cold sores

Tag: cold sores

Prepare for Cold Season and Avoid Herpes Outbreaks

Avoid Herpes OutbreaksPrepare for Cold Season and Avoid Herpes Outbreaks
By Contributing Author Stephanie

As we enter into the beautiful, yet dangerously contagious, fall season I usually have one thing on my mind: avoiding colds.  After being diagnosed with herpes, this concern weighs on my mind even more.  As most of us know, the herpes virus shows up when our immune system has been compromised.  There can be many causes for this including stress, another virus like the common cold or the flu, or perhaps even lack of sleep.

As my body was still trying to build up immunity to the herpes virus, colds had a substantial effect on my experience with outbreaks.  For the first year of my diagnosis, every time I caught a small cold, an outbreak would follow days after the cold arrived.  Because of this, I have found that it is extremely important for me to take care of myself and keep my immune system strong in order to avoid herpes outbreaks. This blog post will go over some simple, yet key points on how to boost your immune system during the cold season in order to avoid herpes outbreaks. The first step you can take to avoid herpes outbreaks by boosting your immune system is take Omega-3s on a daily basis.

In Dr. Kelly’s book, Live, Love, & Thrive with Herpes, she suggests 2000 mg or more a day. Omega-3s are a great way to boost your immune system as well as balance your hormones, and support cardiovascular and brain health. Zinc Chelate is another easy supplement to use to boost your immunity. Dr. Kelly’s book suggests 50 mg a day.  Not only will taking Zinc on a daily basis support a strong immune system, but it will also promote skin health and tissue repair: two benefits that are amazing for herpes outbreaks. Vitamin D3 is also a great supplement to build immunity.  The suggested dose listed in Dr. Kelly’s book is 5000 IU’s a day.

Women are often deficient in Vitamin D3 and new research is showing that it acts as a hormone, signaling cells to boost immunity. If you are osteoporotic, then D3 is required for you to be able to properly absorb your calcium supplements. Probiotics are another supplement to add to your regimen or diet, not only during cold season, but all the time.  Probiotics help the “good bacteria” in your body to thrive so that they can fight off the “bad bacteria.” You may be able to get all the probiotics you need from your diet.  A few of the foods known to be rich in probiotics are yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, and kimchi.

One last supplement you should always take to support your health and immune system is a multivitamin.  In Live, Love, & Thrive with Herpes, Dr. Kelly suggests a multivitamin that has at least 750 mg of calcium and 450 mg of magnesium. If you are already taking each of these supplements daily, congratulations!  If you are not, now would be the perfect time to start. Cold season is among us, and supporting our immune systems is extremely important to avoid herpes outbreaks as well as for our overall health and happiness.  I hope these suggestions find you well and that you all have a happy and healthy cold season.

Abreva Cream- The Ins and Outs

Abreva Cream- The Ins and Outs

By Contributing author Stephanie

Abreva cream is a topical ointment used to treat cold sores; at least that is how it is marketed. Customer reviews on numerous websites show success for the medicine. People who have used Abreva report that the time it takes for the cold sores to heal decreases, the severity of the sore or sores decreases, and there are even reports that it can be used to prevent a sore from ever actually showing up. Overall, people seem to have great success with Abreva. After diving into the use of it a bit more I found that it targets sores caused by HSV-1 (as opposed to HSV-2), which we know can also appear genitally.

I searched to see if the cream could be used for genital lesions as well, and after finding out that it certainly can be (as long as those legions are caused by HSV-1) I began to deconstruct why the company might market the product in the way that it does. The stigma associated with oral herpes is very different than that associated with genital herpes, and unfortunately a company is smart to steer clear from the later. In one of my earlier blogs, “The Social Construction of Genital Herpes,” I touch on why the stigma of genital herpes is the way it is. Because oral herpes is not as closely associated with sex, the stigma is not the same. There is also something to be said about the inability to conceal our herpes when it appears orally.

If we only experience genital lesions, disclosure is our personal choice; but when cold sores appear orally, disclosure of our herpes happens automatically. The stigmas of each type (oral and genital) as well as the ways we manage the stigmas of each type are very different from each other. Because of that difference, it is important to place them into different social categories. It is unfortunate that in order to avoid the associated stigma Abreva must also avoid marketing their product to those living with HSV-1 genitally, but then again there is a chance that products for the automatically disclosed stigma are just in higher demand. Despite these circumstances, reviews on the product would steer me towards using it so long as my diagnosis is HSV-1.

