Denny Bodoh asked:


How to get rid of cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes quickly and safely is very good to know if you suffer from these uncomfortable and unsightly lesions.

There are a lot of wild claims going around. Many offer to show you how to get rid of cold sores using their costly methods or products. Although you will have varying degrees of success, quite often you are disappointed. Very few live up to their claims.

If you truly want to learn how to get rid of cold sores, first understand what causes the oral herpes outbreaks that we call a cold sore or fever blister.

Type 1 or type 2 herpes simplex virus creates all cold sore, fever blister or oral herpes sores. Nearly 90% of the world population carries the virus since it is so contagious.

And once you catch it, you will carry it for life. The herpes virus is a master at hiding. Even you immune defense system cannot find it when it is dormant.

In the case of ****** sores, the virus is hiding latent in the root cells of your ****** nerves. When it senses that your immune guards are weak or distracted, it rushes to the surface with hopes of creating more of its own kind.

The herpes virus is unable to reproduce on its own, but must force your surface nerve cells to become virus factories to create its offspring. Once the cell has created all the virus possible, it is destroyed to release the new virus.

It is this destruction of millions of adjacent cells that creates the open, weeping wound.

If you want know how to get rid of cold sores as quickly as your body will allow, then here are the three basic steps you must use, even if you are using other cold sore remedies.

1. EARLIEST COLD SORE FOREWARNING.

If you have much experience with cold sore outbreaks, you will possibly have noticed an itching, tingling, burning or dryness in the spot where you normally get the sore.

You are actually feeling the virus moving up the nerve and entering the cells at the surface. If you act fast, you can get rid of cold sores (or at least slow them down) during this period.

There are a variety of cold sore remedies that work well for this. The most convenient, no matter where you are, is ice. It really discourages the virus. Sometimes it just gives up on the idea and moves back into hibernation.

The neat thing about this – if you are able to get rid of cold sores at this early stage, you can avoid the painful and lengthy healing process.

2. CONSTANT STERILIZATION OF THE COLD SORE AREA.

How to get rid of cold sores? Take a hint from your body. As soon as the cold sore opens up, your body creates a thick fluid that weeps constantly from the wound. This is your body attempting to wash away the virus particles.

You can speed this process along very easily.

Soak a cotton ball or tissue in rubbing alcohol, wine or peroxide. Use this to wipe the sore as much as possible. Then toss away. The more you do this, the quicker your body can get the healing underway.

And this will reduce the likelihood of spreading the virus to another spot on you – or to another person.

3. REPAIRING THE COLD SORE DAMAGED CELLS.

When the cold sore was forming, ice was an excellent cold sore treatment. Now it is not.

Do not use ice after the sore breaks open as it will greatly slow down healing by driving blood away. Now you should be applying heat to bring healing blood to help repair the sore.

You can do this by using a hot, wet paper towel – then throw away. Or you can do what many have found very successful – using hot tea bags.

Not only are they cheap and easily available, but every time you use them, you are also bathing the wound with the healing tea fluid. This is an excellent way to get rid of cold sores quickly and permanently.

Learning how to get rid of cold sores is not too difficult. You should know that the methods outlined above are excellent and used successfully by millions.

Just use caution when someone tries to sell you some magic cold sore treatment salve or lotion. You will most often be disappointed.

Perhaps a little more research and you will know as much about how to get rid of cold sores as anyone.

Davion W asked:


Cold sore treatments can be cheap and effective when prepared from home. We call them home remedies for cold sores or natural cold sore treatments. Whatever it is, they can be concocted using simple food ingredients or household products which are readily available at the supermarket. Here are some cold sore treatments to treat your cold sores.

1. Cold Sore Diet

Our diet can be modified to treat cold sores.

a. Arginine Reduction

Herpes simplex virus depends on arginine, an amino acid to grow and proliferate. So we can avoid salty and acidic foods that are rich in arginine such as chocolate, seeds, oatmeal, nuts, almonds, whole grains and peas.

b. Lysine Intake

Lysine inhibits the development and growth of herpes simplex virus. It is an essential amino acid that aids the production of antibodies and can be found in foods like red meat, cheese, soya products, milk, eggs, wheat germ, legumes, vegetables, chicken, fish and brewers yeast.

c. Caffeine Reduction

Cut back on beverages like coffee and tea. These drinks are bad for our skin on the whole.

d. Vitamins Intake

Vitamins and minerals are effective in reducing the cold sore duration; prevent recurrences and enhancing our immunity against viruses. Remember to have daily intake of Vitamin A, B complex, C and E, iron and zinc.

e. Vegetables and Fruits

Eat lots of vegetables and fruits such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, garlic and cabbage.

