Have you ever noticed that cold sores show up at the worst possible times?
You have an important job interview coming up in a couple of days, and right on schedule the tingling that precedes an unsightly cold sore alerts you that when the time comes, you’ll be showing off more than your résumé. Or you’ve been planning a major event—your parents’ anniversary party or a fund-raiser for your church—and as the big evening approaches, that tingling starts up. Even sun and fun during a vacation can make that pesky virus act up. What gives?
In the first two instances, stress is the likely culprit. And while vacation can be a prime stress reliever, alcohol and sun exposure are prime herpes triggers, as are fatigue, illness, and, for many women, premenstrual syndrome.
As you’re probably aware, cold sores, also known as fever blisters, are caused by a herpes virus. Once you’re infected, which most often happens in childhood, the virus remains dormant in your body for life. Cued by things like stress or sun exposure, the cold sore virus migrates out and causes an infection, most often on the lips. It can also show itself on the nostrils or chin, even on the fingertips. The infection begins with a telltale tingle, then develops into a blistering sore that leaks fluid, then dries up. The whole scenario typically lasts about 2 weeks, give or take a couple of days.
The retrovirus Herpes simplex 1 causes cold sores. A related virus, Herpes simplex 2, causes genital herpes. At least that’s generally the case. Both viruses can trigger both kinds of outbreaks. Before looking at the one nutrient that might prove helpful, here are a couple of things to keep in mind when you have an active outbreak.
Quit kissing. When you have a cold sore, you are contagious. Especially refrain from kissing your kids.
Wash your hands. You’re contagious even to yourself. Make sure you don’t touch your genital area or your eyes without washing your hands first. Wash up before you do your eye makeup.
Get help if it spreads. If a cold sore infection spreads to your eyes, see your doctor. A herpes infection in the eyes can do serious damage, possibly even causing blindness.
When visited by pesky cold sores, most people reach for a topical over-the-counter ointment. And those do help. There’s also some science behind one nutrient as both a preventive and a possible treatment.
Several studies have shown that the essential amino acid lysine taken as a supplement can help reduce the number of cold sore outbreaks. (Unfortunately, similar studies have not yet been done for genital herpes, so researchers just don’t know whether the supplement is effective against this related virus.) Positive results were shown for amounts ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams daily.
In 2001, a review of seven studies that looked at lysine as a treatment for cold sores was published in the American Journal of Health System Pharmacy. The researchers found that six of the studies showed that lysine was effective as a preventive in decreasing the frequency of cold sores.
Lysine, which is found in meat, milk, cheese, and eggs, has a good reputation for safety.
In many of the studies, researchers also looked at whether lysine would shorten the duration of an infection once it was under way. Only a couple of the studies found lysine to boost healing, and then by only a couple of days.
Topical lysine, however, has been shown to be an effective healer. In one study done at the Southern California University of Health Sciences, researcher Betsy Singh, PhD, and colleagues found that a topical over-the-counter ointment containing lysine shortened healing time by more than 50 percent.
Lysine |
1,000 to 3,000 milligrams for prevention; topical over-the-counter ointment containing lysine for treatment |