Cold Sore Cure

Cold sores usually start the same way – first a little painful spot under the skin like a blind pimple. Sometimes there’s a painful tingling a couple of days before, which is called the prodrome. This usually explodes into a puss-filled blister (or group of blisters) that lasts for a lovely seven to ten days. Since cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, they’re always going to come back. They’re also highly contagious, mostly during outbreaks. Sharing towels, utensils or shaving razors with someone who has an active cold sore is a great way to contract the herpes simplex virus forever. Cold sores are at their most contagious from the time they first appear until they have crusted over completely and are no longer seeping. Most of the time, cold sores will just clear up on their own. That doesn’t mean you can speed up the process with a dose of cold sore cream, but it does mean that there’s probably not any reason to go to a doctor for them unless symptoms are incredibly severe, last more than two weeks, or are incredibly frequent. Occasionally, you may also feel irritation in your eyes – seek medical treatment immediately if this happens as herpes simplex can cause scaring in the cornea that results in blindness. If you have a cold sore, you should be sure to avoid contact with people who have compromised immune systems, like those with cancer or AIDS. You should also avoid contact with babies, as they may contract a more serious infection if they are exposed to the virus. Antiviral cold sore treatments are available, but are typically most effective if used very early. They can shorten the duration a little. Most cold sore creams are simply soothing and make waiting out the cold sore a little more pleasant.

Knowing how to heal a cold sore quickly could be critically important if you have an important event in the near future.
There is no good time to have a cold sore. But why do cold sores always seem to happen at the very worst possible time?
Most often, cold sores occur because of physical or mental stress. Anxiety about an upcoming wedding, job interview, or other special event in your life will create stress. This stress will affect your pH balance, your hormones, and your immune system. Quite often illnesses such as cold and flu will also trigger a cold sore.
The herpes virus has an early warning system because it lives in your nerve cells. It can sense the slightest change in your temperature, stress levels, immune strength, and pH balance. When the conditions are favorable, the virus will head to the surface along your nerve fibers. Once at the surface, it will create new virus through its replication procedure thus producing the cold sore blister.
Your body knows how to heal a cold sore and will do so without any additional help or expensive cold sore treatment. Provided you do not get a secondary bacterial infection, the duration of your cold sore could be three to four weeks. If you are like me, you do not want to suffer that long. The quicker you heal your cold sore, the sooner you can get on with your life.
The cold sore virus needs three things to successfully replicate.
1. The cold sore virus needs plenty of arginine in the cell. Arginine is a protein that is a critical building block for creating new herpes viruses. Lysine, another protein, has proven helpful in healing and preventing cold sores. Lysine does this by replacing some of the arginine in the cells, thus reducing or preventing the cells ability to create clones of the virus.
Basically, if the herpes virus gets to the surface and cannot find enough arginine in the cells, it often retreats. Many folks eat high lysine foods prior to or during a cold sore event, and avoid high arginine foods. For many folks, healing cold sores fast has been as simple as taking 1,000 milligrams to 3,000 milligrams of lysine in capsule supplements during an outbreak.
High lysine foods to eat are most meats and dairy products. Cheese, milk and yogurt are excellent. High arginine foods to avoid would be nuts, seeds, grains, and chocolate. You need to find your own personal balance here for healing cold sores.
2. The cold sore virus also needs a warm, moist environment. Applying ice as soon as you feel that first tingle or itch will greatly reduce or delay the cold sore. Delaying the cold sore just a few days can get you through that important event. Any cold object will do – such as a can of Coke. The quicker, the better.
3. The herpes virus prefers an acid environment. When in tip-top health, your pH balance should be around 7.4, which is slightly alkaline. When it drops below 7 on the pH scale, then your system is turning acid. Any stress, flu, colds, or too much sun will cause your body to move toward the acid side of normal.
Avoid eating acid foods, such as tomatoes, citrus, carbonated soda or anything with vinegar if it will touch the cold sore area. You want nothing acid around that sore. Following this rule alone for healing a cold sore, along with continual cleaning of the wound with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, could cut your cold sore healing duration by 50%.
You are unique and you must take what works for others and fine tune it for your particular needs. Hopefully, now that you are armed with the knowledge of what works for others, you now have a better idea on how to heal a cold sore.

