Fever Bllister

[Thomae]

Have a fever blister on my lip and would like to know if I can use Fucidin cream on it. It is an antibiotic cream.

[gymdandee]

The thought is l-arginine is a factor in cold sores.
l-lysine supplements can prevent outbreaks of both cold sores and genital herpes, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. L-lysine is an essential amino acid that the body can’t produce.  Lysine is in foods with protein. Supplements provide a larger amount. Larginine suppresses Lysine. Some people think  this leads to cold sores.
Research in the journal "Chemotherapy" found that an arginine deficiency suppressed replication of the herpes virus in tissue culture. Arginine has viral growth-promoting activity, and lysine antagonized that action. People prone to herpes sores might benefit from avoiding large amounts of dietary arginine and also by supplementing with lysine, especially during times of stress, as noted by the study authors.
Although the ASHA does not encourage anyone to stop eating foods containing arginine, it does encourage a diet adjustment if frequent outbreaks of cold sores seem food-related. You might consider taking lysine supplements and avoiding foods high in arginine as soon as initial symptoms appear. These foods include nuts and nut butters, seeds, chocolate, carob, coconut, raisins, gelatin, whole grains, lentils, soybeans, spinach, watercress and seaweed. Some foods, such as meat and dairy products, also contain arginine but have higher amounts of lysine, so those are acceptable. That's from my info.

[Paxiled]

Wouldn't any complete protein food contain arginine -- it is an essential nutrient for health and any food containing lysine is likely to contain arginine as well.   I guess I don't understand the connection between food and a form of the herpes virus which will recur no matter what you eat given there's no cure.  Eating nothing at all would probably cause an outbreak, as it would weaken the immune system.  Accepting the foods you mentioned contain more arginine theoretically than other foods, still, again, any complete protein would contain arginine and without it we'd die.  It is more an imbalance of too much arginine?  Especially keeping in mind that arginine is very important for so many other things?  I'm just wondering here, have no particular info about this.

[gymdandee]

Avoid foods containing arginine, that can start the virus. Don't eat chocolate, cola, beer, grain cereals, chicken soup, gelatin, seeds, nuts and peas.
Get a new toothbrush after it subsides. The virus can live in your toothbrush. Don't touch the toothbrush to your toothpaste!
Always use a 15 sunscreen before going out also use a lip balm with sunscreen.
Don't kiss or shake hands with anyone who has a cold sore.
Keep your hands clean. Don't be sharing towels and silverware with anyone who has a cold sore.
Try L-lysine, it's an amino acid it can reduces the frequency of cold sores in some people. Take 500-1,000 milligrams a day on an empty stomach. It is more effective if you minimize consumption of seeds, nuts, peas, and chocolate.

[skydnsr]

Good post.

[Paxiled]

The natural treatment for fever blisters, or cold sores, is lysine creams and lemon balm creams (sometimes called melissa).  They are anti-viral.  As the above post states, antibiotics don't help with viruses, and they can make it worse by killing off beneficial bacteria that forms part of your immune system.