I’ve been thinking about how some people, myself and family members included, seem to feel different after EBV or mono. Not just tired, but more reactive overall.

I wrote something exploring the idea that a strong viral infection may leave the immune system in a more activated state, which could affect cytokines, sensory receptors like TRPA1 and TRPV1, and the body’s stress response. I also touched on liver function and retinoid handling as a possible piece of the puzzle, which may keep the reaction loop going.

I’m curious if anyone else has noticed things like:

• food sensitivity
• skin or scent sensitivity
• feeling anxious
• trouble calming down or feeling exhausted after any type of stress
• feeling like the body never fully returns to baseline

Would love to hear if this resonates with anyone else. Trying to piece things together. Thank you!

https://medium.com/the-food-mood-link/why-so-many-people-feel-more-anxious-sensitive-and-stressed-after-covid-ebv-and-other-immune-a51eab869a94

Medicine did not become a giant business overnight. It grew through a series of policy shifts, financial incentives, and public trust that slowly turned healthcare into one of the most profitable industries in America. I wrote a breakdown of how that happened and why it still matters today.

"The modern world expects a pill or supplement for every complaint, from daily aches to fleeting worries. This culture didn’t simply emerge — it was built, layer by layer, through visionary reform, vast philanthropy, and eventually masterful marketing*. Key players from the Rockefeller Foundation, Carnegie endowments, and Abraham Flexner transformed American medicine into a respected, centralized, science-focused profession. Decades later, Arthur Sackler leveraged this trusted system with marketing strategies that made pharmaceuticals and supplements a daily part of American life."

https://medium.com/activated-thinker/how-medicine-became-big-business-the-hidden-roots-of-americas-pharma-addiction-5234de6152b2

Marketing has taught us to replace nourishment with stimulation and call it health. But maybe the issue is not a lack of motivation. Maybe we are living in environments that quietly keep us stressed, overstimulated, and pulled off center, making motivation harder to access in the first place.

https://medium.com/the-food-mood-link/when-we-started-trusting-protein-powders-more-than-food-264c13ce838f

Marketing has taught us to replace nourishment with stimulation and call it health. But maybe the issue is not a lack of motivation. Maybe we are living in environments that quietly keep us stressed, overstimulated, and pulled off center, making motivation harder to access in the first place.

https://medium.com/the-food-mood-link/when-we-started-trusting-protein-powders-more-than-food-264c13ce838f

Photo by Aleksander Saks on Unsplash

https://medium.com/the-food-mood-link/is-this-the-real-story-behind-why-glp-1-meds-are-everywhere-right-now-020a926ec5c5

For those of us who carry too much and are slowly learning that our peace matters too.

https://medium.com/the-food-mood-link/a-letter-to-people-pleasers-fdd4083901d4

When people get gaslit by their own symptoms

The symptoms do not always scream, ingredient issue.

They usually sound more like:

• maybe I have ADHD
• maybe I have anxiety
• maybe I am broken
• maybe I need another supplement
• maybe I just need to try harder

No.

Maybe your body is overstimulated.

Maybe it is tired of being fed the same irritating stuff every single day.

That is a different conversation.

And honestly, a more useful one.