Herbs Vitamins And Other Supplements
It isnt always possible to eat foods containing the high levels of nutrients your body needs to fight genital herpes, but herbs, vitamins, and supplements can help. The following choices are known to boost immune system function and help the body combat herpes outbreaks.
Zinc. Chickpeas, pork, lamb, and wheat germ all contain high levels of zinc. Research shows that zinc ions are active against the herpes simplex virus and may even extend the time between outbreaks.
Lysine. Research is still ongoing, but recent reports suggest that daily lysine supplementation may reduce the recurrences of herpes outbreaks. Though lower doses of lysine show little effect, high doses of up to 3,000 mg a day may be beneficial.
Probiotics. Probiotics are well known for their immune-boosting abilities. Now research also shows that certain probiotic strains can limit herpes infections as well.
Vitamin B Complex. The full range of B vitamins serves many critical roles in your body, including healthy cell growth, metabolism, and energy. You need all of these functions in full force to respond to an active outbreak of herpes.
Aloe vera. Aloe vera isnt just for sunburn! Pure aloe vera offers antimicrobial, antifungal, and wound healing properties that soothe herpes symptoms and encourage rapid healing.
Topical Otc Treatments For Genital Herpes
Several over-the-counter topical options are available for genital herpes treatment, but evidence suggests they arent all effective.
Start with a few simple DIY topical compresses. Research shows that topical therapy can effectively alleviate symptoms of genital herpes outbreaks and even contribute to the prevention of outbreaks when used promptly.
Here are a few tried-and-true natural compress ideas to get you started:
- -Dry, warm compress using warmed rice in a sock
- -Cold compress using an ice pack or soft washcloth filled with ice
- -Baking soda paste
- -Crushed garlic cloves mixed with olive oil
- -Topical apple cider vinegar using one-part ACV and three-parts warm water
If You Have Genital Herpes Already Can It Be Spread To Other Parts Of The Body Such As The Arms Or Legs
No. Genital herpes cannot be transmitted to another part of your body such as your arm, leg or hand after the first infection occurs. If you have genital HSV II, you will not get HSV II at another site in your body. The immune system produces antibodies that protect other parts of your body from infection. However, there are cases where a person has multiple site infections from the same virus. This is usually acquired at the time of the first infection. For example, if someone has never had herpes but then has oral and genital sex with an infected partner, they can acquire the infection at both sites.
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When And How Are Later Outbreaks Treated
Later outbreaks with only mild symptoms dont necessarily need to be treated. The blisters can then simply heal on their own.
But antiviral medication can also shorten the duration of later outbreaks by an average of about two days. If you decide to have treatment, its important to start it within the first 24 hours of the outbreak ideally, as soon as you notice the first symptoms. So its a good idea to always have a few tablets at home or to take them with you when you travel so they are ready to use. You can get a prescription from your doctor.
In later outbreaks you can take them for a shorter time. The WHO recommends the following:
- aciclovir: 400 mg three times per day or 800 mg two times per day for five days, or 800 mg three times per day for two days,
- famciclovir: 250 mg two times per day for five days, or
- valaciclovir: 500 mg two times per day for three days.
A different dose and treatment duration may be a good idea for people who have immune system disorders, such as an HIV infection.
Best For Skin Barrier: Vaseline 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly
- Price: $3.2917.70
- Pros: available in a range of sizes, suitable for sensitive skin
- Cons: reports of product hygiene issues from online sellers
A person can purchase Vaseline online through Amazon.
Vaseline states it is hypoallergenic and suitable for sensitive, dry skin.
It also claims that its product helps seal in moisture, which may help the skin heal naturally. Additionally, petroleum jelly creates a barrier between the skin and outside elements.
This Vaseline product may be best suited to people with cold sores.
Vaseline costs between $3.2917.70, depending on the tub size.
Pros: suitable for smaller budgets, high volume per bottle, third-party testedCons: limited research into the effectiveness of L-lysine for herpes
These caplets are suitable for vegetarians and free of allergens such as yeast, wheat, gluten, milk, and lactose. They are also free of sugar.
CVS Pharmacy claims these caplets may help support healthy skin, collagen production, and tissue maintenance.
CVS states it requires third-party testing for all supplements.
The company recommends taking one caplet a day on an empty stomach. Each pill contains 1,000 mg of L-lysine.
CVS Pharmacy L-Lysin Caplets cost $11.29.
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Who Might Get Herpes Simplex
People of any age can contract herpes simplex. You are more likely to get the virus if you:
- Were assigned female at birth.
- Have had multiple sex partners.
- Started having sex at a young age.
- Have a history of any sexually transmitted infection .
- Have a weakened immune system.
- Dont use condoms for intercourse and dental dams for oral sex.
