Last Updated on September 6, 2024 by Cathy
Doctors consider multiple sclerosis an autoimmune disease. In January 2022 a study stated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was the main cause of MS. Does this mean multiple sclerosis is a viral infection?
First, let’s look at EBV.
EBV is also known as human herpesvirus 4, it is a member of the herpes virus family. It is highly contagious and spreads through bodily fluids, mostly saliva. People are often infected in childhood which usually doesn’t cause symptoms. If it does the symptoms are mild and can look like a cold.
Teenagers and adults will have more severe symptoms which can last for weeks or even months. Once EBV enters your body, it stays there for life.
EBV and MS
MS is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the myelin sheath. Researchers suspected EBV as a culprit to MS for decades. Over the course of 20 years, researchers studied 10 million military personnel.
They found, that after an EBV infection, it took an average of 7.5 years for the onset of MS. They also found the risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV.
To learn more about the study read: Epstein-Barr Virus Is The Leading Cause Of MS
I’ve been living with MS for decades. It took me years to realize I had a severe case of fungi infections – mycotoxins, and yeast overgrowth. Going on a Candida diet and taking antifungals I was able to reverse many of my symptoms. Now that researchers say the main cause of MS is due to EBV I’ve shifted my focus.
How to Stop EBV
The first thing you need to do is to start eating a healthy diet and living a clean lifestyle. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet and adjust it to fix YOUR needs. That means, removing foods you are sensitive to.
Here is how to start: How To Start An Anti-Inflammatory Diet
You also need to:
- Heal your gut
- Balance your hormones such as cortisol and vitamin D
- Remove toxins such as heavy metals and pesticides
- Reduce your stress
Foods to avoid:
- Gluten
- Dairy
- Processed foods
- Artificial sweeteners
- Refined sugar and carbohydrates
There seems to be conflicting information on whether eggs are healthy to eat or not. I avoid eggs because they gave me gut pains. If you are sensitive to eggs, you need to remove them from your diet until you’ve healed.
- The Swank diet allows eggs in moderation
- Dr. Terry Wahls from The Wahls Protocol says to avoid eggs
- The Paleo diet includes eggs
- The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) avoids eggs
- Best Bet Diet allows eggs in moderation
- The Medical Medium says people with MS should avoid eggs
It is your choice whether to keep eggs in your diet or not. If you do eat eggs make sure they come from pasture-raised poultry. It would be a good idea to avoid eggs until your body has healed.
If you choose to avoid eggs you don’t have to avoid them forever. Once you have healed, you can add them back into your diet.
Protein
Health professionals tend to push protein to maintain muscle mass. Especially protein with whey in it. This is wrong. First, whey is dairy and dairy is not good for people with MS. A recent study found it is due to a dairy protein called casein.
Studies found women who drank more cow’s milk had more MS flares. Countries that consumed more dairy had higher rates of MS. – Dairy does not do a person with MS good.
Ghee is a type of clarified butter. Ghee is not dairy-free but it is casein and lactose-free. If you miss that buttery flavor you can consume ghee on special occasions or in moderation. If you prefer to buy it this is the brand I recommend: Pure Indian Foods.
Because dairy products are associated with more MS flares it’s best to avoid all dairy products including ghee.
Protein, carbohydrates, and fats are a macronutrient, meaning you need more of them. However, it depends on where you get your protein. Conventionally raised meat or farmed fish is unhealthy protein.
Healthy proteins include:
- Vegetables
- Nuts and seeds (soaked)
- Wild-caught fish
- Pasture-raised poultry
- Grass-fed meats
Doctors recommend eating protein at every meal. But, it should not include lots of animal proteins. Red meat increases inflammation. Dr. Roy Swank discovered this back in the 1940s. He found areas where people who ate more red meat had higher rates of MS. He recommends people on his diet for MS to avoid red meat for a full year.
The Blue Zone is a book about five areas around the world where people live the longest. These communities include:
- Ikaria, Greece
- Loma Linda, California
- Nicoya, Costa Rica
- Okinawa, Japan
- Sardinia, Italy
What makes them similar is how they eat and live. Which includes eating mostly a plant-based diet.
They live longer by:
- Eating mostly a plant-based diet
- Good family relations no matter how old
- Having a greater purpose in life
- Managing stress
- Spirituality and religious believes
- Staying active
- Taking part in social circles
Supplements for EBV
There are many vitamins and supplements recommended for MS such as:
- Vitamin D3
- Omega-3 essential fatty acids
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Probiotics
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Zinc
When you are fighting infections you need to add the natural power of herbs. Besides flavor herbs are anti-inflammatory and provide antioxidants. They are also antiviral.
For EBV that includes:
- Cat’s claw
- Lemon balm
- Licorice root
- Olive leaf
High-dose intravenous vitamin C is an effective treatment for EBV but you have to go through a doctor. You also need to work on helping your body detox. I had a high level of mercury so I decided to work on removing heavy metals. If you’ve had an MRI with contrast it contains heavy metal.
After getting an MRI you need to help flush the heavy metal out of your body. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Flavoring it with lemon juice also helps remove heavy metals.
Foods that help remove heavy metals:
- Cilantro
- Dandelion greens
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Lemon juice
- Spirulina
- Turmeric
- Wild blueberries (find it in the freezer section) or wild blueberry juice
Several years ago I contemplated on taking spirulina or not. Dr. Wahls recommends it, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, aka. The Paleo Mom, says to avoid it. Eventually, I decided to give it a try.
For decades my hands and feet used to be bright red – notice I said: “used to.” That’s because the following morning after taking spirulina the redness disappeared. I asked my functional medicine provider about it but he really didn’t have an answer.
To learn more about Spirulina read: Does Spirulina Benefit MS?
Multiple Sclerosis is a Viral Infection
Is MS a viral infection? According to the Mayo Clinic:
“Viruses are even smaller than bacteria and require living hosts — such as people, plants or animals — to multiply. Otherwise, they can’t survive. When a virus enters your body, it invades some of your cells and takes over the cell machinery, redirecting it to produce the virus.”
This is exactly what EBV is doing to its host (the MS patient). MS is a disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. So technically multiple sclerosis is a viral infection.
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Resources:
Epstein-Barr virus may be leading cause of multiple sclerosis
Epstein-Barr Virus and Neurological Diseases
Photo by Anna Shvets, PhotoMIX, and Nathan Cowley at Pexels, and Image by Valeria from Pixabay.
Multiple Sclerosis is a Viral Infection
