Most people tend to pick the herpes simplex virus up from early childhood as a result of sharing drinks or food or even getting a kiss from someone who has the virus. Cold sores, sometimes called “fever sores,” are small, generally painful blisters that appear around the lips. They can also be seen in the nose or mouth or on the face. Usually the most common sites for outbreaks, cold sores can appear anywhere on the body including the genital area.
While there is no cure, not every person who contracts the herpes simplex virus gets cold sores. In some, the virus can simply stay dormant permanently. Cold sores are contagious and stay contagious sometimes even after the blisters scab. It’s important to keep outbreaks to a minimum. When you have a cold sore, it’s easy to spread the virus to someone else.
Focus on de-stressing yourself as much as possible to combat the effects of anxiety and stress. Make sure you get enough sleep. Set up and stick to a solid exercise program that includes a good cardiovascular workout 3 to 5 days a week. Eat properly, watch the alcohol, caffeine and nicotine consumption and avoid over-working as much as possible.
Step 2 Learn to meditate. Meditation, even in small daily doses of only 5 to 10 minute sessions, is an excellent central nervous system relaxer, mind refresher and stress diffuser. Meditation is something you can do anywhere and at any time, proven to be highly successful in combating HSV-1 outbreaks.
Step 3 Take vitamins to support the adrenal glands, glands responsible for regulating the stress response as a result of cortisol and adrenaline production. Starting with a good daily multi-vitamin, additional doses of vitamins A, B complex and C, plus zinc, are recommended. Do check with your doctor first to make sure vitamin supplements won’t interfere with any medication you are taking.
Eat certain foods that are considered to be high in the amino acid lysine which helps build muscle protein and is needed to make antibodies, hormones and enzymes, plus is considered to be especially effective in combating herpes and cold sores. The foods to eat are seafood, chicken, turkey, eggs, dairy products, potatoes and brewer’s yeast.
Step 5 Practice aromatherapy, which uses essential oils which have been found to be effective in treating herpes virus due to their strong antiviral properties. Try combinations of oils such as lemon and geranium, or eucalyptus and bergamot. When applied to the skin at the first sign of an outbreak, these oils can lessen or prevent a full flare-up. Two other essential oils, true rose oil or melissa oil, have been documented in some cases to have produced complete remission after one application.
Step: Consider using herbal remedies to strengthen the immune system. They also help the body fight infection when taken internally. Tinctures of Echinacea, Siberian ginseng, nettle and goldenseal should be combined in equal parts and a half teaspoon taken three times a day. Licorice and Indian gooseberry can also be taken. Check with a good herbalist or herbal pharmacist for more information.