It’s pretty obvious that the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is behind Chronic Epstein-Barr Syndrome, however the role that germs play in other autoimmune disorders is varied and more ambiguous. Professor Garth L. Nicolson has found that in about half the individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Sjögren’s, Hashimoto’s, Graves’, Reiter’s, and Crohn’s Diseases, these disorders are associated with infections.

Tricky Creatures

“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.”
- Hans Selye

Other researchers have reported signs of latent (“sleeping”) Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, or human herpes virus 6 in CFS patients. These viruses can remain latent in the body for long periods of time. Stress and depression can partially reactivate (“awaken”) these viruses. Stress and depression also decrease the body’s immune response, so that the individual experiences a “low grade” infection. However, the infection is still enough to stimulate the production of certain cytokines linked to CFS symptoms.

Cytokines cause many fibromyalgia symptoms. In the brain, cytokines can cause behavioral changes. They can either prompt or worsen depression, anxiety, or anorexia. They may cause a person to become withdrawn. Cytokines create fatigue and interfere with sleep patterns. They are one thing responsible for what has been termed “brain fog.”

Germs can also make a protein that tricks the body into turning off the Th1 cells and activating Th2 cells. The Th1/Th2 imbalance leaves the body open to infection from other germs. This form of immune suppression is often the case in most autoimmune disorders.

Unsaturated oils suppress Th1 cells. The same is true of sleep deprivation. Losing even one night’s sleep can depress Th1 production for over a month. Furthermore, according to German researchers, vegetarians have more than twice the Th1 cells as meat-eaters.

Certain germs are capable of creating a cell identity crisis by “molecular mimicry.” Putting it very simply, these germs have a nametag similar to certain parts of the body. This causes the immune system to attack both the disease organism and the body tissue.
To the immune system, the bacteria Chlamydia pneumoniae looks like the heart muscle. A virus called adenovirus type 2 and Candida yeast mimic myelin sheaths. Similarly, it may also be possible for viruses carrying genetic material from one person to another to cause the immune system to attack the corresponding tissue much like what happens after an organ transplant.

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