by Nanci Elliott on March 1, 2010
The outbreak symptoms of female herpes are not significantly different from the symptoms of male herpes, but women with genital herpes should have a firm grasp of the early symptoms in order to start immediate treatment and to avoid all sexual activity. Taking these two steps will seriously reduce the risk of spreading the virus and reduce herpes transmission rates.
Any genital herpes outbreak can appear on the body above the knees and below the waist. Some women report outbreaks on the buttocks or thighs, however it is most common for HSV2 to make it’s appearance in the mucous membranes of the genitalia. This can include the rectum, vaginal area and/or labia as well as any surrounding skin. It is important to note that these are general and most commonly found outbreak sites for female genital herpes.
The first symptoms of herpes could be tingling or itching at the expected outbreak site. As any outbreak moves through the cycle of symptoms, there may be a significant level of redness, swelling or pain as the outbreak starts to appear. The sore or rash can pull at the skin which can cause quite a bit of discomfort. At this point in the herpes outbreak, you can use a small amount of tea tree oil mixed with olive or vegetable oil to lessen any painful symptoms.
Any blisters can be filled with fluid and as the outbreak ruptures, you will have considerable reduction in pain and swelling. At this point the outbreak begins to heal and you can use vitamin E to dramatically reduce healing time and bring your skin and/or membranes back to perfectly normal healthy tissue.
The symptoms of female genital herpes do not have to be misunderstood. To have knowledge is powerful and if you can understand and recognize your herpes symptoms, you will feel much more empowered and in control of your HSV2.
by Nanci Elliott on February 3, 2010
Prior to 1981 there was no medically approved treatment for genital herpes. The feelings of hopelessness and loss of control must have been rampant as new patients diagnosed with genital herpes were told that there was nothing they could do to prevent a herpes outbreak and that abstinence during genital herpes outbreaks was the only way to prevent transmission.
Thankfully, in 1982 acyclovir (which is still heavily prescribed today) became available by prescription. Subsequently both famciclovir and valacyclovir were also developed. The three medications are also known by their brand names, Zovirax, Famvir, and Valtrex respectively.
What a lot of people I talk to don’t understand is how the anti-viral medications work. All three of the medications operate in much the same manner.
To survive and reproduce, viruses need certain nutrients and these prescription medications present themselves to the HSV2 virus as these exact nutrients but in reality they are fake. When the virus uses the medicine (disguised as a required nutrient) to reproduce, it cannot and the duplication of the virus is drastically reduced. I am a firm believer that if you can visualize this process actually happening in your body, the effectiveness of the medication could potentially be greater. If you cannot afford the medication (or are not comfortable taking a pharmaceutical), and knowing what you do now about viral replication requiring certain nutrients, you can spend a few minutes a day visualizing the genital herpes virus in your body NOT receiving the nutrients it requires and dying a slow and painful death… (ok, that last part is optional!) You visualize any genital herpes outbreak healing and getting smaller with colors such as green and blue. Visualization is an extremely powerful and underrated and under utilized method of herpes treatment.
A few more genital herpes treatment facts:
Acyclovir was proven to have poor absorption by the body (only 15% was available for use to disguise itself as essential nutrients to the herpes virus), and thus valacyclovir was brought to market which has a much more effective rate of absorption. Because of this, Valtrex does not need to be taken nearly as often as Zovirax. Famvir works in a similar method with a slightly different chemical structure.
The anti-viral medications discussed above can be costly (it might be worth your while to search around for a reputable online pharmacy in Canada, the UK, or Australia), and can also be very hard on your liver. Very high or long term dosage should be seriously discouraged without adequate blood work to test the level of your liver enzymes.
There are many other natural herpes remedies that can be equally effective.
You can always find more information at The Herpes Blog.
Take care.