How Stress Triggers Herpes Outbreaks

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How does stress triggers herpes outbreaks?

Why does the virus flare so quickly after stress, fear or trauma?

The History of Your Immune System

Our ancestors hunted, traveled, built shelters, loved, died, feasted or went hungry.

Occasionally we fought for our lives with a bear or other hunters.

When life is quiet (even if working hard), we are in our Para-Sympathetic Nervous System. Here we can digest, rest, fight infection, and repair the body.

But if we perceive our life is threatened in any way, we switch to the Sympathetic Nervous System. 

In the Sympathetic state, blood pressure rises, muscles tense, cholesterol and glucose rise, and cortisol and adrenaline increase – all to help us Fight or Flee. The immune system slows down as it is not essential to survival in the moment.

Fear, Anxiety and the Immune System

Once in the Sympathetic Nervous System, our entire body is ready to fight or flee. Sometimes this is a short event, such as a moment of “road rage”.

Sometimes fear and anxiety become chronic – we might be fearful of an outcome or person, whether correctly or not. (I encourage Clients to interrupt their Anxious Mind and use their Rational Mind — is this angry phone call really going to lose your job, life, marriage or friend?)

In trauma such as a car accident or assault, the Adrenal glands secrete huge amounts of Cortisol and Adrenaline to help us run, fight, swim a river, climb a 40 foot tree or whatever needed to survive.

This increase in Cortisol and Adrenaline continues until we fully perceive the threat to be gone.

Stress Triggers Herpes

While your body is addressing fear, trauma, injury or attack, it withdraws resources from ALL repairs and maintenance.

When under threat (or perceived threat), repair and immune systems stop.

Why bother fighting a virus, herpes sore, bacteria or even digesting your food if you may soon be the predator’s dinner? Or die from blood loss or injury?

My Herpes Webinar Guide

Understand foods to eat and avoid, the herpes supplements and managing stress.

This 90 minute guide to “Manage Your Herpes” explains controlling HSV with food, supplements, the occasional medication. Life-changing! $77. 

Fear, Anxiety and Trauma Stop the Immune System

Stress and anxiety slow the immune system. It depends on how YOU manage thoughts and feelings about that anxiety or trauma as to how quickly balance is restored.

You’ll see in my Herpes Control Pack that Passion Flower Tincture is included for this reason. Passion Flower is well known for its calming properties and can safely be taken day and night.

The Lemon Balm helps too, and it also fights HSV directly.

Herbs, meditation, exercise, counseling and your Rational Mind can help turn your nervous system back to its preferred ParaSympathetic state.

Effects of Anxiety and Stress on Herpes Simplex

• Anxiety is fear
• Fear means DANGER is perceived by the brain (even if it’s only your anxiety talking)
• If danger is present we switch to our Flight or Fight nervous system
• The Immune System (as well as digestion, cellular repair, anti-aging, etc.) doesn’t work well in Fight or Flight
• Your body is doing its job to keep you ready to fight until you relax

Our anxiety and fears keep telling the brain we are in danger. We use phrases like ” this is killing me!’, or “I’ll lose my job!’ even when those may be big exaggerations.

Telling the truth about what’s so and what’s needed can be a powerful antidote to anxiety.

How to Help Manage Anxiety and Stress 

I write and Podcast frequently on the GABA neurotransmitter and its role in keeping the brain more calm and rational. Use the Search tool to read and understand more about this – search GABA, Anxiety, or Stress. Or search Sleep.

We don’t sleep well when cortisol or adrenaline are elevated.

This is the professional-grade Pharma GABA in my Online Store. It’s chewable so the (low dose) sugars transport this special fermented GABA quickly into the brain and blood stream. Taking it nightly helps restore deeper sleep and energy. Smaller doses of Pharma Gaba can also be taken in the day to manage anxiety and stress. Or if you wake at 3 AM and can’t return to sleep.

Our Passion Flower Glycerite tincture is also highly recommended. Take it day and/or night as needed to take the edge off your anxieties. Glycerin is a sweet (non-caloric) base so you don’t need to put this in water. Convenient at work, in the car, in the middle of the night…. anywhere!

The Top Two Things to Reduce Herpes Outbreaks

1. Stop eating Grains (wheat, corn, rice, oats) and other high Arginine foods the HSV Virus feeds on
2. Get your emotions under control

Reducing High-Arginine Grains to Reduce Herpes

Here are three articles and Podcasts on the best low-Arginine diet for Herpes: “The Best and Worst Foods for Herpes”; “Are Bone Broth and Collagen Safe with Herpes?”; and “Is A Low Arginine Diet for Herpes Permanent?”

Supplements for Herpes to Help Manage Emotions

Use any of the products in my Online Store category Sleep, Stress & Anxiety.

Melissa Lemon Balm is particularly helpful as it is known to be effective against the herpes virus and is a calming herb too.

Passion Flower in either Glycerin base or Alcohol base is soothing day and night.

Help for Managing Herpes Stress Triggers

Look at the items in the Herpes Control Pack or in the Herpes and Epstein Barr Category of supplements. Each of those is an important part of helping the immune system. I use these personally and with my Clients in my Virtual Consults and San Antonio Diet and Health Center.