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How Can You Tell Someone Has Genital Herpes?
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)How can you tell someone has genital herpes? Do you take a good look at the person? Do you ask and look straight in their eyes? Do you inquire about their sex lives? Well, my answer is no, maybe and maybe.
It may be a good idea to ask someone if theyre aware of having genital herpes. The more sexual partners a person has had in their lives, the more likely theyre to be infected by herpes. But these methods are quite insufficient. Did you know that the majority of people who have genital or oral herpes are not aware of it? So how do you explain that? Simple, many oral or genital herpes infected people just dont have any herpes symptoms, others have some symptoms which are mild enough to confuse them with a rash or a mosquito bite or anything that may cause, redness, swelling, itching, burning and blisters, and some may not even know what herpes symptoms are.
The fact that somebody doesnt have or recognize herpes symptoms doesnt mean they dont have it. About 25% of the US population is infected with genital herpes, with women being more affected than men. Studies have shown that the vast majority (80%-90%) of people who have genital herpes have not been diagnosed with the condition.
According to a recent paper published by Carnegie Mellon University in January 2006, most sexually active teenage girls know almost nothing about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), except AIDS, until it is too late. Another 2006 study led by Dr. Herbert Kaufman, Boyd Professor of Ophthalmology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, found herpes virus-1 in 98 percent of healthy participants. None of them displayed any symptoms; however they shed the herpes virus in their saliva and tears at least once during the course of the 30-day study. Even though this study didnt target genital herpes directly, it demonstrates that most people can be totally unaware of carrying the virus and being infected by herpes.
Shed or shedding means that the virus is present on the skin and ready to be transmitted. Herpes is transmitted through skin contact 98% of the time. Studies have shown that shedding may occur in almost 40% of HSV-2 (usually associated with genital herpes) infected people. Asymptomatic viral shedding may last 1 to 5 days, meaning that a person can be contagious without presenting any symptoms at the time. The average duration of each period of viral shedding has been assessed through laboratory studies but is just an estimate.
So how can you tell for a fact if someone has genital herpes? The only way to know is to look at blood, PCR or swab test results. Swab and PCR tests are very accurate when they detect herpes. However, if a test was performed late or delivered to the lab late, it may return a false negative result. Western blot test, a blood test, is the most accurate test available but may return a false negative if the person tested was first infected within the past 3 months. So it is not easy to know if a person has genital herpes or not.
One last consideration, herpes Simplex 1 or HSV-1 usually causes oral herpes and cold sores and herpes simplex-2, genital herpes. But herpes virus-1 genital herpes is becoming more and more prevalent nowadays. It is mostly transmitted during oral sex from a person whos having an oral herpes infection with or without symptoms. So if getting genital herpes is a concern to you, you should consider oral herpes as well as genital herpes when asking a partner.
As you can see, it is very difficult to assess if a partner has genital herpes. There are no proven products to prevent genital herpes transmission at the moment. Some are currently undergoing testing for FDA approval and will hopefully be marketed soon. In the meanwhile, the best option is using a condom.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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How To Deal With Herpes Rejection
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)He or She Just Aint That Into You.
If you have herpes and have the integrity to tell someone about it before you get sexually involved and they reject you because of it, it is one of the most devastating forms of rejection imaginable. Just as bad as being rejected because of your race, or physical disability or anything else not under your control, and just as ignorant and intolerable.
When the people I treat tell me their rejection stories I feel for them. Some are so shaken by it that they stop dating for years or ghettoize themselves to only dating others with herpes.
What I say to them is that “He or She was Just not that into You”. No one who really wants a person, and I do mean want the person, the whole person and the package that comes with them, will reject them just because they have herpes. Who would want that kind of superficial love anyways?
Herpes is a great litmus test to let you know who really cares about you and desires you.
It reasonable for someone to want the risks and consequences explained to them. It’s reasonable for someone not to be enthusiastic about you having herpes- who would be? But anyone who really loved or or though you were sexy before finding out about your herpes will still think so afterwards.
When you further explain to them that you are managing your herpes with herbal medicine or drug therapy and that you practice safer sex with a condom and an anti-viral gel there should be no reason for them not to want to sex you up right then and there.
