When To Call The Doctor
Even though HSV sores can hurt and be unsightly, most cases of herpes do not cause serious illness. The sores go away in a few days. Contact the health provider if:
- Sores are present and you think it might be a first herpes infection. The diagnosis is usually made by examining the sores. If the sores have not healed, sometimes a laboratory test is done.
- Sores do not heal by themselves or show signs of infection such as pus, spreading redness or fever.
- Sores are near the eyes.
- You have another health condition with a weakened immune system.
How Does My Diet Affect Cold Sores
What you put into your body on a daily basis can affect an existing cold sore. The nutrition you choose can either make it better or worse. The right kinds of foods can help to soothe some of the discomfort associated with blisters, while the wrong kinds may cause the pain to feel unbearable.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to follow a healthy, well-balanced diet. Eat for immune-boosting power as often as possible. This will make it even harder for cold sores to flare up. When they do, its likely they wont be as severe or last as long. You should be eating preventatively as much as possible.
However, if you do experience an outbreak, you may need to make several subtle changes to your diet for a few days. Eat as many healing foods as possible to soothe discomfort and remove the herpes simplex virus faster. Remember, its a viral infection that starts from within.
So, treating it from within is the best way to stop a severe cold sore flare up before it starts. That begins with the right kind of nutrition. But, if youve experienced an outbreak, you can reduce the healing time to as little as 72 hours with the Virulite Cold Sore Device.
Preventing The Spread Of Herpes
Even when you do not have sores, you can pass the virus to someone during sexual or other close contact. To protect others:
- Let any sexual partner know that you have herpes before having sex. Allow them to decide what to do.
- Use latex or polyurethane condoms, and avoid sex during symptomatic outbreaks.
- Do not kiss or have oral sex when you have a sore on the lips or inside the mouth.
- Do not share your towels, toothbrush, or lipstick. Make sure dishes and utensils you use are washed well with detergent before others use them.
- Wash your hands well with soap and water after touching a sore.
- Consider using daily antiviral medicine to limit viral shedding and reduce the risk of passing the virus to your partner.
- You may also want to consider getting your partner tested even if they have never had an outbreak. If you both have the herpes virus, there is no risk for transmission.
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Why You Should Go To A Sexual Health Clinic
You can see a GP, but theyâll probably refer you to a sexual health clinic if they think you might have genital herpes.
Sexual health clinics treat problems with the genitals and urine system.
Many sexual health clinics offer a walk-in service, where you do not need an appointment.
Theyâll often get test results quicker than GP practices and you do not have to pay a prescription fee for treatment.
Can Food Trigger A Herpes Outbreak
Herpes outbreaks usually occur after a trigger behavior causes the virus to go from dormant to active.
Theres no cure for herpes, meaning that once youre infected, the virus will remain in your body even if it isnt active. Between outbreaks, herpes lives in the nerve cells of the jaw or the spine .
Common herpes triggers include sunlight, hormonal changes, a weakened immune system and traumatic events such as injury or surgery.
As a general rule, foods are unlikely to trigger a herpes outbreak. However, some foods could potentially increase your risk of experiencing an outbreak if they have negative effects on your immune system.
On the other hand, foods that strengthen your immune system — such as vegetables, fruits and other natural foods rich in vitamins — may potentially reduce your risk of experiencing outbreaks.
While you cant completely prevent outbreaks by switching to a specific diet, any diet thats rich in vitamins, minerals and other healthy nutrients that strengthen your immune system can be a valuable asset when it comes to wellbeing.
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Foodsto Avoid During A Herpes Outbreak
In addition,there are a number of foods that people should avoid as well. The virusrequires certain amino acids in order to replicate and build other copies ofthe virus. Specifically, the amino acid arginine has been implicated in thespread of Herpes Simplex Virus. Therefore, people should try to avoidfoods that are high in this amino acid such as rice, peanuts, and chocolate. Onthe other hand, the amino acid lysine has been shown to reduce the severity ofa Herpes Simplex Virus infection. Some people even recommend taking lysinesupplements to reduce the frequency and severity of outbreaks.
Herpes Symptoms And Signs
In order to diagnose herpes, a health care provider can swab an area of visibly active herpes infection or, if symptoms arent active, a blood test can be given that measures the number of herpes antibodies present in the body. The antibodies dont indicate herpes itself, but rather show the immune systems response to the presence of the virus in the body. Its important to note that sometimes a swab can give false negative results since herpes lesions need to be large enough to yield enough detectable virus and if the outbreak is already healing it also may not be detected in a swab.
The most common herpes symptoms include:
- Developing either a single cold sore or cluster of multiple cold sores that form on the lips, inside the mouth, or on the genitals, buttocks and upper thighs.
