Get plenty of rest at the first sign of an infection. If you fall in this category, speak to your doctor about prescription-strength antiviral options that are suitable for you. While these infections can clear up on their own, your doctor may decide to prescribe you oral antiviral medication such as Acyclovir, Famciclovir, or Valacyclovir, especially if you’re immunocompromised. While you may usually be fine with these foods, when you have a cold sore, they could turn into your “kryptonite”. Avoid consuming foods that can irritateĬold sores around the mouth are especially sensitive to irritants like spicy, oily, or acidic foods, so it’s best to avoid these foods while you have an active infection. Avoid touching your face, sharing utensils or towels with others, and be sure to wash your hands properly. If you’re using a cool compress cloth, keep things clean to prevent spreading the virus. Be mindful that you don’t get a cold burn when applying ice cubes. You can also try a cool compress for temporary soothing and numbing relief on your lips. Some ointments or creams also have SPF protection when you’re outdoors during the day. Often, good options also provide a protective seal on your lips, keeping them moisturised so they heal more easily. These usually have cooling ingredients like menthol, numbing agents like lidocaine or benzocaine, and/or antiviral compounds like docosanol. Ointments and creamsĪt the first sign of tingling in your lips, apply over-the-counter ointments for cold sores.
COLD SORES COOL COMPRESS HOW TO
The best thing you can do is to know what remedies to turn to, and how to prevent future infections. It may well lie dormant for long periods of time. Once you’re infected, usually when you’re a child, you have the virus for life. Cold Sore Remedies and Prevention Snow pear soup is a common TCM remedy to help with cold sores and other viral infections.Ī cold sore, also known as oral herpes, is rarely life-threatening, but it can be downright annoying. This turns into inflammation over time,” elaborates TCM Physician Lee Shin Wei. They may also arise due to a Yin Deficiency, which leads to excess Heat in the body. “Accumulation of Heat-Dampness in the body could also be due to Heat disrupting the functions of the Stomach.
This makes it easier for viruses to invade the human body. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cold sores are a result of Qi (vital life force) Deficiency resulting in weak immunity. What Traditional Chinese Medicine Says About Cold Sores Symptoms usually clear in one to two weeks but those who are immunocompromised, such as people with eczema, may be at risk of a more serious infection. The virus spreads through saliva (such as through kissing) and other forms of close contact where the virus is transferred to another person. If you have a cold sore, you would be very contagious.
COLD SORES COOL COMPRESS FULL
This is followed by a full outbreak in the form of painful blisters on the lips that ooze, and later dry up and scab, usually yellow-reddish in colour. You will usually feel the tell-tale signs of tingling and itching around the lips, a general feeling of malaise and fever similar to body aches due to the flu (another viral infection). Symptoms of a Cold Sore A tell-tale sign of a cold sore is blisters on the lips. Once a person is infected, the virus remains in their body permanently, usually dormant in the nerve cells. Conversely, the HSV 2 virus can also spread to the upper body of another person if fluids from genital blisters come into contact with the mouth, for example. It is not uncommon, for the HSV 1 virus to be spread to the lower body if fluids from a cold sore find their way to another person’s genitals. HSV 2 infections involve the lower body, typically what is known as genital herpes. The HSV 1 virus causes infections usually in the upper body, such as cold sores on the lips. These triggers include things like decreased immunity such as while battling the flu or having to deal with a lot of stress, as well as hormonal changes (usually in females), exposure to extreme temperatures such as sunburn, or other circumstances that compromise your general health. HSV 2 usually affects the lower body but sores can present around the mouth.Ĭold sores happen when the herpes simplex virus (HSV) virus is somehow triggered to “wake up” and cause symptoms. What Causes Cold Sores HSV 1 usually affects the upper body such as on the lips in the form of cold sores, and can cause genital herpes. Of those who have the virus in their system, about 20% to 40% will experience a viral outbreak in the form of cold sores often.įind out how a cold sore comes about, and ways to alleviate the symptoms and prevent future outbreaks. This virus is present in as many as 50% of children and 75% of adults. It’s a common viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1).
A cold sore can be quite a nuisance, not to mention being visually obvious.
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