What it all comes to is fear. Do not be afraid of being rejected because of having herpes.
Dear member of the Herpes Nation: Hold you head up high. Remember who you are. How special you are. How deserving you are of love and all it’s fruits. Don’t let anyone diss you or make you feel less than. Anyone who wants you must accept the whole package of your life. Don’t settle for anything less than that.
If you’ve been rejected or made to feel less than. Remember that although you cannot control what happens to you in this life you can control how you choose to react to whatever happens. You are still a prize and whoever is fortunate enough to be in your life is blessed.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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The Demonization Of Genital Herpes
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)Those of us who have so-called genital herpes are caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand we are ostracized by the minority of the population (about 40%) who dont currently have herpes simplex in their body, which is bad enough, but more cruelly we are often isolated by our fellow members of the herpes community who have so-called cold sores (heroes simplex 1 of the mouth and face). Frankly the lack of support form the majority of population who has cold sores bothers me far more than the stigma placed on me by unsympathetic members of the uninfected population. After-all they dont know what it feels like to have herpes so I can cut them some slack. But for those of you who have cold sores and continue pretending that you dont have herpes and who distance yourselves from those who have their outbreaks genitally rather than facially- shame on you. If it wasnt for your unwillingness to come to terms with the reality of your herpes infection, the herpes community would be a more united majority of the population far more empowered to boldly go out into the community and reject the unjust and irrational stigma placed on people with herpes.
Sixty percent of the population has herpes. We are living in a herpes nation. There is no reason for us to be a despised minority. If we were more united and more out of the closet we would be in a so much better position to inspire understanding and support from those who do not have herpes. We would be better able to educate young people on herpes prevention and herpes awareness. We would be better able to reach out to the people with herpes who have had their self-esteem devastated.
So-called cold sores are herpes. I have had too many people in my clinic and through the Internet say to me, I dont have herpes, Ive never had an STD, but I do get these cold sores on my lips.
Herpes is herpes whether you get your outbreaks above the waist or below the waist. Its true that people with type 1 herpes of the mouth and face often have fewer outbreaks than people with herpes type 2 of the genitals, but it is also true that herpes of the mouth and face is just as contagious if not more so than genital herpes. It is also true that many people with type 1 herpes of the mouth and face shed virus without symptoms and are giving many people type 1 herpes on their genitals from oral sex. It is also true that herpes of the mouth and face can spread to parts of the body that genital herpes rarely ever spreads to including the nostrils and into the brain, the hands and fingers, down the esophagus and into the stomach, into the eyes, and elsewhere.
For those who dont have herpes and give people with herpes a rough time, I really have no words for you. If you believe that having genital herpes is an indication of promiscuity or moral deficiency then you are probably too far-gone for anything I say here to reach you. And for the record I dont think theres anything inherently wrong with promiscuity. I got my herpes in the context of a monogamous relationship but I wouldnt feel bad about myself if I had been infected by herpes through promiscuity. How you got herpes is irrelevant. Herpes is a virus. Viruses have different strategies for gaining access to our bodies. A virus that chooses sex as its preferred method of infection is less scary to me than an airborne virus that indiscriminately devastates huge populations in a matter of days.
Jesus said let he is who is without sin cast the first stone. I say let he or she who is without a virus cast the first stone. Between the Chicken-Pox virus (a member of the herpes family), the Epstein-Barr virus (another member of the herpes family), the HPV virus (genital warts and cervical dysplasia) and Herpes Simplex there is virtually no adult reading this article who doesnt currently have a virus in their body and except for the HPV virus, these viruses are lifelong infections and thats without even discussing bacteria, fungi, yeast, and protozoa.
Herpes has been around since the time of the dinosaurs and affects akmost every animal with a backbone including cats and elephants and many animals without a backbone. In fact cats and elephants are dying of herpes. I know that cats can be randy but I have never heard of anyone accusing elephants of being promiscuous. If anyone has ever seen an elephant orgy let me know so that I can print a retraction.
