Info about Herpes
Remedies for cold sores
I remember now that when I was a child, every time I had an important event in my life I would get a cold sore. All my pictures, from kindergarten to school graduation, parties or birthdays, have one thing in common: besides me, of course, was the cold sore on my lips. Thinking now, I just guess it was because of my stress and excitement to what it was to come. Thank God at least I didn’t have one when I got married!
The herpes simplex virus type 1 is actually responsible to getting a cold sore, also known as a fever blister. This virus lies dormant is some cells of our body and, when activated by stress, anxiety or exposure to sun, it appears either on the mouth or the nose and lasts up to 14 days.
There are several remedies we can use at home to get rid of the cold sores, you should try them, you might find some that work on your body: it is a good idea to change your tooth brush after you got rid of a cold sore, not to transmit the infection back to your mouth; you can use some acyclovir to ease the aspect of the sore; protect your lips from the sun by applying especially designed sunscreen; if you wake up in the morning with a lovely cold sore, be good and don’t pinch it or squeeze it, since that can cause bacterial infection. The cold sores are contagious so it is not advised to kiss or share cups or towels to anyone else. There are times when the cold sores don’t only bother you esthetically, but they also hurt, so it is indicated to get some pain killers like aspirin or ibuprofen if it’s the case.
As already mentioned, there are several causes for the cold sores to boost out, such us fever, menstruation, dental work, stress, trauma or food allergies, so we should try to prevent all that by exercising, trying meditation, yoga or reading to help our body relax. Another good piece of advice is to avoid the salty foods or the citrus juice, which irritate cold sores even more. Ice is considered to be an allied when it comes to fighting against the cold sores, especially if you put them on the sore at the beginning of the eruption, which cuts down the amount of time they’ll bother you. Along with the ice, you can use milk, but not to drink it, but apply it with a cotton ball directly on the cold sore and it can speed up the healing process. Since stress is considered to be one of the main causes for the cold sores and I guess no one can do anything to avoid it, you can try taking some zinc supplements, to make your immune system stronger.
So, having a cold sore is not going to kill you, but it is not really pleasant either. You can try any of the above, though, to make your life easier.