Cold Sore Facts - What Are Cold Sores And How To Beat Them
If you have questions about cold sores, read this short article now. You will quickly see what cold sores are and what damage they can do to you.
WHAT IS A COLD SORE?
Cold sores really interfere with our lives. Painful and unsightly, cold sores greatly affect your personal and social life.
These herpes infections have several names - cold sores, fever blisters, or oral herpes - but they are all the same. They occur and reoccur where the virus first entered the body. The lip is the most common infection point.
Herpes simplex virus, either type 1 or type 2, produces all cold sores. It is a very damaging virus, as you will see.
When this virus first infects you, it will choose a nerve set nearest its entry point. It will reside in that nerve for life. All cold sores caused by this virus family will be in the same location every time - on the end of that nerve.
WHAT CAUSES COLD SORES?
Most of the time this herpes virus will sleep in the root cells of its home nerve. If it becomes active, it will wiggle to the surface through the nerve and drill into your surface nerve cells.
Unlike bacteria, the herpes virus can’t reproduce its own kind. In parasite fashion, the herpes virus enters your nerve cells and forces them to become virus factories.
As the cells fill up they balloon causing visible swelling of the cold sore site. The control virus will destroy the cell when it is full or exhausted. This will spill out hoards of new herpes virus.
When the herpes virus annihilates many cells, you end up with an open wound called a cold sore. Painful they are because you now have exposed nerve endings.
HOW CONTAGIOUS ARE COLD SORES?
The herpes simplex virus is an extremely tiny living particle. It enters the body through soft tissue - like lips - or through cracks in the skin. You are very contagious from the first itching until the final healing redness is gone.
Kissing is the most common way to infect others. Contaminated fingers can cause new cold sore sites on you and others too. Please be very cautious. Sterilize the wound and your hands constantly.
You can spread the cold sore to any place on your body. You can get cold sores on your fingers, arm or cheek if the virus gets through a crack or other sore to the soft tissue. These can be more painful than common lip sores.
Watch out for your eyes. People do get cold sores in the eyes and it can cause permanent damage.
About 90% of the people on earth carry this durable and contagious herpes virus. Approximately two-thirds of these folks will get at least one cold sore every 12 months.
WHAT CAN I DO TO GET RID OF COLD SORES?
The most common trigger activating the herpes simplex virus is stress. When you have stress, your body prepares to deal with it. This causes a change in hormones and a drop in your pH toward the acid side. Herpes loves an acid body.
Your body knows how to heal cold sores and oral herpes without a bit of help from you. But it can take three to four weeks. A good, natural cold sore treatment plan can cut the duration time by 70%.
You will find the greatest success in fighting cold sores with natural home-type cold sore treatment remedies. They have proven to out-perform prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies - and for much less money.
Lysine, garlic oil and zinc are three of the top choices in cold sore treatment today. Lysine and zinc are best taken as supplements, but all three can benefit you if put directly on the cold sore too.
It is critical for you to keep sterilizing the cold sore area with alcohol or peroxide - using cotton balls or tissues.
Oral herpes cold sores definitely put your social and private life on hold. Hopefully, with the information above, you are now better able to cope with those cold sore attacks.
It takes a little trial and error to find the best cold sore treatment for your own needs. But when you do, you will enjoy beautiful cold sore freedom.
More questions about Cold Sores? Check out Denny Bodoh’s highly respected web-site jam-packed with FREE information. You will discover a few really great Cold Sore Treatment methods you can begin using right this minute.
January 19, 2010 3:01 pm 
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