When someone has the integrity and courage to tell you that they have herpes they are making themselves vulnerable to you. How you react can often either crush them or help set them free from a prison of shame. I believe that most people are intelligent and compassionate. Please treat people with herpes with the compassion and understanding we deserve. We are the same people we were before we got herpes. We are no less moral, no less attractiv, just as good in bed, just as good of a friend or son or daughter or brother or sister as we were before we got herpes. When someone tells you they have herpes if you treat them unsympathetically it only discourages them for telling others about their herpes in the future, which isnt a good situation for anyone. When someone tells you they have herpes its an opportunity and challenge to you to show that you are not prejudiced and mean-spirited. It is a chance for us all to create more love and understanding.
For those of us who have genital herpes dont buy into the lies and myths that make you ashamed and marginalized. You can choose not to let herpes define you and dominate your life. No one can take away your power and dignity except for yourself.
When someone gives you a bad time for having herpes instead of dwelling too long in anger or sadness, just forgive them for they know not what they do. Embrace all the beauty and love around you and if there isnt enough beauty and love, create it. You are a human being equipped with infinite potential for loving and appreciating the wonders of this world.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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Attacking the Deadly Herpes Virus with Acyclovir
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are thousands of Americans who are infected with one of the most active virus known to man the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Scientists have been studying how the virus works because it is among the most difficult to control. The virus has spread to different countries around the world. It causes a variety of illnesses, including mucocutaneous infections. or herpes simplex virus (HSV), is one of the most common agents infecting humans of all ages.
There are two types of Herpes virus, namely: Type 1 Herpes which is carried by over 80 per cent of the population and is the culprit behind recurrent cold sores; and Type 2 Herpes which affects five to 20 per cent of the population. This type is often associated with genital herpes.
Studies show that genital herpes simplex virus infects more than 1 of 5 adolescents and adults. It is more common in blacks than in whites, and more likely to infect women than men. Most people with genital herpes don’t know they have it, and are unaware that they are spreading it to others. Many have no symptoms or mistake their symptoms for something else such as jock itch, insect bites, hemorrhoids, yeast infections, razor burn, or allergies to laundry detergent.
Infection in the genital region initially produces a painful, red, ulcerating crop of lesions that can spread over a wide area and may involve the perinuem and anus. Genital infection can also be associated with temporary numbness in the affected area, swelling glands in the groin, difficulty passing urine, and fever. Occasionally, primary infections such as these can also trigger viral meningitis.
Some years ago, genital herpes was diagnosed solely by visual inspection and laboratory culture of an active sore. Today, herpes may be diagnosed with a blood test, even when no symptoms are apparent or after sores have healed. Antiviral drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in reducing the infection.
There is no cure for any herpes viruses. Once a person caught a herpes virus it stays in the body for life although it is latent most of the time. However, a medication that can treat the outbreaks and symptoms of herpes as well as reduce future outbreaks is available.
Acyclovir is a drug used for the treatment of several conditions including herpes infections. Acyclovir medication is available over the counter and commonly known under the brand name Zovirax. Acyclovir medication Zovirax is usually used for the treatment of facial cold sores.
Acyclovir ointment is used topically to treat initial genital herpes where it has been shown to decrease pain, reduce healing time, and limit the spread of the infection. Acyclovir is also available as a prescription tablet used to treat genital herpes infections and to treat patients with recurrent severe genital herpes. The dosage will be determined by the doctor. It is very common to prescribe a 5-day course of 3 tablets a day taken with 4 hour intervals, but this may vary. It is very important not to miss any doses because the patient needs to keep the level of Acyclovir up in their body. This episodic treatment will reduce the severity, frequency and duration of the outbreak as well as reduce future outbreaks and reduce the risk of spreading. Acyclovir can also be used to treat chicken pox and acts to reduce the healing time, limit the number of lesions, and reduce fever if used within the first 24 hours after the onset of the disease.
However, before starting to take this medicine, it is vital for a person with herpes to consult a doctor. Most anti-viral medications should not be used without medical advice or doctor’s prescription.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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The Ethics Of A Life-Long Herpes Infection
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)From day one my own personal life-long herpes infection has presented me with several ethical challenges. It has challenged me on the question of who to tell and when. It has challenged me on the issue of what to say and how to others with herpes. It has challenged me on the question of “Do I have any responsibilities towards trying to prevent the people in the community who do not herpes from getting it, and if so what are they”?
