If you’ve been following me here for awhile, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Anthony William, author of the Medical Medium books.
I’ve seen positive results from following the protocol in his books that helps to kill off the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV).
I believe that EBV is a major factor in many of the symptoms I’ve experienced throughout my life: muscle pain, joint pain, back pain, tingling or numbness in hands and feet, migraines, chronic fatigue, dizziness, eye floaters, insomnia, unrestful sleep and night sweats.
(To see if EBV could be an issue for you too, read more here.)
While EBV is a major component, it’s not the only factor.
Today let’s put a spotlight on one of EBV’s best friends and common co-factors: a bacterium called Streptococcus or simply, Strep.
Strep’s Influence In Your Body
According to Anthony William in Medical Medium, during the second stage of EBV (read more about the stages here) the virus moves and settles in your liver and/or spleen.
It’s during this time, as your immune system weakens, that strep can travel up and create strep throat and/or infect your sinuses, nose or mouth.
“It can also travel down to create infections in the urinary tract, vagina, kidneys or bladder… eventually causing cystitis.”
– Anthony William, Medical Medium
Many of us contracted strep at an early age. It’s a powerful force and the longer it sticks around, the stronger it gets, and the greater havoc if can wreak in your body.
Symptoms of Strep
According to Anthony William, strep can cause:
- sinus pain and congestion
- acne
- urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- cystitis
- pelvic inflammation
- intestinal disorders
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
- sore throat
- styes
- chronic ear infections
Another sign that your body’s been infected with strep is Candida overgrowth. This is common for those of us with endometriosis, which leads me to believe that those of us with endo likely have strep in our systems.
Candida is a type of yeast found in your gut, but it can also show in your liver, spleen, vagina and more. If strep invades your vagina then there’s an overgrowth of Candida that shows up as a yeast infection.
The common prescription for these infections is an antibiotic, which only feeds the underlying root issue: the strep. If you’ve taken multiple rounds of antibiotics throughout your life then you fed the strep in your system.
Strep & Your Immune System
The activity level of strep in your body changes depending on the state of your immune system and stress levels.
Symptoms from strep are more likely to show up when your immune system is weakened during menstruation, or when it needs additional energy during ovulation, as your hormones are shifting.
That’s why it’s common to experience acne, sinus pressure and a flair up of endo symptoms with ovulation & your period.
Strep’s playing a role in all of that.
Foods that Feed Strep
According to Anthony in the podcast he did about strep (check it out here)…
Both eggs and dairy feed the strep bacteria in your body.
Other foods to avoid include corn, wheat, barley, rye, and canola oil.
I cut dairy and wheat back in 2011 when I was first diagnosed with endo, but I was still eating a fair amount of eggs up until a couple of years ago when I first picked up Medical Medium.
I cut them and haven’t looked back. Truth be told eggs always kind of grossed me out. Haha.
I’ve recently cut corn, which was hard for me. (For the love of tacos!)
After completely clearing all corn from my system for a month or so, and re-introducing it, my face broke out right away.
The proof showed with the pimples.
Strep’s a factor with me.
And so’s corn. Boo.
Foods to Add in to Kill off Strep
According to Anthony, healing foods to add in include:
- bananas
- berries
- spinach
- onions
- cucumber
- celery
- turmeric
- raw honey
- arugula
- ginger
- garlic
- winter squash
- sweet potatoes
- kale
- coconut
- oregano
- thyme
- rosemary
- sage
Check out Anthony’s book Medical Medium: Life-Changing Foods for tasty recipes incorporating these healing foods.
Supplements to Help
According to Anthony, healing supplements to add in include:
- Liposomal Vitamin C
- Liquid Ionic Zinc
- Goldenseal
- Lemon Balm
- Oregano Oil
- Cat’s Claw (Don’t take this one if you’re trying to conceive, since it acts like a natural birth control)
- Monolaurin
To note: The quality of supplement matters. I’ve included links to the recommended brands above.
It’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting on new supplements/herbs, especially if you’re taking other medications.
