What is a cold sore? Cold sores are little blisters and sores that appear on the lips and mouth and are caused by a virus called herpes simplex.

What Causes Cold Sores?

You probably have heard that stress, fever and cold weather are causes of cold sores. Yes, a cold sore often appears during these events. But, these are just cold sore triggers. The actual causes are not quite that simple.

First, keep in mind that the herpes simplex virus is the parasite virus that causes all cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes outbreaks (three names for the same thing). Over 89% of folks on the planet carry this virus all their lives.

The herpes virus prefers to live in your nerve fibers and makes its lifetime home there. Normally it is latent and hiding. When the right conditions present themselves, it will activate and move to the surface to replicate.

This virus cannot create its own kind. Like a true parasite, it forces your cells to create the new virus. Each virus particle enters a single cell on your lip or nose and takes control.

Once the cell is full of new virus, the controlling virus destroys it to release new virus hoards. This explosion of many cells creates the gaping cold sore ulcer. It is very painful since it occurs on the end of the nerve.

Below are the top conditions or causes of cold sores in most people. If you can keep them under control, you will have very few - if any - cold sore outbreaks.

1. LOW PH BALANCE

Your pH is a measure of the acid or alkaline state of your body. On a scale of 1 through 14, 7 is neutral. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline. The preferred level for best health is slightly alkaline at about 7.35 on the pH scale.

When in an alkaline state, your cells are rich in oxygen and very resistant to all viruses - including cold sores.

Stress, illness, injury and cold weather are some of the triggers that cause your body to drop into an acid state below 7. This reduces your serum oxygen and makes you less resistant to cold sore attack.

Food choices can also contribute a lot to an acid condition in your body. These include carbonated drinks, pork, white flour, alcohol and pickled foods. Green vegetables will contribute to a healthy alkaline condition.

The vitamin stores have supplements and powders to help keep you alkaline. Many folks swear by these for their optimum health. Give them a try - especially if you have severe and frequent cold sore events.

2. AMINO ACIDS - ARGININE AND LYSINE

Arginine is a common protein and one of the main causes of cold sores.

Arginine is the primary building block needed to create new herpes simplex virus. Without an ample supply of this protein, your cells cannot create herpes virus.

Your cells store arginine in special receptor areas within the cell. Lysine is another similar protein that shares the same storage receptors.

The good news - your cells cannot create herpes virus with lysine protein. Increasing your intake of lysine saturates your cells and forces out excess arginine. This, in effect, starves the herpes virus and sends it back into hiding.

This tactic is especially noticeable during a cold sore event. It often stops a cold sore dead in its tracks.

Eating more lysine foods - and less arginine foods - can be quite effective. However, most folks find lysine supplements the best way to go. They are cheap, safe and very convenient. Normal dosage during an outbreak is about 4000 milligrams daily.

3. MULTI-VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are also one of the main causes of cold sores. This is quite common actually. Our foods today contain less than half the nutrients of 50 years ago - as proven in hundreds of research studies.

Vitamins and minerals are critical to a healthy body and strong immune system - able to fight off another herpes attack.

Look for high levels of B and C vitamins. These are the stress vitamins that help you cope better with any stress you may encounter. Your body burns these up quickly so you must replenish them daily.

Calcium and zinc are key minerals in the battle against cold sore infection. Zinc destroys virus. Calcium is the main mineral used by your body to maintain an alkaline nature. Get at least 1000 milligrams of calcium daily.

Of all these causes of cold sores, you can see that it boils down to your pH balance, proper nutrient intake and starving the cold sore virus.

I hope that this article helps you identify what is a cold sore and what causes cold sores, so you can enjoy a cold sore free life too.

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Cold sore home remedies normally work much better than the drug store varieties. And you pay little or nothing for these time-proven strategies.

The big drug companies would prefer that you continue using their expensive products. But you will never need to again with this great showcase of cold sore home remedies.

In recent years, thanks to the internet, we have learned quite a few new home remedies for cold sores - from every corner of the world. Some are very simple and provide great results. A few are a little more complicated and must be used correctly to achieve success.

Listed below, you will discover some of the best home remedy for cold sores that you can count on to consistently clear your cold sores. Also, now you will know exactly how to get the best results for your specific needs.

Maybe you are using one of them now with success. Good. But you may find much better or faster relief by trying something different or combining one of these with your current remedy.

- CO-Q 10 - A very powerful supplement for your total health. Helps to greatly increase healing oxygen to your cells. Use the form called Q-Gel in high absorption soft-gels. Take internally every day. Cut open and apply the liquid directly to the sore area for fast results.

