What Causes Cold Sores And How To Prevent A Cold Sore

What causes cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes? If you will let me right now, I will reveal what causes cold sores in most sufferers.

What causes cold sores, basically, is the herpes simplex virus. It comes in two varieties - type 1 and type 2. Both create identical sores. Most common is type 1, which is responsible for about 80% of the outbreaks.

Usually the herpes virus is dormant, hiding deep in the ganglia of your facial nerves. For about 30% of infected folks it never becomes active. The other 70% will experience at least one cold sore within 9.5 months.

Because it lives in your nerves, herpes simplex virus can quickly sense conditions that are favorable for it to replicate. It will move to the surface and enter nerve cells there. The herpes simplex virus then forces the cells to create new virus.

As the cells become full of newly created virus, you will notice swelling of the area. When full, the cells are destroyed to release the virus. This is what makes the open sore.

The herpes virus is the root cause of all cold sore, fever blister and oral herpes outbreaks. But what are the right conditions in our body that activates the virus and causes cold sores?

There are a number of things that can cause the virus to activate. Below you will discover the three triggers responsible for 99% of the outbreaks.

1. POOR IMMUNITY.

An effective immune response is directly related to the quality of your antibodies. Certain factors must be available for your body to build great antibodies.

The most important elements needed for strong antibodies are the nutrients you gain from diet and supplements.

If you get a lot of outbreaks, your immune system is not strong enough to protect you properly. Eat more vegetables. Your best bet would be organic. Veggies flood you with the best quality, body-ready nutrients you can get.

You should start taking a multiple vitamin every day. For many people, this is the only extra thing they do for success in preventing cold sores. But use caution. There are many drug store rip-off vitamins that are totally worthless.

Find a reputable store that specializes in vitamins. They will have the quality products you need. Look for high levels of B and C vitamins. These burn up fast when under stress.

2. ARGININE IS HIGH - LYSINE IS LOW.

Lysine and arginine are two amino acids essential to your good health. The also play a big role when it comes to cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes.

Arginine is the primary protein used to create herpes simplex virus. Without plenty of arginine readily available, your cells cannot construct new virus. No new virus means no cold sore can develop.

On the other hand, lysine is a protein that cannot be used to create new herpes simplex virus. In fact, lysine stops a cold sore like water puts out a fire.

Your cells store both these amino acids in the same area. Since space is limited, the more space used lysine, the less space for arginine.

Flooding your system with lysine will reduce the arginine stored in the cells. Eating lysine foods, such as yogurt and cheese, provides the best quality lysine. If you need higher quantity levels, lysine supplements are available and work well.

3. YOUR ACID pH LEVEL.

Your body needs to be on the alkaline side of the pH scale to achieve perfect health. The pH scale is numbered 1 - 14. 7 is neutral. Lower than 7 is acid and higher than 7 is alkaline.

Your will usually range between 6.4 to 7.3 pH. When you drop below 7, you will be moving into the acid range. This creates an environment favorable for activating the herpes simplex virus -and causing cold sores.

The herpes virus needs an acid environment. When you are acid, your body will experience lower oxygen levels and weak immune defense. Foods that acidify your body include coffee, carbonated beverages, sugar and tobacco. Believe it or not - citrus fruits are fine.

Other causes of cold sores appear during the winter season. Cold air, reduced outdoor activity, less fresh vegetables, and lower exercise levels all create acid in your body. That is why viruses, such as the herpes virus, are more active in the winter.

If you regularly get cold sores, avoid the acid foods mentioned previously. Eat calcium-rich green vegetables such as broccoli and asparagus. Vitamin stores have alkaline-raising supplements too.

What causes cold sores? I hope this short article has helped you toward finding the answer to the question of what causes cold sores in your life.