2. Application of Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis)

Lemon balm is antiviral in nature and is extremely effective against cold sores.

3. Application of Peppermint (Mentha Piperita)

Similar to lemon balm, application of peppermint on the affected area is a good cold sore treatment.

4. Application of Tea Bag

Applying a wet tea bag over the sores is yet another excellent cold sore treatment. Tea contains tannic acid, an antiviral agent.

5. Application of Resveratol

Red grapes contain resveratol which is able to suppress the herpes simplex virus. Crush them into a paste and rub it over the cold sores.

6. Application of Witch Hazel

Witch hazel has also been used as a cold sore treatment at home. It is used as a topical medication over the affected sores.

7. Application of Aloe Vera Gel or Oil

Applying aloe vera gel or oil on the cold sore helps to keep the cold sores from spreading. Repeat this at least 3 times a day. It would also offer some pain and itch relief.

8. Application of Ice

This is one of the oldest natural cold sore treatments. You probably have used it on your cold sores before. It not only slows down the cold sore development, but also alleviates the pain and itchiness.

These are some of most widely used cold sore treatments. Find more effective and natural cold sore treatments at my blog that would help you treat your cold sores quickly.

This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Denny Bodoh asked:


©2007 – Denny Bodoh

Cold sores are unsightly, contagious and very painful sores, normally occurring on the edge of the lip or nose.

Cold sores are created by the replication process of the herpes simplex virus type 1 or type 2. Current studies show that about 77% of cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex type 1 and about 23% by the type 2 version of this simplex virus.

Cold sores caused by either type of the herpes virus are identical. They both look the same, hurt the same, are just as contagious, and last about the same amount of weeks.

Cold sores will occur and reoccur in about the same location as the initial infection. For example, if your cold sore appears on your upper left lip, then this is the site of the original infection.

The virus that causes cold sores lives in the nerve cells. It will seek out the nearest nerve fibers at the site where the virus enters the body. That herpes virus will make a home in that particular nerve fiber for the rest of your life.

Now don’t be fooled. You can be infected several times in different locations. If another cold sore appears on your lower right lip, this is a different infection and you now have located another “family” of the cold sore virus living in another nerve fiber.

When you have a cold sore, keep in mind that you are not only very contagious to others, but to other locations on your own body too. Cold sores can appear anywhere on the body where the virus found a ***** in the protective skin layer.

The herpes simplex virus normally is in hibernation farther down the nerve fibers from the surface. If you get a cold sore on your upper left lip, chances are this virus is hiding in the nerve ganglia near your left ear.

Your body defenses create cold sore anti-bodies each time you have a cold sore outbreak. These anti-bodies surround and help keep the herpes virus asleep.

Should there be some stress in another part of your body, these defenses may weaken and the cold sore virus will snatch the opportunity to move to the surface and create new viruses.

The herpes simplex virus cannot reproduce itself. The virus will enter a nerve cell and force the cell to clone copies of itself. When the cell becomes full of new virus, the original virus will destroy the cell to release all the new clones.

This destruction of millions of cells in a close area create those hideous open cold sores.

The open cold sore would be painful enough, but it is even more so because the herpes virus creates the cold sore right on the end of that nerve fiber. The pain is quite similar to a dentist hitting a nerve.

The most common way of infecting others with cold sores is kissing. Doting relatives and friends usually infect children before they are seven.

Remember, you are contagious from the first tingle until about two days after complete healing.

Cold sore sufferers will many times create a new area of infection on their body with contaminated fingers or towels. The fluid that weeps from cold sores is teaming with fresh virus looking for a new home.

If you have a cut on your finger and you get even one virus in that cut, you will likely get cold sores on your finger.

The body will naturally cure your cold sores without any special cold sore treatment but it often takes three to four weeks. A long time to be socially sidelined and feeling poorly.