On how to tell and when:
When I was diagnosed with herpes the doctors told me that it was safe to have sex with others as long as I avoided having sex during outbreaks and that I would get warning signs of when an outbreak would be coming. Luckily, we are working with much better information these days. A person with herpes is potentially contagious every-single day of the year and safer sex including using a combination of a condom or dental dam and an anti-viral gel is the best way of ensuring that one
isn’t inadvertently spreading the virus.
I was an irresponsible coward when I first got herpes. Because thedoctors told me that I wasn’t contagious without outbreaks and because I was in the habit of using condoms, I decided that I only had to tell someone that I had herpes if and when it seemed like the relationship was turning serious and there would be regular sexual contact. I had justified my cowardice by thinking that the risk to others was too small to stick my neck out and get the rejection due to a herpes leper. Please don’t be like me. Not telling someone before you have sex that you have herpes is absolutely the wrong thing to do. There’s no real way to justify it. I now tell potential lovers I have herpes even before the first date. It gets the weight of this guilt most herpes people have off my chest and to me it feels like the right thing to do.
Many people tell me that it’s okay if you’re not going to have sex with someone to wait and see if the relationship becomes serious before telling them about herpes. Sure this is much better than waiting until after sex, but to me it still isn’t good enough. If you care about someone, if you respect them , why not tell them as early as possible so they can decide if they want to invest the energy and time in getting to know you better? Isn’t it a bit manipulative to allow someone to develop feelings for you without warning them that they risk a life-long viral infection if they get involved with you? Think about it. If you wait until they are already emotionally attached to you, they may feel compelled to continue with the relationship when they may not have if you had told them up-front. It takes more courage and integrity to tell early but it feels better to have the weight off your chest and the person you tell will usually respect you for giving them the choice.
I am especially appealing to men since I believe that men are not as protective of their sex partners when it comes to telling about herpes as women are. Guys, please don’t have sex with anyone without telling them about your herpes. And if they don’t know the facts don’t understate the risks- herpes is a more physically and emotionally devastating disease for women than it is for men and it is much easier for a man to give a woman herpes than it is for a woman to give it to a man.
On how and what to say to others with herpes:
I am a holistic healer- a herbalist and homeopath. My family have been healers for many generations in my native country of Trinidad and Tobago and as far back as Africa. I had little to no interest in treating herpes as a healer until I got herpes myself. Wanting to change a negative to a positive, I decided to make the holistic treatment of herpes the cornerstone of my practice. The bible says “the stone that the builder refused, I will make my cornerstone. Bob Marley and the wailers sing about it too.
It didn’t take me long once I decided to become a holistic viral specialist to realize that I was confronted with a daunting challenge. Most professionals including all the herbalists and homeopaths I know rely heavily on referrals to build their client-base. Here I was now working with a client-base that I was never going to get a lot of referrals from. My patients with herpes don’t go around telling the world that I helped them with their outbreaks. Some of my patients have yet to tell their significant others that they have herpes, many have not told their closest friends and their family. I am not a company. I don’t have an advertising budget. The only way for me to reach out to others with herpes and encourage them to come for me for treatment was to speak out in public about my herpes work and about herpes in general. This forced me to be far more out of the closet than would have been my personal choice.
I seem to always create challenging situations for myself. Speaking to others with herpes is not a task for the faint of heart. Some people like to shoot the messenger- I have the bullet-wounds to prove it. But I can say that speaking to others with herpes has been and continues to be one of the most gratifying experiences in my life. I feel a deep bond with many of the people with herpes who interact with me. I felt this kind of bond when I played team sports. I’ve felt this kind of bond all my life with other black people. There’s something about “us against the world” that can make people tight with other. I love my herpes friends. I love my herpes patients- even the ones who misbehave. I am not grateful for getting herpes, but I don’t regret it either. Nevertheless, the truth hurts, and I have some bitter truth to tell others with herpes:
Having a lover who also has herpes isn’t a free ticket for unprotected sex. Even if you both have the same strain Even if one gave it to the other. Having unprotected sex with each other can and often will make one or both partner’s cases of herpes worse. It’s called re-inoculation and it’s a message many with herpes don’t want to hear.