I hope this information benefits those of you who are looking for a treatment like this. I also hope this helps you to think critically about your situation and all the nooks and crannies that seem to have simple explanations but in reality are much more complex. Don’t disregard the social definitions of your diagnosis and the way you treat it, they will help you more than you might think!Live Love and Thrive with Herpes

Want to learn how to heal cold sores faster using all natural remedies? You’ll have to check out Dr. Kelly’s Amazon bestselling book, Live, Love and Thrive with Herpes.

 

About Stephanie

Hi Everyone! My name is Stephanie.  I was diagnosed with HSV-2 in April of 2014 when I was 22 years old.  Right now, almost three years later, I am a doctoral student in the sociology department at Purdue University.  I recently completed my MA in sociology at the University of Northern Colorado where I explored the role of stigma in the process of disclosing a genital herpes diagnosis.  With that said, if anyone is interested in reading what I discovered in my project, I am happy to share that with you! I plan to continue advocating for our community, as well as studying the social factors that influence sexual health in order to understand how we can create a world that is easier for people diagnosed with STIs.  I really enjoy writing for the Pink Tent community and am excited to be able to share some of my experiences and thoughts about living with genital herpes with you all.

National Herpes Awareness Day- 2014 Oral Herpes Kissing Campaign

Kissing coupleNational Herpes Awareness Day

There are many of you who probably never knew that there would be a National Herpes Awareness Day, but it’s true. It’s tomorrow, October 13, and it has been recognized since 2004 by the Australian Herpes Management Forum (AHMF).

This year, they have on kissing and oral herpes. Did you know that genital herpes can be acquired by receiving oral sex from someone who has a cold sore,  fever blister or oral herpes? In fact, the incidence of genital herpes caused by Herpes Simplex 1 (HSV!), the virus which causes cold sores, is the source of over 50% of new genital herpes cases.

This year, the AHMF has used tv commercials of all sorts of people kissing; men kissing women, women kissing women, women kissing men and men kissing men to increase the awareness of the campaign. As of now, it is not clear whether oral herpes and the kissing campaign has actually increased awareness in Australia, let alone America. But with more women who have herpes than breast cancer, herpes is something that we need to be talking about and Pink Tent is committed to raising public awareness.

No longer do women need to scream in silence. If you want to learn more about herpes and my story of becoming the female face of this stigmatizing infection, read Affect Magazine’s feature interview with me.

Live. Love. Thrive.

Dr. Kelly Amazon Bestselling Author of Live, Love and Thrive with Herpes  

Herpes Simplex 2 vs. Herpes Simplex 1

The Difference Between Herpes Simplex 2 & Herpes Simplex 1

Have you ever wondered what the real difference is between herpes simplex 2  (HSV-2) and herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1)?

I have spent the past four years as the educational coordinator for the Colorado H Club answering questions like this every day. Genetically speaking, the two viruses are about 85% the same and the symptoms they produce are exactly the same too. The main herpes symptoms are blisters, itching, pain, tingling, redness, fever, and numbness, but 85% of people who have the virus don’t even know it! There are other symptoms associated with the virus, but none of them cause any other diseases or illnesses. This is one of the reasons many doctors don’t deem it necessary to include herpes as part of a standard STD panel.

Herpes Simplex 1 and Herpes Simplex 2 are the two types of herpes simplex viruses. Some of the other members of this virus family, Herpes Viridae, cause Mono, Shingles, Chicken pox, Roseola and a few others.

Did you know that HSV-1 is the virus that causes cold sores? Yes. That’s right! Cold sores are caused by the herpes virus. Unfortunately, Herpes Simplex 2 has received the most amount of stigma over the years because it is the number one cause of genital herpes. 

Let’s look at some of the main differences between the two viruses:      

Genetics: 85% the same      
Herpes Viridae Family: Both Herpes Simplex Viruses      
Environment: HSV-1 prefers the environment of the oral/facial area of the body, HSV-2 prefers the genital area      
Cold Sores: HSV-1 is the strain of the virus that causes cold sores      
Frequency of Outbreak– HSV-1 outbreaks genitally tend to be less frequent      
Intensity: HSV-1 outbreaks genitally tend to be more mild      
Transmission: HSV-1 can be found genitally and orally, but HSV-2 is not found orally (only 1% incidence rate)
Triggers: both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are triggered by the same things i.e.. heat, UV, friction… Let us know if you found this information helpful.

If you have more questions about how to live and date with herpes and how to discover love again, check out our in-depth resources here. www.PinkTent.com    

What Might Your Herpes Outbreak Be Telling You?

 

What Might Your Herpes Outbreak Be Telling You?

