When an outbreak occurs, it usually appears on the mouth and the genitals. The outbreak of herpes can appear on other parts of the body. The virus hides within the nerves of your body waiting for the immune system to drop its guard. When it has a chance to invade herpes rushes to the top of the skin causing ugly and painful soars that can last for days or weeks.
Once it goes away, it goes back and hibernates until the next time it is ready to wreak habit in your life. There are foods you can actually eat that ill decrease the outbreaks. Foods high in protein strengthen your immune system to fight off the reoccurrence of the soars. Eggs, beans, milk, cheese and meat are loaded with lysine an amino acid that can help prevent the virus from thriving.
The herpes uses certain amino acids to build the protein sheath that surrounds it,” explains Mark McCune, MD, a dermatologist at Kansas City Laser and skin surgery center in Overland Park, Kansas. Lysine inhibits the growth of the barrier so the virus cannot flourish.
It is recommended that you get at least 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of lysine a day. Research showed those who had an intake of this amino acid rarely had outbreaks or the soars where much smaller than before. There are many foods; you can eat to get the benefits of lysine. Provolone cheese has 1,110 milligrams, two eggs have 900 milligrams, and a cup of baked beans has 960 milligrams. Another great way to make sure you reduce the outbreaks is by using a supplement called Herpset. This is an all-natural powerful supplement that helps alleviate the outbreaks quickly and safely.
Pork is an ocean full of lysine. A broiled center-cut loin chop contains about 2,000 milligrams. Vitamin C plays a big role when it comes to this virus. People who usually lack the sufficiency of it are more likely to have the herpes virus. Foods high in Vitamin C are guava, oranges, orange juice, peaches, raw bell peppers and broccoli.
Beer, Chocolate, peas and nuts, they contain arginine. This is an amino acid, which herpes rely on to build its protein. If your diet is high in arginine, it is best to cut down on it. This amino acid causes the virus to aggressively grow. Eating both garlic and thyme can help prevent an outbreak or decrease the duration of an outbreak once it occurs, says John Neustadt, MD, medical director of Montana Integrative Medicine in Bozeman.
Milk is an old remedy that supposedly gets rid of the herpes soars once they pop up to the surface of the skin. You are suppose to dip a washcloth in a bowl of milk, apply the towel to the soar on and off for five seconds. Do this for five minutes every three to four hours, rinsing your skin between treatments.
Knowing how to heal a cold sore quickly could be critical if you have an important event in the near future.
There is no good time to have a cold sore. But why do cold sores always seem to happen at the very worst possible time?
Most often, cold sores occur because of physical or mental stress. Anxiety about an upcoming wedding, job interview, or other special event in your life will create stress. This stress then affects your pH balance, your hormones, and your immune system. Quite often illnesses such as cold and flu will also trigger an outbreak.
The herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores has an early warning system because it lives in your nerve cells. It can sense the slightest change in your temperature, stress levels, immune strength, and pH balance. When the conditions are favorable, the virus will head to the surface along your nerve fibers. Once at the surface, it will create new virus through its replication procedure thus producing the herpes sore.
Your body knows how to heal a cold sore and will do so without any additional help or expensive treatments.
Provided you do not get a secondary bacterial infection, the duration of your outbreak could be three to four weeks. If you are like me, you do not want to suffer that long. The quicker you heal your sore, the sooner you can get on with your life.
The herpes virus needs three things to successfully replicate.
1. The virus needs plenty of arginine in the cell. Arginine is a protein that is a critical building block for creating new herpes viruses. Lysine, another protein, has proven helpful in healing and preventing cold sores. Lysine does this by replacing some of the arginine in the cells, thus reducing or preventing the cells ability to create clones of the virus.
Basically, if the herpes virus gets to the surface and cannot find enough arginine in the cells, it often retreats. Many folks eat high lysine foods prior to or during a cold sore event, and avoid high arginine foods. For many folks, healing cold sores fast has been as simple as taking 1,000 milligrams to 3,000 milligrams of lysine in capsule supplements during an outbreak.
High lysine foods to eat are most meats and dairy products. Cheese, milk and yogurt are excellent. High arginine foods to avoid would be nuts, seeds, grains, and chocolate. You need to find your own personal balance here for healing cold sores.