- Sores can sometimes be severe, painful and rupture and cause fluid to be secreted out.
- Some herpes canker sores develop a thin, white coating and burn when touched while they healing.
- Around herpes cold sores, its common to feel pain, tenderness and other symptoms of a rash, such as redness or signs of swelling.
- Some people are able to tell before an outbreak if one is going to occur because they feel tingling, itchy sensations near the affected area.
- Some people develop other symptoms during herpes outbreaks that are similar to those caused by a cold or the flu. This may include fatigue, irritability, aches or a slight fever.
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Which Foods Should You Avoid During An Outbreak
If you have symptomatic oral or genital herpes, youll likely experience outbreaks on occasion even with a flawless diet.
During a herpes outbreak, the best way to fight the virus and speed up healing is through the use of an antiviral medication such as valacyclovir. This is a prescription medication that youll need to talk about with your doctor.
While theres no proof that food can worsen or improve a herpes outbreak, many people with herpes report improvements after avoiding certain foods.
Avoiding foods with a herpes outbreak is tough, but generally, stay away from anything spicy, salty or oily, as these foods are most likely to irritate the lips and gums. Acidic drinks, like fruit juices, are also best avoided if you have open cold sores that could potentially become irritated.
Studies also show that arginine, an amino acid found in a variety of foods, can play a role in the spread of viruses such as herpes. Arginine has viral growth properties, meaning it may increase the rate at which viruses like HSV-1 and HSV-2 multiply in the body.
As such, its best stay away from foods high in arginine like turkey breast, pork loin, chicken breast, nuts , pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, soybeans, dairy products and lentils during an outbreak of herpes.
Instead, stick to a simple, healthy diet that gives you a complete supply of vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients without supply excessive amounts of arginine.
Commontriggers For A Herpes Outbreak
There are afew common triggers of a Herpes Simplex Virus outbreak that people shouldavoid. Some of these include:
Stress: Stress is one of themost common triggers of a Herpes Simplex Virus outbreak. When someone isstressed, it can cause this virus to return.
WeakenedImmune State: Theimmune virus is responsible for fighting off invaders. These invaders includebacteria and viruses. Sometimes, these invaders can actually weaken the immunesystem by reducing the white blood cell count. This can cause the virus toreactivate.
HormoneDisruptions: Hormonalchanges also have the potential to cause a Herpes Simplex Virus outbreak.These hormonal changes can vary from person to person, just as the triggers themselves.
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Which Foods Promote Faster Healing
Just as there are certain foods you should avoid with a cold sore, there are certain foods you should include in your diet to speed up the healing process and alleviate pain whenever possible. Make sure youre getting the right kind of nutrition to fight back against flare-ups, by including the following in your daily intake:
What Are The Symptoms Of Genital Herpes
Most women with genital herpes do not know they have it. But, if you get symptoms with the first outbreak of genital herpes, they can be severe. Genital herpes also can be severe and long-lasting in people whose immune systems do not work properly, such as women with HIV.
The first signs of genital herpes usually show up two to 12 days after having sexual contact with someone who has herpes. Symptoms can last from two to four weeks. There are other early symptoms of genital herpes:
- Feeling of pressure in the abdomen
- Flu-like symptoms, including fever
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Supplements For Herpes Outbreaks
If you feel that your diet doesnt contain enough lysine, you can take lysine supplements. Small preliminary studies suggest that daily lysine supplements might minimize and improve healing times of herpes outbreaks. In one study, patients were given 1000mg of lysine three times per day . However, the study used a small sample size and was limited it its scope.
Lysine supplementation is safe and its considered the best cure for herpes outbreak sufferers. Lysine supplements that have minerals, such as bioflavonoids and zinc, as well as vitamins can work miracles to prevent and control herpes outbreaks. Here is a good lysine supplement that includes zinc. Each pill contains 333mg, so you can adjust to the proper dosage. Formulas often include zinc, vitamin B complex and vitamin C supplements in a herpes diet.
Another well-known supplement used in treating herpes is commonly called curcumin, or turmeric extract. Its an anti-inflammatory that makes your body cells less susceptible to viral infections. See it here. A traditional supplement such as cayenne pepper is also sometimes recommended by physicians to fight the herpes virus . You can apply either of these externally to ease pain.
Red marine algae is another great supplement as it helps your immune system fight the herpes virus and prevents its re-occurrence . Read the reviews from people who use it for HSV on the product page here!
