Cold Sore Lysine - Ending The Epidemic of Cold Sores

Cold sore lysine treatment has been in the news a lot in recent years. Studies continue to show it to be very helpful for relief of these persistent sores. But many people who write about lysine do not know how it actually works.

FACT: Cold sores are quelled by lysine similar to a fire being quenched by water.

Fire must have oxygen to burn. Water smothers the fire by preventing oxygen from reaching it. Lysine works much the same way with cold sores. It keeps the herpes virus from getting the one main nutrient it must have to make new virus.

But, before you use lysine to treat your sores, it will help you greatly to learn about what causes them and how lysine really works to stop them.

The herpes simplex virus moves to the surface for the sole purpose of creating new virus. This parasite virus enters a cell and forces that cell to produce new virus clones. When full, the cell is broken open to spill out the fresh virus.

The painful, unsightly sores on your face are the result of the destruction of thousands of close-together body cells by the herpes simplex virus.

FACT: Arginine is the oxygen that makes cold sores burn.

The herpes virus is made of protein. The main protein used by the cells to create this sub-microscopic virus is the amino acid arginine.

Arginine, along with lysine, is in a group designated as essential amino acids. There are about 17 amino acids in this group the body cannot create. They must be obtained from the foods we eat. Each one is important to specific tasks within our body.

Your cells have special receptors that store arginine for various purposes. A cell that is invaded by herpes and is forced to make clones will use up this arginine in the process. New herpes virus cannot be built without arginine.

FACT: Lysine quells cold sores by keeping arginine from being available.

You see - lysine is also stocked up in the cells, using the same receptors as arginine. Lysine, if consumed in large enough quantities, will actually force some arginine out of the cells by taking its place. Arginine and lysine compete for the same space.

Lysine cannot be used for creating herpes virus - like water cannot burn. And it smothers the replication process by keeping arginine from being available for use.

FACT: Lysine is only available to the cells if taken orally.

For high levels of lysine, your best solution is increasing your intake of high cold sore lysine foods. These include fish, meat and dairy items. Real food provides the best quality and most easily used form of this nutrient.

Taking lysine supplements is much more convenient for most people. The body does not utilize supplemental lysine as well as food sources. For this reason, a combination of food and supplements is the very best treatment of choice.

You may have seen topical remedies that contain lysine. These may be helpful treatments for cold sores - but not because of the lysine.

Amino acids, such as lysine, do not go into the cells through the skin. Putting it on the skin before the sores blossom is of no value. And applying the lysine after the sore opens up, even if it did work, is too late. The damage is already done.

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT - lysine is great for extinguishing, and preventing, cold sores. But keep in mind that lysine only works when it gets into the cells. This can only happen when it is taken by mouth and absorbed internally from food and supplements.

Lysine is perfectly safe. It is just a protein fraction. Commonly, lysine supplements are taken in doses up to 4000 mg. per day during the outbreak. Some folks also take 500 to 1000 mg. daily to prevent cold sores.

Eating more of the high lysine foods and less of the high arginine foods may be all you need to beat these hideous sores. Supplementing your diet with lysine pills may be the easiest way of getting the highest levels needed for a cold sore lysine cure.

Denny Bodoh knows cold sores. Be sure to read his excellent free articles about cold sores right now. Quickly discover some amazing cold sore cures and treatments you can use today.