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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Canker Sore Remedies - Avoid Certain Foods

If you have canker sores you will definitely be looking around for effective canker sore remedies. Canker sores can be very painful and may be triggered by certain foods, stress, or injury to the inside of your mouth.

Foods that are acidic and can trigger a canker sore are foods like lemons, oranges, pineapples, figs, apples, tomatoes or strawberries. Other causes may be dental problems like a sharp tooth or ill-fitting dentures. Sometimes the friction from braces can cause an outbreak, also. Acidic juices and carbonated drinks can also contribute to the formation or exacerbation of canker sores.

There are two types of canker sores, simple and complex. Simple canker sores are caused by the foods or dental problems discussed above. Complex canker sores are usually caused by some underlying medical condition that causes immune system depletion like Celiac disease or Crohn's. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies play a major role in the development of canker sores.

Some people may think that canker sores and cold sores are one and the same. This is not true. Cold sores are caused by a virus and develop on the outside of the mouth. canker sores develop on the inside of the mouth. Though canker sores and cold sores can be equally as painful, they are not the same thing and both require different treatment.

If you have a painful sore or sores in your mouth, feel a burning sensation or rough spot develop before the sores appear, have a low grade fever, swollen lymph glands or feel sluggish, you may be fairly certain you have canker sores.

When you have an active canker sore you will need to steer clear of the types of foods we discussed earlier because they will not only cause you pain when you eat them but they may even make your condition worse.

If the sores do not start to heal on their own in a few days or you cannot eat or drink, you should not hesitate to see your dentist to receive canker sore remedies. You will also want to do yourself a favor and get a toothbrush with a soft bristle. Keeping your mouth clean is a good way to help the canker sores heal up quicker.

Some other symptoms that should prompt you to see your dentist are unusually large sores, sores that spread, sores that last more than three weeks, sores that cause severe pain, or you have a high fever.

There is no cure and canker sores can happen to anyone but with care and learning to avoid certain acidic or even spicy foods you may be able to reduce their frequency and severity. If the pain is too severe your doctor or dentist should be willing to prescribe you with a pain med that is effective in reducing the amount of pain you are feeling.

Over the counter canker sore remedies are available and may help with the healing of your canker sores. Over the counter pain medications may also help so you won't need to ask for a prescription from your doctor or dentist.

Canker Sore Relief - Rest Can Help

When you have a canker sore, it's tough to think of anything else, all you can think of is finding the quickest canker sore relief possible. No matter what you try, it's important to remember that everyone is different and some people will have great success with one method while other's won't experience any relief from that method at all. So, the point is that you have to keep looking until you find the relief you want and need.

Many people recommend using magnesium hydroxide as an effective relief to canker sores. To make this remedy al l you do is to take a magnesium tablet and let it dissolve in a glass of water.  Sip the water and hold it and swirl it around the inside of your mouth for several minutes.  Don't swallow it. Since you're trying to get some canker sore relief and not cure an upset stomach, you don't need to swallow it. Doing this throughout your day, up to six times during the day, can provide some relief. Just keep doing it until the canker sore pain has gone away.

There are also many over the counter remedies that can help relieve some of the pain. These medicines can not only relieve some of the pain they can also help speed up the healing process, and hey, who wouldn't want that?  The sooner you use these topical gels on the canker sore, the sooner it will heal so if you're prone to getting canker sores often have a gel product on hand so you can deal with the canker right away.

Using a salt water mixture or mouthwash to rinse out your mouth can also help most people. By keeping the sore clean you can help it heal more quickly. Using mouthwash or a salt water solution can be pretty painful but if it helps the healing process it might be worth a little bit of sting.

Using vitamin and mineral supplements might also help clear up the canker sore more quickly. Sometimes bad nutrition can lead to the formation of canker sores so providing your body with the proper nutrients might help clear things up more quickly. If you suffer from a lot of canker sores you may help keep them at bay by simply taking a vitamin B12 supplement every day.

Other things you can do to prevent recurring canker sores can be as simple as avoiding spicy or acidic foods. Not eating a lot of 'rough' foods might also help decrease the number of canker sores you get.  Make sure you keep your mouth clean by brushing and flossing frequently. 

And of course, never underestimate the importance of getting enough rest and trying to keep your stress level to a minimum. These things will always help you stay healthier in general.


By following some simple day to day lifestyle changes you can dramatically reduce the number of canker sore outbreaks you have to suffer through.  When you do get a canker sore the best canker sore relief you can do is to start immediately treating the affected area.

