That tingling, burning, itching sensation is back, and it's bad news. You know a cold sore is about to rear its ugly head. You've had them before, and you're likely to have them again. Early treatment of the symptoms can shorten the duration of your misery and lessen the intensity of cold sores, also known as fever blisters. Here are some remedies to keep in your medicine cabinet for when the dreadful virus strikes again.
The Facts
More than 90 percent of people have been exposed to the Herpes Simplex Virus I. Once it is in your body, it is there forever. Thankfully, most people don't react to the virus. But for people who react by getting cold sores, it can be miserable. The virus may lie dormant for months, but can at any time cause an eruption of small red blisters that weep a yellowish clear fluid. Outbreaks last from seven days to three weeks. The intensity tends to decrease over time, and you may eventually not get them anymore.
Warning
The virus is highly contagious, and can be passed to others through contact. Wash your hands after treating your infection, and do not scratch or pick at the sore.
Time Frame
Start treatment as soon as you notice the warning signs of a developing cold sore. You may be able to keep the blisters from growing too large, and if they're small, they're less likely to break open and spread.
Considerations
You can't cure cold sores. They are a viral infection, and outbreaks must run their course. Your goals are minimization of symptoms, comfort during the infection, and prevention of future outbreaks.
Solutions
If you tend to get cold sores often, always keep a bottle of L-Lysine capsules on hand. In Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Dr. Balch suggests 500 mg twice daily. If you have the slightest suspicion a cold sore is on its way, try the L-lysine for two or three days. Sometimes the symptoms will ease off and go away instead of developing into a full blown cold sore. You can also find lip balms that contain this critical amino acid, which you can apply during the course of an infection to soothe the blisters and speed healing.
Consider taking vitamin B complex tablets and zinc lozenges. These two supplements give your immune system a boost to fight infection.
For comfort, use a topical anesthetic to relieve (temporarily) the burning and itching. Tea tree oil is a good natural choice, as it has a numbing effect, and inherent antiseptic qualities. There are many over the counter, oral topical anesthetics available at your local grocery store.
Take an anti-inflammatory pain reliever to ease the inflammation around the blister and make it hurt less.
These measures will minimize your discomfort, making it easier for you to leave the sore alone, and avoid accidentally spreading the infection to other parts of your body, or to someone else.
Prevention
It is worth trying to prevent future cold sores, and there are three areas you can focus on.
Your health: try to stay well, as getting sick may trigger an outbreak.
Your diet: chocolate, caffeine, whole grain wheat products and peanuts are consistently cited as triggers of cold sore outbreaks.
Your environment: Avoid excessive sun exposure and cold wind. It might be harder to avoid stress, another common culprit of cold sore eruptions.
One very common trigger, according to the MedicineNet.com article on the subject, is "no apparent cause". That one's pretty unavoidable.
Tags: cold sores, cold sore, burning itching, cold sore, people react