It can be scary when you have a blister that you think may be herpes, but DON’T PANIC! There are several herpes look alikes that you need to know about first. As always, see your doctor if you think you have a problem. Don’t rely on self-diagnosis. Check out an all-natural herpes treatment by clicking here.

In general, herpes outbreaks come and go. They generally last a few days to two weeks, and can also be accompanied by fever, generally feelings of illnes, and aches. Sometimes, blisters will only present as redness, or almost like papercuts. This is why it is important to see a doctor, because the symptoms can vary so widely.

Mouth herpes (cold sores)

Generally on the lip, and present as a large blister or a tight clump of blisters:

Genital herpes

Similar to mouth herpes, they will generally present as a cluster of blisters on or near the genitalia or crotch:

Herpes Look Alikes

There are several other diseases that can cause blisters that are not herpes-related. It is helpful to know what they look like so you can compare.

Canker Sores

Canker sores are small, flat, white sores inside the mouth. These are NOT herpes, and will generally go away on their own:

Impetigo

Usually seen mainl in young children, impetigo presents as a large cluster of blisters anywhere on the face. Oral herpes will usually only show up on the lips or in the corners of the lips and generally be a much smaller cluster.

Syphilis

A bacterial infection, syphilis usually consists of just a single blister, not a cluster like with herpes.

Genital Warts

These will, instead of healing, turn into small cauliflower-like masses. Herpes, on the other hand, consists of small clusters of red blisters that will scab over and heal within two weeks.

Yeast Infection

Painful urination, itching, burning, and cottage-cheese-like discharge, but no blisters.

Conclusion

Again, don’t rely on self-diagnosis. See your doctor immediately if you suspect you have herpes. Even if you think you do, DON’T PANIC. You can check out a natural treatment by clicking here.

The herpes virus is sneaky. Once you get infected, it goes into hiding inside the nerve cells deep in your skin, untouchable by blood vessels and hence by medications. This is why it is often said that herpes is not curable. Although this is true, there are many treatment regimens you can come up with to knock outbreaks down to a minimum, including one that may get rid of them altogether. Check out an all-natural herpes treatment by clicking here.

Dietary Changes

First, you must make some dietary changes. If you eat chocolate, nuts, caffeine, berries, or any type of grain (like bread, breakfast cereal), then stop. These foods all contain high levels of the amino acid “arginine”, which acts as a sort of fuel for herpes.  Arginine competes in the body with another amino acid called “lysine”, so increasing your lysine consumption will simultaneously decrease your levels of arginine. This should help reduce outbreaks.

So how do you increase your lysine levels?

Well, one way is to take supplements. Take about 2 grams per day at the first sign of an outbreak. Long term use is probably OK, but it may raise cholesterol levels. A better thing to do would be to take the supplements only during an outbreak, and during maintenance periods (between outbreaks), keep your lysine levels high naturally by just eating foods with lysine. Dairy products are some of the highest. Ice cream, butter, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, and so on are high in lysine. So are most meats, vegetables, and fruits. Although stay away from oranges.

Sticking to this new diet should help decrease the frequency of outbreaks.

Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Outbreaks

The above will help to decrease outbreaks, but they still may occur. When they do, try the following remedies using items from around your house:

1. Baking soda.

Baking soda, mixed with a little water and applied as a paste to the area where the outbreak is, will help dry up the sores faster.

2. Black tea.

Make some tea, and keep the tea bag and let it cool down. Apply it to the blisters. Tea contains tannins, which are a good anti-inflammatory. They can promote faster healing.

3. Aloe vera.

The common houseplant called aloe vera can be found in almost any nursery or large hardware store. The sap is known for its soothing and healing properties, with the potential for speeding up the healing of wounds that would otherwise have taken much longer to heal. Buy an aloe vera, and break off a two inch piece. Apply the gooey sap to the herpes outbreak and leave it on as long as possible, or even overnight.

4. Wear loose underwear.

Herpes outbreaks are usually brought on by lowered immune system (so get plenty of sleep and try not to stress out!), and by wounds or abrasions to the area where the herpes is located. For this reason, if you wear loose underwear and clothes, you will not end up getting tight irritations and abrasions which will threaten to bring the herpes to the surface.

Step it up a notch!

You can also purchase some items that will help you get rid of herpes outbreaks:

1. Domeboro Powder.

Found in any drug store, this is a preparation of aluminum acetate, which is an astringent. Astringents shrink body tissue, so they can help dry out blisters and act as an anti-inflammatory.