There are many over-the-counter and prescription treatments for cold sores. The best and quickest relief comes from topical treatments – a salve or ointment that you put directly on the cold sore.

There are some prescription pills that are available but these are generally slow acting, giving no immediate relief for the cold sore sufferer. For the most part, oral remedies from the drug companies have been dismal failures.

Many people have reported great success with oral doses of the amino acid Lysine. Recommended dosage is 1000 mg. twice a day during the cold sores outbreak and 500 mg. per day between cold sores.

Ice is still the most universal and readily available cold sore treatment. Put ice cubes in a zipper type plastic bag and you’ll avoid a lot of mess. Ice reduces swelling, deadens the pain, and helps discourage the cold sores virus.

And applying ice at the first sign of a cold sore often prevents the cold sore from actually occurring or shortens the life-span of your cold sores.

Denny Bodoh asked:


Are you currently treating a cold sore? Using the right treatment at the correct time can save you a lot of grief. In this article we cover the best way of treating a cold sore at all three primary stages.

Cold sores interrupt your life in a big way. Having and treating a cold sore is no fun. And often these sores will last three to four weeks.

Treating a cold sore correctly can shorten the suffering time by 50% or more. That definitely is worth your effort and time.

There are several distinct stages of cold sores but they all fall within these three primary stages for treatment purposes.

Let’s take a look.

EARLY WARNING OF YOUR COLD SORES.

One of the bad things about the herpes simplex virus is that it lives and does its damage in your nerves. That is why cold sores are so painful.

Usually the herpes virus is asleep in the root cells of your ****** nerves. When it becomes active, the virus must travel up that nerve to the surface for replication.

Yes – you can actually feel this virus movement.

It will cause a tingling or itching sensation at the surface target area. Your oral herpes outbreak is now only several hours to a couple days away.

The minute you feel this warning sign, get something cold on it. Ice or a cold can will work. Keep treating a cold sore with this method as often as possible.

This will slow down – or even stop – many outbreaks.

Also, this would be the perfect time to start taking supplements of the amino acid lysine. Normally a safe dosage during an outbreak is 2000 to 4000 milligrams.

COLD SORE DEVELOPMENT STAGE.

You know the herpes virus has reached the surface and entered the cells there when you see the telltale swelling and painful pimple-like bumps.

The creation of new virus causes the cells to expand – and eventually burst.

Ice is still a very good way of treating a cold sore at this stage. It reduces pain and swelling to some degree. Also, you may wish to use your usual pain and fever reducing medicine.

Better than common ice, try wetting some tea bags and freezing them. Using these in place of ice will supply the area with healing nutrients found in tea.

Putting garlic oil on the area is also an excellent way of treating a cold sore now. Garlic has the unique ability to travel right through the skin to the infection.

Use fresh cut or crushed garlic cloves for optimum results.

THE LONG HEALING JOURNEY OF COLD SORES.

Once the cells are full of new herpes virus, they burst open. The virus is still active but will not do much more damage. You are now in the healing stage which may take up to two weeks.

Stop using ice at this point.

It may feel good but it drives away healing blood. Use warm compresses now to bring more blood to the area and greatly speed healing.

The best way to apply heat is to use tea bags warmed up in hot water. Do not use a microwave to heat the tea bag directly. Microwave radiation will reduce its healing nutrients.

You should also continue treating a cold sore with garlic and lysine as mentioned previously. And you should be cleansing the wound with peroxide as often as possible.

For the cleansing process, use cotton balls or paper towels – then throw away.

CAUTION PLEASE.

The herpes simplex virus is extremely contagious. It is primarily passed on through touch or kissing. Treating a cold sore carelessly can spread it to other spots on your face or body.

Remember – when you create a new infection site, it will be a lifetime site for additional cold sores. Do not touch your sores with your bare fingers – wash your hands as much as possible.

Also, if your sores are very painful, you can use pain-relief numbing agents such as lidocaine or benzocaine. Store bought cold sore treatment salves often offer this benefit.

Treating a cold sore quickly and correctly is not difficult as you now know. The best part is getting rid of your cold sore fast and getting back your social life.

But, it is very important to prevent further difficulties by continually cleansing the sore and your hands while treating a cold sore.

