Lysine for cold sores? A great remedy if you use it the right way. If you will let me, I would like to share with you the right and wrong way to use lysine for cold sores.

Lysine for cold sores is much talked about these days. The truth is - lab and empirical data strongly support the use of lysine for cold sores.

How does lysine work for cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes? What is the best way to use it?

Great questions.

But, prior to using lysine for cold sores, it is best to know as much as possible about how a cold sore is created.

It is the herpes simplex virus that is the cause of all cold sore events. You may call them a cold sore or a fever blister. Whatever you call them, they are identical oral herpes sores.

90% of the world population carries this terribly contagious virus. It is most common to be exposed to it before 12 years old.

The herpes virus hides in the root area of your facial nerves and will be dormant there most of the time. This is an area located behind either ear. As long as it is hibernating, you will not have any symptoms.

The herpes simplex virus will become active to produce new virus. Since it lives in the nerves, it can quickly tell when your immunity drops. Stress of any sort can create the right conditions for cold sores to happen.

The herpes cold sore virus wiggles its way to the surface along the nerve fibers. Once there, each virus chooses a nerve cell, enters it and takes control.

The cold sore virus then makes the cell create new virus copies. Once the cell is filled to capacity, it bursts open and the new virus gushes out, looking for a home.

The cold sore is a large ulcerated wound caused the disintegration of a huge group of surface nerve cells.

Arginine is an amino acid (protein) that is the main protein needed to create the herpes simplex virus. Chocolate and nuts are particularly rich in arginine, and it is found in lesser amounts in many other foods.

Your cells have a special area to store proteins, such as arginine, inside the cell.

Lysine is another essential amino acid - commonly found in fish and most dairy products. This is one protein that cannot be used to construct new herpes viruses. In fact, it is like putting water on a fire.

Lysine and arginine share the same storage area in your cells. The more lysine you put in storage, the less room for arginine.

Reducing your arginine supplies by increasing lysine intake is a trick many folks use to stop herpes virus activity and support quick healing. It can also prevent future cold sore events by starving the herpes virus of the fuel it needs.

You can increase your lysine levels with a diet rich in vegetables, fish and dairy products. Also, not eating high arginine foods, such as chocolate and nuts, will help reduce your arginine levels.

Adjusting your eating habits to control oral herpes, cold sore or fever blister attacks is not usually much fun. Most folks prefer lysine in capsules for the bulk of their treatment. This amino acid is inexpensive and you can find it anywhere.

Lysine capsules normally come in 500-milligram size. You can get much more lysine into your system this way than trying to eat more lysine food. And you can easily take extra lysine rather than go without chocolate.

Lysine is very safe. Commonly people take 1000 to 4000 milligrams per day during a cold sore and 500 to 1000 milligrams daily as a preventative measure. Again, you can adjust this depending on how often you get them.

But, watch out for the hype.

Lysine for cold sores is powerful when used as an internal treatment. But it does not work very well as a topical treatment.

At the store there are cold sore remedies - salves containing lysine - designed to put directly on the sore. Lysine works inside the cells. It does not absorb well when placed on the surface. Do not waste your money.

Lysine for cold sores is one of the better cold sore remedies for you, if used as outlined above.

I would like to give you a lot more tips about lysine for cold sores and some additional cold sore remedies that will super-charge your efforts, but I have run out of room here.

Whether you want to shorten the duration or to prevent future outbreaks, lysine is powerful medicine. But, keep this in mind. There are several other excellent cold sore remedies for you to try - that may work even better for you than lysine for cold sores.