cold sore remedies……..?
home remedies for a cold sore?
and what if i start to feel one coming before it shows?
Tagged with: home remedies
Filed under: Cold Sore Remedies
Treating A Cold Sore
Remedies and treatments to relieve your discomfort.
You might want to try a nice hot cup of sage tea. Sage is an herb that has traditionally been used to fight inflammations on the mouth.
Sage tea has a pleasant, cooling taste.
To make sage tea, pour a pint of boiling water on to 1 oz. of the dried herb. Let it steep for about 7 minutes. Then drink and enjoy!
Tree Tea Oil. Put a drop on the cold sore with a Q-tip. Can also try putting lemon balm tea on a cold sore. Steep 1 - 2 tea bags or 2 - 4 teaspoons of dried lemon balm in boiled water for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Saturate a cotton ball and apply to cold sore. Will heal it up in no time.
No salt or citrus… and use abreva… or the meijer/ walmart of brand.. and use lots of carmex… you need to fix it at home? it may take a while… but i hear toothpaste… or just stick out with Vaseline/ petroleum jelly etc… your best bet is a medicated chapstick from the store!! best of luck!
Alcohol is the universal germ killer. It can sting but is ideal for destroying cold sore virus. If you use bottled alcohol, apply with a cotton ball. Pre-packaged alcohol swabs are available and most convenient. One down side - alcohol has to be applied frequently. A cold sore treatment that will kill viruses but lasts longer between applications, are oils such as oregano or garlic oil. Both work great, feel good and last a long time.
Aloe Vera gel on the sore will speed healing dramatically.
http://www.articlesniffer.com/Articles/18082/73/Getting-Rid-of-Cold-Sores-The-Quick-and-Easy-Way.html
Cold sores generally clear up without treatment in seven to 10 days. Topical symptomatic treatments such as topical lidocaine or benzyl alcohol (Zilactin) may help relieve symptoms.
Using an antiviral medication may modestly shorten the duration of cold sores and decrease your pain, if started very early. If you experience very frequent bouts, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication as a cold sore treatment or to prevent cold sores.
Prevention
You can take steps to guard against cold sores, to prevent spreading them to other parts of your body or to avoid passing them along to another person. Cold sore prevention involves the following:
Avoid kissing and skin contact with people while blisters are present. The virus can spread easily as long as there are moist secretions from your blisters. In persons with depressed immune systems, the virus can be spread even after the skin appears to be healed.
Avoid sharing items. Utensils, towels, lip balm and other items can spread the virus when blisters are present.
Keep your hands clean. Wash your hands carefully before touching another person when you have a cold sore.
Be careful about touching other parts of your body. Your eyes and genital area may be particularly susceptible to spread of the virus.
Avoid triggers. If possible try to avoid or prevent conditions that stress your body, such as getting a cold or the flu, not getting enough sleep or staying in the sun for long periods of time without applying sunblock.
Use sunblock. Apply sunblock to your lips and face before prolonged exposure to the sun — during both the winter and the summer — to help prevent cold sores.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Cold sores generally clear up without treatment. In the meantime, the following steps may provide relief:
Use ointments. Over-the-counter (OTC) ointments, such as topical lidocaine or benzyl alcohol (Zilactin), can help ease discomfort.
Take an OTC pain reliever. These include aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others). But don’t give aspirin to children. Aspirin may trigger a rare but potentially fatal disorder known as Reye’s syndrome.
Use cold or heat. Try applying ice or warm compresses to the blisters to ease the pain.
Let it heal. Avoid squeezing, pinching or picking at any blister.
Symptoms