|
Since I was a teenager, I have occasionally been plagued by cold sores. They are very contagious and most of my family suffers from them. The virus mostly lies dormant, but several different scenarios can trigger an outbreak. The most common is stress. Other triggers can be certain foods, too much sun, not enough sleep, or simply a weakened immune system, in general. When I began practicing natural health, I was able to get control over the virus and I have not had a sore on my lip in a few years (I always get them in the corner). Even when my dad died two years ago, I was sure that I would get a sore, but I began taking lysine, putting an herbal salve on my lips, and drinking extra kefir and I was relieved that I didn't break out. Stress/exhaustion is my trigger and that was by far the most stressful time of my life thus far. I had the worst headache of my entire life and it lasted for two weeks. I was miserable...but, by golly I didn't get a cold sore! My dad would have been pleased, too. He hated them and he was funny about making sure his family always looked good...yes, he was vain. He would have wanted us all looking our best at his funeral. If you knew my dad, you would chuckle at that. Oh, the stories I could tell...he even bought us tanning visits every winter because he hated us looking pale (even though we all have rather dark complexions). Even after I was married, he would always offer to get me visits in the winter. Boy, I would have taken him up on it this year. It might cure my seasonal depression! Well, to my suprise and disgust I started feeling that old tingle yesterday. I am still perplexed as to what triggered it. So, I washed the area with soap and water and applyed a dab of grapefruit seed extract. This morning it was blistered, but very small. I made some licorice tea and took a dropper of lemon balm tincture. I repeated this several times today. I also applyed my green herbal salve (available on my site) and dabbed it with clove oil (just a touch...it is strong!). The sore is almost not even noticable at this point. I expect that it won't get any bigger and will probably be dried up in a day or two if I continue to treat it aggresively. My mother gets them, too. Since my dad died, she has had several! She insists that my green salve works better than anything she has ever used before. She has managed to keep them very small by using the salve alone. Anyone who has this virus knows what a pain cold sores can be. They are very annoying, painful, and ugly. You don't feel like going out. When you do go out, you want to wear a veil over you face. And it doesn't help knowing that the virus is a form of herpes simplex...any stigmas attached to that? Obviously, anyone can get this particular strain of herpes. You don't have to do anything more than drink after an infected person. But, the name is still the same, isn't it? Tips for treating cold sores... #1 Keep the area clean...no lipstick or make-up to hide it! #2 Drink licorice tea , 3-4 cups per day. Avoid licorice during pregnancy. #3 Dab the sore with grapefruit seed extract, tea tree oil, or clove oil (you can alternate between them) #4 Take Lemon Balm tincture, a few drops under the tounge every few hours. #5 Drink extra kefir or eat homemade yoghurt. #6 Coat your lips with an herbal salve made with comfrey, plantain, St. John's wort, tea tree oil, and grapefruit seed extract. If you are prone to outbreaks, you should take a lysine supplement. Hope this helps someone out there. Shalom! |
Comments
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by