Cold sores, also referred to as fever blisters, are red painful blisters that break out on the mouth or lips. They are caused by the and generally flare up when there is a triggering factor, such as emotional stress, a cold, infection, sun exposure or problems with your immune system. When cold sores develop, they may secrete a watery liquid. After a couple of days, scabs will form. Since cold sores are contagious, you should use caution by not sharing toothbrushes, towels, utensils and the like with others. When you have an outbreak, avoid kissing people, as this can spread the herpes simplex virus to them. There are over-the-counter products that you can use to treat cold sores. The medication Zovirax or a course of antibiotics may also be prescribed by your doctor, if you experience frequent outbreaks. If you want to seek natural options for clearing up cold sores, there are alternative remedies you might want to consider.
Instructions
1. Ease discomfort by holding ice on the area where your cold sore is. It can reduce inflammation and soreness and even contribute to healing.
2. Avoid foods that exacerbate the problem. When you get a cold sore, stay away from processed foods and are acidic in nature or that have too much salt. You also need to avoid foods that are rich in arginine, which is an essential amino acid that helps the herpes simplex virus to thrive. During an outbreak, eliminate foods and drinks with arginine, like beer, red wine, tea, coffee, cola, chocolate, peanuts, cashews, seeds, grains, gelatin and peas.
3. Eat live culture yogurt to help clear up your cold sore. Live culture yogurt contains acidophilus, which has antibiotic properties. The "live cultures" provide the fermentation necessary for pasteurized milk to be turned into yogurt. Do not eat yogurt if you take ciprofloxacin, since an interaction may occur. If you include yogurt as a daily part of your diet, you may discover that you get cold sores less often.
4. Put lemon balm ointment on the affected area four times daily to aid in healing of your cold sore. Polyphenols, a compound in lemon balm, works to fight viruses. Apply the ointment every day until you experience improvement.
5. Take lysine supplements to battle cold sores and lessen the number of times you suffer from outbreaks. Lysine is an essential amino acid and can decrease the severity and length of outbreaks. You should not take lysine before speaking to your doctor, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, suffer from liver or kidney disease or take prescription drugs. If you experience side effects, such as swelling, hives or trouble breathing, it may mean that you are having an allergic reaction to lysine. If this is the case, stop taking lysine immediately and seek medical help.
6. Consider using homeopathic remedies to help. Hepar sulphuris calcareum, Rhux toxicodendron, Dulcamara, Natrum muriaticum and Sepia are all remedies that a homeopathic practitioner might prescribe for cold sores. Which one of them you use is determined by your individual set of symptoms.
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