Fever Blisters and Cold Sores

The following are 3 most simple yet effective treatments for your cold sores which you can try at the comfort of your home.

1) Drink natural sage tea: Yes, if you drink 3-4 cups of sage tea on a daily basis after you have the infection then you can quickly reduce your infection. The procedure to make this sage tea is simple. You will need few sage leaves and a little ginger powder to prepare this tea. Boil 1 cup of water and add few sage leaves into the boiling water. After this mix some ginger powder and then keep the tea for some time to make it cool. Drink it regularly to reduce your infection gradually.

2) Use cornstarch paste: Cornstarch paste is known to have natural healing properties which can eliminate your herpes simplex viral infection rapidly. You can simply take a small cornstarch in a bowl and add a little water to it. Then mix them to make a thick paste and apply this paste on your fever blisters on a regular basis. You will see your infection getting reduced day by day.

3) Aloe Vera is another effective natural remedy: Aloe Vera is said to have antiviral properties and it can fight off cold sore virus naturally. You can prepare Aloe Vera juice or you can also buy an Aloe Vera gel which is available in all the medical stores.

Cures and Treatments

Although there is no "known cure" for herpes at present, there are treatments available that are known to reduce flare ups and promote faster healing. Several drug companies are presently working on a vaccination for herpes, but it could be years before they are approved by the FDA and they are preventative in nature, not cures for existing infections. There are several agents that are actually known to kill the virus "in vitro" (in a petri dish or test tube) that are available to the general public. I will discuss those later in this article.

The FDA at present has approved four different prescription medications for the treatment of herpes. They are:

• Famvir
• Valtrex
• Zovirax(Acyclovir)
• Denavir
• Zovirax Ointment
• Zovirax Injection

None of the above prescription medications cures herpes. They treat the symptoms, help reduce outbreaks and quicken the healing time in various ways and by different means. You need to check with your Doctor before taking the above medications and be aware that some are not approved for children, pregnant women, those intending to become pregnant or those already breast feeding.

Side Effects

As with all prescription medications there can be side effects. Famvir lists potential side effects of;

• Drowsy
• Dizzy
• Confused or Disorientated
• And add - Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know the effects of this medication.

Aside from those potential side effects they further list;

• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea or Loose Stools
• Gas
• Stomach Pain
• Tiredness
• Rash
• Itching
• Painful Menstrual Periods

Last but not least they tell you to call your doctor if you experience any of the following:

• Pain
• Burning
• Numbness
• Tingling in the Hands or Feet

The other prescription medications list similar side effects. My point in bringing this up is that it appears to me that unless your herpes outbreaks are severe, the prescription medications that are available could end up being worse than the disease its self. By Buck Peters