Denny Bodoh asked:


What are common cold sore symptoms? What are the different stages you will experience with cold sores or oral herpes outbreaks? Let me share with you now what cold sore symptoms to expect.

First – there is a unique set of cold sore symptoms that take place after initially contracting the herpes virus. These symptoms are frequently mistaken for a mild case of the flu.

These include sore throat, fever, headaches and tiredness. These cold sore symptoms usually last about two to three days.

Usually these first signs of infection do not include the traditional cold sores, fever blisters or oral herpes lesions.

After this initial response to the virus, future cold sore symptoms will always include the actual cold sores. And they will always occur at the same site near where initial infestation took place.

If you start getting cold sores at another site, even two inches away, it means a new infection spot was created. Spreading the virus with contaminated fingers usually causes this.

Here are the basic cold sore symptoms you should watch for.

1. THE BEGINNING.

The first indication of coming cold sores is very subtle indeed. The site of your outbreak will start to feel uncomfortable. You will notice an itching, tingling or burning. It may even feel like the start of a very sensitive pimple.

What you are feeling is the herpes virus moving to the surface along the nerve fibers and entering nerve cells on your lip or nose. Some form of stress triggers the activation of this virus, normally latent.

Applying ice or anything cold will give some relief at this point. If caught early enough, ice can stop further activity by the herpes simplex virus. Yes, you can stop cold sores this way.

2. HARD BUMPS AND SWOLLEN LIP.

At this stage, you will first notice some hard, painful little bumps. They often are mistaken for pimples. These will then lead to swelling of the area. The cells are enlarging as they become filled with new virus.

This infection will often cause headaches, fever and swollen lymph glands under the jaw on the same side of the face as the cold sores. Your body is in full battle mode at this time.

3. OPEN COLD SORES.

The cells burst open to release the new virus once they are full. All these exploded cells, close together, create the open wound typical of cold sores.

This is a very painful period. The herpes virus builds your cold sores (oral herpes, fever blisters) right on the end of your nerves. You have exposed nerves and they hurt plenty.

Your body creates a clear, thick fluid that it uses to flush away as many virus particles as possible. This fluid is teaming with live virus and is VERY contagious.

Do not get on your fingers. When working with the wound, wash your hands continually. Use throwaway tissues or cotton balls to apply treatment or cleanse the wound.

4. NOW THE HEALING BEGINS.

When the sore breaks open, this signals the end of the destruction phase and the beginning of the healing stage.

In a day or so, cold sores will scab over to protect the wound and begin the replacement of all the destroyed cells. The area is still sensitive to the touch.

A dry scab will ***** open. This creates pain and delays healing. Oil the scab well with olive oil (extra virgin), oregano oil or garlic oil. These oils have virus-fighting abilities.

As the battle rages, you can still experience headaches, fever and still-swollen glands.

5. FINAL HEALING CAN TAKE A LONG TIME.

In about a week or so, the scab falls off revealing new skin underneath.

Quite likely you will notice redness to the new skin. This indicates that healing continues below the surface.

You will start feeling much better now, and the swollen lymph glands should be close to normal again.

Be very cautious here. Many people do not realize it but they are still very contagious as long as the redness and discomfort of the area remains. The herpes simplex virus is still lurking and can infect others.

This final healing stage seems to drag on forever. It is very frustrating. And cold sores can quickly re-occur if you are not careful.

Applying a warm compress now gives comfort and helps to shorten the healing process. My favorite trick is holding a warm tea bag to the sore.

The above are cold sore symptoms that most people experience. They should be pretty close to the cold sore symptoms that you can expect also.

Try some good cold sore treatment options. There are amazing methods now discovered and available for reducing – or preventing – many or all of these cold sore symptoms.

Denny Bodoh asked:


WHAT ARE COLD SORES?

Cold sores interrupt your life and usually appear at the worst possible times. They are quite unsightly and uncomfortable.

Cold sores, fever blisters or oral herpes are three names for the same thing. They commonly appear on the border of the lip or nose but can form anywhere on your body where the herpes simplex virus can get through the skin.

The herpes simplex virus is the root cause of all cold sores (fever blisters, oral herpes). The herpes virus creates the sores as a side effect of creating new virus particles.

