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Well...technically, perhaps no. It's commonly an STD that appears on the genitals, but if it's not sexually transmitted, is it an STD? Just nit-picking :)
Stress will do it for ya. Used to get them a lot more in college. I eat a lot of chicken now and I guess that has a lot of Lysine, which helps, somehow.
I think I ate half a chicken tonight...I want to medicate with food!
There are two types of the herpes virus, HSV1 & HSV2 . Type 1 is cold sores, type 2 is below the belt but either one can transmit to either end of the body (You all are old enough to figure out how:p)
The reason HSV1 sufferers like to say theirs is not an STD is because it is perfectly possible for a baby to get it from great aunt Agnes who had a coldsore kissing their face. HSV2 you actually have to have sex to get.
"HSV2 you actually have to have sex to get. "
Not if you define sex the way Bill Clinton does :-)
[QUOTE=Paleobird;935613] it is perfectly possible for a baby to get it from great aunt Agnes who had a coldsore kissing their face.[/QUOTE]
Aunt Aggie! You ol' hoe-bag!
[QUOTE=namelesswonder;935602]Well...technically, perhaps no. It's commonly an STD that appears on the genitals, but if it's not sexually transmitted, is it an STD? Just nit-picking :)
Stress will do it for ya. Used to get them a lot more in college. I eat a lot of chicken now and I guess that has a lot of Lysine, which helps, somehow.[/QUOTE]
Avoid the trigger foods that are high in arginine - peanuts, peanut butter, red wine, chocolate, popcorn, caffeine (all the nice things I know!) and focus on foods high in L-lysine (e.g. eggs)
I've had cold sores since I was a kid. A few years ago decided that professionally they were unacceptable (just really unattractive, but also made me super self-conscious, especially when meeting with clients), so now I pop a few Acyclovir at the first sign of a tingle. Nips it in the bud. I get them about quarterly and most of the time I managed to get the meds in me in time to avert it showing or blistering. anything "natural" I've tried has failed miserably. might help it heal a bit faster, but yet to prevent them.
Icing them works for some people - virus prefer to replicate at a certain tempurature. When I feel one coming on - that first tingle- I put an ice cube in a baggy (keeps the melting water from dripping alover you) and hold it against my lip - don't freeze your lip.Hold it until you can't stand it, release for a few moments and repeat. Repeat every couple of hours.-usually gone by next day.
Even a full blown one can be cut short with the icing trick.
Most people have some type of STD, it's ok. A couple are things you should disclose to others...
Another sufferer here, although I haven't had one for a while (crosses fingers). +1 on lysine, I've had them much less frequently since taking a good-quality multivitamin containing it. As an alternative to ice, I've also found that applying a hot compress (as hot as you can stand it) works to minimise size/get past the horrible itchy blistery stage for me.
Re: acyclovir tablets - be careful about popping them regularly as they have some nasty side-effects, particularly on the liver.