The majority of people I know experienced annoying and often painful blisters on and around the lips, nose, inside the mouth or elsewhere on the face. From a medical point of view there is no cure! There are antiviral creams and tablets but they only reduce the symptoms or possibly could shorten the healing time. Most adults carry the virus that causes cold sores even if they never had symptoms.
Do you wonder why, if you get cold sore repeatedly, it is almost always on the same place? Well, once you get a cold sore the virus can literally hide inside those nerve cells inside your skin and stay dormant. Until something triggers it and another cold sore appears on exactly the same spot.
What are the Triggers?
I have always told my patients that a cold sore is a symptom of something else happening in their bodies. This “something” is attacking their best weapon - THE IMMUNE SYSTEM! And guess what? The biggest thread to our immune system is often greatly underestimated - stress. Our bodies could be stressed by:
Another viral or bacterial infection
Hormonal changes often related to the menstrual cycle
Fatigue and prolonged tiredness
Being in the sun, wind or cold
Major family event such as serious illness, loss of a family member, the break up of a relationship
Pressure of work or at school
Being afraid or nervous of specific things
Injury
A little bit of science
This is going to be very short…
Cold sores are usually caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and less commonly herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). They spread from person to person by close contact, such as kissing.
There are 3 major stages the cold sore passes through:
Tingling: Tingling, burning or itching around the lips followed by a formation of a small, hard and painful spot.
Blisters: Small fluid-filled blisters are formed where the tingling occurred
Oozing and crusting. The healing of cold sores could take several weeks and they are mostly infections in the blister and oozing stage. End of science.
What about natural medicine? Is there a cure?
As I have mentioned above there is no cure from a medical point of view. So, let's have a look at what natural medicine could offer. Many remedies, such as:
Tea tree essential oil
Clove essential oil
Lavender essential oil
Eucalyptus essential oil
Garlic
Aloe vera
Ointment containing zinc
Have been tried and tested to various degrees of success. Mainly because they are generally anti-inflammatory and deal with the aftermath of the viral damage, they help with the pain and discomfort. Unfortunately, their antiviral properties are not strong enough to stop the Herpes virus from multiplying. They may limited the multiplication but rarely arrest it. Also be aware that some essential oils could be very strong and cause skin irritation and burning. They may work best when used in a carrier oil.
For me the one thing which works the best was recommended by my wonderful tutor and mentor Val. Her advice was ‘Take LYSINE’.
Lysine is an essential amino acid, meaning it is necessary for human health, but our body cannot make it. We have to get lysine from food or from supplements. According to some studies, Lysine can prevent viruses from replicating when taken at the tingling stage and reduce the duration of a cold sore if taken in the blister stage.
It works!!! I have tried it and it works the best out of all the supplements I have tried. A bottle of lysine tablets travels with me where ever I go. I would truly recommend that if you suffer from cold sores that you have some Lysine handy. When the first sign of cold sore appears take 1000mg 3-4 x per day for 2-3 days. Then reduce to 500mg 3 x per day. And hopefully you will quickly see the results.
However, you should also stop just for a moment and take a stock of what is happening in your life and your body. What are the best ways to support your immune system now? Are you under extreme or prolonged stress? Do you need to change anything or simply have a rest?
In another article I will write a bit more about how to take care of our immune system. And I also feel that Lysine deserves it’s own space in my blog as it has other great health benefits.
On a final note - I have tried many essential oils but I now only use the 100% pure Essential Oils produced by a local company BEWIT. https://bewit.love/?i=LucieLou
You do not need to register.
I hope this was helpful and thank you for staying to the end…
Take good care of yourselves. With love L.
Comments