CarnivalI have lived with herpes for over 15 years and believe me, I have learned a few things about the causes of my herpes outbreaks. Like many, I had to learn the hard way of what triggered my outbreaks. While many people are triggered by a high arginine content in their food, heat, friction, sunlight, or their menses, my number one cause of herpes outbreaks was emotional stress. Stress is by far the number one cause of herpes outbreaks! So, if you don’t have your stress levels under control, herpes will rear it’s ugly head.

Most people in America have absolutely no idea how stressed they really are until their health fails. I can remember sitting in the office of my chiropractor as I attempted to tell her that my life wasn’t very stressful. She looked at me and smiled as she carefully reflected the stressful events that had occurred in the past several years of my life. She reminded me of how I went to medical school and graduated at the top of my class, relocated to a town where I didn’t know anyone, started my own Wellness Center in a town filled to capacity with other healers and doctors, how I got married and had a very challenging pregnancy, wrote a book, started a non-profit, had 3 miscarriages and an emergency appendectomy in a short period of time. I could go on, but there is no need to.

My whole point is that sometimes we are totally unaware of how stressed out our bodies are. Especially if you are a positive, optimistic person like I am. I was shocked to hear her tell ME what my body, mind and soul had been through. So, what might your herpes outbreak be telling you? You are STRESSED! Maybe you don’t get enough sleep, you have a poor diet, your a workaholic, or your finances and relationships are stressing you out. Frequent herpes outbreaks are a great reminder that you might be more stressed than you realize.

The first step in managing stress is to acknowledge it. It is from this point that you can actually then do something about it. I want you to think about the past year of your life and what you have been through. Be inquisitive, but also very compassionate and loving towards yourself as you review this time in your life. This will give you a feel for what it is like for the herpes virus to be living in your body. When your stressed, herpes thrives! Think back over the past year and determine what major changes or life events have occurred. Here’s some areas to consider:

Health: changes in diet, sleep, exercise, illness, hospitalizations, changes in recreation Work: new job, longer hours, unemployment, transfer, promotion, demotion, troubles with coworkers or boss

Home and Family: new home, loss of loved one, pregnancy, miscarriage, new baby, marriage, divorce, problems with family member, illness in family

Personal or Social: change in personal habits, change in social activities, new relationship, an accident, change in religion, major personal acheivment

Financial: major purchase, loss of property, investment or credit difficulties, increased or decreased income While some of these changes are positive, it might come as a surprise that they can also be stressful.

Once you acknowledge what you have been through, you can begin to integrate the emotions associated with these changes in a positive manner. Spending time in meditation DAILY is extremely powerful. Even 5 minutes a day can alter your mood, relax your body and help your body to dissipate stress. There is not a single person that doesn’t have 5 minutes a day to meditate. You can’t afford NOT to! Journalling is also an excellent tool to help us to process and integrate our emotions. Whether you have frequent herpes outbreaks or not, take the time to be still each and every day. Your body will thank you in the long run.

If you would like to learn to manage your herpes outbreaks holistically and to reclaim you life, check out my new book: Live, Love and Thrive with Herpes: A Holistic Guide for Women  

Do Doctors Misdiagnose Herpes?

Q: Do doctors misdiagnose herpes?

shutterstock-misdiagnosisA: Yes. It wasn’t until the 1940s that herpes was found to be an actual virus. Then, 1960’s research started to isolate the virus into two types that we know today: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Although it is said that the virus was misdiagnosed all the way through the 1970s, the truth is, it’s still being misdiagnosed.

It used to be that doctors would diagnose herpes based on classic presentations of painful, itching blisters. This “classic presentation” is now debunked due to the alarming number of people who never elicit such classic symptoms.

Type-specific blood testing, which enables us to differentiate between HSV-1 and HSV-2, was not available until more recent years. The older tests could only reveal a positive or negative result for the herpes virus.

This was extremely limiting in regards to helping patients determine their level of risk and how they might have acquired the infection. Doctors still misdiagnose herpes all the time.

Herpes has been called the great masquerader because it can look like so many different things. We need to get doctors on board with proper diagnosis of herpes so that we as patients can be empowered, educated individuals.

Herpes Stigma: How Do We Put An End To It?

Herpes Stigma: How Do We Put An End To It?

A few weeks ago I was leading a forum on herpes and how to manage it naturally. Towards the end of the evening, a woman asked if she could share her most recent experience the stigma of  with the group. Of course, I encouraged her to share and this is the story she later emailed me:

 

515tbpjx6gl-_sx351_bo1204203200_I picked up a book at the library called, “Joey Green’s Amazing Kitchen Cures” thinking that it would be an interesting book to read. Well, it certainly was interesting. Every section has a common ailment along with kitchen-product suggestions to cure/heal it and “strange facts” about the ailment.