2. Essential oils.  

In many vitamin and health food stores, you can find essential oils with skin-repairing properties. Try a few of these and they may help heal outbreaks faster.1. Domeboro Powder. Found in any drug store, this is a preparation of aluminum acetate, which is an astringent. Astringents shrink body tissue, so they can help dry out blisters and act as an anti-inflammatory.

3. Olive leaf extract.

This supplement contains a compound called oleuropein that has been shown to be lethal to the herpes virus, and is able to get to it in the cells and stop it from changing cells into herpes factories. It is also a good anti-oxidant, which will help prevent cell damage. Find olive leaf capsules at most health food stores.

4. Echinacea.

This herb can increase the effectiveness of your immune system, and also has anti-inflammatory properties. It can also help reduce stress. Stress and lowered immune systems are what generally leads to herpes outbreaks, so getting these under control can seriously decrease the number of outbreaks you have.

And Finally….!

The home remedies listed above can give you a head start in getting rid of herpes, and the supplements can complement that effect. However, despite your best efforts, herpes can still be difficult to manage.  You can find an all natural treatment that many have used successfully by clicking here.

Most doctors and medical professionals will say that herpes cannot be cured, but is this true? Can herpes be cured? How about this: you can knock outbreaks down to near zero and therefore never have to think about the fact that you have it. Would that be a “cure”? Or close enough? Here’s the thing: after an outbreak of blisters, the herpes virus retreats into the nerve cells, where blood vessels can’t reach it. And if blood cannot get to it, there is no way to get anti-viral medication to the location where the virus is hiding. This is why it is often said that herpes is not curable. Strictly speaking, it is not. However, follow the instructions in this post to make it easy as pie to live with. Check out an all-natural herpes treatment by clicking here.

Dietary Changes

STOP eating: chocolate, nuts, any kind of grain (including breakfast cereal), and berries.

BEGIN eating: ice cream, milk, cheese, butter, cottage cheese, meat, vegetables, and most fruits (avoid oranges).

Why?

Because the herpes virus relies on an amino acid called “arginine”, and arginine competes with another amino acid called “lysine”. The upshot? If you increase your blood lysine levels, you will decrease your arginine levels, and cut off the herpes from its supply of fuel. This should cut down drastically on outbreaks. To increase this effect, if and when you feel an outbreak coming on, begin taking about 2 grams of lysine supplement (which can be bought at any grocery or pharmacy) a day at the first sign of symptoms (such as when you feel tingling, itching, or fever). Keep this up through the outbreak and you should be able to control it.

Supplements

In addition to lysine, there are a few other supplements that are good for curing herpes outbreaks. Zinc combined with vitamin C can help speed the healing of sores, such as herpes blisters, and also helps boost the immune system to cut down on outbreaks. Remember that outbreaks mainly occur when something aggravates the area where you get blisters (such as cuts or abrasions), or when your immune system is weakened due to stress, lack of sleep, and so on. Boosting your immune system will decrease the chances of this happening. Zinc in turn helps promote healing of cells, and combined with vitamin C can be a powerful inhibitor of herpes outbreaks. If you buy a zinc supplement to take, look for one that says “chelated“. This means the zinc has been bonded to glycine, an amino acid, which will cause it to be absorbed more efficiently.

Finally, try combining all the above with bioflavonoids. These are antioxidants found in green vegetables like lettus, but primarily in citrus fruits and brighly colored vegetables like green and red peppers. Bioflavanoids combined with vitamin C have been known to stop herpes outbreaks completely in their tracks

Conclusion

While you cannot completely cure herpes, you can still “cure” yourself of having annoying and painful outbreaks, and one treatment that has been successful for many people can be found by clicking here.

Herpes is transmitted by skin to skin contact. It can’t survive long outside the body, and so acquiring it by touching something someone else has touched is rare. Almost all herpes infections are caused by direct contact with another person who is infected. If someone has visible herpes blisters, and you touch the blisters, then there is a very high probability you will acquire herpes. However, there are greater chances of getting it in certain parts of the body than in others. Check out an all-natural herpes treatment by clicking here.

High risk areas

The herpes virus likes weaker areas of skin, like mucous membranes. Nose, ears, eyes, eyelids, mouth, and so on. It also likes to set up shop in areas of the body that are prone to abrasion, like between the thighs, or in armpits. These areas are sweaty, dark, and tend to be irritated more easily and hence are more susceptible to herpes infections. The genital area obviously is one of the most susceptible areas, which is why genital herpes is so common.

Unprotected sex

You get genital herpes by having sex with someone who has it. Using protection, such as condoms, can help. But condoms may not cover the area with the herpes virus. For example, if someone has herpes on their testicles, the condom obviously will not cover the testicles and so will not provide protection.

