There are well over 90 viruses that belong to a family called herpes
virdae. In this family of viruses, four
are currently known to affect human beings, 1) Varicella-zoster causes
chickenpox and shingles, 2) Epstein-Barr
causes infectious mononucleosis 3) cytomegalovirus
also called CMV often is carried without producing any symptoms,
but can have very damaging consequences for newborn babies and for
persons with weakened immune systems. This webpage will mainly deal
with 4) herpes simplex,
which causes cold sores, fever blisters, and genital herpes. There are
two types of herpes simplex. Herpes simplex type I or HSV-1 which
normally causes cold sores and skin eruptions. Later on in life, it may erupt into
a form of shingles. It may also cause herpes keratitis, an
inflammation of the cornea of the eye. If herpes repeatedly flares up
in the eye, it can lead to scarring and loss of vision. Around 20 to 40% of the people in the USA have cold sores caused by
HSV-1. As many
as twice that number have been infected with the virus but may
never have the sores. That means that 40% to 80% of the
population is infected with this virus. Herpes simplex type II
or HSV-2 is the most common sexually transmitted disease in
the United States. Over 32 million Americans, one out of
every six people over 15 years old may have the type
II infection, though more than half never develop very serious
symptoms. The viral infection can range in severity from a
quiet undetected infection to a serious inflammation of the
person's liver with a fever. It is very dangerous to babies
and very young children. A baby whose
mother is infected with the virus can pick up the virus in the birth canal,
risking brain damage, blindness, and even death.
Both the genital and oral herpes infections cause painful
fluid filled
blisters which are highly infectious until they are totally healed,
and healing takes up to 3 weeks. In oral herpes,
sores normally appear within 2 - 7 days after first exposure
to the virus. Continuing eruptions are also common. Some
perons's are affected by outbreaks once a year or less; other
people get them
every few weeks. For women, a mild tingling and burning in the vaginal
area may be the first indicator of genital herpes. In
a matter of a few hours, blisters can develop around the clitoris,
cervix, rectum, and vagina. There is often a
watery type discharge from the urethra and often pain when urinating. In
men, blisters break out on the penis, groin, and scrotum, and often with a urethral discharge and
pain in urination. The penis and foreskin swell sometime as
well. The infected man may also have
tender, swollen lymph nodes in the groin.
The first attack from genital herpes normally occurs 4 - 8 days
after the first exposure to the virus. It may be so mild that it isn’t
noticed, or it may cause itching and burning at the site of
viral entry as well as painful sores that can last a week or
more, plus fever, headache, and other flu like symptoms. After
a few days, pus will erupt from the blisters and painful ulcers
form. These sores crust over and dry while healing. Normally, they
will leave no scars. Note that once they enter the human body, herpes
viruses never leave. They live in nerve cells, where the
immune system cannot find and destroy them, and they become active from
time to time, especially when the immune system is weak. The virus may
lie dormant inside for long periods of time, until illness, sun
exposure, fatigue, stress,
or some other factor causes the virus to break out in the open
sores again. Fortunately, after a period of time, the virus
seems to burn itself out and outbreaks rarely appear after the
person is past 50 years of age.
Until recently, it was assumed that genital herpes could be
transmitted only during a visible outbreak of the disease, but
recent research appears to disprove that theory. The only sure
way to avoid genital herpes is to avoid sex, or to remain in a
monogamous relationship with an partner who is not infected. Also,
although HSV-1 mainly causes cold sores and eye
infections and HSV-2 principally causes genital herpes, both
type I and II can infect either the mouth or the genitals or
both. Oral sex can spread the virus from one area of the body to another.
Nutritional supplementation can help the body heal and boost
the immune system of the person who is infected with
herpes.
Nutrient /
Supplement |
Importance
( 1 - 10 ) |
Helpful notes |
Calcium
|
10 |
mineral
that helps nerve function, healing, and also help combat stress |
Magnesium |
9 |
mineral
that works with calcium |
Essential
omega acids
|
10 |
promotes healing of
both nerve and skin tissue. They are found in fish oil, flax seed oil, and borage seed oil |
Multi-vitamin
and Mineral supplement |
10 |
contains vitamin E,
vitamin A, vitamin
C, vitamin E, vitamin B complex, calcium, magnesium, selenium,
and zinc which all are helpful in
both the treatment and prevention
of herpes virus infection, shingles (herpes zoster). The nutrients in a daily supplement are required for general good health and
well being. |
Selenium |
9 |
this
mineral is an important antioxidant |
Olive
leaf |
9 |
herb that
seems to help fight viral infections like herpes |
Red
Clover |
9 |
herb for
detox, healing, and fighting infections |
Licorice |
9 |
aids in
stopping the growth and cell damage of herpes simplex |
Myrrh |
9 |
herb that
works well with olive leaf and red clover |
Bioflavonoids |
9 |
bioflavonoids are
natural antioxidant and free radical destroyer. They also
boost the body's immune system to help
it fight the shingles herpes
virus |
vitamin
A |
9 |
important in helping
the
immune system and thus protection from infection. It is good for eye
function and health. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant to promote healing. |
Echinacea |
8 |
herb that helps the
immune system and it works well with reishi mushroom in an herbal blend |
Reishi mushroom |
8 |
herb good
for the immune system |
vitamin
C |
9 |
works with
bioflavonoids to promote healing in the body |
vitamin
E |
9 |
helps body healing
process and it also serves as a powerful antioxidant to help
prevent formation of scar tissue |
vitamin
B12 |
9 |
good for
nerve health and stress |
Pantothenic
acid |
9 |
vitamin B5
helps in forming antibodies |
Pyridoxine |
9 |
vitamin B6
helps immune function |
vitamin
D |
9 |
aids in
tissue healing and required for calcium absorption |
Grape
seed extract |
8 |
strong
anti oxidant that protects skins cells and helps prevent
blisters as well as provide general healing. |
Garlic |
8 |
herb good
for healing and immune system |
vitamin
B complex |
8 |
is needed
both for nerve
health and eye cell
metabolism |
Zinc |
9 |
strengthens the
body's immune
system to protect against infection. It has been shown that
a zinc deficiency is linked to many various eye disorders |
Other Changes To Make
-
drink 6-8 glasses of steam distilled or
filtered water a day
-
eat 50% raw fruits and vegetables (organic is best)
-
nuts, seeds, and whole grains are good
-
juice is good (make your
own with a juice machine)
-
do not worry as much about calories as eating the right foods
-
carrot and celery sticks are good to use as a snack
-
a colon cleansing can be very helpful - (do several times each year)
-
do not drink coffee, alcohol, soda pop, other junk food drinks
-
do not eat processed foods white sugar, white flour, etc...
-
use stress relief like going for walks in the park
(or the 10/90 rule - see
Stress)
-
brown rice is good to eat
-
avoid red meat and animal fats
-
reduce dairy products cheese, milk, and others
-
fast a few days a month
-
get at least 8 hours of sleep
-
exercise light to moderate amounts
-
avoid artificial sweeteners like Aspartame and NutraSweet
-
do not smoke and avoid second hand smoke
-
do not skip meals - just eat better and not as much at each meal
-
do not chew gum - it can cause you to feel hungry
-
do not watch too much TV try reading a book or something else
|