Many infected with herpes are unaware of natural home remedies that are available to help them. While most have investigated topical and prescription oral medications that suppress outbreaks, many are unaware of the variety of natural treatments for herpes, which are also effective. In learning about and using natural treatments for herpes, a person can shorten the length of their outbreaks; while at the same time lessen the severity when outbreaks do occur.
The term "Herpes Simplex" is used as a general term by the medical factions and covers up to fifty different variation of the disease including Chicken Pox, the Epstein Barr virus, and Shingles as well. However, when most people refer to Herpes Simplex, what they are really relating to is either Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (shortened to HSV1), or Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (shortened to HSV2). HSV1 is an infection that affects the mouth, whilst HSV2 affects the genitalia. It is also common for HSV1 to refer to Herpes infection that appears on the upper body (above the waist), and HSV2 to refer to appearances on the lower body (below the waist). Once the Herpes virus has been contracted it remains in the central nervous system inactive for long periods, but from time to time becoming active, and manifesting itself on the skin as various lesions or cold sores.
People who suffer from more chronic cases of Herpes are often prescribed such medications as: Valtrex, Zovirax, Choraphor and Famvir. There are also some other forms of oral medication that can be prescribed in more acute cases. The only problem with some of these prescribed treatments is that they in some cases they can be the cause of certain unpleasant side effects, and where this occurs, people often resort to natural home treatments that are said to be side effect free.
Altering your diet can actually help, and those that have done so report a noticeable reduction in both the interval and the ferocity of herpes manifestations. Medical research has shown that Arginine (an amino acid) actually feeds the herpes virus whilst Lysine, (another form of amino acid),is known to starve the herpes virus, substantially weakening it and its ability to cause further outbreaks, thus significantly lessening the frequency of the disturbing symptoms.
Natural treatments for herpes include decreasing the consumption of foods that are high in arginine, such as nuts, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, sugar, chocolate, pastas, white bread, and barley. While decreasing these foods, it is also necessary to increase the consumption of foods with a high lysine to arginine ratio, such as Swiss cheese, margarine, butter, plain yogurt, whitefish, salmon, mango, low fat milk, avocado and a host of other high lysine foods. Lysine can also be taken in supplemental form.
Other natural products that have been linked to improving the Herpes condition are Aloe Vera, Lactoferrin, Resveratrol, and Lemon Balm. Aloe Vera it quite versatile and comes in several forms. It can be used either internally when taken in its liquid form, or it can be rubbed into the lesions in its ointment form. Natural and herbal remedies have been around for many thousands of years (in their natural forms of course) and have a great tradition for healing and treating many illnesses.
One other natural treatment is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and this is applied via the acupuncture meridian points. It has the effect of triggering the immune system to re-recognize the Herpes virus and provide anti-bodies to help prevent the lesions and/or cold sores from forming.
Finally, there is something called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) which is highly acclaimed by natural health devotees it its ability to combat outbreaks of herpes. It operates by working through acupuncture meridians and causes the immune system to reactivate itself against the herpes invader. All of these homeopathic treatments are practiced by many thousands of herpes sufferers who all report excellent levels of success in managing herpes outbreaks.