Stress And Cold Sores

If you suffer from cold sores then it's no surprise to know stress and illness are the most frequent cause of cold sores. How many times have you had a job interview, test, important date or prom and had a cold sore pop out?

Stress and cold sores go together because stress affects your entire body, including hormones and resistance to disease. Remember the herpes simplex virus, HS-1 lives in the root of your nerve cell.

Because of its location the herpes simplex virus can quickly sense any changes in the body. This means changes in temperature, pH, stress or hormone levels. The HS-1 virus sensing the opportunity to erupt wakes up and moves along the nerve cell to start reproducing.

As it reproduces it takes over the reproduction system of the nerve cell it has been using as its hiding place. The virus continues replicating itself until the nerve cell swells and then eventually bursts. The viruses then find another nerve cell to hide in.

Your body does have the ability to defend itself against the cold sore inflammation. But for those of us who have suffered from cold sores know it takes several weeks from the initial tingle through the final healing stage to be totally cold sore free.

Most of us don't want to wait that long. The sooner the cold sore vanishes the sooner you can look in the mirror again without shaking your head. Then you can go back to enjoying your life without the cold sore.

It's almost impossible to make your life totally stress free. But if you're someone with frequent cold sore outbreaks you may want to investigate ways of decreasing your stress level.

Next time some ways to minimize the connection between stress and cold sores


Photo courtesy of Bob Smith

Does Any OTC Cold Sore Treatment Really Work?

If you are having a cold sore the last thing you want to do is to worry whether or not the treatment you pick is going to work. Unfortunately that can be difficult, as not every treatment works for every individual. Over the counter or OTC cold sore medications come in three different groups:

Type 1 treatment: stops itching or pain

Type 2 prevents the cold sore from spreading

Type 3 a combination of types 1 and 2

Here are some of the more common OTC cold sore treatments:

1. Abreva: approved by the FDA is considered a Type 2 treatment. It is considered to be helpful in healing.
2. Anbesol: is a Type 1 treatment and helps with the pain. The Vitamin E and aloe help in the healing
3. Cold Sore Rescue: is a gel with anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties.
4. Zilactin Cold Sore Gel: This medication is a Type 1 medication putting a protective sealant on the cold sore. It helps to reduce irritation during eating.
5. LipClear Lysine Cold Stick: is a type 2 treatment. The moisturizing parts of the stick helps prevent further cracks in the skin. The lysine also helps the spread of the cold sores.

None of these treatments is an instant cure or magic wand to heal the cold sore. These treatments can help in healing but they don’t work for everyone. But even though they may not stop the spread of the cold sore, they will make the 7-11 days a little easier to deal with.

If you’re going through a cold sore outbreak protect yourself and others. Cold sores are highly contagious. Make sure you thoroughly wash your hands after treating or touching your cold sore. You don’t want to spread the cold sore to other parts of your body or to other people.

Don’t share towels, toothbrushes, wash cloths with anyone else. Again you don’t want the virus to spread. Preferably only use the wash cloth or towel once before putting in the wash. You may find a product like travel wash cloths by Dove or another company a good way of avoiding contamination.

OTC cold sore treatments can be helpful in treating the pain of cold sores. Find a cold sore treatment which works for you.