Cold sore symptoms occur in stages whenever the herpes simplex virus is active in your system.
Let me share with you now how your cold sore symptoms come about and what you can do about them.
Where the virus first enters your body, it will choose a set of nerve fibers nearby that will be its home for life. Your cold sores from this infection will always occur in the same place.
Say, for example, you always get your cold sores (oral herpes) on your upper right lip. That is one infection. If you start getting cold sores on your lower left lip, that is a new infection area.
Following are 5 stages of cold sore symptoms that pretty much tells the whole story of these miserable events.
1. EARLY WARNING SYSTEM
Because the herpes simplex virus lives in your nerve fibers, you will get an early warning before they attack your surface nerve cells to create oral herpes cold sores.
When the herpes virus becomes active, it wiggles up the nerve fiber to the surface of your lip, nose or cheek. That movement you will sense as an itching, tingling or burning of the target area.
Your immediate action is required. As soon as you become aware of these signs, apply ice or some other cold object (can of Coke) to the area. This will definitely slow down the progression of the sore.
Sometimes it stops the virus cold and prevents the sore.
If you miss this opportunity, then the other cold sore symptoms come quickly.
2. PIMPLES AND SWOLLEN LIP.
Painful little pimples will start to pop up. The herpes virus has entered the surface cells and is forcing the cells to create new virus.
Your defenses kick in, and the battle begins. This can cause fever, headaches and swollen lymph glands under the near jaw. Depending on the size of the outbreak, even the lymph glands in your armpit may swell.
As the cells fill up the target area becomes quite swollen and painful.
Applying cold compresses at this point will give great comfort and discourage the virus from further damage.
3. OPEN ULCER COLD SORES.
When the cells are swollen to capacity with new virus, they are destroyed to spill out hoards of new virus particles. This is what creates the typical open ulcer cold sores.
In self-defense, your body floods the wound with a fluid to wash away as much virus as possible. This fluid is teaming with active virus and is VERY contagious.
Wash the wound and wash your hands continuously. Use tissue or paper towels soaked in alcohol to cleanse the sore. Throw away and wash your hands thoroughly. You do not want to spread it to a new site.
4. RECONSTRUCTION OF DAMAGED CELLS BEGINS.
The breaking open of cells (creating the open wound) marks the end of the damage process. Now you body begins reconstructing the destroyed cells and skin.
The first step in this process is the covering of the wound with a yellowish crust or scab to protect from bacterial infection.
Apply olive oil to the scab on a regular basis. This will keep it soft and pliable – and less likely to crack open. You will experience pain if it cracks open – and this slows down the healing process.
During this period, you will still have fever, headaches and painful lymph glands. These cold sore symptoms will decrease rapidly from day to day.
5. FRUSTRATING FINAL HEALING STAGE.
After a few days, maybe a week, the scab is gone revealing new skin. There is usually a red tinge to the skin, which indicates that healing is still taking place underneath.
You may feel normal and completely healed but you are not. The flu-like symptoms are gone, and your lymph glands are back to normal. Your energy and confidence have returned.
Keep in mind, please, that you are still quite contagious until after the redness is gone. This seems to go on forever and is very frustrating. You want your social life back.
Your best bet for comfort, and to really speed along the healing of your sore, is to apply warm compresses as often as possible.
These five stages of cold sore symptoms and oral herpes, may vary from person to person, but are the basic cold sore symptoms you should see. If yours are much different, it might not hurt to see a medical professional.
You should search out and try some good cold sore treatment options. Cold Sores are no fun. The fewer you have, and the quicker you heal them, the less you will have to deal with these cold sore symptoms.

