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 a genital herpes outbreak 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 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 visit me at The Herpes Blog if you are interest.

Take care.

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Herpes Outbreak: First Signs of Herpes Outbreak

by Nanci Elliott on November 30, 2009

First Signs of Herpes Outbreak:

Other than keeping your immune system strong and the virus dormant through effective treatment of herpes, it is the first signs of herpes that gives you the best chance of stopping a herpes outbreak.    The first signs of a herpes outbreak can appear 24 – 48 hours before an outbreak is expected.   Symptoms can include soreness or a bruised feeling in and around the hip and flank area, often moving down one or both legs.   It is also quite common to experience flu like symptoms which can include an all-over-body ache, fatigue and muscle pain.   During this first stage of herpes, as a natural treatment you can start to take high doses of Vitamin C (3000 mg) and (very important!) 30mg – 60mg of Zinc.

I always suggest that each and every day you take a immune tonic which can increase your immune function and keep any herpes outbreak dormant.

Excellent immune tonics to consider would be:

  1. Reishi: Reishi is highly valued in Asia for increasing resistance and extending life, and has also been extensively studied for its immune function boosting properties.  Thankfully Reishi is now widely available in North American in supplement form.
  2. Ashwagandha: A traditional herb from India where it is highly valued as a general tonic.
  3. Rhodiola: Rhodiola is an amazing supplement which can aid with many stress related symptoms including fatigue, cancer, antioxidant, and immune-enhancing effects. It is useful for acute stress, mild depression and memory problems.
  4. Siberian Ginseng: This herb is extremely helpful with exhaustion, a lack of energy, and general fatigue from overwork.

If you are taking a daily supplement of any of the above (and just try one for a few months and see how it works for you.  Please don’t go out and buy all of them and take them all together!), and you begin to feel a herpes outbreak, you can increase the dosage in the 24-48 hour window along with any increase or addition of Vitamin C and Zinc.

Should you have opted to treat your herpes outbreak with a pharmaceutical anti-viral (Acyclovir, Famvir, or Valtrex) it is in this 24 – 48 period that you would want to commence the recommended dosage and/or increase the dosage that you are taking for suppression.   For more information on the anti-viral medications in conjunction with the stages of herpes, visit:  Treatment for Herpes.

Regardless of whether you are opting for medical or natural treatment of your herpes outbreak, it is crucial that you take care of yourself and get as much sleep and rest as you can.  Following the a above recommendations can greatly increase your chances of completely stopping your herpes outbreak or decreasing the duration and severity of the outbreak.

Good luck and take care.

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Herpes Outbreak: the First Herpes Outbreak

November 17, 2009

The first herpes outbreak can be tremendously painful and severe.  It is important to note that the initial outbreak is also sadly associated with your diagnosis of herpes and can be a stressful and emotional time.  For both of these reasons it is important to be kind to yourself and provide yourself with the most [...]

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Herpes Outbreak: Stress

November 17, 2009

A significant percentage of people with herpes will experience subsequent outbreaks after their first herpes outbreak.  These outbreaks will vary greatly from person to person in both frequency and severity.   It is quite possible to go months without a single outbreak and then experience several consecutive outbreaks over the next few weeks or months.   There [...]

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