- FLOUNDER - Many have reported eating one pound of steamed flounder in a single day and totally wiping out their cold sores. The key here - flounder is extremely high in lysine. Flounder has about 14,000 mg. (14 grams) of body-ready lysine per pound.

- SAGE and GINGER - A paste or tea made from sage and ginger, applied frequently with a cotton ball, often clears up sores quickly. If you can find sage and ginger in a herbal tea bag, just wet it and hold it to the sore.

- CLEAR NAIL POLISH - You can apply to the area before the outbreak - when it first starts itching - to stop a cold sore in its tracks. The polish will peal off naturally in a day or two.

- ZINC - Known as the healing mineral, zinc is powerful against cold sores. Your daily multi-vitamin usually includes a small amount of zinc. For better therapy, suck on zinc lozenges. Applying zinc directly to the sore helps if you use zinc sulfate or gluconate.

- ALCOHOL - A great universal antiseptic for keeping the area as sterile as possible. It also helps prevent secondary bacterial infections. Use a cotton ball or swab to protect your fingers from contamination and spreading the sore. Throw-away alcohol pads are available and very handy for work or travel.
- HONEY - No germ or fungus can survive in honey. Antiviral, antifungal, antibiotic - honey is excellent to put on your sore when nothing else works. Honey has been used thousands of years for treating wounds.

- GARLIC OIL - Garlic is considered one of the most powerful universal healers known. It has been reputed to cure any viral, bacterial or fungal disease. Best results will be seen with both internal and external combined treatment. Gel-caps can be cut open for topical use.

These are but a small sampling of the many amazing home remedy for cold sores

Although these treatments work for the vast majority of people, individually they may not all work the same for you. By experimenting, researching and combining various proven methods, you will be able to design your own arsenal of cold sore home remedies They may seem simple, but they are very powerful - often beating commercial treatments.

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Is getting rid of cold sores a problem? In a couple minutes you will know howto get rid of a cold sore, fever blisters and oral herpes using medically sound and well proven home remedies.

Knowing how to get rid of cold sores correctly can be a real blessing at times. But use caution. People will try to talk you into believing their secret formula is the best answer to how to get rid of cold sores.

We hope this one will be the magic cure. And we again are disappointed.

If you truly want to know how to get rid of cold sores, then it is best you first are aware of what creates a cold sore. Then these cold sore remedies will make much more sense to you.

The cause of all oral herpes outbreaks (also known as a cold sore or fever blister) is the herpes simplex virus. Herpes type 1 is most common, but it could be type 2. Both types create similar sores.

The herpes virus is highly contagious. Just about everyone in the world carries it - close to 90% of the population. When first entering your body, the herpes virus chooses a close-by nerve fiber as its home and will remain there for life.

For the most part, the herpes virus remains latent and does not cause sores. A third of the people with this virus will never develop a cold sore. The other two-thirds will usually get one or more sores per year.

When stress occurs in your life, your immunity becomes depressed. The herpes virus scurries along the nerve fiber, using it as a highway to the surface. There it will take control of millions of cells and turn them into virus factories.

Now swollen and jam-packed with new virus copies, the cells break open to release them. All these millions of broken cells create the oral herpes cold sore you see.

Healing now requires the creation of millions of new cells to replace those that were lost in the replication process.

Your speed of healing will depend on your health and available proteins and other nutrients for building the new cells. These include vitamins and minerals - and amino acids.

If you are here to learn how to get rid of a cold sore currently pestering you, I can help. But, in the process, you will likely find it is easy to prevent future cold sore outbreaks as well.

1. YOUR FIRST SIGN OF A COMING COLD SORE ATTACK

Hours before a cold sore appears, you will feel the virus moving to the surface as a tingling, burning or itching sensation. Treating the target area in a timely manner often delays or discourages the oral herpes cold sore from fully developing.

Apply cold as soon as possible. Ice is available anywhere and usually free. The sooner you apply ice, the better the chance of stopping the cold sore cold.

2. SANITIZING THE COLD SORE

Our body knows full well how to get rid of cold sores and protect itself. You will notice the sore constantly weeps a thick fluid to remove virus particles and cleanse the sore.

Now you can really help and speed up this process.

Cleaning the cold sore often with throwaway alcohol or peroxide soaked tissues will encourage healing by getting rid of the virus quickly.

3. REPLACING THE DAMAGED COLD SORE CELLS

Ice is a great way to reduce pain and swelling at the beginning, but using it now will slow down healing. At this point, you want to use warm, moist heat. This will greatly speed up the repair of your cold sore ulcer.

