Question:
For many years now I am stuck with this herpes simplex virus and I get
cold sores regularly. I have tried many remedies, chemical based or
natural ones and they all do their part to a certain degree - but the
blisters are painful anyway... so I am wondering - is there nothing
which can actually prevent the blisters from appearing at all? I mean
is there no cure for herpes?
Answer:
There is no cure for herpes. However, there are lots of things you can do
to try to stop the onset of outbreaks.
First of all, a known trigger for cold sores is sunlight. Make sure you are
using a sunscreen and keep your face in the shade (hat) when outdoors.
There are antiviral medications available by prescriptions that your doctor
can give you. If you are plagued by frequent outbreaks, you can take the
medication daily, which is called suppressive therapy. Or, you can take the
medicine as soon as you feel an outbreak coming on--which will make the
outbreak not as severe and not last as long. However, these medicines do
work for many, they do not prevent all outbreaks.
There are foods which are known triggers for many people. Some of the major
ones are caffeine, nuts, and chocolate. See if you can figure out a pattern
between your outbreaks and these foods. I have a friend with genital
herpes. Within hours of having anything with caffeine in it, he has an
outbreak.
Other standard advice is to keep yourself as healthy as you can. Eat right,
get exercise, get lots of sleep. Your immune system is your best defense
against outbreaks so keep it healthy.
What remedies have you tried? I've had people tell me that using Tea Tree
Oil works great on existing blisters. But you have to be careful to use
diluted oil. I've also been told that using Milk of Magnesia on blisters
dries them up quickly.
