Lysine for Cold Sores - Strong Medicine For Your Cold Sore

Lysine and cold sores - serious medicine if used correctly. If you will let me, I will explain why it works, and the only correct way to use lysine for cold sores for the results you want.

Lysine for cold sores has proven to be a powerful treatment. Empirical data and studies strongly support lysine use for cold sores.

How does lysine work and what is the correct way to use it?

We will get to these questions in a moment.

To fully appreciate how lysine works, we should fully understand the cause of a cold sore, fever blister or oral herpes outbreak.

It is the replication process of the herpes simplex virus that causes your cold sore.

Because this virus is so very contagious, it is currently carried by about 90% of Earth residents. Commonly, people are infected in their youth - before the age of 12.

The herpes virus lives in the nerve fibers nearest the original area of infection. It normally is latent and can remain dormant for months, years or even a lifetime.

As far as we know, the herpes virus does no damage as long as it stays in hiding. You definitely will never get a cold sore while it is dormant.

If and when the herpes simplex virus becomes active, it wiggles its way to the surface through the nerve fibers. Once there, each virus will choose and enter a nerve cell.

It then takes control and commands the cell to create new virus. The herpes simplex virus is created, not born, as we know it. Herpes cannot create its own offspring, so must force a cell to do so.

When the cell is filled to capacity with new virus, it is killed, dumping out hoards of herpes simplex virus. This destruction of millions of cells creates the cold sore crater.

The cells must have ample supplies of one specific protein to build new herpes virus. This protein is the amino acid arginine. You will find high amounts of arginine in chocolate, nuts and most grains.

Now, here is the secret how lysine works. Few people know this.

The cell has special receptors for storing arginine. The same receptors are used to store lysine, another amino acid protein.

Lysine has many uses in your body, but it is useless as an ingredient for building new virus. Lysine is high in fish, eggs, dairy and many vegetables.

If you take in more lysine than arginine, through diet or supplements, you will flood your cells with this protein. The more lysine in your cells, the less arginine can be stored there.

Without sufficient arginine, your cells cannot create the herpes virus. This effectively starves out the cold sore virus and sends it back into hibernation.

This not only quickly stops a current cold sore, but is capable of preventing future cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes outbreaks.

To increase your lysine eat a diet rich in lysine foods such as fish, dairy and vegetables. To decrease arginine, avoid grains, seeds, nuts and chocolate.

You know as well as I, the best nutritional elements come from real food. The trouble is, changing your diet just to cure or avoid cold sores is not always practical or convenient.

Lysine supplements are the easiest way to get sufficient lysine for cold sores. The are very cheap and available most anywhere. Get it in the preferred 500 milligram capsules.

Most folks that use lysine for cold sores, will take 2000 to 4000 milligrams per day for quick resolution of a current cold sore. Some will take one capsule per day for a preventative.

But, don't be fooled by the hype.

Lysine for cold sores is a very good cold sore treatment, only if taken orally. If put directly on the sore, it has little or no value.

The reason I mention this is because there are some cold sore salves on the market that promote using lysine as an external cold sore treatment. Lysine is a large molecule and is poorly absorbed this way.

Save your money - there are better choices.

Yes - lysine for cold sores works quite well for many people. You can use it by itself or in combination with some of my other well documented cold sore treatment options.

I would love to share with you these other excellent (and free) cold sore remedies, but space is limited here.

You may have cold sore events that seem to drag on forever. Or, you may get a lot of cold sore outbreaks every year.

In either case, lysine for cold sores is worth trying. It surely should be your first line of defense. And if combined with one or two other remedies, lysine for cold sores may provide you a lifetime of cold sore freedom.