The Nature of Cold Sores and How to Manage Them

Cold sores or fever blisters are irritable and a nuisance. They can disrupt a person's normal schedule and create a great inconvenience. Due to the nature of fever blisters, which primarily appear on the face, people have had to miss out on outings with friends or family. Instead they have been left at home while their friends go out to have fun. This is not only because the fever blisters make the face ugly but also because of the discomfort and pain the blisters cause.

Fever blisters are not well understood by many people. They are caused by a virus known as herpes simplex virus type 1. What most people do not know is that once infected, the virus stays in the body forever. In most cases the treatment provided only deals with the triggered symptoms of the virus.

What hope is there for victims? There is hope. There are a variety of medicines out there such as Abreva which are used to cure outbreaks when they arise. It is more advisable to use natural cold sore remedies rather than prescription medicines. Natural remedies do not disturb the normal chemical balance in the body and are therefore more suitable for treatment.

Once the virus is inside the body, future outbursts of the disease can be due to factors within an individual's control. Fever blisters are known to be triggered by stress, extreme heat and even some diets that are generally considered normal such as citrus juices. Citrus juices increase the acidity of the body. Acidity is a very conducive environment for the cold sore virus. In fact, it is highly recommended to make the body slightly alkaline (the opposite of acidity) in order to get rid of cold sores fast.

It is necessary for infected persons to acquaint themselves with the available remedies especially the natural ones. They should also familiarize themselves with the conditions that facilitate the triggering of fever blisters in the body. Most of the natural cold sore remedies can be found in local grocery stores. When these are combined with proper diet, they can be very powerful in reducing the "healing" time. Some diets facilitate the triggering of the virus while others make it harder for the virus to be retriggered. It remains dormant instead. Some people have been able to get rid of cold sores in their lives completely by following these simple solutions.

Many people have suffered from fever blisters at one time or another. One of the biggest problems is how the fever virus spreads. It is very contagious. It is mostly transferred from one individual to another through sharing of cups, towels and also through kissing. Infected people are advised to avoid kissing or hugging loved ones.

Under normal circumstances, the body is able to deal with the virus within twelve to fourteen days. The virus goes into remission and hides under the skin. Two weeks is however a long time for active or busy people. If one is employed or is in school, this would be a long time to be away. In order to get rid of cold sores fast one has to use either prescription medicines or natural cold sore remedies. Some solutions can speed up the "healing" process to even less than three days.

A number of books on natural cold sore remedies are available online. Online reviews are also available to assist people compare the available solutions.

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