What causes colds sores and fever blisters (oral herpes) in the majority of people - but not in everyone?
Please let me have a moment to show you what causes cold sores in 99% of these cases.
What causes cold sores? The short answer is the herpes simplex virus. About 80% of the sores are caused by herpes simplex type 1 - the rest by type 2.
Normally the herpes virus is asleep, deep in the roots of your facial nerves. For about 35% of those infected, it never wakes up. But the majority of those infected will have at least one cold sore attack in the next 10 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.
Basically, the herpes simplex virus is what causes cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes sores. But, we really need to focus on is what conditions we can avoid to keep the virus from becoming active.
They call them triggers. Here are the three primary triggers that will create conditions favorable for the activation of the herpes simplex virus.
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.
Building powerful antibodies is dependent on the nutritional value of the food you eat and the vitamin supplements you use.
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.
Take a high-quality vitamin supplement every day. This alone aids in preventing cold sores for a lot of people. But do not waste your money on those rip-off drug store one or two-a-day pills.
Do not buy vitamins unless from a dedicated vitamin provider or store. If you do not buy a high quality product, you will not see results. You get what you pay for. Look for high vitamin B and C content. These are the stress vitamins.
2. ARGININE HIGH - LYSINE LOW
Arginine and lysine are two very important amino acids critical to your good health. The also are important when it comes to cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes.
For the cell to create new particles of herpes simplex virus, it must have ample arginine nearby. Without this one main building-block, virus cannot be created. Thus a cold sore is avoided.
Lysine does not support herpes virus creation - like water does not support fire. Your cells store both lysine and arginine in the same area of the cell. More of one means less of the other.
Flooding your body with lysine by eating high lysine foods will help push arginine out of the cells. Lysine supplements are great for this also. Many people swear by this high lysine treatment for preventing a cold sore.
3. YOUR BODY NEEDS TO BE ALKALINE
To remain in perfect health, your body needs to be on the alkaline side of the pH scale. The pH scale has 14 points. 7 is neutral. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline.
Normally your body will stay between pH 6.5 to 7.4. When your body drops below 7, it is turning acid and will invite herpes simplex virus to become active - ultimately causing cold sores.
The more acid your body, the lower your oxygen levels. This hampers your immune defenses. The herpes simplex virus finds this a perfect environment for activating. Pop - diet or regular - and sugar are acid producing products to avoid.
Other causes of cold sores are created 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 cold sores are more common in the winter.
Keeping you pH balance in the healthy alkaline range is not hard at all. Avoid acid creating food and drink. Eat more green vegetables for the calcium they provide. Also, vitamin stores have great kits for raising you pH level quickly and safely.
There a few other causes of cold sores to share with you. But, hopefully, this short article has helped you toward answering the question of what causes cold sores in your life.