There are foods that can cause cold sores – and foods items that can also prevent them. Fact is, what your diet choices have a big affect on cold sore healing and prevention.
This short article does not provide meal recipes. It will reveal to you the different foods you need to pay attention to if you suffer from cold sores.
WHAT CAUSES THE COLD SORE?
Cold sores are the collateral damage caused by the replication process of the herpes simplex virus.
Unlike bacteria, the herpes simplex virus can’t reproduce its own kind. In parasite fashion, it enters your surface nerve cells and makes the cells build new virus copies.
Once the cell becomes full or is exhausted, the virus destroys it to spill out millions of fresh herpes simplex virus. This destruction of a large number of cells in close proximity causes the open cold sore wound.
AMINO ACIDS LYSINE AND ARGININE.
Arginine and lysine are quite common protein fractions (amino acids) found in most foods. They play a big role in cold sore development.
Herpes simplex virus is made up of primarily arginine. The herpes virus can’t replicate without sufficient arginine in the host cells. Your cells have specific receptors for arginine storage.
Lysine is very similar to arginine but cannot be used as a protein for building herpes simplex virus. Also, lysine shares the same storage area in the cells with arginine.
Flooding your cells with lysine will push much of the arginine out, making it impossible for that cell to create herpes virus particles. This will stop cold sores, heal them quickly and prevent future outbreaks.
HIGH LYSINE FOODS HELP STOP COLD SORE EVENTS.
Although most food items contain both lysine and arginine, they may contain more of one than the other. The recipe for success here is eating foods that are higher in lysine. A ratio of 2 to 1 – lysine over arginine – is preferred for cold sore control.
High lysine foods in this category include most meat, fish and other seafood (avoid pork). Dairy products and eggs are excellent sources of lysine. This includes cheese and yogurt.
If you like fish, you are in luck. Flounder is a great eating experience and provides the highest levels of lysine we have seen. You will get an unbelievable 14,000 milligrams of lysine per 450 grams (16 ounces) of flounder.
Some folks have reported a one-time serving (450 grams) of flounder quickly gets rid of cold sores.
FOOD ITEMS THAT MAY ENCOURAGE COLD SORES.
Foods that tend to encourage cold sores are high arginine foods.
Avoid nuts, beans and seeds of all sorts. This includes almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts and sunflower seeds. Grains, especially oats, are high arginine food items.
Most vegetables are borderline in that they contain almost equal amounts of lysine and arginine. If you are prone to cold sores, eating vegetables could provide a little too much arginine.
Chocolate is loaded with arginine. Ouch!
BALANCING LYSINE AND ARGININE.
Using food alone to flood your cells with cold sore preventing lysine can be quite a challenge. Many of the foods that you are tempted to avoid are essential to your optimum health.
Do not give up nutritious food products, such as vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. Instead increase your intake of high lysine foods so that, at the end of the day, your diet balances out to higher levels of lysine.
Or you can do what many cold sore victims do – take lysine supplements. These supplements are cheap and easy to find. This way you don’t have to change your diet.
Lysine supplements come in 500-milligram capsules or tablets. During a cold sore, many folks will take 4000 to 5000 milligrams of lysine – spread throughout the day. This will usually stop a cold sore and heal it very quickly.
We know that arginine and lysine are major players in the cold sore arena. If you find that lysine therapy does not work as well as you would like, do what others have done – try combining it with other good, proven cold sore treatment methods.