If you have herpes or cold sores you are potentially contagious everyday and there is no sure way to tell if you are shedding virus. So do consider using a condom/dental dam combined with an anti-viral gel when having sex and do be careful about sharing wet towels or wash cloths with others.
No two people get herpes the same way so you are going to have your own individual experience with the virus and will have to find your own way of dealing with it on all the different levels you will have to deal with it.
A cure for herpes in our lifetime is unlikely and there are no quick-fix solutions for managing herpes. Herpes cannot be managed with a topical agent alone- whether it be creams, lotions, or essential oils. Managing herpes takes changing your diet, managing stress and other triggers, and may also require either taking herbal medicine or drug therapy.
You may not get fewer outbreaks as you get older. While this is often the case, since no two people get herpes the same way, other diseases, menopause, self-abuse, re-inoculation by unprotected sex and other factors can change the pattern of frequency and severity of outbreaks at any point during your life-long journey with herpes.
Cold-sores are just as contagious if not more contagious than genital herpes and you can infect others when there are no signs of sores present.
Having herpes does make you more vulnerable to other sexually transmitted infections including HIV, cervical dysplasia and genital warts.
Daily use of l-lysine is an ineffective strategy for treating herpes and can do more harm than good. There are more effective natural remedies such as garlic for treating herpes without side-effects.
On talking to those who don’t have herpes:
The reality check for me is that the mainstream and alternative media do not want talk about herpes. They would prefer to keep us in a ghetto. There is a lot of misinformation floating around and people without herpes have few places to turn to hear the facts about herpes. They don’t hear the facts in their churches, young people are not being educated enough about herpes in school. Most parents aren’t teaching their children about herpes, older siblings are not passing information down to the younger ones.
It’s really up to us who have herpes to try harder to dialogue with those who don’t. HIV won’t be the last word in human population control from the world of viruses. If we don’t learn how to better protect the population from getting herpes and other sexually transmitted infections we are going to be in a lot of trouble. Herpes is a gateway disease it provided easy access through your mucus membranes for any sexually transmitted virus.
It is my unshakeable conviction that those of us in the herpes community need to be more vocal in the media and to also reach out to those around us. Each one teach one. Each one reach one.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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What Is Herpes?
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)Herpes, an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, is estimated to be present in 50 to 80 percent of the American adult population. 20 percent, over 50 million people, are infected with genital herpes, also caused by the herpes simplex virus, and the majority of these cases may be unaware they even have it. Studies show that more than 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with genital herpes each year, and the largest increase is occurring in young teens.
Results of a nationally representative study show that genital herpes infection is common in the United States. Nationwide, at least 45 million people ages 12 and older, or one out of five adolescents and adults, have had genital HSV infection. Between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, the number of Americans with genital herpes infection increased 30 percent!
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. Most individuals have no or only minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection.
When signs do occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender ulcers (sores) that may take two to four weeks to heal the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and shorter than the first outbreak. Although the infection can stay in the body indefinitely, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over a period of years.
Genital HSV-2 infection is more common in women (approximately one out of four women) than in men (almost one out of five). This may be due to male-to-female transmissions being more likely than female-to-male transmission.
Living with genital herpes can be a hassle. When you have a herpes outbreak, it can feel like it takes days out of your life. And, you have questions about spreading genital herpes to a partner.
Herpes symptoms can come and go, but the virus stays in the nerve cells of your body even after all signs of the infection have gone away. In most people, the virus becomes active from time to time, creating an outbreak. Some people have herpes virus outbreaks only once or twice. Other people have many outbreaks of herpes each year.
