The herpes viruses are the leading cause of human viral disease, after cold and flu viruses. Herpes simplex 1 and 2 cause cold sores and genital herpes, while the Varicella Zoster strain causes chicken pox in children and shingles in adults. Infectious mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein Barr herpes virus. In addition to prescription medications, the amino acid L-Lysine and vitamin C treatments can be helpful in controlling your outbreaks and resolving them quickly. L-Lysine is an essential amino acid that interferes with herpes virus replication. It is obtained naturally from meats, cheeses, fish, nuts, eggs, and legumes. These foods supply the amounts of L-Lysine necessary for the human body, but not enough to stave off herpes flareups. Vitamin C-rich foods can help by boosting your immune system. This lessens the chances of a severe outbreak. Fruits and vegetables with high vitamin C include kiwifruit, strawberries, broccoli, and peppers. L-Lysine supplements are beneficial in controlling the severity of herpes outbreaks and may even prevent outbreaks altogether.
Regular use is critical, though, and dosages less than 1,000 mg have not been found to be effective. Vitamin C supplements come in many forms: capsules, tablets, lozenges, even liquids. They also come in a range of dosages. Remember to consult with your doctor about what form and dosage of supplement is right for you. L-Lysine ointments generally apply to cold sores. The amino acid is delivered in a natural oil-base, and includes zinc oxide as an active ingredient. Vitamins A, D, and E are frequently included, and beeswax, honey, and herbal extracts are added for their soothing and healing properties. Application will speed healing and decrease scarring. While vitamin C ointments and creams are available, taking vitamin C internally has been found to be the most beneficial approach. Once you contract a herpes virus, it remains with you for life. Amino acid and vitamin treatments cannot prevent you from spreading the disease and shouldn't be used as a replacement for doctor-ordered medications.
Prescription drugs, such as Zovirax and Valtrex, may reduce transmission of the virus, but contact with your bodily fluids could still put others at risk of infection. Consult with your physician about ways to keep others safe. Symptoms of Type 1 Genital Herpes Neem Oil and Herpes Do Certain Vitamins or Supplements Treat Genital Herpes? What Are the Dangers of Herpes if Not Treated? Does L-Lysine Help Prevent Genital Herpes? How to Recognize the Signs of Herpes One on the Head of a Penis Foods to Avoid and Vitamins for Herpes The Effect of Turmeric on Herpes What Are the Treatments for Herpes Simplex 1? Can You Overdose on L-Lysine? Can Eating Certain Foods Help Heal & Prevent a Herpes Outbreak? How to Use Olive Leaf Extract for Herpes Worst Foods to Eat if You Have Herpes Home Remedies to Prevent Herpes Outbreaks Chinese Herbal Herpes Treatment How to Use Lemon Balm for Herpes Can Foods Cause Herpes Outbreaks?
How to Make a Paste of L-LysineHerpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, prompting many to wonder how to get rid of herpes naturally.The herpes virus can live dormant inside a person’s immune system for a lifetime, periodically causing blisters that burst and turn into open cold sores or ulcers before healing. When left alone, herpes cold sores usually last about 10–14 days and are uncomfortable for a variety of reasons — causing redness, pain, burning and often embarrassment.Many people wonder if there is a natural cure for herpes or are looking for ways on how to get rid of herpes for good. While technically the virus that causes herpes (whether on the mouth or genital herpes) is not curable, there are many natural herpes remedies that can put herpes into remission. (1) In fact, many people with herpes don’t experience any symptoms at all, especially long term, once they learn to manage triggers of outbreaks. So while there’s no guide for how to get rid of herpes naturally, there is a method for how to get rid of herpes symptoms the natural way and keep breakouts at bay.
By boosting the immune system through a healthy diet, making lifestyle changes and being precautions during periods of active breakouts, you can help keep any virus dormant, including herpes. Certain steps can significantly reduce the chances of having having reoccurring herpes symptoms and lower the risk that you’ll pass the virus to someone else. So if you’re wondering how to get rid of herpes, read on to learn the natural ways to keep this virus dormant.Not every person with herpes actually experiences breakouts of cold sores throughout his or her lifetime or even after initially becoming infected. How often someone has a herpes cold sore outbreak, how severe the outbreaks are, how contagious someone is after infection and how long the sores take to heal all depend on someone’s individual immune response.If you’re going to keep the herpes virus from frequently causing outbreaks, the first step is to improve immune function by boosting nutrient intake. Include these healing foods in your diet to keep the virus dormant as much as possible:This amino acid may prevent replication of the herpes virus.
Foods include legumes, fish, turkey, chicken and vegetables.These vegetables include antioxidants, such as carotenoids, bioflavonoids and vitamin C to help with skin/wound healing and raise overall immunity.Fish provides essential omega-3 fatty acids as some of the best omega-3 foods, which help with inflammation and tissue repair.The body cannot heal without enough protein. Try to get at least four to five ounces of quality protein per meal. Some of the best protein foods include those that are organic, lean and naturally raised, such as wild-caught fish, pasture-raised poultry and grass-fed beef.Zinc is needed in many chemical reactions that help rebuild skin and protect the body from viruses or infections. Topical zinc formulas have been found to be effective not only for cold sore treatment, but also for prolonging remissions in herpes. (2) To increase your intake of high-zinc foods, consume more protein sources, such as organ meats (like liver), grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds, nuts and vegetables like spinach.