What are common cold sore symptoms? What are the different stages you will experience with cold sores or oral herpes outbreaks? Let me share with you now what cold sore symptoms to expect.
First – there is a unique set of cold sore symptoms that take place after initially contracting the herpes virus. These symptoms are frequently mistaken for a mild case of the flu.
These include sore throat, fever, headaches and tiredness. These cold sore symptoms usually last about two to three days.
Usually these first signs of infection do not include the traditional cold sores, fever blisters or oral herpes lesions.
After this initial response to the virus, future cold sore symptoms will always include the actual cold sores. And they will always occur at the same site near where initial infestation took place.
If you start getting cold sores at another site, even two inches away, it means a new infection spot was created. Spreading the virus with contaminated fingers usually causes this.
Here are the basic cold sore symptoms you should watch for.
1. THE BEGINNING.
The first indication of coming cold sores is very subtle indeed. The site of your outbreak will start to feel uncomfortable. You will notice an itching, tingling or burning. It may even feel like the start of a very sensitive pimple.
What you are feeling is the herpes virus moving to the surface along the nerve fibers and entering nerve cells on your lip or nose. Some form of stress triggers the activation of this virus, normally latent.
Applying ice or anything cold will give some relief at this point. If caught early enough, ice can stop further activity by the herpes simplex virus. Yes, you can stop cold sores this way.
2. HARD BUMPS AND SWOLLEN LIP.
At this stage, you will first notice some hard, painful little bumps. They often are mistaken for pimples. These will then lead to swelling of the area. The cells are enlarging as they become filled with new virus.
This infection will often cause headaches, fever and swollen lymph glands under the jaw on the same side of the face as the cold sores. Your body is in full battle mode at this time.
3. OPEN COLD SORES.
The cells burst open to release the new virus once they are full. All these exploded cells, close together, create the open wound typical of cold sores.
This is a very painful period. The herpes virus builds your cold sores (oral herpes, fever blisters) right on the end of your nerves. You have exposed nerves and they hurt plenty.
Your body creates a clear, thick fluid that it uses to flush away as many virus particles as possible. This fluid is teaming with live virus and is VERY contagious.
Do not get on your fingers. When working with the wound, wash your hands continually. Use throwaway tissues or cotton balls to apply treatment or cleanse the wound.
4. NOW THE HEALING BEGINS.
When the sore breaks open, this signals the end of the destruction phase and the beginning of the healing stage.
In a day or so, cold sores will scab over to protect the wound and begin the replacement of all the destroyed cells. The area is still sensitive to the touch.
A dry scab will crack open. This creates pain and delays healing. Oil the scab well with olive oil (extra virgin), oregano oil or garlic oil. These oils have virus-fighting abilities.
As the battle rages, you can still experience headaches, fever and still-swollen glands.
5. FINAL HEALING CAN TAKE A LONG TIME.
In about a week or so, the scab falls off revealing new skin underneath.
Quite likely you will notice redness to the new skin. This indicates that healing continues below the surface.
You will start feeling much better now, and the swollen lymph glands should be close to normal again.
Be very cautious here. Many people do not realize it but they are still very contagious as long as the redness and discomfort of the area remains. The herpes simplex virus is still lurking and can infect others.
This final healing stage seems to drag on forever. It is very frustrating. And cold sores can quickly re-occur if you are not careful.
Applying a warm compress now gives comfort and helps to shorten the healing process. My favorite trick is holding a warm tea bag to the sore.
The above are cold sore symptoms that most people experience. They should be pretty close to the cold sore symptoms that you can expect also.
Try some good cold sore treatment options. There are amazing methods now discovered and available for reducing – or preventing – many or all of these cold sore symptoms.