Who gets HSV-1, commonly known as oral herpes?
Anyone can get HSV-1. Most people contract HSV-1 during childhood. It spreads when an adult who has the virus has close contact with a child, such as when a family member kisses a child.
Who gets HSV-2, commonly known as genital herpes?
Genital herpes affects sexually active teens and adults of all genders and races. It can spread if you have multiple sexual partners and dont use condoms or dental dams.
People assigned female at birth are more at risk. Delicate vaginal tissue can tear, making it easier for the infection to get in. Black people who were AFAB are especially vulnerable, with an estimated 1 in 2 people AFAB between the ages of 14 and 49 infected with HSV-2.
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Are Antiviral Medications Safe
Antiviral medications are considered to be very safe. They are nearly always well tolerated because the active ingredients only have an effect in cells that have been infected by the virus.
People who have kidney failure may need to take a lower dose because the medication is removed from the body through the kidneys.
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Talk To Your Doctor About Antiviral Medications
There are two brands of antiviral medications available to treat herpes. Either can be used to take daily as a suppressive therapy or episodically when there is an outbreak. Discuss with your doctor how often you are experiencing outbreaks and your symptoms. Together you can decide which, if any, medication is best for you.
Genital Herpes And Pregnancy
It is important to avoid contracting herpes during pregnancy. A first episode during pregnancy can create a greater risk of transmission to a newborn.
Fortunately, it is rare for women with genital herpes to infect their babies. If you know that you have genital herpes before becoming pregnant, your physician will monitor your condition throughout your pregnancy. If you have an active outbreak at the time of delivery, a C-section may be recommended. Depending on individual diagnosis, though, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorses suppressive therapy to reduce the frequency of C-section.
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Home Remedies And Lifestyle
At-home treatments for herpes are used to relieve pain. They do nothing to alter the course of the infection but can make you more comfortable as the herpes sores begin to heal.
There are several things you can do if have an outbreak of oral or genital herpes:
- Use a cold compress. Place a cloth-covered ice pack on the sores for 15 minutes several times daily to reduce pain. Keep the ice pack moving to prevent frostbite.
- Do not touch or scratch. Avoid touching and rubbing the sores. Doing so can spread the infection to other areas of the skin.
- Keep the sores clean. Herpes sores can become infected with bacteria if touched with soiled hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after going to the bathroom or before applying medications.
- Reduce stress. Stress can increase your sensitivity to pain during a herpes outbreak. You can reduce stress by performing gentle exercises or practicing mind-body therapies like meditation, yoga, and guided imagery.
To reduce the risk of spreading herpes, avoid kissing and sharing objects that come into contact with saliva, like drinking straws and eating utensils.
It’s important to note that oral herpes can be spread to the genitals, and that genital herpes can be spread to the mouth. To reduce the risk of infection, use condoms and dental dams during oral sex. Better yet, avoid sex altogether if you are having an active herpes outbreak .
What Are The Signs Of Herpes In Men
In about two-thirds of cases, men will have no symptoms of herpes. Symptoms of herpes in men may include:
-Body aches
-Encephalitis
-Meningitis
It is unclear if genital herpes affects fertility in men because it affects such a large part of the population. However, a recent study found that herpes may lower the sperm count in men and may have an effect on mens ability to get pregnant with a partner.
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When Treatments For Genital Herpes Are Given
- Initial treatment. If you have symptoms such as sores when you’re first diagnosed with genital herpes, your doctor will usually give you a brief course of antiviral therapy to relieve them or prevent them from getting worse. Your doctor may keep you on the drugs longer if the sores don’t heal in that time.
After the first treatment, work with your doctor to come up with the best way to take antiviral therapies. There are two options:
- Intermittent treatment. Your doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug for you to keep on hand in case you have another flare-up this is called intermittent therapy. You can take the pills for two to five days as soon as you notice sores or when you feel an outbreak coming on. Sores will heal and disappear on their own, but taking the drugs can make the symptoms less severe and make them go away faster.
- Suppressive treatment. If you have outbreaks often, you may want to consider taking an antiviral drug every day. Doctors call this suppressive therapy. For someone who has more than six outbreaks a year, suppressive therapy can reduce the number of outbreaks by 70% to 80%. Many people who take the antiviral drugs daily have no outbreaks at all.
There is no set number of outbreaks per year that doctors use to decide when someone should start suppressive therapy. Rather, more important factors are how often the outbreaks happen and if they are severe enough to interfere with your life.
Continued
How Long Do Herpes Symptoms Take To Show
On average, it takes about 4 days after exposure to start showing the symptoms of herpes. The herpes incubation period ranges between 2 and 12 days. The most common early sign of herpes is sores around the genitals or mouth.
