Cold sores are very painful. And, they can also be very embarrassing. This is why, when you are suffering from them, you want to know how to treat cold sores. There are many options for treatment, but the best option is to avoid picking at the blisters because this only makes the blisters spread. In order to get fast relief, you need to know how to treat cold sores. And, what are the best treatments?
If you are looking for medications to help treat your cold sore, you may be surprised that over-the-counter products are not your only options. Over-the-counter medications are usually designed to help reduce the pain associated with the blister, and they do this by numbing the area around the sore. However, some people find these ointments and creams just as uncomfortable and don’t feel as helpful as they did before. Also, over-the-counter medications can be quite expensive, which means that you could spend more than you need to if you choose to use them. Plus, many over-the-counter medicines can cause unpleasant side effects that might make the cold sore worse, rather than better.
When you are looking for medications to treat your cold sores, you may also be surprised that there is no cure for the virus itself. Once the blisters become open and the viral infection moves into the deeper stages of healing, there is not much you can do to stop it. But, there are things you can do to slow down the progress of the virus and shorten the healing process. These steps can help increase your chances of achieving fast healing.
There are many possible triggers for the virus, including stress and environmental factors. A major cause of blisters is exposure to chemicals such as latex, which is often used in the making of makeup, because it contains a substance called thimerosal. Also, alcohol and spicy foods are known to trigger outbreaks. People who have weak immune systems are particularly susceptible to catching the cold sore bug. People with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk of contracting the virus, so they should always have a healthy immune system.
If you want to know how to treat cold sores, you first need to understand the causes of the disease. Once you know why the blisters form, you can find ways to decrease the symptoms that come along with them. If you find that stress or other triggers are the cause of your outbreaks, then you can take steps to reduce your stress level or learn to cope better with stressors. You can also take supplements that contain vitamins and minerals that will help improve your immune system and hopefully slow down the severity of your outbreaks.
In a recent study published in Clinical Infectology, researchers found that a certain type of lemon balm was extremely effective in reducing the number and severity of cold sore outbreaks. The study found that the extract from lemon balm significantly reduced the number of blisters by almost fifty percent. When researchers tested the extract on herpes simplex viruses, they found that the extract was equally effective in treating the virus. Lemon balm has been known to treat fever blisters for hundreds of years, so it has an effective track record for treating cold sores. More studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this herbal remedy for herpes, but people with herpes are definitely better off using this extract than using expensive prescription creams or antiviral medications. Even if you decide not to take advantage of the lemon balm treatment, you will still benefit from taking a daily vitamin C supplement to boost your immune system.