What Should You Know About Cold Sores and Fever Blisters?

Amazingly tough is the virus that causes cold sores and fever blisters. This virus has survived when many other ancient diseases have disappeared. Today, the Center for Disease Control tells us that about 89% of the people on Earth are infected with this virus.

Cold sores and fever blisters are produced by the herpes simplex virus - both type 1 or type 2 strains. Many viruses come and go but the herpes virus is with you for life. It is a very tough virus, having survived nearly unchanged for over 2150 years.

Yes - this is a lifetime virus, but it is not life threatening. The great news is that it is usually latent - hiding in the nerve cells. Over a third of those that carry the herpes virus will never get a cold sore or fever blister. The rest of us will get about two cold sore blossoms every year.

Part of the reason this virus has survived for so long is because it is so easily spread to other people or to other sites on your own body. Direct contact is the most common way cold sores and fever blisters are spread. Kissing or contaminated fingers account for most new infections.

Perhaps you have seen a person with a cold sore covering most of the lip. This is not one cold sore but multiple sores caused by careless treatment of the first one. A cold sore on the lip will heal without a trace. Not so if you get the virus in your eye. Then you will quite likely incur permanent scarring of the cornea.

Responsible care of your cold sore is very simple and will greatly reduce the chance of creating new sores on yourself or your family. Never touch the sore with your bare fingers, no matter how much it itches. A cold sore is most contagious from the initial tingling until totally healed.

Alcohol or hydrogen peroxide are excellent ways to keep the cold sore area (and your fingers) sterile. Keep cotton balls, swabs, or tissues handy for this purpose. Use throw-away paper towels, like the cloth-like Viva, instead of cotton facial or hand towels.

Prevention of cold sores and fever blisters, of course, is the ideal solution. Then the risk of spreading is almost zero. Best of all, you do not have to suffer the pain and embarrassment in public. Let us take a look at a couple really easy ways to prevent them that have proven to work well.

If you are serious about preventing cold sores, the first thing you should do is start taking an excellent quality nutritional supplement. Your stress will be greatly reduced and your immune system will be much stronger and more able to resist the cold sore virus.

Lysine is reputed to be an effective cold sore treatment as well as a possible preventative. It does work very well when used orally, but is not too effective put directly on the sore. A therapeutic dosage during (or just prior to) a cold sore event is usually 1000 milligrams to 4000 milligrams daily. A maintenance regimen would be about 500 milligrams per day.

As you have seen, the root cause of cold sores and fever blisters is the herpes simplex virus - either type 1 or type 2. They are extremely contagious, uncomfortable and embarrassing. Care must be taken not to spread to others or other parts of your own body.

Besides continuously disinfecting the sore with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, you should be taking a daily dose of vitamin supplements. The vitamins and minerals will reduce your stress, help build up your immune system, and hopefully prevent future cold sores and fever blisters.

Article Source: http://www.exclusive-article.com

Author, Denny Bodoh, knows cold sores. If you hate cold sores as much as he does, visit his wild and popular web site to find one amazing cold sore cure after another.

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