What Is The Herpes Simplex Virus
Herpes Simplex Virus, also known as HSV or herpes, is a virus that causes an infection that remains within the body for life. It most commonly manifests in sores surrounding the mouth or genitals . There are two different types of HSV: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Though both can cause either genital or oral herpes, HSV-1 typically causes oral and HSV-2 is primarily responsible for causing genital herpes. Herpes, or HSV infection, is incredibly common worldwide – in the United States, around 50% of the population has oral herpes and nearly 17% have genital herpes.
Herbs For Colon Cleansing
The second step in using herbs to relieve the symptoms of genital herpes is to utilize herbs that are clinically proven to help cleanse toxins out of the body.
Cleansing herbs promote regular and complete bowel movements, strengthen the peristaltic muscular action of the small and large intestines which push toxins out of the body, and vacuum old waste material from the intestinal walls.
It may not make sense to cleanse the colon when the issue is genital herpes on the skin. However, the body will have a much easier and faster healing time if the colon is cleaned out and moving toxins out regularly.
Lysine For Treating Herpes Simplex Virus
Lysine is one of the nine essential amino acids. This classification indicates that these amino acids are essential for life, cannot be manufactured by the human body, and must be obtained from food.
Amino acids form the structure for all proteins. Lysine plays many roles in human metabolism, and one of lysines most crucial functions is its metabolism into acetyl coenzyme A, one of the key components in the Krebs cycle.
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How Much Can Vitamins Or Supplements Really Help
Vitamins and supplements support your bodys natural healing processes in different ways.
Vitamins perform hundreds of essential roles in the body, from bolstering your immune system to repairing cellular damage. So it makes sense that taking vitamins may supercharge your bodys ability to fight the herpes virus and keep it at bay. Though vitamins cant replace antiviral drugs like valacyclovir, they can certainly strengthen your bodys defense mechanisms.
Supplements, meanwhile, do just what their name suggests they support the bodys natural ability to heal by giving it what it might not get through food alone. Since supplements arent regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, its important to discuss your supplement choices with a doctor before changing your routine.
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What Are The Pros Cons And Price Of Luminance Red
Luminance RED is supported by clinical studies that prove its ability to achieve lasting results. According to clinical research, patients who received Luminance RED treatment averaged 37.5 weeks before their next cold sore episode, compared to 3 weeks for those who did not receive treatment. Patients treated with Luminance Red also experienced a 49% reduction in healing time and a 77% reduction in pain.
Overall, Luminance RED offers an advanced way to reduce the severity of cold sore outbreaks, accelerate healing, and prevent the frequency of future outbreaks. Its available online for $399. If youre not satisfied, Luminance RED offers a 6-month, 100% money-back guarantee.
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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.
Carnitine And The Body
L-lysine helps create carnitine which the body requires to convert fatty acids into energy successfully. It also lowers the cholesterol levels. Ultimately, it plays a critical role in the bodys absorption of calcium. Calcium helps the body build collagen which is essential for the growth and maintenance of bones plus skin. Collagen in the skin provides a younger, firmer appearance by smoothing out wrinkles and erasing lines.
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Foods To Prevent Recurring Herpes Outbreak
Herpes simplex is an incurable virus. Once you catch it, you will have it for life. Two common types of herpes are HSV-1 which causes cold sores and fever blisters around the lips or in the mouth, and HSV-2 which is typically associated with genital herpes .
The good news is that there are many options you can choose from to manage it. Aside from drugs and medications, there are lifestyle changes you can make to stop or prevent an outbreak. One factor diet is critical to managing your condition.
First, there are a few fundamental things you need to know: namely, the delicate balance between lysine and arginine as well as acidity and alkalinity. Lets examine both.
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What Is The Ratio Of Lysine To Arginine
Lysine is an essential amino acid that means it is not produced by the body, so it must be obtained through diet or supplements. It is important for growth and plays an essential role in the production of carnitine, a molecule that is responsible for converting fatty acids into energy. In combination with high doses of vitamin C it has been suggested to reduce lipoprotein which is one of the causes of atherosclerosis. It also helps with the absorption of calcium and the formation of collagen Vitamin C converts lysine to hydroxylysine which is then incorporated into collagen. Many people consume enough lysine through their diet but some athletes or vegans may need more. If you do not have enough lysine in your body, you may experience some symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea, and loss of appetite.
