What Are Cold Sores?

Cold sores are a common ailment caused by the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). There is no cure for this herpes virus. Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) is the virus that cause genital warts, a sexually transmitted disease, and it also has no cure. Cold sores and genital warts occur as fluid-filled blisters and have similar treatments. This article will focus on HSV-1 and will define cold sores and its causes according to the medical community.

Cold sores, medically defined, are "small sore(s) situated on the face or in the mouth that cause pain, burning, or itching before bursting and crusting over. The favorite locations are on the lips, chin or cheeks and in the nostrils. Less frequented sites are the gums or roof of the mouth (the palate)." Cold sores can occur singly or in clusters. They are not the same as canker sores, which are ulcers that occur in the soft tissues of the mouth. To define cold sores and its causes, ask a physician or visit online websites such as WebMD or Medicine Net.

Many cold sore sufferers can define cold sores and its causes due to a lifetime of outbreaks. They can also testify to the stigma they have felt picking up prescriptions for antiviral medications such as Valtrex, which is used to treat both cold sores and genital herpes. Both are highly contagious. Both have no cure. Both types of herpes can lie dormant, but still be transmitted though there are no actual sores present. Genital herpes (HSV-2) is sexually transmitted but cold sores (HSV-1) are most commonly transmitted by oral contact such as kissing, or using someone else's lipstick or toothbrush.

Causes of Cold Sores

Doctors define cold sores and its causes as the following: "The virus lies latent (dormant) in the body and is reawakened (reactivated) by factors such as stress, sunburn, or fever from a wide range of infectious diseases including colds. Recurrences are less common after age 35. Sunscreen (SPF 15 or more) on the lips prevents recurrences of herpes from sunburn." This quote is from the website www.medterms.com. Now that it has helped to define cold sores and its causes, it is important to know how to prevent cold sores. To prevent cold sores, it is important to avoid all the main causes. Since fever, sun exposure, colds, stress, and other physical or emotional trauma cause cold sores, care should be taken to get plenty of rest, drink water, avoid the sun, maintain a healthy diet, and learn to manage stress. This will help prevent cold sore outbreaks.


Cold Sores

Cold Sores

If you see a watery bump on your nose, do not pop it. It is not what you think it is. Cold sores on your nose are inconvenient, and uncomfortable. But most of all, it screams at passers by “Look at me!”

What Causes a Cold Sore On Nose?

The occurrence of a cold sore on your nose also known as sun or fever blisters is the result of widespread herpes simplex virus that usually spreads to different parts of the face, particularly on the nose and mouth. Although there are two kinds of herpes simplex virus or HSV, namely HSV-1 and HSV-2, the HSV-1 is more commonly associated on the face.

Cold Sore Symptoms

Symptoms relating to cold sores on your nose include sore throat that prevents the person from swallowing normally, there are also symptoms of fever, fever-like flu’s, and blisters that start from tiny cracks on the skin. These blisters can also develop inside the mouth on the tongue and gums. Neck pains may also be experienced through this illness.

In order to avoid these common cases of cold sore on your nose, one must avoid sharing personal items such as toothbrush and face towels from other people. Avoid kissing people who have infections like these, and most importantly, avoid engaging in oral sex.

Recurring Cold Sores

Recurrences can also happen to patients having overcome this situation through extreme exposure to sunlight, too much use of cosmetics and cuts and lesions. But on a lighter note, cold sores on your nose can be diagnosed easily especially when the infection has just become active. Through certain therapies and medicine, this virus can easily be averted and stopped. The use of anti-viral treatments is one of the fastest ways of relief in dealing with this virus.

One can only imagine the impact of this herpes simplex virus, not just through medical state but also emotional as well. Through constant social interaction, one may be unable to function properly to its peers, resulting to insecurity and low self-esteem. It can also hamper one’s ability to interact with the opposite sex, creating a sense of failure that may lead to regret and uncertainty of oneself.

Through the proper practice of hygiene and self awareness, one can prevent having a cold sore on your nose. Doing daily regiments taking vitamins, baths and regular hand washing may slim down chances of attaining this kind of virus. To top it all, prevention is better than cure.