The first time you get the herpes virus, it may cause flu-like symptoms, such as a fever, headache, and body aches. Then, subsequent outbreaks may cause sores and less severe symptoms. Generally, the frequency of outbreaks lessens over time.
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Avoid Having Sex With Partner With Active Sores On Genitals
One should abstain from having sex with a partner who is suffering from genital herpes. They should especially avoid any sexual contact when they come to know that he partner has active symptoms. Also, one should not get physically intimate with someone who has visible sore on the genitals and is not sure if they suffer from genital herpes or not. It should be remembered that everyone with genital herpes do not experience symptoms and the sores are extremely difficult to pick up with the naked eye. This is very important to reduce the risk for genital herpes
How Is Herpes Simplex Diagnosed
Healthcare providers may diagnose herpes simplex based on how the sores look. Your provider may take a sample from the sore. Laboratory analysis of the sample can confirm or rule out the herpes virus.
If you dont have sores, your healthcare provider can use a blood test to check for HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibody, a marker showing youve been exposed to the virus. The blood test doesnt show an active infection . But it informs your provider whether youve been exposed to the herpes virus in the past. If this is your first infection, you may not test positive for herpes if there hasnt been enough time for your body to develop antibodies. The HSV-1and HSV-2 antibody test may be repeated in eight to 12 weeks.
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Genital Herpes: Can Transmission Be Prevented
- Date:
- American Academy Of Dermatology
- Summary:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported a 30% increase in the prevalence of genital herpes in the U.S. over the last two decades. This indicates that approximately 45 million persons in this country are seropositive for the most common cause of genital herpes, herpes simplex virus HSV-2. That is roughly one in five persons over 12 years of age that have evidence of HSV-2 infection.
ORLANDO, FL â The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported a 30% increase in the prevalence of genital herpes in the U.S. over the last two decades. This indicates that approximately 45 million persons in this country are seropositive for the most common cause of genital herpes, herpes simplex virus HSV-2. That is roughly one in five persons over 12 years of age that have evidence of HSV-2 infection.
Abstinence is the only guaranteed method to prevent the transmission of genital herpes. Many people with genital herpes report that they avoid sex during outbreaks because the genital ulcers that signal an outbreak can be painful, taking the pleasure out of sexual relations. Other couples refrain from sexual relations because they donât want to transmit the herpes to their partners.
Herpes simplex virus can be present on the genitalia even in the absence of any signs or symptoms of an outbreak, even the most ëcarefulâ
Story Source:
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How Long Does It Take For The Medication To Work
All antiviral herpes medications begin to work quickly, which is why they should be taken as close as possible to the first emergence of symptoms.
This will give the medications the best chance to reduce the severity of the outbreak, and to speed up the resolution of an outbreak .
When taken within the first three days of an initial genital herpes outbreak, antiviral medications can shorten the lifespan of the outbreak by two to four days.
During later occurrences, these medications can shorten the lifespan of these outbreaks by 1-2 days.
Many people with HSV-2 do not experience regular genital herpes outbreaks.
But for people who do experience several episodes per year, preventative treatment can make a big difference.
In clinical studies, many patients who begin daily preventative treatment, go on to experience zero genital herpes outbreaks over the course of the following year.
Preventative antivirals can even help those patients who experience especially frequent and painful outbreaks of genital herpes.
In one study of this population, for instance, preventative antivirals were shown to reduce the average number of yearly outbreaks from 11 to 2.
Its important to remember, though, that none of these medications can completely cure herpes or eliminate the HSV virus from the body.
While preventative medicines, especially, can make it less likely that youll pass on the infection to sexual partners, it cannot completely eliminate this risk.
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One Option For Ongoing Therapy: Taking Drugs Regularly
Some people with genital herpes choose to take antiviral medication daily to reduce the number of symptom outbreaks they have. In some cases, daily therapy prevents outbreaks completely.
Numerous studies over the years have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of all three of the approved antivirals used to treat genital herpes.
Studies have also shown that daily antiviral therapy reduces the rate of transmission from an HSV-2 infected person to an uninfected partner of the opposite sex.
Daily therapy also lowers the odds of infecting other people if you have multiple sex partners or if you are a man who has sex with men.
The drugs work both for people who have had herpes symptoms and for those whose blood tests show they have an HSV-2 infection but who have never had symptoms.
Some people choose to take antiviral drugs only as needed, for outbreaks that occur after the first one. For this to work, you need to start taking the medicine within one day of sores cropping up or during the time period that comes before some outbreaks.
During the prodrome, you may feel
- Burning in the area where the virus first entered your body
- Itching or tingling in that area
- Pain in your back, buttocks, thighs, or knees
Your doctor will probably give you a prescription you can fill and keep handy for timely use, and tell you to start taking the drugs just as soon as symptoms begin.