Hot tea bags are perfect for this cold sore treatment. Black tea bags are cheap and convenient. Tea also provides micro-nutrients that aid in cell protection and repair. Use once and throw away.

Don't heat the tea bags in a microwave. The radiation destroys the power of the healing properties of tea. Only use hot water to warm up the tea bag. 10 to 20 minute sessions will give best results.

If you are getting rid of cold sores, I believe these methods give you a strong foundation. Keep searching and trying new things. By doing so, you will discover the best ways how to get rid of cold sores in your life.

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There are a limited number of antiviral drugs available suitoable for cold sore medication. The first antiviral medication developed to treat herpes was Acyclovir and it remains one of the most commonly prescribed antiviral agents.

The major drugs developed to work against herpes simplex virus (HSV) and used for  cold sore treatments are antiviral agents called nucleotide analogues, which block viral reproduction. They include acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), famciclovir (Famvir).

The antiviral medications available in pill form have been specifically developed for the treatment of genital herpes. Antiviral medications may significantly lessen the severity of a primary outbreak and reduce the time it takes genital herpes outbreaks to heal. The medication also decreases the number of days of painful symptoms and for some people, the number of days you can spread the virus.

Antiviral cold sore medication is most effective if it is taken when you first notice the prodromal symptoms (tingling and pain) of a recurrent genital herpes outbreak and if they are taken for the next 5 to 7 days or until symptoms go away. Some people with frequent recurrent outbreaks (more than 6 recurrences a year) take antiviral medication every day (suppressive therapy) to help reduce the frequency and duration of recurrent outbreaks.

Mechanism of action
Antiviral cold sore medicine agents reduce viral replication by inhibiting viral DNA synthesis, needed to reproduce itself. This helps to keep the virus inactive.

Approved indications and uses

Acyclovir is indicated for:

• treatment of initial episodes and the management of recurrent episodes of genital herpes
• treatment of acute herpes zoster (shingles)
• treatment of chickenpox (varicella)

Valacyclovir is indicated for:

• treatment or suppression of genital herpes and for the suppression of recurrent genital herpes
• reduction of transmission of genital herpes
• treatment of herpes zoster
• treating a cold sore (herpes labialis)

Famciclovir is indicated for:

• treatment or suppression of recurrent genital herpes
• treatment of acute herpes zoster

Efficacy
Clinical studies have not found any significant differences in effectiveness among the three medications. All are quite safe, very rarely producing any side effects at all. For the treatment of first genital herpes infections, oral acyclovir or valacyclovir is preferable to famciclovir. The efficacy of famciclovir for initial episode genital herpes infection has not been established.

Intravenous acyclovir is used to treat serious flare-ups or outbreaks that effect internal organs.

Side effects
All these agents are well tolerated and have excellent safety records. Possible side effects from oral agents include nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, tremor, and very rarely, seizures. They can effect the kidney, however, and people with kidney problems should use them with caution and at lower doses. Intravenous administration increases the risk for kidney problems and can cause blood clots at the injection site. In rare cases, it can cause central nervous system complications.

Pharmacological properties
Acyclovir has poor bioavailability of about 20% and a short half-life, which requires frequent dosing. Acyclovir speeds healing of lesions and suppress viral shedding if taken within 24 hours of the first indication of a recurrent episode. Early treatment may even prevent the development of lesions in some people.

Valacyclovir provides a unique mechanism of enhancing the oral bioavailability of the parent compound, acyclovir. Valacyclovir is a prodrug converted to acyclovir in the intestine and liver. It has better bioavailability (about 55%) and has a longer duration of action than acyclovir. Thus, valacyclovir requires less frequent dosing than acyclovir. Valacyclovir is most effective if taken within 24 hours of the first signs of an outbreak.

Famciclovir is a prodrug for the active metabolite penciclovir. Famciclovir is converted into its active compound within the infected cell by contact with an enzyme from the virus. It has high bioavailability of 77%. It remains active in the body longer than acyclovir (half the dose is still active after 10 to 20 hours) and, like valacyclovir, requires less frequent dosing (usually two or three times a day). It is most effective if taken within six hours of onset of symptoms.

Both Famciclovir and valacyclovir have greater oral bioavailability that acyclovir. Famciclovir and valacyclovir, which are better absorbed by the body, can be taken less often than acyclovir. The simpler dosing schedule of famciclovir and valacyclovir, allows patients more convenient dosing regimens with less interruption of their activities of daily living.

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