 

I was surprised when I came upon the section labeled Herpes and curious to read about what this man suggested. I skimmed through his suggestions, then came across the “strange facts” of this section and this is where I was shocked. The bullet-point items listed here were not “strange” at all, they were more common facts about the infection including that there is no cure for genital herpes and facts on how it’s transmitted, etc. But what really made me upset was when I kept reading these so-called “facts” and he then started talking about shingles which is not herpes. Yes, the two are similar but none-the-less different infections. He then wrote about several, if not many historical figures, from centuries ago who were apparently known to be sexually promiscuous. How does that relate to Herpes? There is NO scientific fact that any of these people where Herpes positive, so why is he putting these “facts” in this section? Why aren’t they in the earache or dry skin section?  I could not believe what I was reading. What he wrote is absolutely typical of why our society as a whole has such a stigma surrounding Herpes. And I had to do something about it.

 

I immediately tracked down his email address and began to write him a letter to stand up for everyone out there who like me has been burdened with this “gift”. Here is a copy of what I wrote and his response is following my letter:

 

Hi, Joey!
 
I just picked up your book Amazing Kitchen Cures and was surprised to see that you had a Herpes section. I was diagnosed 6 years ago and was eager to read what you recommend. After going through your recommendations, I started reading your “Strange Facts” section and was a little surprised.
 
The section starts off with not really “strange” facts but just facts about the disease but then the facts transfer over to famous people in history who had Syphilis which is not Herpes. Yes, the two diseases are similar but in the end, they are NOT the same – one is deadly, one is not. Also, these facts tell about famous people in history from centuries ago who seem to have had many lovers and who, according to your facts, had sex all the time. In no way do these facts correlate to Herpes whatsoever. It actually became a little disappointing that you would include these items in this section with no backing at all that these “facts” relate to Herpes. For example, Italian adventure Giovanni Casanova claimed that he seduced thousands of woman. How does that relate to Herpes? Did he have Herpes? Did he contract Herpes through one or several of his lovers? If so, how is that strange – it’s just a part of history. By putting these “facts” in his section, you seem to say that if you have the disease then you MUST be sexually promiscuous or have had dozens of lovers.
 
The reason why I say this is because when I was a teenager and in my early 20’s I remained a virgin because I did not want to get pregnant or contract a STD. However when I was 25 I fell in love with a man and decided to enter in a sexual relationship. He decided to cheat on me and in turn contracted Herpes from his affair and then gave it to me.  You see, I am not “seducing thousands of men” or “advocating having sex six times a day” like your facts say – however, I still contracted the STD without being sexually promiscuous, a prostitute or whore.
 
If you do release an updated copy of your book, I HIGHLY recommend taking out these “strange facts” as they seem to have nothing to do with the Herpes virus unless you have evidence that these famous people had the virus. I recommend taking out ANY sex related “fact” because that is not the only way a person can contract the STD. You can contract it from birth.
 
Please consider this and I do thank you for taking the time to read this email.

 

Dear Beth,
Thank you for your email, and I’m deeply sorry that you found the “Strange Facts” in the “Herpes” section of Amazing Kitchen Cures insulting. Rest assured that I did not mean for that collection of random facts to imply that herpes or any sexually transmitted disease can only be contracted if a person is promiscuous. I was simply stringing together unusual information.
The good news is that I have a new book coming out next year called “Joey Green’s Health Remedy Secrets” which contains all new information about herpes and accompanying facts that are about the disease itself (rather than interesting trivia).
Best,
Joey
herpes-stigmaMy response: I am so proud of Mary for her efforts in destigmatizing herpes. This infection has become so common and yet no one is exposing the truth about it. If everyone who had it was correctly diagnosed, we would have no stigma. Thank you, Beth, for speaking up for the millions of people who have herpes and are battling the everyday stigmas associated with it.
How do you think we could end herpes stigma?
Live. Love. Thrive.
Dr. Kelly

Dr. Kelly Discusses The Underground World of STD’s on Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole Radio

Last night I was a guest on Jamie Fox’s Sirius radio show with Zo Williams, http://zowilliams.blogspot.com/, known as the “Hip Hop Dr. Phil”.  He is an author, relationship specialist and tv personality. I truly appreciate his authenticity and his ability to connect with his audience. Zo and I took live calls on the Underground World of STD’s.

Take a listen here!

“Dr. Kelly Live on Academy Award Winner Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole Radio”

What Is Holistic Medicine?

What Is Holistic Medicine?

holistic-medicineEast Meets West

Western medicine = Modern medicine

Eastern medicine = Traditional, Holistic and Alternative medicine Eastern medicine is rooted in a holistic, or whole body approach.