Scientists don’t know what causes the virus to become active, but the number of outbreaks a person has tends to go down over a period of years. Some women say the virus comes back when they are sick, under stress, out in the sun, or during their period. There is no cure for herpes to date. Supporting your immune system should be your first goal. A weakened immune system is more prone to outbreaks.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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Discover Herpes Dating Sites
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)arge scale general dating sites were the first to reach the internet, gaining a lot of popularity. Once these dating sites had saturated the online dating market, the next step was to create dating sites that focused on specific niche audiences. Herpes dating sites are one example of these specialized niche dating sites, catering to specific people that have something common amongst them.
People who have herpes may feel uncomfortable looking for friends and potential mates on general dating sites, because admitting that they are suffering from a sexually transmitted infection is not always easy. However, by signing up for herpes dating sites rather than general dating sites, these people can feel more comfortable with the dating scene.
Herpes dating sites are designed to cater to people with Herpes. When two people suffering from Herpes date, it is obviously much safer as there is no worry about transmitting anything from one person to another.
Not only do herpes dating sites exist to provide an avenue for dating for people who have herpes, but they also tend to provide a wealth of information relating to health and wellness and other topics of concern for people who use the site. Some Herpes dating sites, like MPWH (Meet People with Herpes) have as many as 68,000 subscribers, meaning that there is a real community out there that you can become a part of.
In addition to dating resources, herpes dating sites like the above also offer information on:
diet information
helpful advice
about how gentile herpes affects men and women differently
mistaken conditions and properly diagnosing herpes
scientific and statistical information about herpes
prognosis of disease
prevention
symptoms
outbreaks
safe sex / transmission
and a great deal more
The focus of these herpes dating sites is to create a true community for people who are dealing with herpes, rather than making them feel left out in the dating scene.
Having herpes is not the end of the world for anyone, and herpes dating sites online are beginning to prove this. By creating communities where people with herpes are welcome to come together and talk, chat, get to know each other and even go on dates together. Niche dating sites like these, herpes dating sites, are an excellent example of how dating sites can capitalize on choosing and focusing on one single niche rather than trying to please an entire community.
When likeminded or similar people can come together and have a good dating experience through the internet that is when you know that a particular dating site has been successful. Herpes dating sites are no exception, as they give people suffering from gentile herpes a place to feel comfortable sharing themselves and getting to know other people that are compatible with them. Not only are these herpes dating sites places where people can connect, but they also serve as support groups and communities where information can be shared and found.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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Treatment Of Genital Herpes
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex viruses (HSV) type 1 and type 2. Most genital herpes is caused by HSV type 2. Most people have no or minimal symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection.
When symptoms do occur, they usually appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving ulcers or tender sores that may take up to four weeks to heal. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months later.
Although the infection can stay in the boby forever, the number of outbreaks usually decreases over a period of years. You can pass genital herpes to someone else even when you experience no symptoms.
The symptoms of genital herpes vary from person to person. Some people have severe symptoms,such as many painful sores, while others have mild symptoms. An initial outbreak of genital herpes usually brings about symptoms within two weeks of having sexual contact with an infected person and can last from two to three weeks.
The early symptoms can include: an itching or burning feeling in the genital or anal area; flu-like symptoms, including fever; swollen glands; pain in the legs, buttocks, or genital area; vaginal discharge; a feeling of pressure in the area below the stomach.
There is no treatment that can cure genital herpes; the virus will always be in your body. Certain drugs such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir can shorten outbreaks and make them less severe, or stop them from happening. Depending on your needs, your doctor can give you drugs to take right after getting outbreak symptoms or drugs that you can take on a regular basis to try to stop outbreaks from happening.
When used along with safe sex practices, Valacyclovir can also help prevent you from passing the infection to someone lse.Talk to your doctor about which treatament plan is best for you.
During outbreaks, these steps can speed healing and prevent spreading of the infection to other sites of the body or to other people. Keep the infected area clean and dry.Try not to touch the sores. Wash hands after contact. Avoid sexual contact from the time the symptoms are first noticed until the sores have healed.
