Odds are, you have it. By the age of 40, nearly 90 percent of adults in the United States have been exposed to the herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV1) that causes cold sores. Not everyone who has the virus lurking in their body will have symptoms, but those who do will be annoyed for life by unexpected lip blisters. But now the secret of how the cold sore virus manages to persist for a lifetime in the human body may have been cracked [BBC News], and researchers say their findings may point the way towards a treatment that could kill the virus once and for all.
The virus is a difficult target. When a cold sore appears, it’s easily treatable with a drug that kills the replicating virus, but that drug can’t get to the latent versions of the virus that are hiding within nerve cells and waiting to cause the next eruption. Until now, research has generally concentrated on keeping HSV1 inactive — and preventing cold sores from ever showing up. But [Duke University] researchers took the opposite tack: figuring out precisely how to switch the virus from latency to its active stage. That’s important, says lead author Dr. Bryan Cullen, professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke, “because unless you activate the virus, you can’t kill it” [Time].
Researchers discovered that when the virus is latent it produces a strange kind of RNA, a strand of genetic material that’s copied from the virus’s DNA. The RNA in most viruses codes for useful proteins, but researchers discovered that in the herpes virus this RNA strand breaks down into small bits that block the production of proteins, keeping the virus from activating. These findings, published in the journal Nature [subscription required], suggest that if researchers can prevent the RNA from breaking down, they can cause all the latent viruses to become activated, and could then kill them all at once. “Once the virus sticks its head up over the fence, you whack it off for good,” Cullen says. “Yes, the person has to have one last cold sore, but it’d be worth it to most people to cure them forever” [Time].
Researchers caution that there’s a lot of research to be done before anyone can test out a pharmaceutical cure on humans, but say their new understanding of the herpes virus could eventually lead to a host of medical treatments. [T]he findings could apply to the whole range of herpes viruses, including herpes simplex 2, which causes genital herpes, and the varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and a more chronic, painful condition known as shingles [HealthDay News].
Image: flickr/spcoon
July 4th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Honestly, I’ve felt there is a lack of info for people suffering from HSV, and this is a great leap foward. I can see a cure coming out withing 5 years, curing everyone of herpes. This could practically wipe out herpes since theres no way for immunity to happen, since they are basically telling the virus to wake up with its own proteins. Then they punch it in the face, hard.
July 6th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I am 46 years old and caught HSV2 (genital herpes) when i was twenty one, for about fifteen years i had regular outbreaks which were very depressing , then i changed my diet to include a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and during my last outbreak around six years ago i took 5000mg of Vit C per day , the outbreak was worse than usual but i have never had a recurrance since that day. I am sure that sufferers of this embarrassing condition would do themselves no harm in trying to improve their diet and their immune system , and perhaps try the high dose Vit C until the magic bullet is found.
August 17th, 2008 at 5:05 am
greatings
not bad…
August 19th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
I have had HSV since I was a little boy so I have suffered for 25 years. I caught it from sharing my brothers chapstick. When an outbreak appears I usually go into hiding for a week. It seems that my life is controled by this horible virus. If I had one wish it would be that I could be cold sore free. We need to find a cure. Does anyone know where a person can find more info abouth the research being done as stated above.
September 18th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
just reading up on some new hsv cure research drug – phase 1 clinical trials in the UK approved 8/2008. Company is USA headquatered called BioVex – drug called immunoVEX. – do all you can to support HSV cure research, letters to congress, donations, etc. – spread the word…no pun intended!
September 25th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Thank you all, especially Adrian, for sharing some information. Here is what I can share.
I have HSV-1. There was a time when I had health insurance. So, I went to the doctors and they prescribed Acyclovir. The pills were effective if I took them in time. But the virus got smart and started to activate itself when I slept at night and it had plenty of time (6 hours or more) to do damage by the time I woke up. So when I took the pills then, all it did was to reduce the size of the outbreaks. Very rarely the pills prevented it. The same thing happened with Abreva and all the other overpriced and useless OTC junk.
But I lost my job and my health insurance and there was no way I could afford Acyclovir which cost almost half as much as my rent. Then, I did some research and found out that “Vitamin B12 with Brewer’s yeats” by Solgar, has proven effective for SOME people. I took the pills every day(6 each day and it is recommended that you should not take more) and for 16 months I did not have any outbreaks. But after 16 months, for some reason, the virus adapted and the pills lost their effectiveness.
Then, I did some mor research and I found out that BHT pills have shown effectiveness for SOME people. I started taking them (1000 mg each day and it is absolutely recommended that you must not take more because research shows it WILL cause cancer for more dosage per day). This time I did not have any outbreaks for 14 months, but then again the virus adapted and came back with the same viciousness.
I did some more research and have been using the Zinc Sulfate Topical Cream by Kirkman for the past two months (keep in mind that I get the cold sores every week). The cream is VERY VERY potent and thin layers of it over the “tinggling” spot has proven effective for me. So, I feel the tinggling, I see the blister coming on from underneath my skin, and then I start applying thin layers of the cream to the area ever hour or two at the time, and the result has been that the virus flees very quickly and never causes any outbreaks. But timing is the key here. When I’m late, the virus causes the outbreak anyway.
I am excited about Adrian’s advice above and I am going to try high dosage Vit. C treatment and see what happens. Man, the blisters are really embarrassing. I hope we can find a permanat cure soon.