Would you like to know how to cure cold sores?
Whether you have a special event soon, or just want your social life back, give me a minute and I will show you how to cure cold sores (oral herpes) in the quickest time.
The herpes simplex virus causes all cold sore outbreaks. It is a parasite virus that hides in your nerve roots.
Stress is a well known trigger in causing a cold sore by activating the virus. Stress can be either physical or mental. This includes illness, injury, or anxiety of a big event.
Because the herpes virus lives in your nerves, it can immediately sense a change in your immunity and pH balance.
When it sees an opportunity, it rushes to the surface for the purpose of replicating new virus.
A cold sore is the collateral damage caused by this reproduction process.
Although your body knows how to cure cold sores, it can be a very long and painful journey. You can shorten or prevent a cold sore with very little effort.
Check out these three cold sore treatment secrets. They will give you the greatest success no matter what other cold sore treatment methods you also use.
1. DON’T FEED THE HERPES VIRUS.
The herpes simplex virus needs the amino acid arginine to make new virus particles. Without arginine, herpes virus replication will not take place.
Arginine, along with lysine, are common proteins found in many foods. Arginine is stored in special receptors within your nerve cells.
Lysine is also stored in these same receptors. There is limited space so more of one means less of the other. The herpes virus cannot use lysine to create new virus. Fact is, it is like pouring water on fire.
The key here is to flood your cells with lysine. The cells will store more of it and expel much of the arginine to make room.
The most common way for you to accomplish this is by taking lysine supplements. Most folks take 3000 to 5000 milligrams per day during an outbreak or just prior to one.
This is a great cold sore treatment – try it.
2. COOL THE COLD SORE FIRE.
As with most pathogens, the herpes simplex virus does best in a warm environment.
At the very first inkling of a pending cold sore, cool down the area immediately. You can use ice, a cold can of soda or a cold anything. Dousing the herpes virus with cold really discourages the reproduction process.
This will delay a cold sore. Or it could even prevent one if you act quickly.
3. KEEP YOUR BODY ALKALINE.
An acid body is probably the biggest contributor to the activation of the herpes virus – and a resulting cold sore.
Your body will try to maintain a slightly alkaline level of 7.4 on the pH scale. It will even rob your bones to do this – it is that important for your healthy life.
Many things, including stress and diet, will cause your pH balance to drop below 7 into the acid zone. This will make you open to many diseases including oral herpes cold sores.
How can you prevent this?
First and foremost, you should begin using a top shelf vitamin program. I prefer Dr. Williams or Dr. Whitaker vitamin packets because they contain optimum amounts of what you need and they are quite convenient.
Look for high levels of B and C vitamins. These are the stress vitamins. They reduce the effects of stress on your body. Vitamin A and E will greatly help your skin and are quite good at helping to prevent disease.
However the most important nutrient for maintaining a healthy alkaline state is the mineral calcium. This is a calming mineral that your body uses to stay alkaline. If you don’t get it in your diet, your body takes it from your bones.
Getting a minimum of 1000 milligrams of calcium daily (plus calcium rich foods) is essential if you are serious about curing cold sores.
Avoiding carbonated drink, sugar and white flour is a great help also.
There are many more cold sore treatment measures you can take that work great. And it would be to your advantage to try other things for your best success.
But these three cold sore treatment tactics should form the base when you want to learn further how to cure cold sores in your life. Thank you and good luck.