Whether you are a teenager just entering high school or someone who is looking at their up coming retirement, you are at risk for contracting cold sores. These painful and embarrassing cold sores can come about out of nowhere and you may never realize exactly where you contracted them. But while you can do very little to stop yourself from contracting it besides keeping away from skin to skin contact forever, you can try and keep yourself from spreading it to other people. While this can be embarrassing, it is your responsibility to inform those you are close with that you discovered you get these sores.

The time where cold sores are mostly spread is during the time of outbreaks and since this is the most obvious sign that someone has cold sores, you may want to avoid kissing. But, there is also the risk of spreading the virus even when there are no signs of cold sores at all. The best thing you can do is advise someone that you do get cold sores and then they can make a decision from there about what they want to do. Honesty is always the best policy, as so many people say, and it is really true in the case of cold sores.

Treating Outbreaks

Since there really is nothing that can be done to medically prevent or cure cold sores, it is left up to the person suffering from these to at least try and control the outbreaks. Once a person starts to feel that tingle sensation that often comes along right before the breakout happens, treatment needs to be given. While treatment for the sores will not completely stop the outbreak from happening, it can greatly reduce the size of the outbreak and the time it will hang around for by about half.

There are many home remedies for cold sores that can be read about in a lot of home remedy books or on a lot of different web sites. Most of the home remedies involve things that you may already have in your kitchen or bathroom, which means you will not have to spend too much money. And then there is always the medical treatment for cold sores, which involves medication. Currently there are two FDA approved medications on the market for cold sores so if interested, be sure to speak with you family doctor about them so that you can be ready.

Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia that occurs in people over the age of 65. It causes partial to total deterioration of thought processes and memory and can be emotionally and physically devastating for patients and their loved ones. Alzheimer's disease is believed to cause memory loss due to variety of reasons. It can be an organic brain disease that causes permanent damage to nerves and nerve cells in the brain. The brain can also be affected due to outside sources such as aluminum toxicity or inside sources such as an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own healthy cells and tissues. There is also a genetic theory that links a specific gene to the creation of Alzheimer's. There is a slow virus theory that links viral infection to the creation of Alzheimer's. This article will explore the genetic and viral links between Alzheimer's and a common virus, herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1). This is the virus that causes oral cold sores. Scientists have found that the genetic/viral link may connect Alzheimer's and cold sores.

Cold sores, as mentioned previously, are caused by a form of the herpes virus. Cold sores are not the same as genital herpes, which is caused by herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). The virus that causes cold sores, HSV-1, is permanent, contagious, and transmitted by oral contact such as kissing or using another person's toothbrush. Cold sores are fluid-filled blisters that appear on or around the mouth and last for approximately 7-10 days. Cold sores, though not pretty, are a much easier physical ailment to suffer than the debilitating Alzheimer's disease. The following paragraph briefly summarizes the genetic relationship between Alzheimer's and cold sores.

Alzheimer's and Cold Sores: A Strange Relationship

Alzheimer's and cold sores are believed to be linked due to studies done on the Alzheimer related gene, ApoE-4. Alzheimer's disease is believed to be caused by a genetic mutation on various chromosomes. The ApoE-4 gene has been linked with Alzheimer's for over 15 years. Scientists believe that this gene invites the cold sore virus, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). The ApoE-4 gene allows herpes into the brain and may allow HSV-1 to become even more virulent. Scientists also believe that people with the herpes virus are up to 25% more likely to have a predisposition to develop Alzheimer's. There is most definitely a link between Alzheimer's and cold sores. Herpes simplex virus is a chronic infection which has two phases, an active phase where it causes cell damage and a latent phase where it "sleeps" and does not duplicate cells, or grow. HSV is activated by triggers such as sun exposure, stress, dehydration, poor nutrition, fatigue, or other immune disorder. When HSV-1 becomes active, cold sores develop. The connection with Alzheimer's is that herpes virus can affect brain cells. In people with the ApoE-4 gene, herpes is more likely to be in the active phase, duplicating itself, and causing cell damage.