November 28th, 2008 at 1:58 am
Well i used to get cold sores, but i talked to a naturopath, and tried something new. She told me to take essiac tea 2 times a day for 2 weeks. Then after that, continue with the tea for another 2 weeks twice a day, and take olive leaf extract pills. I did this, and its been over a year and half with out an outbreak. Good luck.
ps, you can get all this stuff at whole foods or online.
December 1st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
i hope this works it would be awsome cold sores are so ugly and painfull i dont even want to leave my house when i get them.
December 1st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
please find a cure!
December 18th, 2008 at 8:12 am
This news is so encouraging — Discover, is there any way that you can check in with Duke University to see if they’ve made further progress yet?
I have HSV 2, like 1 in 4 American women, although 90% of sufferers have no idea. The physical discomfort is minimal but the stigma is terrible (people are SO ignorant – anyone seen that Sarah Marshall movie? Absolutely horrific.) A cure would mean amazing things for millions of sufferers so I hope that Duke kicks this project into high priority.
December 18th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
I have had them since I was eighteen. Itry to avoid work where possible but it is hard finding a reason to have four/five days off and they seem to be getting more and more frequent. I have tried everything but nothing at all seems to work. I hope that the above cure works but also, depressingly, it seems HSV may be the reason why we get Alzheimers, as horrid as that is it would mean lots more money for research into a cure.
Here’s hoping.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
In 1975 I read an article in JAMA that re-examined a cold sore remedy from the 1920’s that worked.
Simply dabbing the early cold sore,(The itchy-tingling-lump that you know is going to be a cold sore), with ether a few times will reverse the growth and it will be gone in about an hour.
I tried this in 1975 and it worked. You could still get ether at the drug store then, so for the next 10 years cold sores were no longer an issue in my life. Ether has become more difficult to obtain because of the foolish war on drugs, but one can still use car starter fluid on a q-tip in a pinch.
I have learned over the years to avoid certain things that might activate the virus, like vitamin E, or stress, but to stop a cold sore in it’s tracks, nothing works better than ether.
January 9th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
So, is this potential cure also for Herpes Simplex 2 or Genital herpes. And how can I keep up with the progress? What is the possible timeline for the public having access?
PR
January 25th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I hope that this is the last major hurdle to overcome. Its long overdue for this bug to be on its dispatch to hell. A cure in 5 years would be nice. However, its probably going to another 15-20 years
January 28th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
I hope the pharmaceautical companies that love all your money for OTC symptomatic treatments like abreva and aciclovir won’t mind losing billions of dollars and share price drops. They don’t care about “Cures”, cures don’t make money, at $10 a pop for a tube of coldsore cream, everyone who gets the blisters is making them atleast $6bn a year in the US alone.
Think about it.
The worst disease this planet suffers from is CSCOFD
Corporate Satans Cock Oral Fixation Disorder
January 29th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I got HSV 1 a few months ago. I have never had it before and to be honest I was completely ignorant about it. My boyfriend had an outbreak but it wasnt on his lips it was above his lip under his nose. I just thought it was some pimple or acne or something. It didn’t even cross my mind. He also had a beard so it covered up the blisters better. For whatever reason he decided not to tell me about it and we must have kissed and it was passed to me. This is my second outbreak ever. I am 20 years old. He admitted after that I got my first break that he did indeed have it.
Although this is a virus that is not fatal, it is extremely devastating to me. I am overcome with emotion and depression. I can’t imagine the rest of my life worrying about how to treat, prevent, and when to hide from a cold sore. I feel extremely cheated. This could have been prevented if I had know or was better informed.
News of a cure is hopeful. I am not a long time sufferer, and I can only imgaine what other victims have been going though all these years. I can only hope that there is hope left for them.
February 6th, 2009 at 3:46 am
What we need to do is speak up and SPEAK LOUD to push for a real cure! I will write who ever I have to write, talk to who ever I have to talk to. We should not have to be in this condition and we should not have to feel this way. All it takes is for someone to touch and another person’s infected area onto there uninfected skin to get this disease. At that rate i’m sure it is happening thousands of times a day. It’s time to say I do not want to be marketed anymore I want to be cured. This is our cause and I know it is important to the person reading this. I think about my herpes condition every day and I am scared. I am scared that I will not be able to lead a good life with my set of circumstances. I am scared that if I want to have a child that I might pass it on. Let’s make this a bigger deal. A reality.
February 6th, 2009 at 10:09 am
For some reason I picked this thing (virus) up many years (45) ago when I began wearing orthodontic braces. However, I have found one thing that appears to work. When one first feels or suspects a blister coming on, take a Lysine tablet, soften it and apply the softened Lysine to the area. Do this a few times. Even though the infected area may not always disappear, this has always proved to really down-size the site. Do this even if the bump appears. Do not scratch the blister but keep it moist a few times with the Lysine. And, ingest a couple of the Lysine tablets.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Not sure if it is disturbing that I am comforted with the fact that there are others who feel like I do. I read every one of your responses and it is crazy how I can relate to each. I have suffered, I mean suffered, from this horrible virus forever. I am now 26 and I have gotten these things since I could remember. There was a time when they seemed to go away. Now it seems that the outbreaks have become more common in the last year. I am constantly nervous that every tingle is future a blister. When I have a blister I feel like everyone is staring at it.
I HATE THESE THINGS…DUKE HELP!
