Get Rid of Cold Sores

Alternative Remedies

Although cold sore medicines can provide some relief to sufferers, the combination of proving to be no more effective than some natural remedies, high cost and risk of side effects means that many sufferers turn to alternative treatments to get rid of cold sores. Most sufferers experience a tingling sensation in the infected area that signals that the herpes simplex virus has become reactivated, and although it is too late to prevent the cold sore appearing in most cases, early action can pay off.

While much is made of the action of illness or stress in provoking a new attack, it is also true that lowering stress levels and getting a good night’s sleep can help give the immune system the boost it needs to fight herpes simplex, thereby shortening the overall healing time. Methods for stress relief include taking mild but regular exercise. Such as walking for 30 minutes every day, but stretching, yoga and meditation can all help. Finally, following a good diet will strengthen your immune system, and so if you aren’t eating enough fresh fruit and veg and eating too much saturated fat and sugar, now might be a good time to start.

Aromatherapy

Alternative treatments for getting rid of cold sores include aromatherapy. Practitioners claim that the healing process is accelerated by the application of volatile plant oils and essential oils, such as rose, tea tree, geranium, lemon balm and bergamot offer psychological and physical benefits to patients; the aroma stimulates the brain, while the constituents of the oil are drawn into the lungs and absorbed by the body. However, aromatherapy has many critics and there have been no scientific studies undertaken that provide evidence that it works.

Food Therapy

One area that does have hard scientific data to back it up is food therapy, and research dating back to the 1950s shows that diet can have an impact on both triggering an outbreak and healing the lesions. It is likely that the presence of specific essential amino acids in food are the cause; these are amino acids that the body is unable to produce for itself and since they are essential to the healthy function of the body must be ingested.

One essential amino acid associated with healing cold sores is lysine, which is found naturally in yogurt, but foods that are rich in arginine have been shown to trigger cold sores; arginine is found in nuts and chocolate. It is therefore advisable for cold sore sufferers to avoid these foods, particularly during an outbreak.

Herbal Therapy

In Europe it is common to treat cold sores with an ointment made from lemon balm, which belongs to the mint family. The flower tops and leaves possess anti-viral properties, making them useful for treating cold sores, and they are also antiseptic, helping to prevent secondary infections. Unfortunately this ointment is difficult to find in the United States, but washing the lesions with a strong lemon balm tea produces a similar effect.

Ice

One popular home remedy that is available in just about every home is the application of ice to the affected area. As soon as the tingling sensation is felt, an icepack should be applied for up to thirty minutes. It is probable that the cooling action of the ice prevents the virus from replicating, minimizing the effects of the outbreak, and some people claim it prevents the blister from appearing at all.

Although medications can provide rapid relief to many people, they are not always effective and can be expensive compared with other cold sore remedies. By testing different cold sore treatments and monitoring the results you’ll soon find what works for you and what doesn’t. There are a great deal of natural cold sore treatments that people have had varying degrees of success with, but the only comprehensive test that we are away of was conducted by Grace Melgarejo, who suffered severe cold sores for several years and tried many different treatments before finding how she could reduce her attackes to just three days.

While many people insist on trial and error to find what works best for you, Grace Melgarejo tried all the remedies she heard of after suffering acute cold sores for seven years. She has written a book with a cold sore treatment strategy designed to rid you of cold sores in three days. It is available as an instant download, so you can start using Grace’s treatments immediately.

Click here for more on Grace's cold sore treatment strategies