Putting It All Together

If the idea of devising a plan for putting the herpes virus in remission makes your head spin, you're not alone. However, even though there is no cure for the Herpes Simplex Virus, there is the potential for complete remission over the next six weeks.

 

 

Week One: Take Inventory

 

If you're currently experiencing a breakout, Fast HSV Relief.

 

Buy a journal (or a notebook) to track your notes, (remedies you want to try, thoughts, feelings, questions), progress, and successes. 

 

This week, review the information on stress (causes and symptoms) and complete the Pinpointing Hidden Stress exercise. Both will give you an idea of your stress level and provide tips on what you can do to begin easing stress in your life. Stress is the number one trigger of herpes breakouts, so you must know where you stand regarding what's causing you the most stress in life. A lot of the time, we think we know, but we don't. For example, you may know your boss and coworkers drive you crazy at work, but the real problem may not be them. When EVERYONE drives you up the wall, it's rarely them. It's you.

 

Are you getting enough sleep at night? Mental stress can also disturb the sleep cycle. If you aren't sleeping well, you won't be able to heal well either. Your immune system is in your gut, and your gut (your entire body) heals at night when you're in a deep sleep. See Getting a Good Night's Sleep. Sometimes, when we have no problem getting to sleep but wake up a couple of hours later and can't get back to sleep, it can be a problem with the stress hormone cortisol (and our sleep/wake cycle has been disrupted), or it can be a problem with your liver, which detoxifies while you're asleep. It can wake you up a couple of hours after falling asleep if it's overloaded.

 

Have you been fence-sitting on an issue because you don't feel you have any good options to choose from, an intuitive consultation may be of help. 

 

Next week, you'll begin to implement nutritional strategies.

 

 

Week Two: Implementing Positive Sleep & Nutritional Strategies

 

There's no need to focus on drawn-up meal plans or strict dieting. Hopefully, you've skimmed through the nutritional information regarding a genetically appropriate diet. This week, you'll create a list of healthy foods you'd like to try for the week and begin tossing out the unhealthy ones. But before you run to the store, you must know the arginine content of the foods on your grocery list.

 

Arginine is an amino acid (a protein) that feeds the herpes virus. On the other hand, L-lysine is an amino acid that nullifies the effects of arginine. The idea is to avoid eating "too many" foods with a high arginine ratio, like almonds, blueberries, and peanut butter. Download my Comprehensive L-Lysine Versus Arginine Food Ratio Guide to determine if you're regularly indulging in foods high in arginine. By cutting down on foods containing high amounts of arginine over the next 6-12 weeks, you'll be able to discover whether arginine is triggering your breakouts. Also, see HSV Meal Plans.

 

Along the same lines, oxalates and salicylates are naturally occurring plant chemicals that protect plants from predators. They are known to cause a host of adverse symptoms, including various types of allergy symptoms and pain in the body caused by the release of histamine. Histamine causes inflammation and triggers herpes breakouts. Please download my Oxalates & Salicylates Foods & Substances Lists to see if you regularly consume high amounts of these natural plant chemicals. If so, eliminate or cut back on your highest offenders.

 

Overlapping conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Histamine Intolerance, Anxiety, and Depression can trigger herpes breakouts. These conditions can be caused by the herpes virus or by Leaky Gut Syndrome and Mitochondrial Dysfunction (lack of cellular energy). Both lead to serious health complications. For holistic alternatives for overlapping conditions, see The Wellness Repository.

 

When living with overlapping conditions, you'll find each condition requires specific dietary guidelines. If you live with more than one condition, you'll quickly discover nutritional recommendations for one condition often contradict another. For example, when you live with herpes, it can be beneficial to manage arginine levels in your diet. If you have an autoimmune disorder, following an anti-inflammatory diet is best. However, almost everyone with an autoimmune disorder has a problem with histamine levels. So, following an antihistamine diet and avoiding specific prebiotics and probiotics that increase histamine might be better. Additionally, if you need cellular energy, The Mitochondrial Diet suggests eating foods high in arginine, which feeds the herpes virus (deep sigh). So what can you do? 