Laboratory research has shown that the addition of the amino acid arginine to cell cultures caused an uncontrolled proliferation of the herpes virus. In contrast, the addition of lysine inhibited the growth and spread of the virus in cultured cells. Based on this fact, patients suffering from herpes could benefit from following a diet rich in lysine and poor in arginine.
As HSV reproduction requires arginine-rich proteins while lysine inhibits their synthesis, L-lysine has been used to inhibit infection by alternative health professionals. Foods rich in lysine are beef, chicken, pork, cod, eggs and yogurt.
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Lysine & Zinc For Cold Sores: Do They Work
If you suffer from cold sores, youve had everyone, their mam, aunties and grandads telling you their top secret tips for getting rid of them, from cold tea bags to popping them to baking soda . What about those clever uns that suggest you start taking lysine and zinc? Colloquially, people swear by a daily lysine supplement to keep those fever blisters at bay but what about the science of it all? We did a brief nerdie investigation to find out more
Pay Attention To What You Eat
ASHA reports that some people believe foods containing the amino acid arginine, such as legumes and whole grains, can contribute to outbreaks. A few older studies, conducted in 1981 and 1987, showed a possible connection, but ASHA states there is no clinical evidence to support these studies. However, because triggers may vary based on the individual, keep track of the foods you eat to determine if there is a connection.
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How Do I Track My Order
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What Is Neonatal Herpes
Neonatal herpes can be a very serious infection. Babies generally contract the virus from their birthing parent during childbirth even if the parent doesnt have active lesions. They may also get HSV-1 if an adult with an active cold sore kisses them. Breastfeeding babies can also get HSV-1 from the breast if there are lesions present. But babies cant get herpes from breast milk, so its safe to pump and feed.
Herpes simplex can be more dangerous for young babies because they dont have a fully developed immune system. But most babies with neonatal herpes can recover fully with treatment.
The dangers of neonatal herpes are much higher if the infection spreads to the babys organs. If youre pregnant and have herpes, speak with your healthcare provider about how to lower the risk of passing the infection to your baby.
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Why Cold Sores Come Back
Cold sores are caused by a virus called herpes simplex.
Once you have the virus, it stays in your skin for the rest of your life. Sometimes it causes a cold sore.
Most people are exposed to the virus when theyre young after close skin to skin contact, such as kissing, with someone who has a cold sore.
It does not usually cause any symptoms until youre older. You will not know if its in your skin unless you get a cold sore.
Page last reviewed: 20 July 2020 Next review due: 20 July 2023
Foods That Fight Genital Herpes
Unfortunately, no single food can fight genital herpes and prevent outbreaks on its own. Instead, your immune system as a whole works to keep herpes outbreaks at bay.
Your primary objective, then, should be maintaining a healthy immune system.
Many factors contribute to a healthy immune system sleep, exercise, dietary supplementation, stress level and a healthy diet curated with the herpes virus in mind is an excellent place to begin.
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What Is Herpes Simplex
Herpes simplex is a virus that causes skin infections. The infection lasts your lifetime, and it causes painful or itchy sores and blisters that come and go. Herpes simplex virus typically doesnt cause severe problems. But it can be dangerous in infants and people with weakened immune systems. There are two types of herpes simplex:
- Herpes simplex 1 tends to affect your mouth or face. It causes cold sores. HSV-1 spreads through contact with saliva .
- Herpes simplex 2 is a sexually transmitted disease . It causes sores on skin that comes in contact with the genitals of an infected person.
Sometimes a herpes infection can affect other parts of your body, such as your eyes or other parts of your skin.
Scientific Evidence Of Herpes Supplements
As you might have heard earlier, there is no cure for herpes. If that is the case, how do herpes supplements work, and why are the brands claiming such a bold thing? You will get all the answers after going through all the results that different studies have published.
Most studies revolved around the ingredients that can support the bodys natural defense system. While some showed results exceptionally fast, some took weeks to show any positive results.
Nonetheless, after going through the information collected from the research, you will have a clear idea of how these supplements work.
