by Elise Marie

Created on: August 20, 2009   Last Updated: May 11, 2011

The most painful sores to get on and in your mouth are cold sores. One of the best ways to prevent and treat cold sore outbreaks would be with an essential amino acid called lysine.

Lysine is an amino acid your body needs to help absorb calcium so you can have strong bones, healthy teeth, hair, and skin, as well as proper collagen formation. Lysine also helps control the amount of another amino acid in your body called arginine is an amino acid in your body that replicated the herpes simplex viruses. By taking lysine each day you will help control the amount of arginine your body is absorbing therefore controlling the amount of cold sore outbreaks you get to very few to none at all which I say is a definite plus.

Now some ways to reduce the amount of arginine in your diet is by avoiding foods and drinks such as coffee, caffeinated beverages, nuts, seeds, chocolate, oats, grains, and other sweets. However, you do not want to remove arginine from your dieting. Amino acid helps does the body to stay healthy so do not remove it from your diet altogether. Lysine on the other you will definitely want more of to help inhibit the herpes viruses and control the amount of arginine your body gets so you will definitely want to intake more food and drinks such as milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, red meats, and fish.

I do realize cutting out foods and drinks containing arginine in them may be hard to do, such as your coffee and chocolate, and taking in more foods and drinks with lysine in them may be hard to do if you have a dairy allergy so there are a few alternatives you can take. The first one would be to take a lysine supplement once a day or a couple times a week. The second alternative would be to simply go to an herbal store or health food store and pick up a product called Super Lysine Cold Sore Treatment which is a simple cream or ointment you put onto your lips a few times a day to help prevent and treat cold sore outbreaks. The way to heal and prevent a cold sore outbreak is to reduce your exposure to the sun since the sun is one of the main reasons you could be getting cold sore outbreaks. The fourth and last alternative I know of to help prevent cold sore outbreaks is to reduce the amount of stress you have in your life by taking a moment to make a couple of calming tea to drink such as chamomile. I think all and all though, taking a lysine supplement each day or using a lysine ointment on your lips or wherever it is on your mouth you get the cold sore outbreak is the best way to treat and prevent them from occurring.

Now those of you wondering what the best lysine supplements are to take to help prevent and treat a cold sore outbreak are you are in luck because I know some. Some of the best lysine supplements to take would be NSI L-Lysine, Twinlab L-Lysine, Quantum Super Lysine plus Immune System, Country Life L-Lysine Caps, Quantum Super Lysine, Source Naturals L-Lysine, Nature Made L-Lysine, and Nature's Answer Lysine. These lysine supplements come in the form of gel capsules, tablets, chewable, liquids, and creams. Each one of these lysine products cost anywhere between three and ten dollars online at www.vitacost.com, www.drugstore.com, and at your local health, grocery, and pharmaceutical stores.

Therefore, now you know you do not have to live with those painful annoying cold sores any more because lysine is an amino acid you can take to help control and prevent your cold sore outbreaks. I hope those of you who try lysine to prevent and treat your cold sore outbreaks will be very pleased with how well this amino acid works. Just remember to talk to your doctor before trying lysine. I wish you all the best of luck with treating and preventing those cold sore outbreaks.

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