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I can identify with so many of you. Especially Jordon. The virus was passed on to me in exactly the same way, only my boyfriend lied about what the blister in his beard below his nose was. I understand that it may have been a bit embarrasing to admit but the lie have left a bigger scar than the two outbreaks that I have had so far. I feel very cheated and can’t seem to shake the all the emotions and depression that accompanied each outbreak. (Especially since I have been celebet all my life and have chosen to remain celebet until marriage). This is just beyond heartbreaking.
I feel so desperate for a cure and I’ve only had the virus for 13 months (2 outbreaks). I can’t imagine what each of you have gone through for so many years. I’m hoping against the odds (Pete mentioned) that we will see a cure in the very near future – It would bring both the physical and psychological healing we all long for. All the best!!!
February 26th, 2009 at 4:23 am
Thanks for the update of your journey.I really appreciate the efforts you have made for this
article.The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) can lie dormant in facial nerves, emerging periodically to cause sores.Everybody should beware of this disease.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:15 am
I have found the posts interesting especially the one about the possible cure. However, I’ve been reading different things for years and have tried lots and still get outbreaks frequently. By frequently I mean 2, 3, 4 a month sometimes nothing for a month but usually in this time I can feel that I have one up my nose. Horrible righT?
I mainly get them under my nose, on the edge of my nose and on my lips. I’m reading this today coz it’s now driving me insane! I’ve taken half the day off work so I can sit at home with a big blob of cream on my face!!
I’m quite interested in the vitamin c that people have tried. I’d like to know if this has worked for anyone else!!
I’m going to get some today but bot sure – that dosage sounds very high!!
Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks Paula
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:25 am
I have had this nasty virus for about 8 years, and have been suffering with more frequent outbreaks. Doing research I found out that the expensive prescription Zovirax cream is a way to cure the outbreak. Also I have been using L-Lysine 1000mg pills 3-4/day at the time of outbreaks and 2-3 pills every day for maintenance. They help a bit, but still I get them every 5-6 months.
What’s worse is that the sores have gone from occasionally popping up on my upper or lower lips to now for the second time on my nose right at the bottom. It’s like I feel a runny nose, and little water comes out from the left side and the next thing I know I got a cold sore on my nose? I mean this is really imbarrasing and we all need to STAND UP and do whatever we gotta do to make this research a priority.
It’s a good thing to read such studies are being done, but another to make them available ASAP to the public.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I have also used Penciclovir which is available from some Chemists or on presecription and whilst this is not a cure it does seem to heal a lot quicker than Zovirax.
Bloody things. I have to go to a black tie dinner which I can’t get out of and I am petrified that I will get one on that day. It is such a shame and I am the guest of honour for my firm but I really wish I wasn’t these cold sores or even just the thought and worry of them ruin everything.
March 7th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I was just informed that I had hsv-1 (cold sores). I am going crazy, I am an emotinal reck. I have never even thoght about the possibility of getting this through just a kiss or sharing a glass with someone. For it to be so common I am at awe that there isn’t a cure! I don’t see how anyone else has managed. I can’t think straight and I am overcome by depression. I never had any kind of STD before and have always been safe. This is a total shock for me and to think that it could then lead to the genitals between my boyfriend and I is even worse!! PLEASE HELP! I need a cure soon! Im26 and can’t think about living the rest of my life with this and if I kiss anyone else they will get it :(
March 7th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
You guys with depression don’t understand. The cold sores you get on your mouth are NOT a sexually transmitted disease. That’s is hsv2 not 1!! You do not have an STD rather a virus that over 90% of the population has. It does not affect your love life unless there is an outbreak and you can not kiss.
March 8th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
My mother and 3 of my sisters have had fever blisters/cold sores – whatever you want to call them, from the earliest time I can recall. I got my first one when I was 44 and my mother moved in with me. I started researching and trying everything I could, like everyone else here.
I found something that has worked for ALL of us! It’s a homeopathic kit by Boiron. The kit contains 3 remedies to be taken at different stages of a breakout. We have all found that we rarely get breakouts now, and when we do, they don’t have a chance to erupt. They’re easily “nipped in the bud”. I buy ours at Puget Consumer’s Co-op in Seattle, but it’s all available on-line, or at health food stores.
Here’s the info. from the Boiron website:
DIRECTIONS
Take 5 pellets of Apis mellifica 30C 3 times a day until stinging at the pre-blister stage is relieved (max 7 days).
Take 5 pellets of Mezereum 6C morning and afternoon until symptoms of the crust stage are relieved (max 7 days).
Take 5 pellets of Rhus toxicodendron 6C 3 times a day until pain at the blister stage is relieved (max 7 days).
None of use have to refill anything but the first stage pellets, now, and they are only about $6 a bottle. The whole “kit” is $11-$12 dollars, and comes in a little plastic case.
This has worked for us, at <$15 it’s worth a try!
March 8th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Jasmine please inform me then,
I know there is a difference between the two. Trust me in the past 2 days it has changed my love life with someone who is very special to me. I had to tell him, he is now making an appointment to get tested as well. We trust eachother very much and we both were clear at our last exam. If he do not have it then I got it from im sure drinking off one of my girlfrinds. we both being in a committed relationship drink and eat off eachother all the time and never 2cd guess it, not to mention oral sex. From what I’ve read in the past few days is that HSV-1 can still be passed to the genitals as well!? How could we ever have a love life then?? i will give it to him on the genitals then when if we ever have sex i will get it on mine (right??)…(this is why I equate it the same way)
He has been great, asking questions about it but he said the same thing you did…that it’s not a STD. if he do not have it then I just feel that he will maybe decide to end our relationship (im just saying) he would be taking a risk with me, considering if im right about me passing it to the gentials…
You are right I do not fully understand it yet, and can’t imagine what you are going through…
I’m trying to find out all I can find out about this? We havn’t kissed at all in the past 2days, I know he wants to, I know I want to, we just havn’t..
