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Pathogen With Promise
Article by Michael Finn
Copyright Michael Finn
The Common Cold
God bless those who suffer from the common cold
Nature has entered into them;
Has led them aside and gently lain them low
To contemplate life from the wayside;
To consider human frailty;
To receive deep and dreamy messages of fever,
We give thanks for the insights of this humble perspective.
We give thanks for blessings in disguise,
Amen.
(Michael Leunig)
The Epstein Barr Virus – Pathogen with Promise
Glandular
Fever (EBV), has engaged my clinical interest for some years now. I myself
had the pleasure back in 1981. Pretty classic symptom picture:-
Early on, when no definite symptoms or signs prevailed, which could lead me to know what was coming, a very aggressive frontal headache emerged. Then, as some days passed:-
- A razor blade throat – for days all I could eat was crushed chilled pineapple!
- Extreme lethargy
- Palpitations on any exertion
- The G.P. confirmed provisional suspicions via a blood test, and noted the enlarged spleen and liver.
- Fever – a heady one of fluctuating variety
Yes, I was definitely cooking!
Given my lifelong proclivity to hate staying in bed, the very worst aspect of the viral infection (once I could swallow without pain), was the sick bed incarceration. It was spring, I had lots to do, I was to be married in 8 weeks, and here I lay imprisoned, held against my will for two solid, slow excruciating weeks.
I never gave the whole saga much thought. I took some vitamins, and like many viral infections before it, just got over it and got out of bed.
It’s 2003 now, and my last two decades have given me the opportunity to treat many people who are in various stages, from acute to subacute to chronic, of viral influence emanating from the Epstein Barr Virus.
If one inquires deeply and in enough detail, a picture (from the client’s life experience) will invariably emerge, giving the ‘viral’ invasion a rather fascinating context.
From my observations, I can say that EBV is a state-changing experience.
The virus has some innate tendency to collude within circumstances and appear at a time which is characterized by one of the following:-
- Inordinate pressure (e.g. study, exams, major decision making time etc.)
- Watershed time / transitional process, occurring for the individual
- Relationship break-up imminent or just occurred
- Very big; new (unknown) circumstance about to occur (work / relationships)
In essence, change is beckoning – major change, requiring an identification shift.
I explored the dimensions of this clinical insight, to locate the ‘value’ of the illness.
The common denominator in 95% of cases is debility, dressed up as an overwhelming lethargy. (Note: 5% of patients give such poor feedback about their body status that their notions of energy levels, disease processes etc., are not useful).
This state of deep tiredness often exists in stark contrast to the person’s everyday demeanour and energetic stance. It is the very antithesis. The effect is to grind activity to a halt, to dampen down behaviour and enthusiasm.What ensues is a deeply abiding quiescence.
Sure, the sufferer is fighting this, and many (somehow) drag themselves back to work prematurely. These people tend to get recurring bouts of illness, with EBV-like symptoms. Their vitality is slowly but surely sapped, and one day they crash and burn.
Notice how studies have found that EBV is often part of the precursive picture of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is significantly fatigue-bound (obviously, hence the name).
I offer the idea that infections which incorporate fatigue and post viral states chracterised by them, are powerful state changing processes which we clinically attempt to cure or solve, but from a flawed assumption of the disease.
Most approaches try to address and correct –
- Immune dysfunction
- Nutritional deficits
- Diet
- Adrenal overload and so on
There’s no doubt, that, if they exist, these are important imbalances to redress and are a vital part of the necessary healing and renewal campaign.
More to the point though is the need to:-
- See the potentially larger context of the diagnosis (based on my observations)
- Define exactly what is seeking ‘healing’
My idea is that running parallel with the active viral infection is a deeper current of activity. For this subterranean stuff to express itself, the organism’s resistance needs to drop. Interesting then that the hallmark of EBV and variants of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a debilitating fatigue.
This fatigue is a force which bears down on the sufferer and grinds the ‘active identity’ down to nothing (taking out the person’s drive, enthusiasm, obstinacy, willpower), as if to create a clean slate or impression board, on which to imprint some new context, order or idea. The fatigue is a ‘change facilitator’. Many EBV sufferers are real go-getters, perfectionists, go-betweens and trail blazers.
I contend that in our chronic and acute illnesses we meet, head on, the same energy / force which we normally exude. For change to occur, sometimes dire circumstances and powerful forces must intervene in our lives. For some reason, EBV has this very nature.
Both allopathic (western) and complementary medicines are usually devoted to treating the viral pathogen and all its collateral symptoms (by running them out of town).
This is throwing the baby out with the bath water. My approach is not to display such bias against the fatigue, (for instance) but to teach the client to surrender into the fatigue state (a very ‘altered’ state) and enter it (a shamanic skill), proactively seeking out what may lie within.
It’s like meditating, but the body is the meditation focus.
Fatigue states are doorways to various types of release, inner states, bliss, emotional filtering and access to necessarily new horizons of outlook. The best practitioners can bring viruses to heel and sharpen one’s immune responses. This is fine, but what my body is signaling me that I need to be out of balance to learn something or to change.
Chronic symptoms have a way of recurring and enduring and will not (ultimately) be successfully ignored. There comes a day when all medicines may be experienced as ineffectual, and more so with pharmaceuticals, new and serious complications arise due to toxicity and inter-reactions.
I must say that the last time I was in the middle of a viral attack, the significant body / mind state that I found myself in, was one of tiredness steeped in irritability. For some days I was at the ‘end of my tether’ constantly.
I was, concurrently dealing with some very daunting issues of a highly emotional nature at the time and had inside me a powerful conflict of interest.
As these two scenarios merged, I found myself saying things I wouldn’t normally. I was standing my ground (in an unusual fashion) and not acquiescing where I would have normally.
I moved through a deep and worrying dilemma as the virally sponsored symptoms faded. I cannot imagine being able to find such solidity of will in such circumstances normally.
The viral entity provoked an altered state which assisted painful but purposeful change to occur.
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