Best Cold Sore Treatment - 3 Helpful Tips

No one wants to suffer through two weeks of painful, ugly cold sores so finding the best cold sore treatment can seem almost like a matter of life and death. There are a lot of things that can cause a cold sore outbreak. Too much stress, hormone changes, extreme temperatures, other illnesses such as a cold or the flu can undermine your immune system and make you more susceptible to an outbreak.  Cold sores are the result of the herpes simplex 1 virus (it's the type 2 herpes simplex virus that causes genital herpes).

Most people, up to 80% have the herpes simplex 1 virus in their bodies. Many of us will come into contact with it early in life. The virus can stay dormant and then, given the right triggers, flare up into a full fledged outbreak.

Here are some of the best cold sore treatment options for you. Try different ones until you find the one that works best for you:

1. Be very careful how often and when you touch or scratch your cold sore. Cold sores are very, very contagious and though it may sound odd, you can actually re-infect yourself on other parts of your body. Don't pick, and when you touch the cold sore, wash your hands thoroughly.

2. Keep the area around the cold sore clean by washing it with hot water, as hot as you can stand without burning yourself, and anti bacterial soap. Keeping your existing outbreak from spreading is going to help you get over the outbreak more quickly.

3. Find an L-lysine ointment to use on the cold sore. When you apply the ointment make sure you start at the edges of the cold sore and work your way in. That way you won't spread the virus from your cold sore to other parts of your face. And of course, after you apply the ointment make sure you wash your hands.

To help prevent further outbreaks, or at least lessen the number that you get, try to isolate what triggers your outbreaks. If you seem to get an outbreak at a certain time of the month, and  you're a woman, your outbreaks might be related to your hormonal cycle (though they could also be related to the stress that you may have with all your monthly hormonal changes rather than the hormone changes them self).

And always treat your body well. Eat well, get the proper balance of nutrients, get plenty of sleep and avoid excesses in alcohol, caffeine and sweets. If you have a high stress life, and there's not really anything you can do to change the stress level, at least find healthy ways to deal with the stress. Taking a yoga class, meditate or just taking a walk around the block can help you keep your stress at bay which can help prevent outbreaks.

No one wants to suffer through a painful cold sore outbreak. Following some simple tips can help you keep your outbreaks to a minimum. If you still end up with an outbreak the tips

above are the  best cold sore treatment tips around.


Are Cold Sores Contagious - You Bet

Are cold sores contagious, you may be wondering. It's bad enough to have unsightly and painful cold sores,  but no one wants to spread them to their friends and family ( and no one who knows someone with a cold sore wants to get one themselves). The answer to that question is yes, cold sores are very contagious. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus which can be contracted early in life and will remain in the body throughout their life since there is no known cure. Most people will come into contact with the virus while still a child.

Though this virus will remain in a dormant stage for the vast majority of time, it's still possible, though not really likely, to pass it on to others. The highest risk of getting a cold sore from someone else is when they have an ongoing active lesion that is 'weeping' or pus filled. 

The actual cold sore will generally start with a small tingling sensation that will evolve into a bump which will eventually evolve into a lesion. You can spread cold sores not only to others but to other parts of your own body too. You can rub your lip than rub your eyes, for example.

The good news is that now that you have the answer to your question: Are Cold Sores Contagious,  you can prevent spreading it to others, and you can increase your chances of not getting it, with a few simple precautions:

1. Since you can actually infect other people with the HSV1 Virus,even if there is no active outbreak, it's very important that you wash your hands frequently. This is especially true right after you've come into contact with someone else.

2. Never share personal care items such as razors and toothbrushes since this is one very common way for the virus to be transferred. When someone has an outbreak don't share drinking glasses or give them a bite of your food (or take a bite of theirs).

3. Avoiding kissing anyone who has an active outbreak - an actual cold sore (it is still possible to get the virus even if the outbreak isn't currently active, but you can't spend your whole life not kissing your loved ones!).

4. Everyone will have their own unique tolerances to deflect infections. Some people simply don't seem to get sick as often or as easily as others. It can never hurt to make sure you keep your body as healthy as possible. that will increase the likelihood of being able to fight off infections. Get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, avoid too much caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, in short, take care of your body and your body will take care of you.

Cold sores can be just a nasty part of life, and while the answer to the question:
Are cold sores contagious, is yes, don't worry. By keeping your immune systems strong by taking good care of yourself and eating well you can decrease the chances you'll have an outbreak. If you do, just be careful that you don't spread it to others by taking some simple precautions during the outbreak.