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Home Remedies Cold Sores Treatment

By Denny Bodoh

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 01Mar2010 Word count: 696 Viewed: 720 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Home remedies for cold sores still seem to give the best results. Medical scientists are working hard at the problem, but so far have not had great success.

Fortunately, you do not have to suffer in silence with your outbreaks. There are many home remedies cold sores. This article will look at a few of the most useful.

Some people confuse cold sores (aka fever blisters) and canker sores.

A canker sore is different. A canker sore is inside the mouth and is a wound in the mucous soft tissue. There is no definitive cause of a canker sore. Some believe it may be caused by a food allergy. Canker sores are not caused by a viral infection and are not contagious.

Cold sores are caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). They are extremely contagious and can be spread to other people through saliva. Herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) is known as genital herpes but can cause facial sores too.

Both herpes types can be sexually transmitted. If you have a cold sore, precautionary measures are necessary to avoid passing it on to your partner.

Once a person has had one cold sore, they are likely to have other outbreaks throughout their life. The virus hides in the nerves and activates periodically.

If you have frequent or severe cold sores, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral, however these have not proven to be of significant help. The anti-viral pills are also quite hard on the liver.

For intermittent cold sores, you can purchase many different kinds of cold sore treatments over-the-counter.

These generally are comfort remedies. Many of them contain numbing ingredients to help reduce the pain. Do not expect them to speed recovery and healing by very much.

So many home remedies for cold sores exist today!

Let us take a look at a few of the most common ones. Remember, this is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns or questions about your cold sore.

Ear wax and/or oils from your own body are said to completely stop cold sores in their tracks. Advocates of this method advise putting ear wax directly on the cold sore when you first feel it coming on.

If you prefer to use body oils, the suggested method is getting them from behind your ear and then applying it to the cold sore. Nobody seems to know why this works, but some people swear by this method.

Another method recommends using drying agents ranging from alcohol to hydrocortisone to nail polish remover to white stick deodorant to hemorrhoid cream to the bubblegum pink medication you take for a sour stomach.

According to this method, you are supposed to apply the drying agent two or three times a day. It is said to work best when you begin quickly, at the first sign of tingling.

Then there are the dietary methods home remedies cold sores.

People who use dietary methods repeatedly suggest taking lysine tablets at the first sign of a cold sore coming on. At the same time, avoid foods high in arginine, such as chocolate, grains and peanuts.

Some people claim to put a garlic and salt mixture on the cold sore and say they get good results. They recommend you apply it two or three times a day.

Others insist that melting one ice cube on your cold sore reduces the swelling. After the ice cube melts most people use one of the methods discussed above.

Some apply Tea Tree Oil, warm tea bags or facial masks on the sore.

As you can see the home remedies cold sores treatments are quite varied. What most of them have in common is the use of a drying agent. Often this is in combination with other remedies.

It is likely you will need to try some of these home cures to see which one works best for you. Keep in mind that we are all unique. What works for others may or may not work for you.

What is most important is to develop your own plan. You must find, by trial and error, which cold sore home remedies work best for your particular needs.

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