Cold Sore Treatment

Cold Sores Home Remedies - Natural and Effective Treatment Alternatives

2008-04-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

Cold sores home remedies are wise alternatives to effectively relieve and soothe cold sores and blisters. Anyone suffering from the discomfort caused by cold sores should be aware that there are natural methods to treat them. Home remedies offer cost-effective and all-natural way to manage cold sores.

Ice is one of the cheapest cold sores home remedies. Application can be done instantly because all you have to do is to gently rub the ice along the affected area. Do this for a few minutes and repeat every hour to achieve its soothing action.

One of the popular and widely-known cold sores home remedies is tea bag. The tea bag is firmly pressed over the cold sores for 30 minutes. Another way to do this is to apply the tea bag directly on the affected area with a slow, rubbing motion. The same steps should be repeated every hour to maximize its healing benefits.

Plain powdered salt can also be used to treat cold sores. Using a damp forefinger, apply salt directly over the blisters. Make sure to cover the whole affected area. Gently rub and spread the salt over the blistered area. With the same finger, press on the cold sores and hold for 30 seconds. Application of Aloe gel or gentle skin lubricants after rubbing the salt is strongly recommended to achieve optimum treatment.

Lemon balm is a mainstay of cold sores home remedies. Lemon juice is known for its healing properties. It effectively increases the rate at which cold sores can heal. Directly apply lemon extract over the affected part of the skin. Doing this can also disinfect the blistered skin.

Proper diet is one of the most effective cold sores home remedies. Discipline should be practiced to maximize the benefits you can get from eating right in order to treat cold sores. Foods that are rich in vitamins are good choices. Cut down on salt, caffeine, processed meat and dairy, foods rich in acid content and the ones that are rich in arginine such as whole wheat. Chocolate bars, nuts and seeds are likewise not recommended. However, they should be replaced with complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.

Sanitation and disinfection are of high importance to avoid contaminants from worsening your skin condition. Cleanliness is essential to treat and manage cold sores. Keeping your hands, skin and the areas of your home clean and free from bacteria can guarantee the effectiveness of the cold sores home remedies that you are practicing.

These natural methods of treating cold sores are considered effective when done properly and hygienically. Learn more on how you can benefit from natural healing alternatives by visiting my blog about the wonders of these remedies.

Cold Sore Treatment | Treatment Available

2007-02-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

Cold Sore Treatment – Treatment Available & Why Natural is The Best Way

Cold sores normally would vanish without treatment after a period of time. However, the pain and discomfort associated with cold sores make it necessary for the medical fraternity to formulate drugs and medications to treat them. Since cold sores cannot be cured by modern cold sore treatment, most common treatment methods are meant only to relieve the sufferer of pain and discomfort. You need to be aware that there are always side effects associated with OTC creams such as redness, dryness and peeling of skin and rashes. In worst case scenarios, these effects could become permanent and scarring may also result. There are other side effects reported such as headaches, irregular heartbeat, nausea, shortness of breath when using OTC medications.

You may be surprised though that natural cold sore treatment may be the clue to complete healing from cold sores. There have been reports about fewer recurrences in cold sore sufferers who previously have regular outbreaks. All these seem to point to the effectiveness of natural cold sore treatment.

Over-The-Counter Creams and Medications

Cold sore medications such as creams can be bought over the counter (OTC). These OTC medications are primarily used to alleviate the pain and itch. Others inhibit the growth of the cold sores and accelerate healing or prevents herpes simplex virus from forming the cold sores.

1. Medications containing docosanol, an agent with inhibitory properties are effective in quickening the healing process.

2. Tetracaine, lidocaine, camphor, phenol, benzocaine and benzyl alcohol are compounds that numb the pain, itchiness and discomfort and brings relief to sufferers.

3. Medications or ointment with compounds such as zinc, thymus, L-lysine and phenol are antiviral in nature and work against the virus, disrupting it from forming cold sores.

4. Medications that moisturize cold sores like lip balms prevent them from breaking up and causing more pain. Lip balms also protect cold sore areas from excessive sunlight which aggravates the sores.

Natural Cold Sore Treatment

1. Diet

Appropriate adjustments to our diet can help to combat cold sores. Foods containing arginine such as peanuts, chocolate, almonds, cashews, pecans, peas, garlic and wheat are best avoided. Research also reveals that broccoli is useful for its inhibitory properties.

2. Physiotherapy

a. Application of thymus and lysine ointments for 6 times daily is useful to treat cold sores.

b. Topical medication containing zinc content of 0.025%, myrrh tincture, hydrastis tincture or aloe vera can also be applied on the affected areas.

c. Application of ice can numb the pain and itchiness and slow down the cold sore’s development.

d. Application of tea bag will minimize the development of the cold sore lesion due to its tannic acid content which is antiviral in nature.

e. Lemon balm can be applied on the cold sores to promote healing.