Avoiding foods in your diet that are high in arginine can help you greatly if you suffer from repeated cold sores.
The herpes simplex virus causes cold sores as a side-effect of its replication process. The main protein needed during replication is arginine.
If you get two or three (or more) cold sores per year, then this information can be of great help to you.
Our diet is one of top three causes of frequent cold sores. Most food choices contain many proteins. The two that have a serious affect on cold sores is arginine and lysine.
First, let us understand what actually causes cold sore ulcers.
The herpes simplex virus is a sub-microscopic particle. It is a parasite type germ that cannot reproduce itself. It enters a nerve cell at the surface of your face and forces the cell to create new herpes viruses.
It is almost like science fiction.
The original herpes virus must eventually kill the cell to release its evil offspring – which then looks for new victims. It is the destruction of many cells that forms the open crater we call a cold sore.
Arginine is the primary protein used to create new herpes simplex virus. Arginine has many good uses in your body too.
Your cells store arginine in a special area within the cell.
You may have heard of lysine. It is a similar protein that is also important for many body functions and is stored in the same area within your cells as arginine.
Lysine does not support creation of new virus any more than water will support fire.
Reducing the amount of available arginine in your cells can make those cells off-limits to a herpes virus infection. This will stop current cold sores fast, and prevent new ones.
You can accomplish this in a couple ways.
You can reduce stored arginine by reducing high arginine food in your diet. You can also flood your cells with lysine, thus forcing out arginine from the storage area.
Here is a short list of foods that contain higher levels of arginine.
1. Legumes and nuts – this includes tree nuts
2. Oysters and clams (most shell-fish)
3. Cocoa and chocolate
4. Oats and wheat
5. Seeds such as sunflower and sesame
Most vegetables are neutral because they contain nearly equal amounts of both lysine and arginine. Squash, carrots and rutabagas are three vegetables to watch though.
Avoiding the above foods will help, but may not be healthy for many people. Increasing your lysine intake will often accomplish the same results by flooding the cells with lysine.
If you get frequent cold sores, try adding more of these high lysine foods to your diet.
1. Dairy products – cheese, yogurt and milk (especially Wisconsin dairy products)
2. Fish – particularly Flounder. Flounder is amazingly rich in lysine – the highest of any known food.
3. Apples – always great no matter what ails you
4. Chicken, eggs, beef – but not pork
It may be impossible for you to change your diet in any way. Perhaps you don’t eat meat. Maybe you are allergic to dairy.
The best solution for you – and most people – is lysine supplements. Most people that use lysine as a cold sore treatment prefer 500 milligram lysine capsules. Capsules dissolve quickly.
Lysine is an inexpensive supplement found anywhere you find vitamins.
Lysine is very safe, even in large doses. For example, if you eat one pound (454 grams) of Flounder, you will get the equivalent of about 28 lysine capsules.
Most people take about six to eight capsules per day – from the first indication of a new cold sore event until totally resolved.
Lysine is a powerful cold sore treatment. Many folks use this therapy – and nothing more – with great success.
Sometimes a cold sore treatment, such as this, will not work as well for you as someone else. Do not be disappointed.
You simply may have to search for additional remedies. But, lysine should be your base. It will help you a lot in fighting cold sores no matter what other cold sore treatment you use.

©2007 – Denny Bodoh

Cold sores are unsightly, contagious and very painful sores, normally occurring on the edge of the lip or nose.

Cold sores are created by the replication process of the herpes simplex virus type 1 or type 2. Current studies show that about 77% of cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex type 1 and about 23% by the type 2 version of this simplex virus.

Cold sores caused by either type of the herpes virus are identical. They both look the same, hurt the same, are just as contagious, and last about the same amount of weeks.

Cold sores will occur and reoccur in about the same location as the initial infection. For example, if your cold sore appears on your upper left lip, then this is the site of the original infection.

The virus that causes cold sores lives in the nerve cells. It will seek out the nearest nerve fibers at the site where the virus enters the body. That herpes virus will make a home in that particular nerve fiber for the rest of your life.

Now don’t be fooled. You can be infected several times in different locations. If another cold sore appears on your lower right lip, this is a different infection and you now have located another “family” of the cold sore virus living in another nerve fiber.

When you have a cold sore, keep in mind that you are not only very contagious to others, but to other locations on your own body too. Cold sores can appear anywhere on the body where the virus found a crack in the protective skin layer.

The herpes simplex virus normally is in hibernation farther down the nerve fibers from the surface. If you get a cold sore on your upper left lip, chances are this virus is hiding in the nerve ganglia near your left ear.

Your body defenses create cold sore anti-bodies each time you have a cold sore outbreak. These anti-bodies surround and help keep the herpes virus asleep.

Should there be some stress in another part of your body, these defenses may weaken and the cold sore virus will snatch the opportunity to move to the surface and create new viruses.

The herpes simplex virus cannot reproduce itself. The virus will enter a nerve cell and force the cell to clone copies of itself. When the cell becomes full of new virus, the original virus will destroy the cell to release all the new clones.

This destruction of millions of cells in a close area create those hideous open cold sores.

The open cold sore would be painful enough, but it is even more so because the herpes virus creates the cold sore right on the end of that nerve fiber. The pain is quite similar to a dentist hitting a nerve.

The most common way of infecting others with cold sores is kissing. Doting relatives and friends usually infect children before they are seven.

