What Really Causes Cold Sores?

What causes cold sores to happen often for some people and not at all for others?

You will see, in the following article, what the three main causes of cold sores are and how to easily prevent your future cold sore outbreaks.

Cold sores are caused by the replication process of the herpes simplex virus. Most of your life the virus is dormant and hibernating in the nerve cell roots - called the nerve ganglia. When the cold sore virus senses a change in your immune system and will take the opportunity to causing yet another cold sore.

Living in your nerves, the cold sore virus is very sensitive to changes in your body. Discovering what causes cold sores for you is to understand the basic triggers that activate the cold sore virus.

The three primary triggers that cause cold sores are as follows.

1. THE HEALTH OF YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. Normally, your immune system will be able to keep the cold sore virus in a dormant state. The most important factor in keeping your immune system strong is the quality and quantity of nutrients you get from your diet and from supplements.

If you are bothered with reoccurring cold sores, this is a sign you need to upgrade your nutritional efforts. Even if you have an excellent diet, you should still be taking a good vitamin and mineral supplement. Today's vegetables and fruits are being grown on depleted soils and contain only a fraction of the nutrients of 50 years ago.

2. YOUR LEVELS OF LYSINE AND ARGININE. These are two amino acids that are important for your daily health. However arginine also is an essential ingredient in the creation of new herpes simplex virus. If there is a shortage of arginine, the virus cannot replicate and the cold sore does not occur.

In your nerve cells, arginine is stored in special receptor areas. Lysine is always in competition for the same spot. Lysine is not used in the creation of new virus particles. Increased lysine intake will cause more lysine to be stored and less arginine. That is the simple truth as to why increasing lysine helps reduce cold sore outbreaks.

3. HOW ACID OR ALKALINE ARE YOU? The herpes virus prefers an acid area for the creation of new virus. The pH scale runs from 1 through 14 with 7 being neutral. Less than 7 and your body starts to become acidified. The ideal pH your body strives for is 7.4 which is slightly alkaline. If you could keep it there, you likely never get sick from any viral or bacterial infection.

The body regulates your pH balance quite efficiently, trying to keep your pH around 7.4. The mineral calcium is the main way it does this. If you have a high acid causing diet, such as carbonated drinks, coffee, meats and pickled products, your body will need more calcium. If you will eat more fruits and vegetables, you will help avoid the acid environment that causes cold sores.

Yes it is true what you may have heard - that stress is the main cause of cold sores.

I have not mentioned it until now for good reason. Stress causes cold sores by what it does to the body and knowing that you will better able to prevent cold sores. Primarily any stress will cause the body to go toward the acid side, which in turn causes cold sores.

Stress consumes large quantities of nutrients that your immune system needs to stay vital. The B and C vitamins in particular are used up rapidly. These are known as the stress vitamins and are critical for defense against cold sores. Also, calcium is depleted as the stress causes the body to move toward the acid side. You can see, now, how stress causes cold sores.

Mental and physical stress are equal in causing cold sores. Mental stress sometimes is even worse. It is amazing how many brides, or soon to be mothers, will come down with cold sores. Other stresses that create cold sores fast are head colds, fevers, problems with people in your life and too much sun on that part of the face.

As you have discovered, the real causes of cold sores are based on the strength of your immune system and your physical health. You also learned the real reason stress causes cold sores. With the information, I hope that you will be able to build a physical strength that will repel cold sores for life.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

Confused about cold sores? Before you buy anything online, you should be sure to check out Denny Bodoh's excellent articles about cold sores and some amazing cold sore remedies

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