How To Get Rid of Cold Sores and Enjoy Great Cold Sore Relief

How to get rid of cold sores? In this article, you will learn how to get rid of cold sores, oral herpes and fever blisters with basic and well-proven procedures everyone should be using today.

Knowing how to get rid of cold sores has been made confusing because of all the wild claims and bad information. Many offer some magic elixir that is supposed to help you get rid of cold sores.

Sounds good so you purchase and try it. Again you have a product that does not live up to the claims.

For you to learn how to get rid of cold sores, let us get back to the basics that have been helping people just like you and me for centuries.

But, first, let's fully understand what causes cold sores, fever blisters and all oral herpes outbreaks. Then you will appreciate how these simple treatments are actually very powerful.

The cause of all cold sore events is the herpes simplex virus - either type 1 or 2. Type 1 is most common in facial sores, while type 2 is most common in herpes below the waist.

It is an extremely contagious and tough little sub-microscopic virus that infects about 89% of all people worldwide. It is so good at hiding that it is even able to evade your body's defenses.

In the dormant state, the herpes simplex virus will not cause a cold sore. The virus will remain dormant for the entire life of about a third of those folks infected. The herpes virus will cause at least one cold sore per year in the other two-thirds.

Stress, physical or mental, weakens your defenses and often activates this parasite virus. It then enters surface nerve cells and makes the cells create virus clones.

The cells swell up as they become full. Then the virus destroys the cell to release tons of new virus particles. The cold sore is the result of millions of destroyed cells.

At this point, your body has the huge task of replacing all those cells.

Vitamins, minerals and proteins from supplements or diet, plus your level of health, all determine how quickly this healing can be accomplished.

Let us go through how to get rid of cold sores and even prevent them.

1. SUBTLE BEGINNINGS OF A COLD SORE

You can actually feel the herpes virus move to the surface and begin its replication process. You will feel a slight itching, tingling, or burning sensation in the target area.

Now, this is how to get rid of cold sores before they even get going.

As soon as you feel any discomfort, apply ice or any cold item to the area. The virus hates cold and will slow down or completely stop the replication process. It all depends on your health and how quickly you react to the initial warning.

2. KEEP THE COLD SORE CLEAN

It is only good medicine to continuously cleanse the wound. Your body is creating a fluid to wash away the new virus. You can speed this process.

Using throwaway cotton balls or tissues, keep cleaning the wound with alcohol or peroxide. I like the peroxide because it provides additional oxygen. Some folks use wine, believe it or not.

3. RAPID HEALING OF THE COLD SORE DAMAGE

Once the cold sore breaks open, it begins the healing mode. Now you should use heat instead of ice. Ice is great for reducing swelling and pain, but it does slow the healing process. Heat brings healing blood to the wound.

You can use a hot wash cloth, but a hot tea bag works much better. Black tea works fine. Some prefer mint or other herbal tea bags. 15 to 20 minute sessions are most common.

For this purpose, do not heat up your tea bags in the microwave. Microwaves destroy some of the helpful nutrients and greatly reduces the healing properties of tea. Heat them up in water on the stove.

These are the very basics as to how to get rid of cold sores. No matter what other remedies you search and find, by always including these methods to get rid of cold sores you will enjoy a much higher level of relief.

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