 

You can keep returning to the drawing board until it drives you nuts (and you give up), or you can manage the top offenders. My suggestion? Everyone on the planet, regardless of their health, can benefit from an anti-inflammatory diet. If you're histamine intolerant, cut out the highest offenders. If you live with herpes, cut out the highest offenders. If you have Fibromyalgia or IBS, cut out the highest offenders. It's not about being strict or eliminating food items. It's about managing the highest offenders, and your highest offenders can be different from someone else's. 

 

Of course, if your condition is controlled by diet or medication, you should talk to your doctor before making any diet or supplement changes. 

 

Next week, you'll focus on your environment and technical activities.

 

 

Week Three: Create a Healthy Environment

 

This week, focus on your environment. The Pinpointing Hidden Stress exercise has a section on organizing your environment. Go back and take a look. This week, to change your environment to bring you more peace and joy, see Creating Healthy Spaces.

 

Also, measure how much time you spend behind a screen (cell, laptop, computer, and TV). I want you to total up your hours. At the end of this week, look at your score. Also, consider the time of day (morning, afternoon, evening, middle of the night, all the time). How do you feel about this? Was it time spent well (productively) or a massive waste of time and a way to avoid real life? How did it make you feel physically? What does your intuition tell you about your quality of screen use?

 

this week, continue to strive toward eating well, making nutritional changes, and creating a relaxing atmosphere at home and work. Next week, you'll peek at your relationships and joys.

 

 

Week Four: Take a Look At Your Relationships & Joys

 

It's time to take a look at your relationships. Again, in the Pinpointing Hidden Stress exercise, I asked if you are happy with your relationships, why, or why not. This week, give some thought as to what you can control and what you can't in your relationships. If you can't control some things, let them go for now. Let go of the energy that has you dragging through life. Focus instead on the things you can change and do have control over, such as being more social, sending a postcard, or writing a letter to someone and sharing your feelings even if they are no longer here or will never see it. The point is to take all your bothersome emotions and put them somewhere. 

 

Are your feelings your own? Sometimes, we can be magnets for someone else's feelings. For example, when someone around you is angry and hostile, it's easy to pick up on their vibe and begin feeling the same way. This week, pay attention to how others affect your mood. If what you think is not "yours", let it go. Be you. Be contented you. Be peaceful. Also, do at least one thing you have wanted to do but put off. Just do it!

 

This week, continue making healthy nutritional adjustments, enjoying your environment, and doing things and people you love. Next week, you'll begin being more aware of your physical activity.

 

 

Week Five: Move That Body of Yours

 

Healthy immunity is associated with movement. So, even if you are someone who, by nature, doesn't like to move much, you have to find ways of getting active. Playing with the kids in the backyard, going for nature walks, or swimming in the ocean are all good ideas.

 

Two types of activity help the body and the immune system out. One is aerobics (anything that strengthens your heart muscle). The other is resistance (anything that strengthens all the rest of your muscles). See Exercise for tips and what to be cautious about when living with herpes.

 

This week, continue making positive nutritional, environmental, and relationship adjustments. Remember to avoid screens and enjoy the small things in life. Next week, you'll be re-evaluating your progress so far.

 

 

Week Six: Re-Evaluate

 

Congratulations! You made it to week six. If you've been following the weekly suggestions, you've likely made changes that are starting to feel more habitual and have made a positive impact on the way you feel physically and emotionally.

I've learned that putting HSV in remission isn't a destination. It's a journey but one you can make on your own with the right information. Still, if you continue to feel stress is winning the battle, consider an intuitive consultation for self-empowering answers, insights, and a healthy nudge in the right direction. 

 

 

Or, back to Herpes Simplex Virus.