Pls Inform….
HSV 1 also has about an 60-80 pop rate…..i don’t understand for something to be soooooo common even HSV 2 y is there no cure besides the fact that it is a virus?
you all are inspiration to me and I admire your srength
March 8th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
thanks for the info Tamik!
March 9th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
is this website legit??? it seems hard to believe, if anyone can verify it would be great and i’ll jump on this treatment right away!!
http://www.resolveherpes.com/
March 13th, 2009 at 1:32 am
I am 26 now and I have lived with hsv-1 (cold sores), since I was 8. I got it from a friend of mine by sharing her drink. But I feel that when ever I go out into public that I am judged for not being responsible. I just wish most people knew that hsv-1 is not a sexually transmitted virus, it can be easily caught just as the common cold/flu in the same ways. I really do hope there is a cure. And I often do wonder if I will pass it on to my children, does anyone know about that?
I am currently taking L-Lysine 3,000mg per day and it really does seem to make the cold sore heal faster. Unfortunately, every time I find a treatment that works, the virus finds away around it.
CURE PLEASE!!!!
March 15th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
i just found out i have HSV2 and this is very scary. this disease has een around for years and there is no cure. even those tht do not have it should eb scared cause you can catch it from just about anything no matter how safe you are. i was using a condom and when the female adjusted her position on me i felt her hands rub against my skin which caused some small breaks in my skin and next thing i know i had an outbreak. i went to the doctor and he thought it was syphilis and just so happen to get blood work for other stuff such as hsv and found out i have it in my system. words cannot explain how i feel i have read so much stuff on the net that suppose to cure it but the only thing that keeps hope alive for me is the research that was done at Duke. i plan to try to find out how far they have advanced with their research which was only 8 months ago. i will be a test dummy for humans. we all need to do some of the thing like they are doing to fund breast cancer research. we need the cure we cant let corporate greed take our lives away we have to take a stand. we can do it even if we have to go back to college and major in microbiology and medicine.
March 16th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
We are talking about herpes simplex 1 – that is fever blisters/cold sores on or around your mouth. I have had hsv1 since I was about 10 years old – probably from my father and I am now 48. I have tried the lysine, the zovirx, acyclovir, abreva, homeopathic, you name it! Anonymous of 9-28-08 has it right. Once you get on a regiman, then the virus seems to adapt and then morph to a different nerve ending. My outbreaks in my 20’s were horrendous – enlarged lymph glands in my neck, broken blood vessels in my gums, HUGE sores that took weeks to heal. I have scars on my lips from such frequent and repetative sores. Once I learned my triggers (sun burning)and feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities (causes you to completely shut down). Discover your triggers and you can at least get it down to twice a year, which is where I am now with no medications. I guess I wouldn’t recommend dabbing ether on your lip. An orange pekoe tea bag, boiled and held to your lip when hot at the very beginning of the sore seems to be my standard home remedy. Use suncreen, eat fresh fruits & vegatables, sleep well, reduce or eliminate alcohol/drug/tobacco/caffine intake, exercise regularly and hsv1 will reduce itself along with many other ailments. This message is especially for those of you who are just getting use to having this insane, recurrent affliction. Know thy body!
March 17th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I’m a 28 year old male and had cold sores as my whole life. Apparently when I was still in a pram, my Grandmother gave me a big wet smoocher on the lips and I’ve been infected ever since.
I’ve must say; hearing some of your comments on this website is quite disturbing. It’s not like you have AIDs or some life threatening illness for gods sake. You have a virus which causes you to get a blister once in a while.
Yeh sure, I’d like to see a cure ( I wouldn’t be on this site otherwise)but hearing how this has “destroyed” peoples lives and forces people to take time of work is just ridiculous.
I must have had a hundred people tell me different ways to prevent cold sores but the god’s honest truth is none of them work. What we have is a virus, rubbing creams our mouths is not going to kill it.
It worries me that some people who have posted are taking drugs that are clinically proven to cause cancer if you go slightly over the dose (and they’re still getting cold sores) and surely high dosages of Vitamin C can’t be too good for you in the long run.
Anyway, I have just two recommendations for MINIMIZING the frequency of cold sore attacks:
1) Don’t get run down. After a few nights out on the trot I usually get a cold sore. Do any of you guys find that when you get a head cold it’s a couple of days before a cold sore follows?
2) Eat healthy. I find I get less cold sores when I eat healthily for sustained periods. I guess eating lots of fruit and Veg is the 1000mg of vit C equivalent.
Finally, this one’s a little controversial but it works for me. Once you given up trying to fight the little ba*tards and accepted that you are probably going to have to live with them for at least another decade give this a go. Once the blister does surface, get a needle, sterilize it with TCP or something similar and pierce the blister in several places. Make sure you soak up the fluid produced with a tissue or cotton bud so it doesn’t spread. Get some aftershave and dab it over the now drained, flabby blister to dry it out. I usually find after doing this the cold sore will be little more than a blemish within 48 hours.