The physical, emotional and spiritual states of an individual are all equally important in evaluating, managing and treating an individual.  Imagine a hologram, where every individual part represents the whole. It is impossible to break down a hologram into individual parts. Let’s say you have a hologram of an apple. If you cut the apple hologram in half, you are not left with two halves; you are left with two whole apples. You can demolish a hologram, but even a minute piece of the original will still reflect the whole!

Holistic medicine and its premises are no different than a hologram. You can’t heal a person by just examining and treating just one part of their body, because everything is interconnected. For example, you might be able to “fix” a person’s heart by treating a blockage with surgery. This is more of a Western approach, which focuses only on the physical symptom at hand, the blockage. This modern approach to medicine views the body as individual parts which need to be fixed. The weakness in this approach is that unless the underlying cause is addressed, the symptom will arise again in a similar or different form.

In Eastern medicine, health comes from an returning the body to its natural state of balance. “Fixing” a problem entails a deep investigation of the environment that lead to the imbalance or physical symptom and then going deeper to where the root of the problem lies. What are the person’s daily habits? How do their other organs function? Do they eat well? Are they stressed at work? Do they exercise? What are their families’ health backgrounds? What is going on in their personal lives? These are just a handful of the many questions that need to be answered in order to understand the emotional, spiritual and physical ailments of an individual person.
In Western medicine, doctors deal with individual problems. As a result, a person might have a half a dozen doctors who each specialize in one specific thing, making it incredibly hard to locate the source of a disease and find a lasting solution. It’s as if our “parts” don’t communicate to one another and each section is quarantined. In the eyes of many Western doctors, the sum of our parts equals the whole, rather than the whole expressing itself in each of the parts. I personally believe there is value in both types of medicine, but that we need more influence of the Eastern philosophies in our healing practices. This is why I choose to deal with health issues naturally first, and why I do not utilize or encourage Western medical treatment for herpes.
book_LiveLove300For more information on how to deal with herpes naturally and help to heal your whole self, purchase my Amazon Best Seller, “Live, Love and Thrive with Herpes“!

What Is Herpes?

What Is Herpes?

Many people have been diagnosed with herpes, and yet they do not know what herpes actually is- so let’s define it

herpesHerpes is a virus that has been around for 140 million years, infecting humans and animals alike.  Over twenty-five centuries ago, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, coined the term herpes from the Greek “to creep”. Aptly named, herpes has the ability to creep along any nerve and infect skin cells at more distant sites. Herpes is so common globally that it has the second largest incidence rate worldwide, trailing only behind the common cold.  Chances are you have been exposed to the herpes virus at some point in your lifetime.

When I was a child, parents would throw chickenpox parties so that all of the children would become infected. The idea was that it was better for the body to build up immunity and “learn” about the virus so that the chances of developing a reoccurrence from the painful condition of shingles later in life was not as high. Can you imagine if we could get over the stigma of HSV (Herpes Simplex Virus) and have a neutral, educated perspective on it? Now, don’t imply from this that I would encourage sexual parties to spread the love, but seriously, it does show how ostracized our viewpoints are of one strain of the herpes virus and not the other.

HSV is as common as the chickenpox strain and yet people associate herpes with being dirty or promiscuous. Why is it that most people don’t think twice about a cold sore, but would feel embarrassed about a genital outbreak, when in fact, it is the same type of virus. Cold sores are so prevalent in our culture and their location during cold and flu season make them challenging to hide. I am certain that you know of family and friends who are prone to these outbreaks and yet, you would never associate anything negative about their character for being a carrier of the virus. A genital sore; however, is hidden and found in an area that for most is very private and secretive.

As a culture, we have not been raised to talk about our sexual health, nor have we been encouraged to embrace our sexuality. Add an infection to our privates and we become extremely uncomfortable, shameful and embarrassed. This is why, I believe, that although a herpes infection can be detected in the blood of the whole body, our culture views the location of the outbreak differently. If a person has a genital outbreak, then their sexual practices are often wrongly, and presumptuously judged. This is something that most people are not comfortable talking about.

My opinion was reinforced by an experience I had, while I was interviewed on the morning show, Connections, on KGNU radio 88.5 FM (1390 AM) on the topic of Women and Herpes. The interviewer was shocked when she found out that chickenpox and Mononucleosis (the kissing disease) were both part of the herpes family. I could see the fear in her eyes when she asked me if by having either chickenpox or mononucleosis, did it mean she had HSV I or 2. I was happy to share with her that one did not preclude the other, but I do think that it drove the herpes conversation a little closer to home.


[1] Shingles is a member of the herpes family, also known as Herpes Zoster.