If you have ever had a cold sore, you probably know that it is caused by a herpes virus.  This virus reproduces itself by binding to the site of the cell via the amino acid arginine.  However, if lysine is at that binding site, the virus will have no place to call home.

Some foods that are high in lysine include turkey, ricotta cheese, avocado, eggs and chocolate.  Also avoid foods high in arginine such as nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts and walnuts), seeds (such as sunflower and sesame), pork, milk and most cheeses.  Most people know about acidophilus bacteria which are found in some brands of yogurt.  Two to 3 cups a day of this type of yogurt can serve as iether a preventitive measure or a remedy for assisting in the healing of the cold sore.

Some Naturopaths say that a virus won’t do well in a cold environment and it is recommended that you hold a piece of ice (wrapped up in a cloth) to the area of the outbreak for a total of 15 to 30 minutes.  Take a break when the cold becomes too uncomfortable.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 9:06 pm and is filed under Home Remedies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.