Sanjay was 46 years old when he signed up for Quantify, after struggling for years with chronic fatigue that had developed seemingly out of nowhere.
His doctor had diagnosed him with chronic fatigue syndrome soon after his symptoms started, but after doing his own research, Sanjay learned that chronic fatigue syndrome was simply a convenient label for the condition of being tired all the time, and didn’t actually provide any insight into the underlying causes of his fatigue.
In his first appointment at Quantify, Sanjay’s health coach recommended an immune panel, Lyme disease test, and Epstein-Barr virus test, to evaluate his immune function and test for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, and Epstein-Barr virus, the virus that causes mononucleosis.
Test results
Hopeful that his test results would provide answers, Sanjay’s immune panel showed low total IgG, indicating compromised immune function, which was likely caused by a chronic infection.
Validating the result, while his Lyme disease test was negative, indicating he likely didn’t have Lyme disease, his Epstein-Barr virus test showed significantly elevated IgG antibodies, indicating reactivated Epstein-Barr virus, which can cause extreme fatigue and innumerable other chronic symptoms, such as joint pain, hypothyroidism, and brain fog.
While the majority (>90%) of the global population are infected with Epstein-Barr virus, only in the minority, typically the immunocompromised, does it actually become active and cause symptoms, as it was for Sanjay.
Recovery
Shocked to learn that a virus was causing his fatigue, yet also thrilled to get answers, Sanjay recalled that it all started during a particularly stressful time at work, involving tight deadlines, junk food, and caffeine-fueled all-nighters.
Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, he recognized that the stress he put his body through had likely compromised his immune function to such an extent that caused the virus to reactivate, and his health coach agreed, having seen the same story play out for other members.
To address reactivated Epstein-Barr virus, Sanjay would need to optimize his immune function, by eliminating processed foods, sugar, grains, and dairy from his diet, exercising regularly, and getting to bed on a consistent schedule, while addressing the virus directly, by taking certain supplements, such as zinc, lysine, and NAC.
Following his health plan closely, Sanjay started feeling better within a few months.
Within a year, his fatigue had completely resolved, his doctor retracted his diagnosis, and he reported feeling better than he’d ever felt, now on the other side of a run-in with an often underestimated virus.