Homeopathy & EBV

aka glandular fever; aka mononucleosis; aka chronic fatigue. A case study

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects 90-95% of all people at some stage in life.¹ ²

EBV belongs to the Herpes family and is the primary cause of infectious mononucleosis (IM). Symptoms of IM, aka glandular fever, usually include fever, lymphadenopathy and pharyngitis, manifesting after an incubation period of four to seven weeks.³ In rare cases, IM will manifest acute complications including splenic rupture, hepatitis and severe tonsil enlargement.⁴

The course of IM has gradually lengthened as it increases in severity. In the 1930’s and 1940’s EBV was characterized by swollen glands and a sore throat, often occurring in autumn, and resolved in a week. By the 1960’s and 1970’s IM was less selective in its time of onset, and could last two to three weeks, sufferers were isolated and advised ‘no stress or alcohol’. Since the 1980’s IM is typically recurrent episodes of swollen glands, pharyngitis, anorexia, extreme fatigue, excessive perspiration, dyspnoea and tachycardia, often affecting students at exam time, competitive athletes and high achievers, many of who continue to suffer from constant or sporadic bouts of extreme weakness years after initial IM onset.⁵

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Herpes are classified as epidemic disease.⁶

Common human herpesviruses are:

·       Human herepesvirus-1, commonly known as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)

·       Human herpesvirus-2, commonly known as herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)

·       Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), commonly known as shingles

·       Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)

·       Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)

·       Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

·       Human herpesviruses: HHV-6A, HHV-6B, and HHV-7

The Herpes family are dormant viruses, with no known cure. Researchers have suggested that as homeopathy targets the roots of disease, strengthens infection fighting and immunity, and contributes to mental, physical, and social well-being, it can result in a lower recurrence/relapse rate.⁷

For more research see my Substack homeopathy and herpes

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CASE first published (online) by the Aurum Project April 16, 2019.

NB - you’ll note a departure from my usual published cases here as this was written before I had a clue how to write up a case.

Eighteen year old Mandy* presented to the Pilbara Natural Medicine Clinic in June 2017 with extreme fatigue and headaches. Suffering for a full two and a half years after developing glandular fever caused by the Epstein Barr virus, Mandy finally found relief with homeopathic medicine.

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A very high achiever, Mandy had been so debilitated she was unable to complete her final term of year twelve and was currently studying for her science degree online. Just after her sixteenth birthday, Mandy developed a cold. She also had headaches and fatigue. Her condition deteriorated and seven days later she could not eat or drink, was photophobic, sleeping the whole day and, had painful cervical (neck) glands.

For a few months Mandy consulted various GP’s who tried to help by suggesting electrolytes and probiotics. Then crisis point was reached with Mandy being raced to the emergency department. "I felt I was going to die." She was admitted, given IV fluids for dehydration and a blood test which revealed infectious mononucleosis (commonly referred to as glandular fever) (Rubric 1) caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and, low iron.

Two years later, June 2017, Mandy ‘couldn’t get out of bed'. She was sleeping for twenty hours due to headaches which ‘feel like there is no fluid in my brain, and my brain is knocking the walls’ (Rubric 2) ‘I want to sleep through the pain, lay down to sleep so I don’t feel it.’ Mandy was waking with very puffy eyes and face (Rubric 3) and the only time she had energy was when drinking alcoholic cider ‘it gives me energy, I can dance all night’ (Rubric 4). Mandy constantly worried that her whole life would be like this. (Rubric 5)

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Mandy was always catching colds, had had to give up gymnastics coaching at the same time as being unable to finish year twelve because she was ‘catching everything going around’ and, had recently developed a bad case of ringworm (Rubric 6). Thirsty all the time, drinking around four litres of water per day, Mandy could not quench her thirst (Rubric 7) ‘feeling dry and dehydrated’ and only eating sugar ‘chocolate’ and ‘anything salty.’

Mandy consulted a naturopath who gave her a lot of supplements which she found hard to take; had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia⁸ and prescribed a drug which made her ‘feel even worse than ever’ and, was in line to see a cardiologist as ‘when I stand up my legs and head get hot and my heart beats fast like I’m unfit but I’m not.’ (Rubric 8)

Mandy would ‘feel sick to my tummy when fighting with my boyfriend’ and ‘feel like vomiting when sad or scared.’ ‘I don’t like being alone, I want Mum’ (Rubric 9). Mandy was very upset and had a bout of diarrhoea after her pet bird died (Rubric 10) and, has diarrhoea after eating creamy food.

Mandy had a medical history of iron transfusions which stabilized her iron levels but did not increase her energy, corrective jaw surgery and dental braces.

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RUBRICS in this case history found in the repertory ‘The Essential Synthesis’.⁹

(1) Generals; MONONUCLEOSIS.
(2) Head; STRIKING; against the skull, sensation as if brain were.
(3) Face; SWELLING; morning, on waking.
(4) Generals; FOOD AND DRINKS; Alcohol, amel.
(5) Mind; DESPAIR; health, of.
(6) Skin; ERUPTIONS; herpetic, circinate.
(7) Stomach; THIRST; unquenchable.
(8) Generals; HEAT; palpitations with.
(9) Mind; COMPANY; desire for, alone agg, when.
(10) Rectum; DIARRHOEA; grief, from.

