Herpes Treatments

How Can Natural Remedies Help Treat Herpes? What Should be Your Approach?

June 18, 2014February 6, 2018 Admin

Herpes is among the most common sexually transmitted diseases, but unfortunately, there is no known cure for this condition. As with most viral diseases, this is a highly infectious disease that may quickly spread, but is not easy to suppress or cure. Fortunately, herpes can be managed with regular medication and proper home care. When you have this disease, you cannot take your lifestyle lightly. Since the symptoms of herpes are not only unsightly but very painful and uncomfortable as well, it is important to stick to your treatment schedule and work out home care plans that would keep you more comfortable. Here is what you can do.

Have a Doctor Look at It

Before you make a self diagnosis, or start hyperventilating about having herpes, go to a doctor and have your symptoms confirmed. You will have to undergo a viral profile test to identify if your symptoms are indeed from the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Your doctor will also chart out a plan for you to manage your symptoms. Since the disease has no cure yet, managing and treating the symptoms is the primary concern of all health care practitioners. Understand what medications you have to take, when you have to take them and how you have to change your lifestyle to better manage your life with this highly communicable disease.

Complementary Treatment

Once your diagnosis is confirmed, and you have a list of antiviral drugs for you to take, it is time to explore complementary treatments that can help you improve your quality of life. These therapies help you on several levels – they relieve symptoms, increase remission times and also lessen the severity of an outbreak. Traditional Chinese Medicine and naturopathy have some solutions to herpes, so you can find out a good practitioner and begin your alternative treatment. However, if you are planning on taking natural supplements or herbs, do consult your doctor about them before you start using them.

Home Care and Effective Management

Taking care of your body, especially during an outbreak, is very important. If you have sores, try to keep them clean, but even as you wash them with warm water and soap, try not to keep them wet. Dry them thoroughly after each wash so that they may not get infected further. This would certainly help speed up their healing. You may also reconsider the choice of your wardrobe. Your sores will get more difficult to manage if you are wearing tight, synthetic clothing. You may not have to turn to lose, breathable clothing. Fabrics like cotton and linen, allow air to reach your body. Loose fitting clothes allow sweat to evaporate. If you are wearing synthetic, tight clothing, sweat may get lodged in the areas where you have your sores, and then you would experience higher discomfort and more pain. If your ulcers are extremely painful and very uncomfortable to manage, you can consult your physician about topical anesthetics for relief. Your physician may tell you which one to use, how to use it and how regularly to use it.

Treating Herpes with Simple Home Remedies

June 18, 2014February 6, 2018 Admin 1 Comment

Medical science is yet to come up with a cure for herpes, which means that people living with this sexually transmitted disease may have to continue to do so their entire lives. Living with herpes usually means a heavy dependence on symptom relieving medications and regular doctor appointments. It’s a good thing you don’t have to rely on them completely for getting relief from your painful symptoms. If you do not want to keep going to doctors, and want relief at home, you can try out the following remedies.

Warm Sitz Baths

A warm bath can immediately bring comfort to your body, especially when parts of it are aching. A sitz bath is a special kind of bath, where you fill your tub only enough to immerse your hips and the genital area. This bath cleanses your entire perineum and gives you immediate relief. You can alternate between warm and cool water. This will not only cleanse the area and soothe it, but will also increase the blood flow and help heal the sores faster. This is a great way to treat a number of other lower body conditions, including hemorrhoids and anal fissures.

Baking Soda

This is one of the most popular ingredients around the house and can be used to clean and dry. If you have painful, bleeding, open sores, you can sprinkle some baking soda on them to dry them out. If you do not have baking soda at hand, you can also use cornstarch instead. It may burn slightly when you apply the soda, but it will soon stop burning and itching, giving you long term relief from the pain and discomfort.

Lysine

This is a natural amino acid found in several food products. This natural supplement is known to suppress and inhibit the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Consuming Lysine can help you prolong the period of remission between two successive outbreaks. However, before you take this, or any other supplement, do consult your doctor ad find out if it is safe for you to consume them.

Green Tea

It is no secret that green tea is full of healthy and healing antioxidants. Drinking green tea regularly can help improve your overall health profile. However, green tea can also be really helpful in relieving herpes symptoms. To use a tea bag on your sores, heat the water enough to steep a tea bag in it. Once the water is hot enough, dip the tea bag and leave it in the pot for a few minutes. Then cool the tea bag and place it on your sores. If you have too many sores, you can steep the tea bag in the water for about 15 minutes, then cool the water, soak a cheese cloth in it and apply the cloth to the affected areas. The cool tea will not only soothe your sores, but will also help in healing them.

Ice

Icing an area which is burning or itching is a very common practice. So if you have painful, open sores, ice the area for some time. This will soothe the sores and help relieve pain. However, do not apply the ice directly to the area. Try to keep your sores dry and use the ice only through a water resistance ice pack.

Crossing out stress and writing relax on a blackboard.

