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Cold Sore Treatments

The Most Effective Treatments and Cures for Cold Sores (Herpes labialis)

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Cold sores are an uncomfortable, painful and embarrassing fact of life for many. They are the outward manifestation of the Herpes Simplex Virus, which most people are exposed to as children. Though the majority of people never even know that they are carrying the virus, the twenty percent of carriers who do suffer from cold sores on lips represent over sixty million outbreaks every year. Although medical science has devoted tremendous energy to finding a cure, results have been largely disappointing, as have the medications that have been introduced to treat the symptoms. Antiviral medications have shown little real success, and the development of a vaccine is years away. The good news is that there are growing reports of success with a variety of home and home remedies for cold sores.

Lysine For Cold Sores Studies

The primary goal of cold sore treatment is to shorten the duration of an outbreak and reduce the symptoms, which can be both painful and embarrassing. Because a cold sore sufferer is contagious throughout an outbreak, and even for a short time after the lesion is gone, decreasing the length of time that the lesions are present is of paramount importance.

Researchers have found that cold sore outbreaks are usually preceded by period of stress, illness or hormonal changes, and that the frequency of recurrence can be exacerbated by too much arginine-rich food, including chocolate, peas, nuts and wheat. Knowing that arginine and lysine counter each other in the colon, researchers studied whether increasing the amount of lysine would have a positive impact for cold sore sufferers.  

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Lysine is an amino acid found in chicken, fish, beef, and milk, and though there is generally enough found in our diets, studies have shown that increasing the amount of lysine during or preceding a cold sore outbreak can reduce the duration of suffering by up to fifty percent.

How Much To Take

Lysine is an amino acid, which is a key component of protein in our body. It is what helps our bodies to create antibodies, hormones, and enzymes. The lysine that is used to treat cold sores can be taken either orally or as an ointment to be applied directly to the affected area.

The oral format is usually best taken as a prophylactic once you know that you are prone to cold sores, but is also effective once an outbreak begins, which is also when the ointment is most effective. Taking one thousand milligrams of lysine for cold sores orally three times a day, combined with use of lysine topically, has been shown to reduce the duration of an outbreak to just three days in 40 percent of study participants, with 87 percent exhibiting full healing in just six days.

Lysine For Cold Sores During Pregnancy

Although taking lysine as a cold sore treatment has been shown to be extremely effective, it is always important to exercise caution with taking any kind of dietary supplement or medication when you are pregnant or have a medical condition. Because not enough is known about whether lysine crosses the placenta or what its impact is on a developing fetus, it should not be taken during pregnancy.

Do not take lysine if you have a kidney condition, and it is advised that you not combine taking lysine with taking calcium supplements, as it has an impact on the way the body absorbs calcium.

Finally, remember that just because something works does not mean that taking more will make it work better. It has been shown that lysine dosages should not exceed 5,000 milligrams per day.

Lysine For Cold Sores