Cold Sore Lysine - A Top Cold Sore Treatment

Cold sore lysine - does it really help cold sores or is it just so much hype? 

Now you can know the truth.  By the time you finish this article, you will discover some little known facts about cold sore lysine treatment options.

Cold sore lysine cures have been the subject of many studies and much news.  Most of the research has been quite positive for using lysine as a treatment for all varieties of herpes sores.  But, sadly, much of this information is incorrect.

FACT:  Lysine extinguishes cold sores very much the same as water quenches a fire.

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.

The herpes simplex virus moves to the surface for the sole purpose of creating new virus.  This parasite virus enters a cell and forces that cell to produce new virus clones.  When full, the cell is broken open to spill out the fresh virus.

The open wound we see on our face is the visible result of thousands of adjacent cells being destroyed by the cloning process of the herpes virus - either HSV-1 or HSV-2.

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.

Arginine and lysine are considered essential amino acids.  Your body cannot create these.  They are essential for your health and must come from your diet.  Each amino acid has a specific function in the body.

Your nerve cells store arginine in a specific location within the cell.  Cells that are forced to create herpes virus will do so only until the arginine stores are used up.  Arginine is the main building block of the herpes virus.  Without it, no virus cloning can take place.

FACT:  Lysine smothers cold sores by making arginine unavailable.

Lysine is also stored within the cells, in the same storage area as arginine.  The more lysine in your diet, the more of it is stored in the cells.  And the more lysine, the less room there is for storing arginine.  Basically, lysine and arginine fight for the same space.

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 must be taken orally to reach the cells and be absorbed.

The best way to flood your cells with cold sore lysine is by eating high lysine foods.  Dairy products, meats, and fish are excellent sources of this amino acid.

Taking lysine supplements is much more convenient for most people.  The body does not utilize supplemental lysine as well as food sources.  For this reason, a combination of food and supplements is the very best treatment of choice.

You may have seen topical remedies that contain lysine.  These may be helpful treatments for cold sores - but not because of the lysine.

Amino acids, such as lysine, do not go into the cells through the skin.  Putting it on the skin before the sores blossom is of no value.  And applying the lysine after the sore opens up, even if it did work, is too late.   The damage is already 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.

Lysine is as safe as food.  Lysine capsules usually come in 500 mg. size.  4000 mg. per day is common during an outbreak.  500 to 1000 mg. daily is the usual amount for prevention.

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.