Cold Sores And Lysine

Cold sores can be painful, but almost worse than that, they are confusing to say the least. We all know that cold sores are a herpes viral infection. They are usually type 1 which is NOT the type that is sexually transmitted. Type 2 is the bugger that is common to the genitalia. However, the confusion arises because cold sores can be either type 1 or type 2. But since type 1 herpes is USUALLY the herpes virus responsible for those painful blisters we tend to say that it’s ONLY type 1. Well, only type 1 is more than enough, thank you very much. It hurts like the dickens and the antiviral medications and doctor visits are extremely costly. There are some natural remedies that are known to be effective both in treating an outbreak as well as in preventing a recurrence.

Scientific research over the past several years has indicated that the amino acid, lysine, can be effective in reducing the occurrence, severity and length of time it takes to heal recurring HSV outbreaks. There is a catch, however. Lysine competes with arginine for entry and absorption into tissue cells. Logically, you need to take in much more lysine than arginine in order to tip the balance in favor of lysine. Studies indicate that fairly high doses are required, of about one gram three times a day. Any you should try to restrict foods like nuts, gelatin and chocolate that are rich in arginine.

I would personally go one step further. If you haven’t already added a good antioxidant to your daily supplements, it would be good to do so now. Antioxidants counteract free radicals, are wonderful anti-inflammatories and are known to promote healing in the skin.