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The Lysine Essential Amino Acid Treatment For Herpes
The lysine essential amino acid is not considered a treatment for herpes simplex virus infection. In modern medicine, the lysine essential amino acid is acknowledged as an alternative medicine for the herpes virus infection. The medical world is set to research on the relevancy of the lysine essential amino acid in treating the herpes simplex virus infection due to the factual reports, that people that are strict vegans are at risk with the herpes simplex virus infection. The vegan diets main mantra is to keep the meat and poultry products intake to a minimum. A diet without meat is a diet that is most likely low in protein. Without protein, lysine essential amino acid is impossible to have.
So how do the lysine essential amino acid inhibit the viral replication of herpes?
The mechanism to which the theory of the lysine essential amino acid treatment for herpes viral infection roots on the idea that the lysine essential amino acid disrupts the balance of lysine and arginine metabolism. The Herpes simplex virus produces more arginine than lysine inside the human body once it establishes its domain on the host. The increase in the levels of lysine in the body creates an imbalance between the lysine and arginine metabolism, thus, rendering the blocking of further viral replication.
What Do The Studies Show
Some studies have shown that taking lysine on a regular basis can reduce the duration of cold sores symptoms. One study found that 3 grams a day for a period of six months reduced the number of cold sores and shortened the healing time . Another study showed that lysine accelerated the healing process for 87% of participants, reducing the average time from 21 days to 6 days . A comparable result was reported in a 12-month double-blind, crossover study with 1 gram of lysine per day .
Experts generally agree that lysine may not prevent cold sores but may reduce recurrences or the severity of symptoms. A review published in 2017 concluded that more, longer-term studies are needed for daily doses of lysine in excess of 1.2 grams to definitively test the role of lysine in the prevention of the herpes virus .
Note that not only the absolute amount of lysine but also the ratio of lysine to arginine plays a role. Foods that have a relatively high ratio of lysine to arginine are yogurt, cheese and goats milk. Nuts, sesame seeds and snails have a high ratio of arginine to lysine .
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Is It Safe To Breastfeed If I Have Genital Herpes
Yes as long as there isnt an open lesion on your chest or breast. If you have an active outbreak while breastfeeding, its possible to spread the infection to your nipples through touch. Careful hand-washing can prevent this spread. You shouldnt nurse from a breast that has herpes sores. You can pump breast milk until the sores heal. Dont give your baby expressed breast milk if the pump comes into contact with an open sore.
Dosage And Possible Side Effects
Lysine is available not only as a dietary supplement but also as a cream. To treat cold sores, apply lysine cream to the affected area every two hours for 11 days. The recommended dosage for dietary supplements is 1 gram three times a day, both for disease management and prevention. If you do not notice an improvement in your condition, discuss doses and alternative treatments with your doctor. If symptoms worsen, stop treatment. Zinc and vitamin C supplements also strengthen the immune system.
Up to 3grams of lysine a day do not cause side effects in the body. However, in large quantities side effects can occur, such as diarrhea, cramps, abdominal pain and nausea.
There is not enough information about the safety or side effects of lysine during pregnancy.
Before taking lysine or any other supplement, discuss the potential risks with your doctor. Lysine may interact with medications you may be taking. It can increase the absorption of calcium and this can affect the functioning of the organs.
At Vita4you.gr you will find a variety of lysine supplements!
References
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If You Have The Herpes Simplex Outbreaks What Dosage Of Lysine Do You Recommend
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on April 7, 2022.
I am just starting to take l-lysine as a friend suggested it. I am two weeks into shingles, started getting two cold sores and a terrible sty on the one eyelid. I am thinking I could use this tablet more than once a day on a regular basis?
Is Herpes Simplex Related To Herpes Zoster
Herpes simplex and the varicella-zoster virus are related, but they arent the same. VZV causes chickenpox and shingles.
Like HSV-1 and HSV-2, shingles can cause a painful, blistering rash. The shingles rash usually shows up on the back, side, abdomen , neck and face. It is often only on half of your body, following the pattern of your nerves. See your healthcare provider if you have a new rash and suspect you may have shingles.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Herpes simplex is a virus. Once you have herpes, its a lifelong condition. A herpes infection can lead to outbreaks , but youll also have times when you have no symptoms. The main sign of herpes is sores that appear on the infected skin. Some people choose not to treat herpes, especially if symptoms are mild. Others take antiviral medications to reduce the severity and frequency of outbreaks.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 05/17/2022.
References
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