L-Lysine and Cold Sores

One of the most irritating minor health problems around is that bane known as the common "cold sore"  or  "fever blister." Now this thing actually has nothing to do with the common cold. People often get them during or after a cold or other illness because of the stress illness causes on the body.

The sore is actually caused by the herpes virus.  Once you have been exposed to this virus it never leaves you, but retreats into the nerve pathways in your body.  This is the same virus which causes shingles.

Well, what to do about it?  These sores can be brought on by different triggers is different individuals, but some common problems include too much sun exposure, stress, foods containing arginine, a naturally occuring amino acid.
Some of these trigger foods are:

• Animal sources

dairy products (e.g., cottage cheese, ricotta, milk, yogurt, whey protein drinks), beef, pork (e.g., bacon, ham), gelatin , poultry (e.g. chicken and turkey light meat), wild game (e.g. pheasant, quail), seafood (e.g., halibut, lobster, salmon, shrimp, snails, tuna)

• Plant sources

wheat germ and flour, buckwheat, granola, oatmeal, peanuts, nuts (coconut, pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pinenuts), seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower), chick peas, cooked soybeans, Phalaris canariensis (canaryseed or ALPISTE)

Not everyone is affected in the same way by the same trigger foods.  I found that I had a problem with almonds in particular, for example, but not seafood.

Keeping a food journal will help you figure out which foods may trigger your sores.

But, all is not lost here, and you can still enjoy the above foods if you take a few precautions.

The opposing amino acid to Arginine is Lysine.  Lysine or L-Lysine is readily available at your local pharmacy and is very inexpensive.  

About thirty years ago a friend shared the secret of L-Lysine with me and over the years I have shared it with many, many people who have also enjoyed great success.

Always buy the BEST brand available.  You get what you pay for, and poor quality supplements produce poor results.

If you are going to be under a lot of stress, suffer a lot of sun exposure or eat the foods which are triggers for herpes, then taking L-Lysine prophylactically before you break out could prevent your ever having another "fever blister."

If you would rather take it only on occasions when a sore is appearing,  at the FIRST sign (usually a tingle at the site) Take a megadose (at least 2,000 mg) of L-Lysine and then the recommended dose on the bottle for a week or longer.  Many times the upcoming sore will back down and never come up at all, but at the very least you will find that the sore will be much less severe and last a much shorter period of time.  That should be great news for those of you who suffer with these miserable things!

I will tell you that since shingles is also caused by the herpes virus, L-Lysine can also be effective in the treatment of shingles.  

The preparations which many pharmaceutical companies sell at very high prices do not appear to be more effective, and in many cases not as effective as L-Lysine.  Check it out, I don't think you will be disappointed.

God Bless - Peace, Love and Joy