Immune boosting Beta-mannan is very helpful in suppressing and reducing severity of outbreaks, but surgical treatments such as cryosurgery will not help. Treatments for this condition include free-form lysine or supplemental high-lysine low-arginine diet is beneficial. Natural therapies are: red marine alga (a antiviral blocker); blue-green alga Spirulina platensis specially processed (antiviral agent); Micronutrient (episode suppressor); Colostrum Immunoglobulins (anti-microbial for infants); Beta-mannan (promotes healing); Olive leaf (oleuropein-antioxidant boosts immune responders) and Vitamin C (antiviral nutrient).
There is no cure for genital herpes. Once you have the virus, it stays in your body and there is a chance that you will have outbreaks. Medicine can shorten and stop outbreaks from happening.
There are things you can do to protect yourself from getting genital herpes. The best way to prevent any STD is to practice abstinence, or not having vaginal, oral or anal sex. Have a sexual relationship with one partner who has been tested for herpes and is not infected is another way to reduce your chances of getting infected.
Protect yourself with a latex condom every time you have vagina, anal or oral sex. Condoms should be used for any type of sex with every partner. For vaginal sex use a latex male condom or a female polyurethane condom.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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Using Essential Oils Successfully With The Herpes Virus
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)Using Essential Oils Successfully With The Herpes Virus A Personal Account
Aromatherapy Oils and the Herpes Virus One Person’s Success Story
The Herpes Simplex virus (or HSV) is a difficult disease. It is widely known as incurable, with painful skin lesions on sensitive areas of the body. The lesions reccur more often for some people than others their ‘outbreaks’ tend to be related to periods of high-stress. Modern medicine does not offer a cure, though there are pharmaceutical preparations available to limit the frequency and duration of HSV outbreaks. With a reputation as ‘incurable’, ‘painful’, ‘not-so-pretty’, and varieties described as ‘oral and labial’ or ‘genital’, the disease can be a little challenging and embarrasing to say the least.
Well, I’ve been through this. I’ve had the painful lesions, had to deal with the regular outbreaks of painful cold-sores in my mouth and on my lips (I was blessed with the ‘oral’ variety). I’ve been through those great internal debates on how to break the news to a partner (thankfully always returning that look that says something like ‘Oh! I thought you were going to tell me my cat just died…that’s no big deal’). Though it still seemed like a big deal. Regularly having those few days of feeling like a flu was coming on, followed by a few days of outbreak at what always seemed like the worst of times. On top of it, being an athlete, training really hard tended to cause outbreaks as well weightlifting in particular. Maybe it was just really strenuous, or maybe I wasn’t actually a ‘weightlifter’ but that heavy lifting would almost always lead, once again, to an outbreak.
I freqently wondered in the midst of these bouts with HSV if this was something I’d have to deal with for the rest of my life I tried doctor prescribed medicines, Lysine and other remedies, but none kept the virus at bay enough to really make a difference.
Then someone introduced me to essential oils, and I learned a little about their studied antiviral activity. I stumbled onto research performed with a certain oil known as Melissa. Melissa essential oil is distilled from Melissa herb, a plant with a long history in natural medicine. The plant yields a relatively small amount of oil compared to other aromatic varieties, so it’s cost seems a little high. But formal investigation has been being going on in Europe for many years applying the oil to herpes lesions, with very promising results. One company has even extracted a component of the oil and sold it in a prescription form (though I have not read of any evidence showing the extract works better than the oil itself).
The most encouraging statement regarding the use of Melissa on herpes was made by Dr. Dietrich Wabner, a professor at the University of Munich: he stated that a single application of Melissa may lead to a complete remission of the disease. A possible cure! I’d figured I had nothing to lose, so I tried a little bottle of the oil.
Searching further, I found a regimine for the oils’ use. Melissa might not lead to a complete remission in just one application other healers were finding success when the oil was applied to the affected area when an outbreak felt ‘imminent’. The oil was applied perhaps three times per day during the outbreak; this was repeated the next several times the user thought an outbreak may be coming on, and through the duration of the skin healing. My outbreaks were usually on my tongue at that point (though they started on the palate of my mouth). I would get a very fatigued feeling for a few days, then my tongue would get what seemed like individual taste buds that would feel as though they were burnt (and yes, I have had medical confirmation as to their cause). I also had lesions on my lip, but not as often. So I began the Melissa oil program just one drop in my mouth a few times a day and thankfully I actually liked the taste!
