Tips on How to Get Rid of a Cold Sore
What Is A Cold Sore?
In simple terms, a cold sore is the end result of the herpes virus flaring up in your body. It appears as a white blister around your mouth, although it can form inside your mouth on your gums, or even under your tongue. A cold sore can be quite painful and last anywhere from 10-14 days. They are extremely contagious. You will have to avoid kissing anyone, sharing eating utensils, and drinking glasses.
Why Do People Get A Cold Sore?
There are numerous reasons on why people will come down with a cold sore, the biggest one being stress. One of the worst enemies of our body is stress. It breaks down your immune system to a weakened state, and for those who already have the herpes virus, it can easily reactivate it and cause a cold sore. Other causes include exposure to the sun, illness, fevers, and as incredible as it may sound, eating too much chocolate.
How To Get Rid Of A Cold Sore
While there is no known preventable cure, there are several ways to reduce the duration of a cold sore, and if caught quickly enough, eliminate it from forming. Here are a few of the more well known cold sore remedies.
Apply Ice – This is the most common cure and works well if you begin doing it when you first feel the symptoms coming on. The moment you feel yourself starting to get a cold sore, take a few ice cubes and wrap them inside a thin towel. Place it against the spot where you are feeling tender. Hold it there for as long as you can. Do this several times a day. How does this help to cure a cold sore? The ice will actually kill the blister that is trying to form around your mouth and prevent it from coming to the surface.
Aloe Vera – This remedy may sound strange, but it has been shown to work well. Break off the leaf on an aloe vera plant. Next, rub the liquid from the leaf onto the blister. Try to do this at least 2-3 times throughout the day. The cold sore should be gone within a couple of days.
Taking Vitamins – Many people have been able to get rid of a cold sore by taking vitamins containing extra amounts of Vitamin B-12.
Tea Tree Oil – This last cure is said to be one of the better cures available today. You will actually be mixing ingredients into a drink. It involves mixing together tea tree oil, violet, and herbal sage, along with ginger powder and two sage leaves. This goes into a cup of hot boiling water and gets stirred for a few minutes. It is suggested that you drink this tea 2-3 times a day and the cold sore will be gone in 2-3 days time.
These are only a few of the know way to get rid of a cold sore. The next time you feel one coming on you might want to give one of these a try.
