Cold Sore Remedies

Get back out into the world with great cold sore remedies.

There are several natural cold sore remedies that can help ease the symptoms of an outbreak and prevent recurrences. Cold sores are fluid-filled blisters on the gums and the lips which are caused by the herpes simplex virus. The virus remains dormant inside the body and there is no cure.

However it may be possible to shorten the duration of attacks as well as prevent them from occurring in the future. Attacks are more common after sun exposure, fever, menstruation, stress and trauma, upper respiratory infection or pregnancy. The condition is very contagious - even before the sores appear. Most at-home cold sore remedies are based on easing the pain, inhibiting the virus and shortening the length of the outbreak.

Lysine is though to inhibit the spread of the virus outbreak. Lysine is an amino acid that is found in legumes, brewer's yeast, dairy products, wheat germ, fish and meat. These are held to be important cold sore remedies. You can also take Lysine in a supplement form (500 - 1,000 mg three times a day). Your diet should also be LOW in another amino acid called Arginine. Arginine has been found to worsen the condition. Chocolate, peanuts and almonds are sources of arginine.

Zinc can be applied topically to improve symptoms and stop the virus from recurring. The zinc cream can be applied to the skin or taken by mouth in the form of zinc picolinate supplements. Herbs are also used as cold sore remedies, in particular lemon balm. This plant has been shown to have antiviral properties and may cut down healing time by half.

Naturopaths and nutritionists focus their cold sore remedies on stimulating the body's natural immunity. They generally use thymus extracts, vitamin C, a variety of herbs and recommend exercise as a way to combat cold sores and prevent future outbreaks. .

Because herpes is a virus, your best defense against future cold sore attacks is to keep your body healthy and your immune system at its best. Make sure you avoid stress, strong sunlight, and follow a sensible, nutritious diet high in Lysine and designed to boost your immunity. Use the natural cold sore remedies listed above to help ease symptoms.

Always take steps to avoid and manage stressful events so that an attack is not triggered this way. If you do get an attack pay close attention to diet and exercise to help shorten its duration. Natural cold sore remedies can go a long way to easing the discomfort of this irritating condition.

So be sure to check out our pages about How To Get Rid Of Cold Sores, Cold Sore Treatment, Cold Sore Relief, and Cold Sore Symptoms elsewhere on this site.