Natural Relief for Cold Sores

Posted on December 1, 2009
Filed Under Natural Medicine | Comments Off

You know how it is. Every time you have a big meeting, or have to take pictures, or have a date, you develop a nasty little cold sore on your lip. Although it doesn’t feel little does it? No, it feels like Mount Olympus now resides on your face.

Let’s clear up one thing first, no pun intended: cold sores are completely different from canker sores. Most people, believe it or not, think they’re the same, but cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, type 1. Which is most times acquired in childhood, but can lie dormant for a long time and only appear when it’s activated by a cold, anxiety, stress and even extreme exposure to sun. Canker sores on the other hand, are bacterial infections inside your mouth.

You can’t cure a cold sore. They love to keep coming back and when it’s not making itself known and saying a hearty hello to the world, it’s below your skin waiting to get out.

Ice and tea bags are a great home remedy for cold sores. Apply to affected area for 5-10 minutes at a time over the course of an hour, then remove. Repeat every hour.

Applying witch hazel will give you some relief as well as Aloe Vera gel and hand sanitizer put directly on the cold sore might burn a bit at first, but will help dry out the sore.

Eat more yogurt! The live cultures act as a natural antibiotic to the virus causing cold sores.

While waiting for a cold sore to disappear, make sure to wash your hands regularly and don’t touch it with your hands! You can easily get bacteria from your hands to your face, making matters worse, not to mention you could spread the virus to other places and people. Not a nice thought is it?

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