute to EBV reactivation.
Dioxins are produced by burning fuel or waste, bleaching pulp or paper, and smoking. They are present in the air and soil and can contaminate our drinking water. Dioxins can also be found in foods like meat, dairy products, fish and shellfish.
Nutritional Deficiency and Oxidative Stress
Our diet and overall nutritional status plays an important role in our immune health. Having a healthy diet will provide the nutrients your immune system needs to do its job.
One thing that EBV does is create oxidative stress. This process creates free radicals that can bind to cells and cause them to release more inflammatory substances. Nutrient deficiencies can further exacerbate this oxidative stress because you’re not getting enough free radical fighting antioxidants in your diet.
Another benefit of a healthy diet is to keep your blood sugar well regulated. If your diet includes high-sugar foods that make your blood sugar rise and crash throughout the day, these highs and lows can be stressful to your body. Having high blood sugar can also directly affect your immune cell function and impair its ability to fight infections.
Coinfections
Having a co-infection means that you have EBV and another infection, whether that’s viral, bacterial or fungal. It may be hard to know which infections started first, but having one can weaken the immune system and make you susceptible to more.
Common co-infections can be from shingles (varicella-zoster, VZV); herpes simplex virus (HSV-1, HSV-2); herpes viruses 6, 7, and 8 (HHV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Other infections can include Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), Streptococcus and Candida.
Immunosuppression
Your immune system can be suppressed by other infections, stress or nutrient deficiencies but it can also be suppressed by medications like corticosteroids (ie. prednisone) and drugs that are often used for chronic inflammation and pain in diseases like arthritis or autoimmune disease.
If you liked this post and found it helpful I'd love to know! Share this post with anyone who might like to read it!
If you’d like to learn more about this topic follow me on Instagram.
If you'd like to book a free 30 minute Meet and Greet call you can schedule online.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jamie
Resources
Kines, K. (2018). The Epstein-Barr virus solution: The hidden undiagnosed epidemic of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune disease - how to heal and regain your life. Holistic Nutrition Press
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Learn about dioxin. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.epa.gov/dioxin/learn-about-dioxin
This website is not intended for the purpose of providing medical advice. All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Comments