Sep

Helpful Cold Sore Tips

Cold sores aren’t just cosmetically unattractive. As anyone who’s ever had one can attest, they’re also very painful. To help you conquer cold sores, we’ve gathered some cold sore tips to assist you in relieving the pain of a current cold sore outbreak, and to help you prevent new outbreaks down the road.

First, we’ll begin be explaining the cause of cold sores.

A virus known as the Herpes Simplex Virus I or HSV I is the root cause of cold sores, also called fever blisters. Don’t let the name confuse you ? this virus is completely distinct from the one that causes genital herpes lesions.

HSV I is a chronic virus that is easily passed from one person to another. It is so common that it is present in 80% of the population, and most people get HSV I before they turn seven years old. Once you have the virus, you’ll have it for life. Most of the time it remains inactive, until something happens to trigger a cold sore outbreak.

When outbreaks occur, the result is painful and unattractive sores around the mouth and lips. These happen when the normally inactive herpes virus is triggered.

Prevent Outbreaks with these Cold Sore Tips

So, what exactly triggers the dormant HSV I virus to re-awaken? There are a variety of different causes, like:

? Stress ? Weakened immune system ? Sickness ? Pregnancy or a woman’s period ? Irritation or injury to the mouth and lips

Essentially, when the body’s natural defenses are weakened, or a person’s stress level is too high, cold sores can occur. To prevent cold sores, it’s important to control the triggers that cause them.

Obviously, when it comes to cold sore outbreaks in pregnancy or during a woman’s menstrual cycle, some of the hormonal triggers can’t be avoided. In these cases, the best prevention is a proactive approach.

There are a range of supplements and over-the-counter products available for use in preventing cold sores. Also, a whole-foods diet designed to support the immune system is important, along with measures to prevent injury and severe drying of the lips. A good natural lip moisturizer can help soothe sore, chapped lips and reduce the incidence of cold sores.

Cold Sore Tips ? Treatment

As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but what happens if you need to soothe the symptoms of a current outbreak?

The cold sore tips below can help you calm the pain of your cold sores:

? Use a topical medication to numb the pain. Examples include “caine” medicines, like lidocaine and benzocaine. You can also use preparations like benzoyl alcohol or a phenol-containing formulation.

? Use an antibiotic ointment to keep the sores from becoming infected.

? Keep the sores from cracking and bleeding with a good lip moisturizer.

? Consider taking zinc and lysine supplements. These compounds may allow for faster healing of cold sores. Zinc is also a known immune system support.

Taking care of yourself with a healthful diet and exercise plan, combined with immune-bolstering supplements is the best way to prevent painful cold sore outbreaks. Be sure to get enough restful sleep, and use stress management techniques to avoid succumbing to stress.

Of course, the best offense is a good defense, as they say. But, if you do suffer an outbreak, use these cold sore tips to relieve pain and shorten the duration of the outbreak.

Click Here to discover a natural remedy to cure your cold sores within 3 days! It’s an easy and effective way to stop cold sores so you don’t have to worry about them!