Lysine and Cold Sores - Does It Cure A Cold Sore?

Published July 16th, 2008

by Denny Bodoh

Lysine and cold sores? A great remedy if you use it the right way. If you will let me, I would like to share with you the right and wrong way to use lysine for cold sores.

Lysine for cold sores is a hot topic right now. We are seeing more and more proof every day for successfully using lysine for cold sores.

Why can lysine stop cold sore, fever blister or oral herpes outbreaks? How do I use it for best results?

These are very good questions.

But before we look at the use of lysine for cold sores, we should first understand the actual cause of a cold sore.

The primary cause of all cold sore events is the herpes simplex virus. Whether you call them cold sores, fever blisters, or oral herpes outbreaks, they are all the same thing.

90% of the world population carries this terribly contagious virus. It is most common to be exposed to it before 12 years old.

For most of your life, the herpes virus is hiding in the nerve roots. For facial sores, the virus resides behind the ear, in the nerve ganglia. If the virus stays latent, you will never experience a cold sore.

The herpes simplex virus will become active to produce new virus. Since it lives in the nerves, it can quickly tell when your immunity drops. Stress of any sort can create the right conditions for cold sores to happen.

Herpes virus moves to the surface through the set of nerve fibers that it has chosen to occupy. At the surface, each virus particle picks out a nerve cell to enter.

Each virus then forces that cell to act as a virus factory and construct herpes virus clones. When the cell is swollen with fresh virus, it is destroyed to free the new virus.

The cold sore is a large ulcerated wound caused the disintegration of a huge group of surface nerve cells.

Arginine is an amino acid (protein) that is the main protein needed to create the herpes simplex virus. Chocolate and nuts are particularly rich in arginine, and it is found in lesser amounts in many other foods.

Your cells have a special area to store proteins, such as arginine, inside the cell.

Lysine is also an essential amino acid. Dairy and fish are good sources of lysine. New herpes virus can not be created using lysine. It is like putting water in your gas tank.

Lysine and arginine share the same storage area in your cells. The more lysine you put in storage, the less room for arginine.

It is easy for you to drop your stored arginine levels by taking in higher quantities of lysine. This is a proven method many folks use to reduce duration or occurrences of oral herpes cold sore wounds. Lysine extinguishes the cold sore fire.

You can improve your intake of lysine by eating more vegetables, cheese, yogurt and fish. For best results, you may also have to lower your intake of arginine foods such as nuts and chocolate.

But, modifying your way of eating for the sake of fighting cold sore, fever blister or oral herpes outbreaks is usually not convenient or fun. I prefer lysine supplements. They are easy to find, quite cheap and convenient.

Lysine capsules normally come in 500-milligram size. You can get much more lysine into your system this way than trying to eat more lysine food. And you can easily take extra lysine rather than go without chocolate.

Lysine is one of many common proteins and is quite safe. To treat a cold sore, dosages of 2000 to 4000 milligrams daily are the norm. Many people take 500 milligrams per day to help prevent future oral herpes cold sore outbreaks.

But, watch out for the hype.

Lysine for cold sores is a well-proven and effective treatment when taken internally. However, it has not shown much value as a topical treatment.

There are lysine salves on the market for use as cold sore remedies. Lysine must get into the cells to work. Lysine does not absorb through the skin. You must take it orally for good results.

Lysine for cold sores is one of several really good cold sore remedies that you will find useful.

There is much more I could share about lysine for cold sores and several other good cold sore remedies that honestly work. Unfortunately there is not enough room here.

If you are a victim of long duration or frequent cold sore events, lysine is an excellent choice. But do not stop there. There are many other great cold sore remedies. You may find some will work even better for you than lysine for cold sores.

About the Author:

Cold sore relief? Be sure to read the FREE expert articles about Cold Sores at Denny Bodoh’s popular web-site. While there you will get a lot of amazing Cold Sore cures, tips and facts you can start using today.