Dr. Kines shares how her search for answers for people with persistent, unexplained symptoms led her to study the medical literature on EBV and develop her approach to nutritional support. Her work also grew out of a deeply personal experience: losing a close friend who had spent years living with multiple sclerosis.

Throughout this interview, we explore her perspective on EBV assessment and recovery, why she considers the whole person, and how education can help people better understand their health.

A central theme of this conversation is the importance of taking persistent symptoms seriously.

Dr. Kines describes people who have spent years seeking answers, trying different protocols, and experiencing only partial improvement. She explains why she considers EBV in certain complex cases, while emphasizing the importance of understanding each person’s history, symptoms, and circumstances.

For functional nurses, the interview offers an opportunity to learn about EBV-related concerns, ask more informed questions, and collaborate with treating providers.

Dr. Kines describes profound fatigue, brain fog, and painful or swollen lymph nodes among the concerns she commonly hears from people seeking her help.

She distinguishes this fatigue from ordinary tiredness. Some individuals describe struggling to get out of bed, complete basic activities, or participate in family life.

She also discusses cognitive concerns, including difficulty concentrating, remembering information, reading, and finishing thoughts.

These symptoms deserve careful evaluation. They do not, by themselves, identify EBV as the cause.

Functional nurses can help by documenting when symptoms began, how they affect daily activities, what evaluations have already occurred, and whether previous interventions helped. A thorough history can support more productive conversations with the client’s treating provider.

One of the most detailed portions of the interview focuses on EBV antibody testing.

Dr. Kines explains why she includes EBV early antigen IgG in her assessment and why she considers the timing of testing relative to a person’s symptoms. She discusses how testing during a period of feeling better or worse may affect the picture she is evaluating.

Dr. Kines notes that she has rarely encountered elevated early antigen antibodies in people who feel well in her own work. Results still need to be interpreted alongside symptoms, medical history, and the broader testing picture.

Melissa shares her personal experience with chronic Lyme disease and elevated EBV antibodies, opening a discussion about overlapping health concerns.

Dr. Kines describes why she looks beyond a single laboratory finding or symptom. Her approach considers nutritional status, stress, environmental exposures, and the circumstances surrounding the person’s illness.

The conversation also addresses the frustration of working through multiple interventions without achieving the improvement someone hoped for.

Functional nursing assessments can help bring these pieces together. Exploring sleep, food intake, daily demands, health history, and environmental concerns may identify areas for education or further evaluation.

The goal is to support a comprehensive assessment while keeping an open mind about other explanations for persistent symptoms.

Dr. Kines discusses nutrients she uses in her approach, including vitamin C, zinc, and selenium, as well as the botanical licorice.

She explains that her protocols involve more than choosing a list of supplements. She considers dosing, gradual introduction, individual tolerance, side effects, and contraindications.

She also describes why she values nutrition education and helping people understand how particular products agree or disagree with them.

This portion of the interview illustrates the importance of individualized guidance. Her discussion describes her approach; it does not establish that a particular supplement or protocol is appropriate for every individual.

Functional nurses can use the conversation to strengthen their understanding of nutritional support. 

Dr. Kines emphasizes food and water as practical starting points in her approach. She discusses nutritional adequacy and the environmental exposures she considers when reviewing someone’s history.

Melissa also highlights the importance of asking about the environment in which a client lives. The interview includes discussion of mold concerns and why a supplement-focused approach may overlook other important parts of someone’s situation.

Rather than overwhelming people with numerous changes at once, Dr. Kines describes making gradual adjustments.

Functional nurses can help clients identify manageable priorities, build sustainable habits, and communicate concerns that warrant further assessment.

The interview also explores the emotional burden of prolonged illness.

Dr. Kines shares her observations about people who feel depleted by stress, perfectionism, overgiving, and difficult life experiences. She discusses helping individuals reconnect with joy, personal aspirations, and a sense of purpose.

Melissa explains why she values addressing emotional health and incorporating prayer and spiritual support when the client welcomes that approach.

These conversations can offer meaningful support without assuming that emotional experiences explain the cause of someone’s illness.

For functional nurses, listening carefully and respecting each client’s beliefs and preferences are essential parts of caring for the whole person.

Melissa asks how long people may need to follow Dr. Kines’ approach.

Dr. Kines describes improvement timelines she has observed in her own programs, including how many of her clients feel significantly better within about two months, whereas more complex cases may take six months or longer. She also cautions against immediately pushing activity beyond what the person can tolerate.

Her broader message is that people benefit from learning about their bodies: noticing symptoms, understanding tolerability, and recognizing when something needs attention.

The discussion also acknowledges that not every symptom should automatically be attributed to EBV. Dr. Kines gives the example of learning to distinguish concerns that may relate to another issue, such as iron status.

For functional nurses, this reinforces the value of ongoing assessment, thoughtful referrals, and individualized expectations.

Functional nurses can provide time, education, and support to people navigating persistent fatigue and confusing health information.

This may include taking a comprehensive history, assessing within scope, identifying concerns for further evaluation, discussing nutrition and lifestyle habits, and making referrals when needed. 

Across these roles, functional nurses can help people feel heard and become more informed participants in their care.

In this expert interview with Dr. Kasia Kines, you’ll hear discussion about:

Epstein-Barr virus and chronic fatigue concerns

Brain fog and difficulty with daily activities

EBV antibody testing and early antigen IgG

Considering symptoms alongside laboratory results

Melissa’s experience with chronic Lyme disease and elevated EBV antibodies

Dr. Kines’ approach to nutritional support

Vitamin C, zinc, selenium, and licorice

Supplement tolerance, side effects, and contraindications

Food quality and nutritional adequacy

Environmental exposures and mold concerns

Sleep, stress, and emotional well-being

Prayer, purpose, and client-directed spiritual support

Individualized recovery expectations

Patient education and collaboration with treating providers

During the interview, Dr. Kines directs listeners to EBVHelp.com to explore her educational resources, programs, and consultation options.

Melissa also discusses The Epstein-Barr Virus Solution, which she includes on the reading lists for Functional Nurse Academy and Christian Functional Medicine Academy.

Listen to the full Functional Nurse Academy Podcast interview for the complete conversation about EBV, chronic fatigue, nutritional support, and caring for the whole person.

Dr. Kines is an international authority on functional nutrition, in particular clinical applications of evidence-based recovery protocols for chronic and acute Epstein-Barr Virus and gastrointestinal and autoimmune conditions. She is highly committed to ongoing research and to blending the best of science and healing practices to best support each person, which translates into popularity and high success rate with her clients. She also is focused on  the best ongoing trainings available in the country, which started with her graduate nutrition degree at the prestigious Bastyr University. Dr. Kines  is an Amazon best-selling author on Epstein-Barr Virus and is a sought out speaker on the topic. She is also committed to training the new generation of nutritionists, NDs, MDs  and functional medicine practitioners in EBV management through The EBV Educational Institute she founded. Dr. Kines enrolled into the first ever functional clinical doctoral program in nutrition as soon as it was offered and before that, she was sought out by Johns Hopkins’ Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center where she worked closely with Dr. Gerard Mullin, a renown functional medicine gastroenterologist. Fully in practice since 2005, Dr. Kines has helped close to 2000 individual clients recover from EBV, Hashimoto’s, SIBO, IBS, auto-immune and gastro-intestinal disorders.