When the virus first invades your body, it will claim a nerve fiber near the entry area and reside in that fiber for life. All cold sores created by this virus family will appear at the surface end of that nerve fiber.

WHAT CAUSES COLD SORES?

When dormant, the herpes simplex virus hides in the root cells of that nerve. If and when it becomes active, it will squirm along the nerve to the surface and drill into the nerve cells there.

The herpes virus cannot create its own offspring. It needs the nerve cells to do so. When the virus enters a cell, it takes control and forces it to produce new virus clones. The herpes simplex virus is truly a parasite.

You will notice swelling of the target area as the cells fill up. Once the cells reach maximum capacity, the controlling virus destroys the victim cells and all the new virus spills out.

The open cold sore ulcer is the result of this massive cell destruction. These cold sores are exceedingly painful because you now have exposed nerve endings.

ARE COLD SORES CONTAGIOUS?

The herpes simplex is a very small sub-microscopic particle. It is aggressively contagious and can enter the body through even the tiniest ***** in the skin. You are contagious from the first sign until the final healing redness disappears.

Please use every caution with your cold sores. Kissing passes on most cold sores. Contaminated fingers also spread cold sores. Most children catch the herpes virus before they are 12.

You can easily spread cold sores to just about anywhere on your body. Sores on finger tips, arms and cheeks are not uncommon. Folks that get these claim they are a lot more painful than the normal lip cold sore.

Getting a cold sore in your eye can cause serious vision damage.

The herpes simplex virus is so contagious and tough that about 90% of the people on earth over 12 carry it. Around 65% of these folks will get one or more cold sores per year.

This virus does its damage only on the surface where you can easily cleanse and apply a cold sore treatment of your choice. The herpes virus, as far as we know presently, does not travel or create damage internally.

HOW DO I GET RID OF COLD SORES?

Stress is the primary trigger that activates the herpes simplex virus. When you encounter stress, your body gears up for battle, your hormones change and your pH balance drops into the acid zone. The herpes virus loves an acid environment.

Your body will heal your cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes outbreaks without any help from you. But it often takes three to four weeks. With a good cold sore treatment plan, you can cut this time in half.

Your best choices for cold sore treatment are still the natural home remedies. They still work better than anything the drug companies have come up with so far.

Some of the most proven cold sore treatment remedies are lysine, zinc and garlic. These can and should be used both internally (supplements) and as topical treatments. Continual cleansing of the area with alcohol or peroxide is very important also.

Cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes really hurt your social life. And they are tough to deal with. But with what you have just learned, you now have a great advantage in the cold sore battle.

With a little experimenting, you will develop your own cold sore treatment plan and enjoy much more freedom in your life.

Ricky Lim asked:


Cold sore is not something harmful to the extent that it will threat your life. Still the occurrence of cold sore can be quite annoying and painful. There are two types of treatment available today, medical treatment and natural cold sore treatment. And the medication itself can be furthermore divided into three phases: ease the symptom, slow down the spread, and lastly stop the virus.

1. Over The Counter Cold Sore Treatment

Over the counter cold sore treatment can provide a quick and effective treatment. Several example of over the counter products for cold sore are: Anbesol Cold Sore Therapy Ointment, Abreva, and Zilactin Cold Sore Gel just to name a few. You can get these products at your local health stores in a readymade package.

2. Abreva

Abreva is over the counter product that has been approved by FDA. Promote faster healing and relief. There have been many people reported its effectiveness in helping cure their cold sores.

3. Other Natural Cold Sore Treatment

Other natural cold sore remedies that have been proven effective are the kinds that contain antiviral traits. For example: tea bag.

Applying ice over the affected area for 15 minutes every hour can ease the symptom of cold sore. At the early stage, it can also cure your cold sore effectively.

Several combinations of ingredients also useful in curing your cold sore, for instance, a combination of coconut oil, dettol, and carbolic acid have been useful in treating cold sore effectively.

Over the counter products can quickly provide a relief and effective treatment over your cold sore. Some examples of cold sore remedies are anbesol cold sore therapy ointment, abreva, and zilactin cold sore gel.

Abreva has been proven to promote faster healing, available at your local health stores. Other natural treatment that can effectively cure cold sore is the kind of treatment that contains antiviral effect, for example tea bag.