Causes Of Cold Sores And Cold Sore Prevention

You have probably heard of many different causes of cold sores. Amazingly, all these boil down to only three basic ones. If you will let me, I would like to share these causes of cold sores with you now.

Quite likely you have heard that stress, illness and winter weather are the common causes of cold sores. They are, but only because they cause changes in your body that encourages herpes simplex virus activity.

You would be more accurate to call these cold sore triggers. The real causes of cold sores go much deeper.

The herpes simplex virus lives in your nervous system. As such, it can quickly sense the smallest changes in your physical condition. When it notices the right conditions, it will become active and move to the surface to begin replication.

This replication destroys many cells in the process resulting in the painful and hideous cold sore.

Below are the basic three causes of cold sores - causes that you can actually do something about.

1. ACID pH BALANCE.

Your pH level is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of your body. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Above 7 is alkaline and below 7 is acid.

Your body is most immune to disease when it is slightly alkaline. Your body tries to stay around 7.35 on the pH scale. This is when your cells are at their highest saturation of oxygen and the most resistant to oral herpes cold sores.

Stress and other triggers cause your pH to drop into the acid side of the pH scale. The more acid your body becomes, the lower your cellular oxygen levels and the weaker your immune system.

Food choices can also contribute to physical acidity. Carbonated beverages, white flour, sugar and tobacco are some of the biggest culprits. Vegetables - especially the green variety - help keep you alkaline.

Also, you can get supplements you can get at the vitamin and health stores that will help keep your body alkaline. Many folks have reported great success with this method of maintaining a healthy alkalinity.

Keep the cold sore area alkaline by not eating acid type foods during the outbreak. Putting corn starch on the wound can also speed recovery. Eating more vegetables will also help - especially cabbage and asparagus.

2. ARGININE - A COLD SORE PROTEIN.

Arginine is an amino acid - a protein fraction commonly found in many foods. It is the main building block of the herpes simplex virus. It is important as one of the causes of cold sores.

Your cells store arginine in a special area within the cell structure. When the herpes virus enters a cell, it forces the cell to create new virus using the arginine it has in storage.

If there is not enough arginine, your cells cannot create new herpes virus. This prevents a cold sore event.

Lysine is another amino acid protein that is stored in the same area of the cell. The more lysine in storage, the less arginine. And the good news is that lysine will not work for building new herpes virus. It is like trying to start a fire with water.

Flooding your cells with lysine will cause your cells to push out arginine to make room for the lysine. Eating high lysine foods - such as dairy products and fish - works quite well in accomplishing this.

Taking lysine supplements is much more convenient. Most people prefer this method of lysine loading. These supplements are cheap, safe and easy to find. Normal daily dosage during a cold sore outbreak is about 3000 to 4000 milligrams.

3. LACK OF ESSENTIAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS.

Another of the main causes of cold sores is low intake of vitamins and minerals. Scientists today find that even the best diet will leave you deficient in essential nutrients. Even the American Medical Association has recognized this fact.

The most important vitamins for cold sore treatment are the stress vitamins - B, C and E. The most important minerals for cold sore treatment are calcium, zinc and magnesium. The less of these nutrients in your body, the better the chance you will experience a cold sore outbreak.

Calcium is particularly important because it is the main mineral your body uses to keep you alkaline. It will rob it from your bones if necessary.

Of all the causes of cold sores mentioned here, keeping your pH balance in the alkaline range is probably most critical for avoiding cold sores.

I hope that you now have a better idea of the true causes of cold sores in your life.