2. The herpes virus also needs a warm, moist environment. Applying ice as soon as you feel that first tingle or itch will greatly reduce or delay the cold sore. Delaying the outbreak just a few days can get you through that important event. Any cold object will do – such as a can of Coke. The quicker, the better.
3. The herpes virus prefers an acid environment. When in tip-top health, your pH balance should be around 7.4, which is slightly alkaline. When it drops below 7 on the pH scale, then your system is turning acid. Any stress, flu, colds, or too much sun will cause your body to move toward the acid side of normal. Avoid eating acid foods, such as tomatoes, citrus, carbonated soda or anything with vinegar if it will touch the cold sore area. You want nothing acid around that sore. Following this rule alone for healing a cold sore, along with continual cleaning of the wound with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, could cut your healing duration of the outbreak by 50%.
You are unique and you must take what works for others and fine tune it for your particular needs. Hopefully, now that you are armed with the knowledge of what works for others, you now have a better idea on how to heal a cold sore.
Resisting the Urge to Only Date Others with Herpes.
My girlfriend and I broke-up (amiably) three weeks ago today.
It was unexpected since we were getting along very well and still love each other very much. But we didn’t agree on how the relationship should be in the future so we decided it was better to stop now than face a certain break-up down the line.
So I am suddenly single and am in an awkward position.
I hear that voice at the back of my head saying, “Christopher” wouldn’t it be so much easier to just look for women with herpes to date?”
The voice is right of course, yes it would be easier.
I am resisting that voice, as I have always resisted that voice.
I believe that I still have the right to love whoever I want to love regardless of the fact that i have herpes. I believe I would be ghettoizing myself and taking the easier way out just by looking for women with herpes. I would be buying into the mean-spirited stigma that says I should be marginalized, I should be banned from loving the uninfected.
I know i have my responsibilities. I live the life of a responsible person with herpes. I have treated my herpes with herbal medicine so I have only had one outbreak in the past four years. I warn my potential partners about my herpes status as early into the courtship as possible- usually before the first date. I practice safer sexuality and use an anti-viral gel to limit the risk of infecting others.
I feel that i have the right to go out into the world and not have the virus control my social life.
Don’t get me wrong, having to warn people about my herpes and anticipate their reactions is not my idea of a good-time, but It’s small price to pay, in my mind, for having a the right to date outside of the herpes community.
I will also be open to dating those with herpes of course, but it won’t be a preference one way or the other, just like I have no preference for race or hair colour or eye colour.
My heart and mind are completely open to whoever spirit brings into my life next.
christopher scipio homeopath/herbalist holistic viral specialist
me to our guide to STDs and STIs – we hope that you find it useful. As soon as you’re sexually active, you should start to learn about how important safe sex is, as well as discover more about the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Just take a look below and you’ll discover all the information you need.
What are STDs?
Sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections are infections or diseases that are passed on via sexual contact, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex. Some sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections can also be transmitted via needles after a person who is infected with an STD has used them. They can also be passed on to children during their birth or while they are breastfeeding.
Types of STD
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection that most people may not even know they have. However, even if the sufferer does not have symptoms, they can still pass on the nasty infection to other people.
An attack of herpes can vary from a slight soreness to painful blisters on the genitals. The first episode of symptoms can last 2 to 3 weeks and further episodes of symptoms can also occur from time to time. However, these are not usually so severe than the first episode. There’s no cure for herpes, but there’s several treatments available that can ease symptoms.
HIV is the most serious sexually transmitted disease. It strikes the body’s natural immune system, which usually protects the body against disease & infection.
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus infects blood cells, which are known as CD4 cells. These are the cells that are responsible for fighting infection. The CD4 cells are destroyed after being infected with HIV, which leaves a person who is infected with human immunodeficiency virus with a high risk of getting a serious infection, or diseases including cancer.
Protecting your Sexual Health
The only way to be 100% safe from sexually transmitted diseases & sexually transmitted infections is by failing to engage in sexual activity altogether. However, if you are sexually active, you can safeguard your sexual health by having frequent STD and STI tests, particularly if you change your sexual partner.
Needless to say, condoms are also a must. These will protect you from unwanted pregnancy, as well as a wide range of sexually transmitted diseases & sexually transmitted infections.
Further Information
For additional information on STDs & sexually transmitted infections or for more advice on testing & treatment, go and see your local sexual health centre. On the other hand, you can visit your Dr who’ll often see people who are worried about their sexual health.