Remember, you are contagious from the first tingle until about two days after complete healing.

Cold sore sufferers will many times create a new area of infection on their body with contaminated fingers or towels. The fluid that weeps from cold sores is teaming with fresh virus looking for a new home.

If you have a cut on your finger and you get even one virus in that cut, you will likely get cold sores on your finger.

The body will naturally cure your cold sores without any special cold sore treatment but it often takes three to four weeks. A long time to be socially sidelined and feeling poorly.

There are many over-the-counter and prescription treatments for cold sores. The best and quickest relief comes from topical treatments – a salve or ointment that you put directly on the cold sore.

There are some prescription pills that are available but these are generally slow acting, giving no immediate relief for the cold sore sufferer. For the most part, oral remedies from the drug companies have been dismal failures.

Many people have reported great success with oral doses of the amino acid Lysine. Recommended dosage is 1000 mg. twice a day during the cold sores outbreak and 500 mg. per day between cold sores.

Ice is still the most universal and readily available cold sore treatment. Put ice cubes in a zipper type plastic bag and you’ll avoid a lot of mess. Ice reduces swelling, deadens the pain, and helps discourage the cold sores virus.

And applying ice at the first sign of a cold sore often prevents the cold sore from actually occurring or shortens the life-span of your cold sores.

WHAT ARE COLD SORES?
Cold sores interrupt your life and usually appear at the worst possible times. They are quite unsightly and uncomfortable.
Cold sores, fever blisters or oral herpes are three names for the same thing. They commonly appear on the border of the lip or nose but can form anywhere on your body where the herpes simplex virus can get through the skin.
The herpes simplex virus is the root cause of all cold sores (fever blisters, oral herpes). The herpes virus creates the sores as a side effect of creating new virus particles.
When the virus first invades your body, it will claim a nerve fiber near the entry area and reside in that fiber for life. All cold sores created by this virus family will appear at the surface end of that nerve fiber.
WHAT CAUSES COLD SORES?
When dormant, the herpes simplex virus hides in the root cells of that nerve. If and when it becomes active, it will squirm along the nerve to the surface and drill into the nerve cells there.
The herpes virus cannot create its own offspring. It needs the nerve cells to do so. When the virus enters a cell, it takes control and forces it to produce new virus clones. The herpes simplex virus is truly a parasite.
You will notice swelling of the target area as the cells fill up. Once the cells reach maximum capacity, the controlling virus destroys the victim cells and all the new virus spills out.
The open cold sore ulcer is the result of this massive cell destruction. These cold sores are exceedingly painful because you now have exposed nerve endings.
ARE COLD SORES CONTAGIOUS?
The herpes simplex is a very small sub-microscopic particle. It is aggressively contagious and can enter the body through even the tiniest crack in the skin. You are contagious from the first sign until the final healing redness disappears.
Please use every caution with your cold sores. Kissing passes on most cold sores. Contaminated fingers also spread cold sores. Most children catch the herpes virus before they are 12.
You can easily spread cold sores to just about anywhere on your body. Sores on finger tips, arms and cheeks are not uncommon. Folks that get these claim they are a lot more painful than the normal lip cold sore.
Getting a cold sore in your eye can cause serious vision damage.
The herpes simplex virus is so contagious and tough that about 90% of the people on earth over 12 carry it. Around 65% of these folks will get one or more cold sores per year.
This virus does its damage only on the surface where you can easily cleanse and apply a cold sore treatment of your choice. The herpes virus, as far as we know presently, does not travel or create damage internally.
HOW DO I GET RID OF COLD SORES?
Stress is the primary trigger that activates the herpes simplex virus. When you encounter stress, your body gears up for battle, your hormones change and your pH balance drops into the acid zone. The herpes virus loves an acid environment.
Your body will heal your cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes outbreaks without any help from you. But it often takes three to four weeks. With a good cold sore treatment plan, you can cut this time in half.
Your best choices for cold sore treatment are still the natural home remedies. They still work better than anything the drug companies have come up with so far.
Some of the most proven cold sore treatment remedies are lysine, zinc and garlic. These can and should be used both internally (supplements) and as topical treatments. Continual cleansing of the area with alcohol or peroxide is very important also.
Cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes really hurt your social life. And they are tough to deal with. But with what you have just learned, you now have a great advantage in the cold sore battle.
With a little experimenting, you will develop your own cold sore treatment plan and enjoy much more freedom in your life.