After repertorisation of the rubrics, Mandy was given a homeopathic medicine for people who have suffered attacks on the immune system, excessive weariness and weakness, mononucleosis, chronic fatigue, constricting sensations in the brain, headaches, immune deficiency and diarrhoea from emotions. She was given a 30c potency on 02 June 2017.

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SECOND visit – 16 June 2017

‘I feel a lot better in the day, less depleted, not so worn out. My headache came on, I took a dose of my homeopathic medicine and it went away.’ Mandy is now having headaches every second day which last for an hour and are very painful, described as ‘brain hitting skull, no fluid in my head.’ As is common in the analysis of a homeopathic case history, the rubrics were looked at again and changed slightly. (Rubric 1).

Mandy had been getting very angry and upset ‘it’s like when am I going to get better?’ (Rubric 2) and had changed her diet ‘trying to eat good stuff now.’ Mandy’s face and eyes were less puffy in the mornings and over the past three days found the energy to do a few sit ups and squats for the first time in over two years.

For the previous two weeks Mandy had been constipated having a bowel motion every two days with straining (Rubric 3) and cramping pains (Rubric 4) and, was wide awake from sleep tossing and turning at 3am and 4am (Rubric 5).

RUBRICS found in The Essential Synthesis on the second analysis

(1) Head; STRIKING; against the skull, sensation as if brain were.
(2) Mind; DESPAIR; health, of.
(3) Rectum; CONSTIPATION; ineffectual, urging and straining.
(4) Rectum; CONSTRICTION; stool, before.
(5) Sleep; SLEEPLESSNESS; night, 3am, after.

This time Mandy was given the homeopathic medicine Sepia, which is helpful for exhaustion, empty & hollow feelings ‘no fluid in my head’ and constipation. The remedy was given in a 30c potency on 16 June 2017.

THIRD visit – 21 July 2017

‘I feel like a normal person again.’ Mandy is sleeping well for 10 to 12 hours per night ‘if I don’t have that much I feel s**t, I need a lot of sleep.’ Mandy feels tired when awake ‘I feel fatigued it hits me hard, I feel heavy.’

Headaches have not been as bad and now only occur when Mandy hasn’t had enough sleep. Bowel motions are regular with no constipation. Mandy has not had any of her initial homeopathic medicine for a couple of weeks now ‘I don’t feel as great without it, I want to keep taking it’ and, has a bad day, getting depressed, angry and feeling ‘why me?’ once a fortnight.

Mandy was instructed to take her initial homeopathic medicine when she felt she needed it as well as Sepia 30c once a week and here we added in extra support with combination Tissue Salts 6x to be taken twice daily.

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FOURTH visit – 07 March 2019

Mandy has not needed any homeopathic medicine since 2017 saying ‘if it wasn’t for getting rid of the headaches I’d be stuck in that fatigue place, I wanted to sleep through the pain. I thought my whole life would be like that.’ Mandy gets a headache now only when sick, which is not often these days, or after too much sleep – more than eight hours. Happily Mandy reported that no heart abnormality was detected by the consultant cardiologist in 2017.

Mandy will complete her science degree in two semester’s time and gives credit saying ‘homeopathic medicine helped me to fix my diet, before it I had no energy to even care about food’ and ‘after homeopathic medicine it was easier to get outside in the sun to exercise.’

At the conclusion of this appointment Mandy asked for a hug saying ‘thank you so much, homeopathy changed my life.’

*Mandy, not her real name, gave consent to publish her story.

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1. Womack & Jimenez, 2015. Common questions about infectious mononucleosis. Am Fam Physician. Mar 15;91(6):372-6. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25822555/

2. Sarwari NM, Khoury JD, Hernandez CM. 2016. Chronic Epstein Barr virus infection leading to classical Hodgkin lymphoma. BMC Hematol. Jul 19;16:19. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27437106/

3. Glynn FJ, Mackle T, Kinsella J. 2007. Upper airway obstruction in infectious mononucleosis. Eur J Emerg Med. Feb;14(1):41-2. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17198326/

4. Fugl & Andersen, 2019. Epstein-Barr virus and its association with disease - a review of relevance to general practice. BMC Fam Pract. May 14;20(1):62. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6518816/

5. Vermuelen F. Monera, Spectrum of the Natural Kingdoms, Bacteria & Viruses. The Netherlands: Emryss Publishers. 2005.

6. WHO, 2020. Billions worldwide living with herpes. World Health Organisation. Available from https://www.who.int/news/item/01-05-2020-billionsworldwide-living-with-herpes

7. Shinde MD, Patil SA, Mukherjee A, Nema V. 2023. Revisiting the therapeutic potential of homeopathic medicine Rhus Tox for herpes simplex virus and inflammatory conditions. J Ayurveda Integr Med. Jul-Aug;14(4):100739. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10344814/

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9. The Essential Synthesis. Edited by Dr. Frederick Schroyens. London: Homoeopathic Book Publishers and Archibel S.A. 2007.