Herpes or Cold Sores

by Brought to you by Covad | 15 Apr 2015

Talking Health with Kraso, brought to you by Covad

 

I’m Peter Krasenstein, I’ve been a pharmacist for nearly 45 years and I’d like to discuss your health.

Today we’re going to have a conversation about something I’m sure you’d rather not discuss but which you’ll hopefully thank me for addressing, it’s called herpes.

It’s both painful and an embarrassing condition and it can also damage your self-esteem.

You can get these anywhere on the body but today we’ll talk about cold sores on the lips and they’re a form of herpes.

It starts with a tingling sensation and it feels like your lip is growing or swelling.

Cold sores are a virus and are very, very contagious.

For example, without wishing to be an alarmist, if a baby or child was to contract it and get them in their eyes, it could cause serious damage and even blindness, it’s that serious.

So, please, if you have a cold sore, no matter how safe you might feel, please just don’t touch babies or infants.

Once you have suffered with a cold sore it lays dormant in your bone marrow….isn’t the human body just amazing?!

Lots of things can cause it to become suddenly active. The principal three are a combination of extremes of stress, UV rays and/or strong cold wind.

As I said, the human body is remarkable and so are these little buggers which afflict us from time to time.

UV rays act as a catalyst and the virus enters the cells and starts to multiply roughly every 20 seconds or so, The cell swells and then it bursts and all the tiny microscopic viruses go into other cells and start multiplying again every 20 or so seconds and then the cells burst again. It’s simply a chain reaction and this is why you can feel your lip swelling. 

You could imagine, it’s like a war zone with broken cells everywhere and then the bacteria move in and you get the second stage, which is a bacterial infection.

It gets sore and soon begins to get weep puss and even bleed, and looks a lot worse than it is.

Apart from wanting to put your head in a bag, at this stage I recommend an antiseptic cream or a liquid. If it is weeping I’ve always had good results applying an antiseptic powder.

The viral stage lasts for about 24 hours and the bacterial stage can last from 4 to 10 days. We are most contagious in the viral stage, when you can sense it and feel it but often times you can’t see it. Just because you can’t see it, I can assure you, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Today, treatment is very effective if you get to it early.

So remember, you only have a 24 hour window.

We have cold sore creams which will kill the virus and I recommend you apply that the moment you sense the first tingle. Apply it thinly and frequently, like every 5 minutes if it’s convenient.

Now we can buy anti-viral tablets without a prescription which work like a proper miracle if you start at the first sign, or feeling.

Also available is an invisible anti-viral plaster which you stick on the lip and that treats and covers the cold sore and reduces embarrassment.

Besides, it’s only a cold sore, under the “glass is always half full heading”, it could be a lot worse.

Also, L Lysine is an amino acid which strengthens the walls of the cells and stops them from breaking. A cold sore which might last for 10 days might suddenly be reduced to just four days.

I have a close personal friend who suffers from them on a regular basis and she takes L Lysine daily and it has since dramatically reduced the frequency of those attacks.

I can recall, one of my pharmacies was located next to a bridal shop in the heart of Perth city and the number of young brides-to-be who would come in a day or a week before the wedding with a cold sore, in tears, and pleading for help was just incredible.

It was great for business but my heart used to break for them, they got so distraught.

These brides-to-be hadn’t been sleeping, they were working around the clock and planning a wedding for a year or more and the stress levels were just off the charts.

My treatment was all of the above plus the most powerful anti-stress tonic and a good probiotic.

If sleep deprivation was an issue I would give them a muscle relaxant for a few nights to help them to get a decent night’s sleep.

If you have every had a cold sore and don't want another then it’s imperative that you keep your body in its strongest possible state. If you’re vulnerable, the body will succumb, no matter how much you wish otherwise.

And if you are going to be exposed to UV or strong cold wind put a water resistant factor 30 lip stick on your lips regularly. And guys, you can even put a lip balm on too.

And always, always, if in doubt or if you experience any discomfort or have any questions or concerns then you must please go and see your local chemist or another local healthcare professional.

For more information look through the Covad Channel content library on our website or send me an email to [email protected], I’m always happy to help if I can.

And remember, please take care of your health and your body will take care of you.

I’m Peter Krasenstein for Covad and thanks for joining me to talk health.

Note - We just want you to be healthier, seriously. But because of the way of the world today we’re obligated to say that the comments and opinions offered in this video are not intended to substitute for medical advice from your own pharmacist or GP. These comments and opinions have been developed from experience and great success with patients over many, many years, but the information offered is of a general nature only and no one is invited to rely on any of it for any reason whatsoever without the express written permission of the author and of Covad Pty Limited.

 

© Peter Krasenstein M.P.S Ph.C and Anthony Huxley, Covad Pty Limited 2015