Oral herpes (cold sores) can be spread from mouth to genitals if you are engaged in oral sex. Oral herpes generally involves herpes simplex virus 1, and genital herpes usually involves herpes simplex virus 2, but both viruses can cause oral and genital herpes. Someone with cold sores (HSV1) can transmit the virus to genitals during oral sex and now that person has genital herpes, even though it is technically a cold sore.

Blisters do not have to be present

You can get herpes from someone even if they don’t have visible blisters present. A herpes outbreak is usually preceded by what is called a “prodromal stage”: flu-like illness, achy body, and tingling or itching at the site where the blisters will eventually show up. During this stage, the person is just as contagious as they are when they have visible blisters.

Asymptomatic Shedding

Even worse, you can get herpes from someone who is neither prodromal, nor having an outbreak. This is how many transmissions of herpes happen. The person you are with does not have blisters or is even sick, yet they are still shedding the herpes virus and you will end up getting it. This is more common during the first year or so of someone newly infected with herpes, but even then it only happens a few days per year, although genital herpes has a higher chance of shedding that cold sores. The more often a person has outbreaks, and the more severe the outbreaks, the more likely they are to shed the virus and spread infection even when there are no outbreaks present.

This is why it is important to get checked out if you have any symptoms after a sexual encounter. The person who gave it to you may not even know they have it!

Infecting yourself!

If you have herpes already, when blisters break out the virus is everywhere in that area and can spread to other parts of your body. Don’t touch the blisters! If you do, wash your hands immediately in soapy water.

Conclusion

To avoid getting herpes, follow these tips:

1. Avoid unprotected sex

2. Communicate with your partner regarding STDs

3. Be vigilant for blisters or other signs of illness in your partner

4. If you think you’ve acquired herpes, don’t panic! See your doctor, and know that there are things you can do to get rid of outbreaks

5. Finally, there are some interesting all-natural treatments you can do that avoid giving money to the big drug companies. For example, one involves saturating your blood with oxygen! Check it out by clicking here.

After you get infected by the herpes virus, it quite literally hides in the nerve cells. Since blood vessels do not reach nerve cells, then medications cannot reach where the virus is located. You would have to cut the nerves themselves out in order to get rid of the virus. This is why herpes is generally considered not to be curable. There’s just no way to reach where it’s located. When an outbreak happens, the virus comes out of hiding and causes blisters, and then retreats back into the nerve cell again, waiting for the next time your immune system is weak and it can attack again. Check out an all-natural herpes treatment by clicking here.

Is there a cure on the horizon?

Research into a herpes cure has of course been in the works, but progress is slow. Recently, scientists have discovered a certain type of immune system cell (called CD8αα+ T-cells) that cures it. This explains why some people just never get symptoms at all, and it opens up a path for new promising research. But this is always slow going, and even if some kind of potential cure is developed, it will take years and years to test it on animals, then humans, and to get approval. Funding is unfortunately limited, as it is not seen as a disease in dire need of a cure like life threatening diseases. So the answer: probably not within the next few decades.

So if it isn’t curable, then what do I do?!

Don’t panic! That’s step one! It isn’t as bad as you think. There is a lot of stigma associated with genital herpes, and this came about in the 1980s when the drug companies wanted to sell more drugs, but couldn’t because no one seemed to care enough about it. Sexual health textbooks of the time didn’t even mention it! So a media blitz was created, and stigma was manufactured out of thin air almost overnight, and we still have it today. So keep that in mind.

But obviously, it is still a painful condition and I’m sure you find it difficult to date or have sex or how to tell your partner about your condition. And you want to be rid of it somehow. Well, despite the lack of a cure there is still good news. Outbreaks can be shortened dramatically with very simple steps, and you can get back to your dating and sex life before you know it. I’ll cover a few of these in brief…

Eat lots of butter, milk, ice cream, and cheese!

I hope you like dairy products, because you are going to want to eat a lot more of them. Dairy products are high in lysine, which is an amino acid that competes with another amino acid called arginine. Herpes relies on arginine to survive. End result: bumping up your lysine levels will decrease your arginine levels. And lysine is found in dairy products in large amounts. Arginine is found in chocolate, nuts, coffee, berries, oranges, grains (like breakfast cereal), and onions. Try to eat these as rarely as possible. In addition to dairy, fish and chicken are high in lysine, as are mangoes, apricots, pears, apples, and tomatoes.

If you alter your diet in this way, you should be able to bring those outbreaks under control. However, they will still happen from time to time. When they do, you can look into further treatments to apply. I would stay away from drugs, if I were you, as they can lead to serious side effects and possibly even increase the outbreaks. Try to stick to natural treatments if you can. For an interesting treatment involving oxygen that many swear by, click here.