Cold sore lysine treatment has been in the news a lot in recent years. Studies continue to show it to be very helpful for relief of these persistent sores. But many people who write about cold sore lysine do not know how it actually works.
FACT: Cold sores are quelled by lysine similar to a fire being quenched by water.
A fire is extinguished with water because the water prevents oxygen from feeding the fire. Lysine can stop or prevent cold sores the same way. Lysine starves the herpes virus of what it must have to replicate.
Right now, we need to take a look at what really causes cold sores and how lysine can literally stop them in their tracks.
When the herpes simplex virus becomes active, it infects nerve cells on the surface and forces them to make copies of the virus. Once full, the cells are annihilated to free the new virus.
The painful, unsightly sores on your face are the result of the destruction of thousands of close-together body cells by the herpes simplex virus.
FACT: Arginine is the oxygen that makes cold sores burn.
Arginine is required by the cells to build new herpes simplex virus. The cell cannot be a virus factory for herpes if it does not have sufficient arginine available.
Lysine and arginine are essential to your good health. They are termed essential amino acids because they cannot be created within the body. They must come through food. Each of the 17 essential amino acids has a specific duty to keep you healthy.
Your body cells store arginine in a special area within the cell. If forced to create new herpes virus, your cell will draw on these stores until depleted. Without arginine readily available, new virus cannot be created.
FACT: Lysine smothers cold sores by making arginine unavailable.
Your cells warehouse lysine too. And it does so in the same storage space as arginine. Since arginine and lysine compete for the same storage area, the more lysine you eat and make available to your cells, the less arginine will be available for virus creation.
Lysine does not support the creation of the herpes virus. And it keeps the arginine from being available for virus replication by replacing it in the storage area of the cells.
FACT: Lysine is only available to the cells if taken orally.
Lysine from food is the best utilized form of lysine. Eating food high in cold sore lysine, such as meat, fish and dairy, is the best way to get this powerful amino acid for healing or prevention.
For convenience, you can find lysine capsules at most stores that sell vitamins. These are very convenient since they reduce the need to change your diet. Combining diet with supplemental lysine would still be the best method.
You may have seen topical remedies that contain lysine. These may be helpful treatments for cold sores - but not because of the lysine.
Lysine is a large molecule and is not able to be absorbed readily through the skin. Putting it on the skin, or on the sore, will be of no help. It cannot get through the skin to prevent the sore and, once it becomes an open ulcer, the damage is done.
IT IS TRUE - lysine does work well at putting out those burning cold sores. Also, sufficient lysine on a daily basis is useful as a preventative measure. But lysine can get into the cells only if taken orally.
For treatment of a currently active sore, a common daily dosage would be about 4000 mg.. Between outbreaks, many people take 500 to 1000 mg. of supplemental lysine as a preventative.
Beating your cold sores may be as simple as eating high lysine foods, avoiding high arginine foods, and taking a booster dose of lysine in capsules. This is the very best way to get therapeutic levels of cold sore lysine.
Author Resource:-
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