March 18th, 2009 at 12:30 am
all people please look into this site. if everyone chips in there’s no telling where this can lead to. many thanks to bella303 for all her efforts and please spread the word about this
http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/messageforum/archive/index.php/t-14179.html
March 28th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
according dr. cullen at duke university, they are doing animal trials now and will find out if the cure works and is safe. he estimates that, if it works, it will be 8 – 12 years before the cure is widely available.
April 12th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I have had cold sores since I was 3 months old (A well meaning loved one kissed me as a baby, not realizing you can spread cold sores even when you aren’t having an outbreak) and I seem to have a particularly virulent strain or a particularly troublesome lack of resistance. They are so bad that they haven’t contented themselves to staying on my lips, but have also migrated into my nostrils and up the side of my face on to my cheek bone and, even more troubling, near to my eye.
Sufficient to say I have looked into almost every treatment on the market. The most recent and seemingly effective is to ice the area, which worked incredibly well at first but seems to be loosing it’s effectiveness, and treating the sores themselves with hydrogen peroxide.
For the sake of my left eye I hope it gets to market fast. I could handle half my face embroiled in one last breakout to finally see the last of them. God bless the researchers that can get a cure to market!
April 12th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
cold sores rarely affect me. i get one about every4 maybe 5 years, the latest being in march 2009. so obviously they are not in some sort of time cycle.i dont take any sort of medication and they just seem to appear at random. i and my wife occasionally get a cold sore in the nostril. as far as i know there is no definitive cure for these cold sores.
April 13th, 2009 at 10:53 am
It would be great if they actually cured this disease. Researcher’s don’t cure diseases anymore they try to come up with treatments to help you live with them.
Incentive to drug companies. If you cure this one we will belive you when you make us wait 200 years to cure something else. You got to give us a real cure every generation at least otherwise we won’t belive you. Keep up your street cred and cure this disease.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Ok, I’ve had cold sores since I was baby. As have all my brothers and sisters. My mom suffers often, probably more than the rest of us. All of us have occasional outbreaks. When there are periods of heavy stress it is more common but I personally have noticed a correlation between Bare minerals Buxom lip gloss and my outbreaks in the last few years. I was trying to convince myself it was coincidental but I am wondering if there has been anyone else who has noticed this correlation
All of you devastated people are sadly misinformed. It is possible that HSV1 can make a jump to other areas but it is unlikely they are the cause for geniltal lesions. That is generally HSV2 and my understanding is that HSV1 will almost always return to the lip/nose area even if the infection site is different. I can tell you my children both had HSV1 as infants one time and have never had another outbreak. They are 18 and 15 currently. My husband had one as a child and one as a teenager but seems to not be terribly susceptible. I am hoping my children have inherited that. This is not transmitted the way you all seem to think. It is highly contagious but not because people are irresponsible or ill intentioned. It is likely you are infected. It is just that not everyone gets active outbreaks. Personally I’d give almost anything to get rid of the painful and inconvenient outbreaks. Mine like to show up on vacation where there is a lack of sleep, sometimes behavior like more alcohol consumption or sugar consumption that may lower immunity, the stress of air travel and sometimes extra sun. This misinformation just led to a fight between a couple we know who were both accusing the other of cheating. The culprit?? Likely a 15 mo. old they had at the house whose dad suffers with them.
There is a known correlation between the arginine lysine balance. I didn’t know that and was taking arginine for help sleeping. Ended up with a bad outbreak. That is why sometimes Lysine helps and other times it does not. The imbalance is ONE of many causes of activation of the latent virus. Arginine is found in nuts and seeds so if I feel a tingle I avoid those foods. If i consume those foods in higher quantities than usual I take Lysine supplements. There is a proven connection between consumption of teas, black or green, though black is more effective, and a reduction of time in the outbreak. USUALLY, though I agree there seems like a bit of an ability to adapt on the part of the virus, if I go get a Giant fresh brewed Iced tea form Wendy’s or anyplace really as soon as I feel a tingle I don’t get a real outbreak. I have used everything mentioned on this web site. The tea is the most effective consistently for me. Last week I started to get one, I used tea, and immune booster (deep defense bey rainbow light), colloidal silver and large doses of C. It never came out and you could see the beginning of the blister when I started treatment. Yesterday morning, it started again. I didn’t have tea at my house and it was afternoon before I got some. I used everything else the same as last week. I have a small blister this time. The biggest problem with the other treatments is that it seems like the longer time I go suppressing outbreaks when one finally gets a foothold it is HORRIBLE. Bigger, spreading for longer. I had an outbreak begin on a transatlantic flight, 10 hours later, no sleep, no tea, no C besides orange juice, no immune support. I was able to get Zovirax and soon as i landed but this time it was up my nose and a collection the length of 3/4 my bottom lip and 1/2 my top. I would have paid thousands of $$ to get that under control. The outbreak phase lasted about 4 days but we were camping in the desert in the heat and sun.
PLEASE FIND A CURE!!!
PLEASE UNDERSTAND HSV1 IS NOT AN STD and has nothing to do with who what when where you are having sex.!!!!
April 24th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I’ve had cold sores since I was a teenager. The first was from a girlfriend and once I started to get it, she told me she had given it to me. Since then (25+ yrs later), I’ve got 2 more. One on my face and another one on the opposite side from the first one. I have an outbreak almost consistently every 3 months. Sometimes I’ll get one, then it heals and I’ll get the other one and then that one heals and the third will appear, leaving with with a few months of OCD (I’m a cronic hand washer and if I even come close to touching any part of my face – I run to wash my hands). I gave up dairy last year to help with seasonal allergy issues and I feel like that increased the frequency. I always get them after being run down by either allergies, colds or exhaustion.
