Health Advice An answer to your medical questions » Cold Sores

Cold Sores Contagious

Kevin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:09:21 +0000

You might be asking yourself if cold sores are contagious. The answer is yes. Cold sores are brought to you by the herpes simplex virus that you can get from anyone including those loved ones that you have made contact with.

So if you have this kind of illness, it could be better that you won’t kiss your children, wife or girlfriend while you have cold sores in your mouth or lips because they are highly contagious. And never just wait ’til those cold sores are healed. You have to do something to avoid further outbreaks and damages. Remember that you are using almost the same utensils when you are at home; you drink on the same glass, uses spoons and forks which can be used by your children during the next meal. Cold sores can be transferred using those means too.

Try to never let your family experience the same inconvenience that you are experiencing. I know that you would want your children to enjoy everyday but how can they do that if they are worried about the aches and pains caused by cold sores.

The best thing you can do is to contact your doctor, seek some medical advices how to treat and prevent them before your whole family could gwt them. Cold sores can even develop infections in your mouth and throat which is a serious problem. Or what if one of your children or member of the family has a very weak immune system? That means that he/she can acquire cold sores that for sure will lead to other big complications because their body cannot fight the invasion of those viruses.

Yes! Cold sores are contagious and all those things I’ve mentioned here are possible to happen. In fact, what I am saying here is a reality. A woman died because of infections under her tongue and it started as cold sore that lasted for more than a month before it was treated. But the infections spread throughout her mouth which is impossible to be stopped even by antibiotics.

There were some complications on here throat that caused her to lose her voice and life. End of the story.
So, best to be vigilant enough when it comes to cold sores while it is still in the early stages.

Best Treatment Cold Sores

Kevin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:07:06 +0000

There are only two ways that serve as the best treatment for cold sores. The first that most people will do when cold sores are still at their early stage is the home made cold sore treatment. But if this conventional way will not help treating cold sores, or maybe they can’t wait to see the effects, people will opt to consult their doctors so that they would be given medical prescription for their cold sores.

Homemade treatment includes ways to prevent and heal the wounds and blisters that cold sores brought to their skin. This remedy will include the use of ice in preventing herpes simplex virus from spreading. Tea bags are also very useful in treating cold sores because they contain tannic acid that serve as antiseptic that will kill bacteria and viruses.

Some people usually use aloe vera oil to be applied to the areas where there are cold sores. Aloe vera oil not only eases the pain but it helps the wound to heal faster than usual. Others apply petroleum jelly to avoid cracking of skin and stop the herpes simplex virus from spreading. But others focus on foods to help them with their cold sores. They tend to choose foods with lots of vitamins and minerals. By doing so, they are not just treating the cold sores but preventing further recurrences.

These homemade remedies can not help ease the pain and heal the cold sores fast all of the time. Some people don’t have enough patience to wait for the effects of this conventional way of treating cold sores.

Others are afraid that these viruses will spread all throughout the mouth and throat. So they immediately consult their doctor for further assistance about their cold sores. They will be given over the counter prescriptions which are always effective in treating cold sores. The bad side of it is that it has lots of side effects. But people don’t think of these side effects as long as their cold sores will be treated as soon as possible to avoid further embarrassment and inconvenience.

Cold Sores advice

Kevin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:04:55 +0000

Cold sores is a disorder or an illness characterized by blisters full of fluid that usually appear on red swollen skin or even in mucous membranes which are usually painful and tender. Although the blisters heal without leaving a scar on the spot where it occurred there is a tendency that it will recur on the same spots or nearby again. Cold sores are caused by herpes simples virus or HSV.

There are actually two kinds of HSV; the HSV-1 which is very common and these are the causes of cold sores which is scientifically referred to as oral herpes. And the other type is the HSV-2 which is more severe than the other since this is the cause of genital herpes. Both types can cause infection to the skin and mucous membranes.

Researchers said that 75 percent of the population have natural antibodies against HSV-1 and 25 percent are for HSV-2. People with weak antibodies can usually acquire such illness but even those who have active antibodies can experience it from time to time. So it is always advisable to keep those antibodies active by eating food full of nutrients and vitamins. Vitamin C plays a great role in this kind of illness because it boosts the effectivity of body defenses and will help those wounds heal faster.

You can get these kind of viruses through close skin contact. Like kissing and sexual intercourse. HSV will invade the cells of the outer layer of the skin called epidermis that will cause the production of blisters full of fluid. These viruses will trace and travel from epidermis to the roots of nerves but it becomes inactive once it reaches there.

However, when the body’s immune system becomes weak, HSV have the tendency to be active which will cause the recurrence of the blisters. These recurrences can sometimes infect the mouth and throats especially that of the children which will be accompanied by fever and other body pains.

The outbreak of this virus is very unpleasant since it will cause tingling sensation in the skin and later on the fluid-filled blisters will appear and are very painful.