Cold Sores Home Remedies from Canada

(To the left is a picture of the Herpes Simplex Virus from a scanning electron microscope)

A cold sore is a blister on the skin, usually around the mouth, that is the primary (and usually the only) symptom of an outbreak of the Herpes Simplex Type 1 virus (aka “HSV-1″).  Something to point out is that oral herpes (cold sores) can be caused by either HSV-1  or HSV-2 (HSV-1 is much more common), and genital herpes is typically caused by HSV-2 (although it, too, can be caused by HSV-1), although gential herpes resulting from HSV-1 infection is only about

documented). The old saying that “If it’s below the waist it’s HSV-2, if it’s above the waist it’s HSV-1″ no longer holds true all of the time, although it’s still accurate in the majority of cases.

Oral herpes (aka “herpes labialis”) is the most common form of herpes, genital herpes is the second most common.  Herpes cycles between periods of active disease that last 2-21 days where there are blisters on the skin containing infectious virus particles, followed by a remission period–this is the state the virus is in the great majority of the time. During remission the virus resides only in sensory nerve cells in its latent form where it will remain for the rest of the infected individual’s life. over time the frequency of active disease lessens.

Oral herpes is most often transmitted when there are visible sores on the person’s face, however the period immediately before a cold sore emerges is a stage during which the person is asymptomatically (asymptomatic means “without symptoms”) shedding the virus and is therefore capable of infecting other people even though there are no outward signs of the disease.

Vaccines for Cold Sores?

No cure or vaccine is currently available, although vaccines of varying effectiveness are currently in phase III clinical trials. (See: Wikipedia – Herpes Vaccines)

A Funny Thing About Herpes (if herpes could ever be funny, that is)

The odd thing is that contracting herpes causes an immune response called seroconversion from the body which releases antibodies to that specific strain of HSV which will thereby prevent an infection by that

reduce the symptoms of a later HSV-2 infection (i.e. genital herpes), and most indications are that an HSV-2 infection will immunize that person against HSV-1, so if you get genital herpes odds are very good that you’re now immune to and cannot get oral herpes.

Is What I Have A Cold Sore Or A Canker Sore (they’re different)?

Orofacial infection (cold sores or oral herpes) is typically determined by clinical examination where the most common symptoms are multiple round superficial ulcers accompanied by acute gingivitis. Cases of non-typical appearance are more difficult to diagnose and an examiner will typically refer to what are known as “prodromal” symptoms–that is, symptoms that will typically occur prior to the onset of the disease–to differentiate HSV infection from other conditions with similar symptoms. for example, cold sores are often mistaken for canker sores and vice-versa, but they have distinctly different prodromal symptoms.

There are various lab tests that can be done such as skin biopsy, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), and DFA (direct fluorescent antibody) tests that produce highly sensitive and specific diagnoses, however their high costs and time constraints generally prevent their regular usage for diagnosing HSV. Antibody tests (aka serological tests) can be done but are not generally useful in a clinical setting due to the fact that they can’t distinguish between a genital and oral HSV infection and they can’t determine the site of infection on the body.

(To the left is a CANKER sore inside the lower lip – NOT a cold sore)

People often confuse cold sores with canker sores and this is a mistake, the two are not the same nor are they related in any way: canker sores are a form of oral ulcer the cause of which is unknown but they have been related to compromised immune systems, certain toothpastes containing sodium lauryl sulfate, and 30-40% of sufferers report a family history of canker sores. Go here for more information: Wikipedia Article on Canker Sores, aka Aphthous Ulcers. Note: canker sores almost always occur inside the mouth versus cold sores which are almost always outside the mouth around the lips.

How Not To Infect Loved Ones

When one partner has herpes simplex and the other does not, the use of anti-virals like acyclovir and valacyclovir by the infected person can reduce the odds of infecting their partner by up to 50%. it is believed asymptomatic HSV-2 viral shedding occurs on 10.8% of days per year in patients not undergoing antiviral treatment, versus 2.9% of days while on antiviral therapy. Source: Current Medical Research and Opinion, Volume 21, Number 10, October 2005 , pp. 1577-1582

Herpes Doesn’t Just Do Cold Sores – Potentially Dangerous?

Just something to keep in mind, research has a shown that the Herpes virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) can both potentially cause a range of other more serious health problems: “Other disorders such as herpetic whitlow, herpes gladiatorum, ocular herpes (keratitis), cerebral herpes infection encephalitis, Mollaret’s meningitis, neonatal herpes, and possibly Bell’s palsy are all caused by herpes simplex viruses.” Source – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_sore

Can You Ever Get Rid of the Herpes Virus?

In a word: no. Sorry. The herpes virus, after initial infection, recedes into the sensory nerve cells of the face where they remain latent until the next outbreak (usually months and sometimes years apart).  Over time the frequency of the outbreaks will reduce (initially the outbreaks may occur every few months, as time goes on the frequency will usually decrease to once every few years). Outbreaks typically last 2-21 days at a time, with about a week being average for most people.

What Does A Cold Sore Look Like? (Pictures of Cold Sores Included)

A cold sore outbreak is usually preceded by an itching and/or tingling sensation around the site of the future potential outbreak (usually around

to a small red bump which will further enlarge into pus-filled sores that will then break and ooze infectious fluid, dry up and crust over, and eventually go away. A fever, sore mouth, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes on the neck, and drooling in small children can accompany an outbreak. Here’s what cold sores look like:

Something My Friend Concocted…

My best experience with home remedies is with something concocted by Grace, a close friend of mine, and I must say that this cold sore treatment has worked every single time for me (often inside of 24 hours), and even more impressive is I’ve seen it work on about 25 other people she’s tried it on, with very good consistency. She was so enthusiastic about her discovery that she has decided to turn it into an e-book, so I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I didn’t try to help her out a bit on my blog. One of the first women that we “experimented” on (she’s our close friend and was glad to give it a go), was Gretchen, who occasionally crosses the border from Wisconsin to come visit us, look at what she said:

“Grace,

I wanted to get a note to you to thank you for the information in your ebook. I must admit I was very skeptical when I read your instructions, but you were right on the money. My double bout with cold sores was gone after only 6 days. The best part of this entire program has been that to this point (3 months later), the cold sores have not returned. I can hardly believe it – thanks so much!”

Gretchen Rhodes, 47
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Please go have a look at my friend Grace’s solution for the matter here: Cold Sore Freedom: Cold Sores Cured in 3 Days–I’ve personally tried this and it is currently my favorite method of handling my cold sores, and it’s not because it’s necessarily the fastest (I’ve found that if I drain, wash, and apply nail polish remover to a cold sore several times a day while keeping an ice cube on it the WHOLE day, about 50% of the time it’ll be gone in about 2 days, but it’s unreliable at best and you can’t do ANYTHING else that day but attend to your cold sore). It’s because it works EVERY TIME, often within the first 24 hours–3 days is more like the unlikely maximum, you’re much more likely to see it gone within 24 hours or so–and it only requires a few minutes of your time every day, so I highly recommend you give it a chance and if it doesn’t work then just get your money back, no harm no foul we’re all still friends, ok?

Further Reading and Additional Resources:

Wikipedia Article on Herpes

WebMD Article on Cold Sores (covers symptoms, exams and tests, treatments, home treatments, and other places to get help).

Mayo Clinic Article on Cold Sores (covers definition, symptoms, causes, when to seek medical advice, complications, treatments and drugs).