Well, perhaps the single dose worked for some folks, but I wasn’t quite so fortunate though I was certainly not discouraged. The history of Melissa and it’s healing powers was renoun, and I kept up with the program. Despite continuing to have outbreaks, they were shorter, and they seemed to occur less frequently. And after a while, it dawned on me the outbreaks had stopped completely! And believe me, my life has been no less stressful more so if anything. Also, while outbreaks do tend to happen less freqently for some over time, I had been living with this for 15 years and they were still fairly regular. But no matter how stressful my days were, how heavy my weight training sessions or other athletic endeavors, the outbreaks have not returned!
For individuals who may have more sensitive skin than I, or have outbreaks in more sensitive places, Melissa essential oil can be diluted in a vegetable or nut oil (Hazelnut oil or Rosehipseed are commonly used) to 1/10th or even less of the total volume and be just as effective (some say that even 1% will work). It is important to note and repeated many times in the literature that taking any essential oil orally, or appliying undiluted to the skin, should be done with extreme caution whatch your own reaction closely and proceed accordingly. I do not have experience with application to the genital variety of Herpes simplex, but the texts do not make a distinction this may be where a carrier oil could come in handy. But whatever way it’s used, the system should be followed closely: apply Melissa 2-3 times a day to the affected area when an outbreak is on the way, and use it until the sores have healed completely. Follow this method for the next several outbreaks; there are no guarantees, but this may work for you or someone you may know and what a wonderful thing it can be!
For sufferer’s of Shingles, another Herpes virus variety causing lesions of the skin, Ravensara (Ravensara aromatica, or ‘True’ Ravensara) oil has been used. Individuals have found relief using Ravensara in a 50-50 blend with Tamanu Nut oil. The Tamanu Nut sooths the skin during the healing process and keeps the Ravensara in contact with the sores. I have not heard of this offering a complete cure, but I have heard of this blend really helping relieve discomfort of this condition.
So if you choose to use aromatherapy oils like Melissa or Ravensara yourself (or to a recommendation), find a trusted source for the essential oils. Find ‘true’ varieties of each Melissa is often adulterated, and the real thing is generally priced between $10 and $20 per milliliter (about 25 drops, which actually goes a long way); Ravensara should be of the ‘Ravensara aromatica’ variety. Be conservative with direct application remember that diluting the oil has not been reported to reduce efficacy. Yes, I liked the Melissa oil straight, and never had a problem but others I’ve known have had sensitive reactions though this may have been related to UV exposure. Be good to yourself and listen to your body may you achieve healing success!
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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Genital Herpes- Are You Going To Get Infected?
Before you continue… Learn how I solved my Herpes Nightmare
(will open in new window)Genital Herpes- what is it?
Genital Herpes is the herpes infection of genitals. It affects both men and women. It is caused by the HSV type2. The only way to spread this disease is sexual contact. Anybody who has genital herpes may pass it on to the partner without any knowledge. Let us see how?
Genital Herpes- silent transmission
Let us take an example. Suppose your partner contacted genital herpes from someone during a sexual encounter. The virus entered your partner’s body. The virus will show anytime within 20 days of getting contacted. The symptoms may be sores and blisters, fever, joint ache etc. Here comes the problem. Many times these symptoms are so insignificant that no body realizes about them. The symptoms will resolve after some days. Now your partner is a silent carrier of Genital herpes. He/she may be unaware that they are carriers. During this time, if you have sexual contact with them, you will catch the virus.
Genital Herpes- Treatment
Whenever herepes symptoms get noticed, the doctors treat them with anti viral medicines. The problem of rashes and blisters gets resolved. But the virus does not get out of the body. It remains inside. It can cause active herpes sores again in future. Some people may not get any recurrence, while some may get many.
Genital Herpes- Prevention
Condoms are one way to prevent herpes. If any body part that is not covered by condom and is carrying active virus comes in contact with you, you will sill get it. To know if anybody is a silent carrier of herpes, blood test can be carried out by the doctor for herpes antibodies.
Good News About Your Herpes Nightmare
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