What Are The Best And Worst Foods For Cold Sores
Diet plays a role in your lip health and overall health. If you are prone to cold sores, the types of food you eat on a daily basis may impact how you experience symptoms. You may have read about foods for cold sore treatment or foods that cause cold sore outbreaks. However, just because you get cold sores doesnt mean you need to rethink your diet entirely. Cold sores are a result of many different factors, and a single food wont trigger or treat an outbreak. To put it simply: diet is just one part of the lip health equation.
Learn more about foods for cold sores below.
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When Stress Triggers A Herpes Outbreak These Complementary Therapies May Calm It Down
A healthy lifestyle and the right supplements may offer relief from genital herpes.
A healthy lifestyle and the right supplements may offer relief from genital herpes.
Anna Ivanova/Alamy Alamy
A viral infection causes genital herpes, and there is no cure for it. But if you have genital herpes, you can use complementary approaches to reduce how often you have outbreaks. Some alternative therapies can also provide relief from discomfort and pain during outbreaks that do occur.
This kind of viral outbreak , and other viruses, like a cold, is usually related to stress and your immunity, says Lucy Gade, MD, MPH, the medical director at the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine at Northwell Health, in Oyster Bay, New York. As a result, an alternative medicine approach to herpes treatment involves making smart lifestyle choices to foster your general wellness. In doing so, you bolster your immune systems ability to fight the two viruses that cause herpes, herpes simplex virus 1 and herpes simplex virus 2 .
A healthy diet, appropriate sleep, finding ways to decrease stressors in your life These alone will make your herpes outbreaks less frequent, says Dr. Gade. Such healthy habits will also improve your overall well-being, lengthen your life, and boost your happiness.
But first, make sure you have an accurate diagnosis for whats causing your symptoms.
The Types Of Food To Avoid With A Cold
Related Articles
If youre plagued by recurring cold sores, you know how painful and socially awkward they can be. These small, fluid-containing blisters usually develop in clusters on or around the edges of your mouth. Theyre caused by the herpes simplex virus which lies dormant in nerve tissue once its been contracted becoming active. Cold sores can be triggered by stress, hormonal changes, sun exposure or depressed immunity. Avoiding certain foods may help minimize the duration of an outbreak.
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What You Can Eat
If you’re avoiding foods that may cause herpes outbreaks, that doesnt mean a boring diet. Many nutritious and delicious whole foods, such as grass-fed beef, fish, poultry, dairy products, beans, eggs and most brightly colored fruits and vegetables, have a high ratio of lysine to arginine and should make up the bulk of your meals. Picozzi also cites the benefits of foods like mushrooms, sea vegetables and garlic for managing herpes outbreaks naturally.
Diet High In Lysine And Low In Arginine
In previous sessions I told you about the relationship between herpes and lysine and also between herpes and arginine.
You already know that lysine intake helps to prevent herpes outbreaks and arginine intake contributes to their appearance and increases their intensity and duration.
For this reason, your diet should be rich in lysine and poor in arginine.
You will achieve this purpose if you consume foods high in lysine and low in arginine such as milk and its derivatives.
A classic combination is to eat brown rice with cooked dried beans. While brown rice is rich in arginine, dried beans contain an excess of lysine that overcomes the lack of this amino acid in brown rice.
Popcorn contains more arginine than lysine, but people infected with the herpes virus can enjoy popcorn if they sprinkle it with nutritional yeast that adds a cheesy flavor.
Arginine is neutralized because one tablespoon of nutritional yeast contains 190 mg more lysine than arginine.
Fish, meats and dairy products are rich in lysine. However, eating too much of these protein-rich foods can raise your bodys acidity and cause a herpes outbreak. Moderation is the key.
If you cant get the foods you like to make up a diet high in lysine and low in arginine, you can use a lysine supplement.
Lysine supplement.
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A Shingles Diet Helps
The shingles virus thrives when your immune system isn’t strong. What you eat can affect the strength of your immunity, explains the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Nutrients to include in your diet to boost your immune system when you have a shingles outbreak include:
- VitaminA from carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, red peppers, eggs and apricots
- VitaminC from citrus fruits, tomatoes and papaya
- VitaminE and zinc from sunflower seeds and fortified cereals
People with shingles may also benefit from eating more foods with vitamin B6, folate, iron and selenium.
Foods to avoid with shingles include those that degrade your immune system. Examples are fast and fried foods, anything high in saturated fat and processed foods. Skip the drive-through and head home to a homemade meal of grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and sweet potatoes.
Other foods to avoid with shingles are those with lots of added sugar and those made with white flour. You might be tempted to help yourself feel better with sweet treats, such as cookies or doughnuts, but these foods have no notable nutrients and do nothing to boost your body’s ability to fight the shingles infection.
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