My advice with supplements is to start slow and introduce things one at a time. That way you can gauge if they help and/or detox you. You don’t want to overload your system with too much as you’re killing off these viral and bacteria factors.
And make sure you’re drinking plenty of water to help flush things out.
On the Positive Side?
All the mysterious symptoms seem to be connected somehow, and they are! I love putting these bigger root causes together, and I’m grateful for coming across Medical Medium two years ago.
It shifted my perception and put together the pieces that I intuitively knew were true. There are other factors at play and it all comes back to strengthening up your immune system. A big piece of that comes when you address these underlying viral and bacteria factors.
The good news is there’s a roadmap for healing available. If you need more help along the journey I’d love to connect. Learn more how we can work together here.
Have you had symptoms of strep in your life? Taken multiple rounds of antibiotics in your life? Acne that won’t go away? Have you tried the Medical Medium protocols?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
This is absolutely eye opening!! I’m going to do the medical medium protocol ASAP!
Awesome! He has truly changed my life. I hope it’s the same for you.
I’d love to talk with you, privately about a lot of things. I was diagnosed with Endo at 18, now 38 and a half and still childless. Had my 11th surgery, but 1st excision surgery October 12th 2017, and it made everything worse. I’m going to have a colonoscopy this Wednesday the 5th at 10 45am. Please contact me and I along with my amazing man of almost 12yrs… has studied so much and is my biggest support. So much to tell you, and offer incredible advice. I tested negative for Celiac Disease aka Gluten intolerance for those who don’t know. When I 1st heard the word endometriosis at age 15, and was diagnosed at 18, all I had was Web MD, We didn’t have everything we have now. I had to be my own advocate! Had major open heart surgery at almost 21, did the devil itself, Lupron AKA prostate cancer drug AKA Chemotherapy… ruined my life! Aubree, thank you for all you do, and please reach out to me, I can help you with a lot, as you have helped me and so many others. Also, us endo sisters have a vitamin D deficiency! More than welcome to call me and we can talk!
Sorry you had to deal with all of that, love. If you need further support please feel free to schedule a power hour session with me here: https://peacewithendo.com/power-hour-coaching-session
Sending lots of love.
I have been also following Anthony William and his recommendations for six months. I have been struggling with endo as well as low grade strep symptoms now for 6 months (cystitis, kidney pain, sore throat, sinus pressure and congestion) as well as EBV symptoms (fatigue, swollen tonsils every so often). Do you have any supplements you have used to help you with strep? Thank you for sharing this post! It’s amazing to relate to other people’s healing stories 😊
Hi Jess. Good to hear that you’re following Medical Medium too. His suggestions have helped me so much! The supplements he recommends for strep are Vitamin C, Zinc, Goldenseal, Lemon Balm, Oregano Oil, Cat’s Claw and monolaurin: http://www.medicalmedium.com/blog/streptococcus-revealed
I updated this post with the recommended supplements. Best of luck to you on your healing journey. Much Love.
Hi , what should I use if want to replace wheat ( bread , cereal ) ?
Once in a while I like a toast af usually wheat bread,and a lot of cereals are base on wheat as well. My face always is breaking out.
Hi, Wanda. There are gluten free breads out there, but a lot of them are pricey and still have a lot of fillers in them that aren’t the best. I have a recipe on the blog for one with buckwheat sourdough: https://peacewithendo.com/2016/08/gluten-free-sourdough-bread-recipe.html
I’ve learned to live without bread. I know that’s hard at first.
I still do gluten-free oatmeal occasionally. Sometimes I make these oatmeal cookies for breakfast 🙂 https://peacewithendo.com/2015/06/benefits-of-oats-for-endometriosis-and-bonus-cookie-recipe.html
Hi Aubree, thanks for the amazing article I’ve been dealing with multiple sinus infections, bad acne, and terrible digestive system. Do u still eat meat?
Hi Katie. Sorry to hear that. I do still eat meat but at most once per day. Some days I don’t at all.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have started reading his books and find this approach very interesting.
Awesome. Anthony has changed my life. I hope it’s the same for you. Sending Love.