I’ve used aziclovir, valtrex, abreva, lysine and various topical treatments. My doctor suggested trying Valtrex because of the frequency of outbreaks. The sore tends to be gone within 5 days but since I started taking the product, the tingling goes up into my face and I tend to spread. I become obsessed with cleanliness when I have one. I have a 2 yr old and I’m absolutely terrified of giving it to her and she doesn’t understand why I can’t kiss her for weeks. Are people now saying I can’t ever kiss her because now it’s too late and she hasn’t developed one. Also – I’ve had numerous relationships over the years and I’ve always been very sensitive to the situation but I’ve asked so many of them and none have ever claimed to have received one from me. I had a partner for 5 years and he never had an outbreak.
I think it’s not a life threatening situation but it certainly calls for a cure. If 90% of the population has been exposed, then there is a huge market. Why can’t a company latch onto that and develop a cure?? They seem to latch onto every other medical condition and they can cure everything from baldness to peeing too much but they can’t cure this. So many valuable points have been made in this blog that it’s been interesting to read but I really don’t get why the capitalist’s haven’t latched on and developed something.
Please help!
May 5th, 2009 at 10:42 am
HSV-1 can be transmitted genitally. That’s how I have it, and if you get it genitally and you have subsequent outbreaks, they will be genital.
HSV-1 is nearly an identical virus to hsv-2. If you have “cold sores,” and you perform oral sex on someone, you can give them hsv-1 on their genitals.
May 5th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I was born with HSV-1, and i have suffered from this throughout my life, and still do (i am now 16). When i was younger i frequently had to be taken into hospital to be watched as they said i had the worse cases of HSV-1 attacks they have ever seen. They often coated my lips, throat, inner nose and mouth! I still get these attacks (i have a coldsore right now!), although not as severe as when i was younger), but i have learnt how to make them go quicker. I have found no way to prevent them coming up, but i find that if i sterilse a needle and cut the coldsore open to leak the badness out then it heals remarkably faster. It is extremely painful, but so worth it as i find them very embarassing. I have also found that creams such as Zovirax are pointless and have made no difference to my attacks in the slightest, they have only made them come out faster. So the possibility of a cure for HSV-1 is extremely exciting, i really can’t wait to find out if/when it is possible and available. I’d do anything to have a cure for this, so keep going :)!
Oh and i’d also like to agree with ‘anything for a cure’, i wish people who stop seeing HSV-1 as an STD, its not!!
May 16th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Some facts about Herpes Transmission:
Herpes Simplex is generally defined as an STD by location, not type (Because it is possible to have HSV1 or HSV2 affecting either the face or genitals.)
Whilst most cold sores are likely to be non-sexually transmitted, it is also possible to have a cold sore that is sexually transmitted if you give someone with genital herpes oral sex.
If you have HSV1 on the mouth, giving someone oral sex whilst the virus is active could result in you giving them genital HSV1 (Genital Herpes) This is important to know, because some people with cold sores think Herpes and cold sores aren’t the same virus and that’s how it spreads (and how I got genital HSV1)
Having HSV1 protects you from catching HSV1 in future (regardless of location) and gives you approximately 40% protection against HSV2. So partners should get tested, because even if you do not have any symptoms 80% of the population have HSV1 antibodies by adulthood and 20-25% have HSV2.
Useful link: http://www.hva.org.uk (Herpes Virus Association and Shingles Support Society, Registered Charity)
May 16th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Sorry, the “Useful Link” is http://www.herpes.org.uk not the above link!
May 27th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
please donate, money talks
http://sev.prnewswire.com/null/20090519/LA1910119052009-1.html
http://herpesisnormal.com/
June 9th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
maybe we can talk to President Obama find a way to contact him to push the efforts for a cure.
After all he seems concerned about the people and seems approachable. If we let him know that this might not be a deadly virus, but it is one that people fear. I mean to know that you can get it just by a touch of , lets say a dirty glass from a diner , or a kiss from a loved one as a child is scary.ITS like its a never ending cycle This is a huge problem that needs to address for good for a healthy future. After all ,fat cats exist in the medical field as well not only AIG. We all suffer from the so called medical experts RX creams and pills that don”t work i”m an AMERICAN not a Ginni pig used for experimenting creams for the $$$$$ benefit. WE NEED CHANGE
June 24th, 2009 at 8:08 am
I have HSV1 genitally which I got by receiving oral sex from someone who had a coldsore a week prior but found out they were viral shedding so I got it. I had the first outbreak 2 months ago. I have been told by doctors the chances of having multiple outbreaks in the future with HSV1 genitally are low as HSV1 doesn’t like to live there as it prefers the face… I am not sure how true that is, but i remember hearing that the first outbreak is the worse and lasts weeks, but my first outbreak was 1 sore and lasted 5 days while on Valtrex. I am hoping the second wont be bad.. but unsure as it hasnt happened yet.
I do hope they find a cure and since reading that they are working on one for HSV1, i hope this will work for people that have HSV1 genitally.