Herpes Alternative Treatments that Work

June 17, 2014February 6, 2018 Admin 1 Comment

Herpes is a sexually communicable disease, and one that the medical fraternity has not found a cure for. The best that medical science can do for patients suffering from herpes is to help lessen the severity of the symptoms. However, you do not have to continue living with expensive treatments and pills. If you have herpes, there are a range of alternative therapies and remedies that can work for you. These therapies are natural, with minimal side effects and they usually do not require consultation with a doctor; though it is recommended that you do consult your doctor before beginning any one of them.

Dietary Changes

Though diet does not have any major significance in the treatment of herpes, some foods can flare up a breakout of sores. It is important, therefore, to know which foods to avoid in your diet and which foods to include more. An amino acid known as L-arginine usually makes the virus active and forces it out of remission, promoting an outbreak.

Foods such as peas, cocoa, seeds and nuts contain large amounts of this amino acid and should therefore be restricted in your diet. On the other hand, some studies have shown that another amino acid, called L-lysine, inhibits the virus. Foods that contain brewer’s yeast, potatoes, fish and yogurt are high in lysine and should be included more in your diet.

The Mind Body Connection

No matter what kind of herpes you have, stress, anger or other irritants may cause a flare up of your symptoms. Research shows that creating a more peaceful environment around yourself and striking a balance between your mind and body can help you deal with stress to prevent an outbreak. Yoga and meditation are usually recommended for improving this mind body connection. You can also visit a hypnotherapist for clinical hypnosis or an alternative therapist who can help you with guided meditation. Reiki and mental affirmations are other things that can help your body become more relaxed and filled with positive energy that repels a virus attack.

Traditional Chinese Medications

Traditional Chinese medicine is sort of a grey area when it comes to treatment of herpes because it does not have a lot of scientific data backing it up. However, anecdotal evidence does suggest that certain herbs and medicines used in traditional Chinese medicine may be really helpful in reducing the symptoms, and improving quality of life. Some of the popularly used herbal remedies for herpes include Echinacea, ginseng, aloe vera and propolis – a tree resin collected by bees and found in their products. Echinacea helps lower the white blood cell counts, especially when you continue to take the herb for a long period of time. This helps improve the general functioning of your body and lower the chances of an outbreak. This herb is very effective, especially against any conditions that interfere with the normal functioning of your immune system. Ginseng is another powerful herb that improves blood flow and blood pressure levels. It also improves general health and well being. Aloe is great for removing toxins in the blood stream and purifying your body.

Propolis is considered a great supplement for improving immunity and helping the body become tougher against the viral attacks leading to herpes symptoms.

Herpes – You Have the symptoms, Now What?

June 17, 2014February 6, 2018 Admin

Herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted disease, and is often transmitted unknowingly. It affects both men and women and is most usually spread because of having sexual relations with someone who is infected by the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). There are no immediate symptoms to discern the condition, so unless you see warts in the mouth or genitals, there is no way of knowing that the person you just had intercourse with may have herpes.

When to See a Doctor?

Genital herpes can be very painful and is characterized by burning and itching sores in the genital area. Some people may have herpes sores around their mouth and lips too. If you are infected, you may not have any symptoms for a long time, thus not even knowing that you are a carrier. However, when the dormant virus in your body becomes active, it usually wreaks havoc on your nervous system and causes formation of warts and sores. These sores are painful and may burn and itch. If you pick on these sores, they may become further infected, and may even bleed. If you see sores or warts on your genitals, or around your mouth, you may have to immediately contact a doctor.

Which Doctor to See?

Almost all general physicians have the expertise to treat sexually transmitted diseases. If you are not sure who to see for your condition, just walk into an emergency care center at any nearby hospital, or a hospital covered by your health insurance and ask for a specialist. Depending on your specific symptoms, the staff will assign you to a doctor who can best help you.

Test and Diagnosis

During your appointment, your doctor is likely to ask you several personal questions, not only about your symptoms, but also about your sexual health and habits. These are important for determining the cause and the condition. You may have to undergo some tests, including a general blood culture, a viral culture and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. These will help the doctor determine whether you have herpes, and what direction your treatment should follow.

Treatment and Drugs

So far, herpes remains an untreatable condition. The treatment of herpes focuses on helping the sores heal sooner than they would have and lessen the severity as well as the duration of an outbreak. The doctor will prescribe you antivirus drugs such as acyclovir, famciclovir, and Valacyclovir. If you have recurrent outbreaks, as most people do, these drugs may help increase the duration of remission and you will remain symptom free for longer periods between two successive outbreaks. These medications can also help minimize the chances of transmitting the virus to another, healthy person, therefore helping you live a relatively normal life.

Support and Coping

Herpes can be a complete life changer. For men and women who suffer from herpes, life can often be lonely and painful. However, it does not need to be so. Advanced medications can help you get relief from your condition, and can also help you lead a normal life to an extent. Several support groups help people cope with this new life that was forced upon them. These days, there are exclusive dating portals to help people suffering from herpes find companionship and love. Life does not have to be as dismal as it once used to be, even if you are suffering from the STD. Just keep following up with your doctor and reach out to people who are suffering just like you for support. As you go along, you will realize that you can continue to live like you used to before the infection.

How Can Natural Remedies Help Treat Herpes? What Should be Your Approach?

Treating Herpes with Simple Home Remedies

Herpes Alternative Treatments that Work

Herpes – You Have the symptoms, Now What?

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