Prescription Drug Alternatives for Holistic Treatments of Cold Sores

Cold Sores

Natural Herbal Alternative Remedies &
Treatments for Cold Sores

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Cold Sores

Cold sores, also known as fever blisters, are small red lesions that appear on the lips, the nostrils and sometimes the gums or the roof of the mouth. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus known as type 1 (as opposed to the type 2 virus, which causes genital herpes). The virus is so contagious that about 90 percent of all Americans are exposed to it by age five. Once you’re infected, the virus lies dormant in your body until a cold or fever triggers a flare-up.

Sunshine and extreme temperatures can also bring on a cold sore, so wear a lip balm containing sunscreen, and protect your nose and mouth from the cold with a scarf. The natural remedies in this chapter—used in conjunction with medical care and with your doctor’s approval—may help prevent Cold sores or speed their healing, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When...
You get four or more Cold sores a year.
You experience fever, swollen glands or flu like symptoms with a cold sore.
Your cold sore is so painful that you have trouble eating or carrying out normal activities.

Aromatherapy

To help speed the healing of Cold sores, Los Angeles aromatherapist Michael Scholes, of Aromatherapy Seminars, an organization that trains professionals and others in the use of essential oils, suggests the following essential oils: tea tree, bergamot, geranium, rose and melissa. He says to apply a single drop of any one of these oils first thing in the morning and again at bedtime.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Food Therapy

Eat more yogurt, recommends registered pharmacist Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D., professor of nutrition at Pacific Western University in Los Angeles and author of Earl Mindell’s Food as Medicine and other books on nutrition. “The acidophilus in the live cultures acts as a natural antibiotic to the virus that causes Cold sores,” he says.

Dr. Mindell also points out that certain foods may trigger Cold sores because they contain arginine, an amino acid that the herpes virus needs to thrive. Arginine-rich foods include cola, chocolate, peanuts and cashews, gelatin, beer and peas. So if you’re prone to Cold sores, Dr. Mindell advises that you limit your intake of these foods—and eliminate them completely during an outbreak.

Herbal Therapy

Europeans depend on lemon balm ointment to treat Cold sores caused by the herpes simplex virus, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The leaves and flower tops of this fragrant plant have antibacterial and antiviral properties, according to Dr. Tyler. You can’t ordinarily buy the ointment that Europeans use in the United States, he explains, but you can get similar results by treating Cold sores with a wash made from strong lemon balm tea.

To make the tea, says Dr. Tyler, pour ½ cup of boiling water over two to three teaspoons of finely cut dried leaves, available in most health food stores. Let the mixture steep for 20 to 30 minutes, he says, then strain the solution so that there’s no dried herb left in the tea and let the tea cool. To apply, Dr. Tyler suggests dipping a clean cotton cloth into the tea and dabbing it on the cold sore three or four times daily.

Homeopathy

Use a damp cotton swab to apply two or three drops of a 10 percent tincture of Calendula to the sore as needed, says Mitchell Fleisher, M.D., a family practice physician and homeopath in Colleen, Virginia.

Calendula is available in many health food stores.

Hydrotherapy

As soon as you feel a cold sore emerging, rub an ice cube over the area for ten minutes three times a day, suggests Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. If you treat the cold sore early on, you may be able to prevent it from erupting, according to Dr. Thrash.

Imagery

You can speed the healing of a cold sore if you imagine that a soothing light penetrates the sore and heals it from the bottom up (that’s how Cold sores heal naturally), says Dennis Gersten, M.D., a San Diego psychiatrist and publisher of Atlantis, a bi-monthly imagery newsletter. He suggests doing this for five minutes twice a day until the sore heals.

Sound Therapy

Because stress can lead to Cold sores, try listening to 20 to 30 minutes of relaxing music every day, says Steven Halpern, Ph.D., composer, researcher and author of Sound Health: The Music and Sounds That Make Us Whole. To get started, turn on the music, then sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Dr. Halpern suggests that you wear headphones to focus your full attention and avoid distraction. He recommends, however, that you keep the speakers playing, so your body absorbs the sound energy. While the music plays, let your breath slow down and become steady. Listen not just to the notes but to the silence between the notes. Dr. Halpern says this will keep you from analyzing the music, which will allow it to relax you.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

If you get three or more Cold sores a year, you might benefit from a daily supplement of L-Lysine,an amino acid that counteracts arginine, an amino acid that the herpes virus needs to thrive, says Richard D. Fischer, D.D.S., president of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology and a dentist in Annandale, Virginia. “I recommend taking two 500-milligram tablets with each meal during an outbreak and then dropping down to one 500-milligram tablet per meal after your cold sore heals as a preventive measure,” says Dr. Fischer.

Yoga

Cold sores often arise during stressful times, says Stephen A. Nezezon, M.D., yoga teacher and staff physician at the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. To lower stress, you can do a daily routine of breathing exercises, meditation and poses, suggests Dr. Nezezon.