June 26th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I’m so devastated
July 14th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
HUMIC ACID…This is some news worth checking into. I am doing this therapy and it has been wonderful. I don’t have to take Valtrex anymore for outbreaks…and I’m going to get a retest for HSV1 and 2 periodically to see it the virus is still showing up. Take HUMIC ACID. Do your research on it. I did. It’s very interesting. My MD put me on it for HPV and I started researching. You guessed it…It works for HSV also. It is non-pharmacological, so don’t expect to see the FDA talking about it…i.e. unless it threatens someone’s backpocket. I take 33mg a day. Seriously, I couldn’t go without Valtrex. If I missed a dose I would have an outbreak. I had one the first month I stopped Valtrex and none since… 7 months later still no more outbreaks. It appears to prevent the virus from infecting other cells…and eventually can become undetectable. Hope this gives some of you hope. I could not find it in regular vitamin stores, so I order it online. It’s a well kept secret. If you cannot find it, this is the site where I order from my doctor’s source. It is referred to as “FEMIC ACID” instead of HUMIC ACID… but it’s the same thing.
http://www.femcentre.com/NewWeb/OrderF.html
August 2nd, 2009 at 2:22 am
Hi
I am going to recommend this to everyone.
Take 2 tablets of red seal zinc, b6 and magnesium.
The ingredients are as follows per tablet:
9 mg zinc sulphate
30 mg magnesium oxide
25 mg vitamin b6 pyridoxine hydrochloride
Hope this works for those who read this zinc is the key as herpes does not like it.
August 13th, 2009 at 3:39 am
I also got HSV1 from receiving oral sex. Oral to Genital. My first outbreak (on my butt) was typical and now it’s 6 months and I haven’t gotten anymore. Since HSV1 doesn’t like to live down south 40% of people never get another outbreak and most others have one or two outbreaks and then no more. Although you will always have it in your system so will 80-90% of the adult population. Those people that already have it are pretty imune to getting it again (nearly impossable). The hardest part is the social stigma and fear of passing it on which is kinda retarded since so many have it. Just now dealing with telling people but I think most will be cool and we can all be responsible and move on. Yeah it sucks but it won’t kill you like HIV. Here’s to a cure for not only this but lots of STD’s.
August 19th, 2009 at 1:47 am
A cure would be a godsend!!!
I hate cold sores and suffer frequently, worst still it mutates every few years so I have to keep finding new remedies … not that many left out there :o)
If you ever need a human guinea pig for your miracle cure – I am you’re girl!
Good luck
ps. I do find that having a flu vaccine every year helps reduce the number and severity of outbreaks.
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I have had genital herpes for the last twenty years and it is quite a depressing experience to say the least. Buying chopped licorice roots and making tea out of them has helped a bit by reducing the out breaks. I live in Asia, so buying licorice is inexpensive. Also, when I feel the prodromal symptoms coming on, I take 4 200 mg acyclovir tablets a day for two days, A couple of ibroprophen tablets, apply lemon juice to the skin area and take a few L-lysine tablets. This seems to have helped me abort about 90% of my outbreaks. Albeit, it does nothing to relieve my mind from depression. It is a very depressing disease to have…It makes one feel not free to go any where on the planet without having to need a bag a medicine.
August 29th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
PLEASE DESTROY THE HSV VIRUS! im 17 and it is extremelyyy depressing. I dont like leaving my house at all…or doing anything other then laying in bed because i feel so vulnerable. Jokes that are made on T.V. about herpes and cold sores seem to affect my self esteem about the issue.
CURE THE THE VIRUS!!
August 30th, 2009 at 4:10 am
I’ve been infected with HSV-1 since I was born. From my understanding, my mother had chickenpox when I was still in the womb. I clearly remember horrible outbreaks as a child. I’m talking about disgracing blisters and puss and what not in between my upper lip and the base of my nostrils. It makes me feel a little better to know that there are others out there who suffer just as I. This stupid virus only erks me 3 to 5 times a year. When it does, it’s only a mild reaction. I try to wear a mustache as to help with the cosmetic side of my anxiety, but I feel embarrassed just knowing that little red knot is going to screw up the next two weeks of my life. Abreva is better than nothing, but one might describe it as a scam. I’m going to try the whole vitamin C nonsense and see if that works for preventing the little month-wreckers. A better diet would help most as well. DUKE, I’LL SEND YOU MONEY IF YOU ASK FOR IT!!!
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:13 am
I sure hope this is the breakthrough that we all are waiting for..For some of us,it’s like the Berlin wall coming down..We can’t get too excited just yet.They still need some more time on animal testing before they go on to humans. .With everyone wanting to give money donations,that is a very good idea.Until there is a real cure,practice good diet and plenty of rest and no stress !!! That is all u can really do at this point.Buying things over the internet is a waste of money and it’s just phony ..Good luck everyone!!!..I would love to finally see a cure .One less thing we all wouldn’t have to worry about.Life is hard enough.Finding a cure for herpes is like winning the lotto…
September 9th, 2009 at 10:53 am
hi all,
why don’t you try aloe vera and neem products. especially intake of handfull of fresh neem leaves daily in the morning empty stomach.
I am sure it will take a year or more but the disease will end forever.