Certain foods can raise inflammation, weaken immune defenses and make skin irritation even worse. Avoid the following foods as much as possible to limit outbreak severity and duration.Too much sugar suppresses immune function and can make inflammation worse. Added sugar is commonly found in bottled drinks, packaged snacks, and flavored products like yogurt, cereal, granola bars and refined grains.High amounts of alcohol (in addition to smoking tobacco products and using other drugs) suppress immune function and can make symptoms like fatigue, aches and skin inflammation worse.The majority of processed, packaged foods contain genetically modified ingredients (GMOs), hydrogenated oils and grains that can weaken immune function. These foods tend to cause sensitivities or allergies, worsened inflammation, and essentially provide little more than empty calories.These foods can irritate herpes cold sores and cause worsened pain or burning. Avoid tomatoes, oranges, vinegar or other citrus fruits when you have an active outbreak to keep acid from touching open sores, but otherwise these are healthy foods to include in your diet often.
This amino acid might slightly stimulate replication of the herpes virus. Foods to decrease around the time of outbreaks include those with wheat (which is most refined carbohydrates) and chocolate.Essential oils that can help treat herpes include clove oil, tea tree oil and myrrh oil. Tea tree oil is one of the most common oils used on the skin for its natural antiviral, antibacterial properties. (3) Simply apply these essential oils three times daily to areas where cold sores are present, being careful to use a very small amount (only one to three drops). If you have sensitive skin, try mixing the essential oils with a carrier oil to dilute their strength a bit, including jojoba or coconut oil.If cold sores or canker sores frequently develop on your lips or inside your mouth, you can apply my Homemade Lavender Mint Lip Balm often to reduce their occurrence or my Homemade Canker Sore Remedy and Mouth Rinse.3. Easing Cold Sore Pain NaturallyIf you develop herpes cold sores on your mouth or genitals, there are several ways you can help lower pain and improve healing.
Here’s how to get rid of herpes symptoms, irritation and pain:Herpes, whether on the mouth or genitals, is caused by a family of over 70 related viruses. These viral infections cause small, fluid-filled blisters to develop on the skin and mucous membranes. There are actually eight different types of herpes simplex viruses that both children and adults can acquire, but two are by far the most common: HSV-1 and HSV-2.The most common reason that people develop cold sores on their mouths is due to becoming infected with HSV-1. (4) HSV-1 usually causes cold sore breakouts around the lips or mouth, or what some people describe as “fever blisters.” Someone can become infected with HSV-1 starting as a child, and then the virus can lay dormant in the body until the immune system is weakened, at which point symptoms can surface.HSV-2 is commonly referred to as genital herpes because it usually causes cold sores to erupt around the genitalia. In fact, genital herpes is the No. 1 cause of genital ulcers worldwide, according to the CDC, and affects up to one in three adults (although most who are infected don’t even know it).
(5) Both types of herpes viruses are highly contagious, and both can cause cold sores in either area of the body (or sometimes both). The most common herpes symptoms include:Causes of herpes include acquiring the virus through sexual contact, coupled with immune system suppression and sometimes nutritional deficiencies.Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections are acquired from direct contact with someone who carries the virus. The infectious secretions that pass on HSV-1 or HSV-2 live on oral, genital or anal mucosal surfaces. They’re passed through skin-to-skin transmission, and any form of direct contact with sores on the mouth, buttocks or genitals can cause the virus to be passed.HSV-1 is primarily transmitted by oral-oral contact. On the other hand, HSV-2 (or genital herpes) is considered a sexually transmitted disease and usually passed during oral or vaginal sex.A scary finding is that more cases of genital herpes than ever before are now being caused by HSV-1 (the type most people assume only causes mouth sores), and about 85 percent of people with genital herpes don’t even know it.
(6) Studies show that about 50 percent of the new genital herpes infections in young adults are due to HSV-1 and about 40 percent in older adults. The fact that most people don’t ever find out they’re infected is one of the reasons that transmission rates are steadily climbing.Risk factors for acquiring herpes include: (7)For most people with herpes, the virus typically represents nothing more than an inconvenience — however, the real risk is for immuno-compromised patients who can’t easily manage infections. In these patients, such as those with HIV/AIDS, herpes simplex infection is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Doctors sometimes prescribe medications to help keep the herpes virus suppressed or to speed up healing of cold sores by reducing bacteria that can cause infections. Some medications that are now used to control herpes include:However, it’s important to understand that even with early detection and prescription medications, either form of the herpes virus cannot be totally cured — so transmission is always still possible.
Medications for viruses don’t always work long term and are not a cure-all.The good news is that the first cold sores you experience from either HSV virus will most likely be the worst, and then you can expect immunity against the virus to usually improve over time. You can speed up this tolerance to the virus through making lifestyle changes, as well as becoming educated about safe sex and limiting the risk of transmitting the virus. So if you want to get rid of herpes symptoms, you can do it naturally.When a herpes outbreak occurs, you can expect cold sores to take about 10–14 days to heal on average. During this time period, the virus is considered to be active, and you should be very careful to avoid direct contact between a sore and someone else. If after trying the natural remedies for herpes described above you still experience frequent outbreaks, talk to your doctor for how to get rid of herpes symptoms. Sometimes immunity is suppressed due to another infection or virus, or even as a side effect of taking some medications, so be sure to rule these causes out.