Are you searching for a good cold sore treatment? Thousands of cold sore folks like you and I are every day.
Well, do not spend your hard-earned money before you read about this powerful cold sore treatment 3-step plan. It is a home remedy that provides amazing relief, without having to buy some “secret” formula.
There are a lot of over-the-counter and prescription cold sore treatment products that claim to be the latest and greatest miracle. You buy one and try it, and, again, you are disappointed.
Truth is, most cold sore treatment products you find in stores are mainly comfort remedies. Nothing wrong with that – doing whatever you can to reduce the pain and discomfort while the cold sore is healing.
And even the prescription drugs that you read about in the papers have a very poor track record for reducing the length of the cold sore event. Studies show that the best of these may reduce the cold sore period by a few days. No big deal when they last three to four weeks.
If you could find a cold sore treatment plan that would give you maximum comfort, while cutting the healing time by a week or more – would that not be great?
You can do that right now.
But, quickly, let us first look at what we are dealing with.
The root cause of cold sores, fever blisters, or oral herpes is an infestation of the herpes simplex virus. This parasite virus lives in your nerve cells and is usually dormant. For cold sores, which occur mainly on the face, the herpes virus hides in the nerve ganglia under or behind your ear on the same side as your cold sore outbreak.
When this virus senses a weakness in your immune system, it will grab the opportunity to replicate. To do so, the cold sore virus will travel to the end of the nerve where it is living – ending up on the surface of your lip or nose. During the replication process, a hoard of new herpes virus is created. Millions of your cells are destroyed in this process, creating an open wound right on the end of a nerve. Ouch!
Now you need an effective cold sore treatment.
If you are vigilant, you can stop the replication process, wipe out millions of viruses, and send the remaining virus back into hibernation. And it is amazing how quickly your cold sore will heal once you have removed the cold sore virus from the area.
What cold sore treatment can do this?
Plain ice or another cold object, such as a can of soda.
Seems too simple, right?
But ice is a very good cold sore treatment. It reduces swelling, heat and pain and chases the cold sore virus away. Ice, or similar, is free and available just about anywhere you might be when you suddenly feel a cold sore coming on. Put the ice in a plastic bag for less mess.
But, you must act quickly, at the first inkling of a cold sore. Even a couple hours delay can mean you will get a full-blown cold sore that could last 3 weeks or more.
Yes, as soon as you can, apply some cold object to it.
No matter how far along your cold sore, ice is a very good cold sore treatment. It can reduce the cold sore event by 35% or more. It will also work with, and boost, any other treatment, whether oral or topical.
A great virus killer for surface use is alcohol. It can sting, if you have not numbed it with ice first, but it is the gold standard for keeping a wound clean and reducing infections. Use a cotton ball or tissue to apply it. You do not want to contaminate your fingers and spread it to someone else or to another location on yourself.
To speed healing even faster, try using some fresh sap from the Aloe Vera plant leaf. Just break off an inch or so of a leaf and apply the sap to the wound. Be sure to use the alcohol, or some other germ killer first. Aloe can heal right over an infection.
Also, do not waste your time on bottled Aloe Vera. It just does not have the healing power. Get a live plant for home – they are available nearly anywhere. Every household should have one. Aloe Vera is useful for a great many things besides a cold sore treatment.
There you have it – one of my favorite cold sore treatment plans in a nutshell. It is a powerful plan you can use right this minute to heal that cold sore.
Yes, it is quite simple but it is a well proven and powerful three-step cold sore treatment.