September 24th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Iam 58 and I kinda knew I had it from some outbreaks I had over the years,but I have not had one in at least six years. My first marriage before it ended is where I got it. I have been married 5 times and had other relatonships and never used protection,being ignorant of all the aspects of the virus.I only assumed that if I did not have a outbreak I was safe,like having a cold and not getting around my partner. I finally meet a great lady who I want to marry and we are engaged,with her I have used protection but she insisted I get tested simce it had been awhile. So I went to the doctor,and learned that there is a separate test for herpes and the doctor does not always run it when doing a std check.I was asked if I knew whether I had it and I said I think but its never been confirmed.So I now have it confirmed.Telling my fiance was the next step,as we never had talked about it,I was being safe? wrong thinking. She got tested and showed negative,but has to be retested in 6 weeks. She is mad and upset and now says she can never have sex with me again,as she is afraid of getting it.I feel like a leper and don’t know what to do,even educating her and me ,will not help her feel comfortable. I love so much and she says she loves me but love has nothing to do with it,she is concerned about her health, I told her if the situation was reversed it would not matter I would still want her.She ask me if I could do without sex for ever and be married to her, I said yes as long as she could and have her by my side for the rest of my life.The decision is hers now ,we committed to be with each other before all this came about and I have felt she has been waiting for that one thing that would derail it all,and now it has and I have told her I release her from her promise that this is a deal breaker. My heart is breaking and I prayed for a miracle,which is why I found this site hoping there is a cure on the horizon. So please God bring up a smart scientest to find a cure for all us.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I am male, 20 this year, i tested positive for hsv1. For how i got it i don’t know i had a brief sexual exposure of unprotected oral (reciever).
Alot people say you will only get infected if you have touches the infected blister fluid. But mine is orally and how do i get it, i don’t know. =(
I am 100% sure my mouth did not touch any part of the girl. I have a girlfriend now and i’m very worried i might transmit to her.
So far, today is my first outbreak no blister yet but have the feeling of it beside my lips.
How often does this outbreak occur? I really dun wanna have it so frequent =(
I’m leaving in singapore and i barely saw anyone has outbreak, i dun wanna be the only one everyone will look at me and find me like a strange person with strange disease =(.
I’m praying hard for the cure to be out asap =(
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Dealt with hsv1 for over 40 years — here is what I know
(S)un exposure is bad (for many reasons)
(S)tress is bad all around not just in the case of hsv …. OverthinkING things does NOT HELP
(S)leep on a regular schedule…. seriously this is very important!!
my history
1-10 — monthly outbreaks
teens I never had one — ever — I call those the golden years
20’s 3-5 outbreaks a year
30’s once or twice a year
40’s 1 so far (im 42)
Ive gone as many as 8 years without a visible sign —- currently been 14 months and I know >MY< triggers well......traveling internationally andresults in poor sleep + stress.... and when it happens now it still takes a week or so but the visible signs are minimal im convinced because ive learned to relax , sleep, live life ----- ive not had a cluster event in >10 years
a cure would be awesome but letting this beat us down gives it more power than it deserves
p.s.. im not a fan of loading up on anything (l-lysine, vitamin c etc.) as I think the impacts on the kidneys are worse than a cosmetic flaw (for me) and the people I know who have tried those methods get real bad occurences when they stop (or so it seems)
October 12th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I’ve just found out I have the virus and it makes me suicidal. Not only is it an embarrassing stigma, but it also may improve the chances to get HIV.
My life was going so well and this torn my world apart.
More effort should be put into CURING it, not preventing and supressing it!!
October 14th, 2009 at 12:51 am
amazing news that finally a cure is on the way. i have always been scared to have a relationship for fear of spreading my cold sores and also fear of them seeing me with an ugly sore on my lip. whenever i get too stressed or lack of sleep they have never failed to show up. i basically do all i can to hide in my room until its gone. what a relief it would be to know i could never have a cold sore again. it would be so great. im hoping for a cure.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:37 am
So does that mean these few sites that offer a permanent cure are all load of Sh!t since every comment states there is no permanent cure? I am so angry that I have found out that I am infected that I am very temped to just try this so called “cures”…It certainly is better than trying to prevent the attacks.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:40 am
BTW..here is a link to one site offering a permanent cure…Apparently they don’t target the virus rather build up the immune system in a way that it terminates the virus… Has any one tried similar medications claiming to offer permanent cure?
http://www.resolveherpes.com/
November 13th, 2009 at 2:02 am
I got my first outbreak in August. It was a shock considering I had been in a commited relationship for 11 months with no problems. I am really devestated by the situation and I’ve tried to turn my negative emotion into positive motivational energy to fix this. I recently moved to Boston and started attending school at Harvard so I can learn how to develop a cure. It’s encouraging to see so many are interested in the resolution to this as well.
I feel for everyone out there sharing this condition, it sucks. I hope by sharing my story people will feel a little better that there are people out there motivated and dedicated to permanent eradication of this issue.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:11 am
can anyone tell me if this is a scam http://www.resolveherpes.com/ ?????
November 16th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IT THIS IS A SCAM http://www.resolveherpes.com/
THANK YOU
November 18th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I have had HSV II for 4 years. I have outbreaks frequently. I have lived with this horrible virus for long enough and I am just plain tired of it. I want my old life back. I want to date whom I chose without worrying, I want to rid myself of this medication, and no longer worry about the expense of it. I get an outbreak every 1-2 months, and psychologically I am exhausted of it. The physical discomfort is also just as obnoxious! This virus has affected me long enough. It has even prevented me from working out at times because I tend to get outbreaks when my body is “stressed” ie any form of regular exercise where I may perspire.
Please continue working on the cure! Many people would have this burden lifted off their shoulders!