3. Vitamins and Minerals

Appropriate dosages of vitamins and minerals would boost our bodies’ ability to fight cold sore virus.

a. Daily intake of vitamin A (50,000 to 100,000 International Units) is effective in treating cold sores.

b. Daily intake of 3 doses of 50 mg vitamin B complex works well against cold sores.

c. Daily intake of 500 – 1000 mg niacinamide

d. 2 hourly intake of 1000 mg vitamin C

e. Daily intake of 1 – 3 doses of 25 – 50 mg zinc

Find out how a longtime cold sore sufferer broke free from cold sores and its recurrence using natural cold sore treatment you can use to heal your cold sores naturally and easily from home in 3 short days.

Cold Sore Treatment | Causes and Treatment

2007-02-18T00:18:00.000-08:00

Cold Sore Treatment - Understanding Cold Sores, Causes and Treatments

We will discuss about cold sore symptoms and causes and what are the available cold sore treatments.

Cold sores are known as fever blisters and are actually a contagious viral disease caused by herpes simplex (Herpevirus hominis). It is characterized by thin-walled vesicles which have a tendency to recur in the same area normally at the junction of skin and mucous membrances such as the border of the mouth. They can also affect your gums.

Normally, sufferers would feel a tingling pain on the affected area. Fluid blisters that look like small red growths would form at the affected areas, and the whole cold sore condition would linger on for a period of at least 1 week. Herpes simplex virus would attack your body and cold sore symptoms would surface only after several days to 3 weeks after the attack.

There are 2 types of herpes simplex virus, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is the main cause for cold sores, while herpes simplex virus type 2 is mostly responsible for genital herpes. That said, both can cause cold sores on the genital or facial parts. Even with the advancement in medical technology, researchers have not found a cure for cold sores using modern cold sore treatment. What cold sore treatment can do is palliative, ie relieving the symptoms of the cold sores rather than curing it.

Discussion about Causes

Some folks have a greater tendency to suffer from cold sores repeatedly. Others seem to be immune to the herpes virus. Possible causes of cold sores are:

1. Stress

It seems that stress is linked to cold sore outbreak. Sufferers have attributed to stress as the top factor in instigating an outbreak.

2. Menstruation

Women are vulnerable to cold sore attacks during menstruation. There exists a relationship between the menstrual cycle and cold sore recurrence.

3. Local Irritants

Excessive exposure to sunlight has been identified as a cause for cold sore outbreak.

4. Sharing of Common Items Such as Eating Utensils, Towels, Etc

Since cold sores are contagious, the sharing of eating utensils, towels, or any common item set the stage for spreading of the virus.

5. Physical Contact with Cold Sore Sufferers

Physical contact such as touching, kissing and having sex with a cold sore sufferer would subject one to herpes simplex virus exposure.

6. Diet

Acidic diets appear to culprits for cold sore outbreaks. Studies also show that cold sore outbreak often takes place in people with poor dietary habits such as drinking, or improper and irregular diet.

7. Immune System

A weak immune system is an ideal condition for the virus attacks.

Cold Sore Treatment – Treatments Available

Cold sores normally would vanish without treatment after a period of time. However, the pain and discomfort associated with cold sores make it necessary for the medical fraternity to formulate drugs and medications to treat them. Since cold sores cannot be cured by modern cold sore treatment, most common treatment methods are meant only to relieve the sufferer of pain and discomfort. You may be surprised though that natural cold sore treatment may be the clue to complete healing from cold sores. There have been reports about fewer recurrences in cold sore sufferers who previously have regular outbreaks. All these seem to point to the effectiveness of natural cold sore treatment.

Over-The-Counter Creams and Medications

Cold sore medications such as creams can be bought over the counter (OTC). They are mainly palliative in nature and seek to bring pain relief to sufferers.

Natural Cold Sore Treatment

Natural cold sore treatment deals more with the natural ingredients. The primary objective is to bring complete healing, and to relieve pain and itchiness secondarily. Natural cold sore treatment can be applied through the following.

1. Diet

2. Physiotherapy

3. Vitamins and Minerals

Stay in tune with me as I reveal to you in greater detail about the various cold sore treatments available and why natural cold sore treatment is the preferred way to treat cold sores.

Cold Sore Treatment Blog

2007-02-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

Cold Sore Treatment Blog

My cold sore treatment blog is dedicated to all cold sore sufferes. Learn more about cold sores, and how to effectively combat them with cold sore treatments such as natural cold sore remedies. Our hope is that by applying what you have discovered here, you would be free from cold sores in no time.

Find out about Cold Sores and Available Cold Sore Treatment