Fever Blisters and Canker
Sores, What you should know!
Fever blisters and canker sores are two of the most common disorders of the mouth,
causing discomfort and annoyance to millions of Americans. Both cause small sores to
develop in or around the mouth, and often are confused with each other. Canker sores,
however, occur only inside the mouth, on the tongue and the inside linings of the cheeks,
lips and throat. Fever blisters, also called cold sores, usually occur outside the mouth,
on the lips, chin, cheeks or in the nostrils. When fever blisters do occur inside the
mouth, it is usually on the gums or the roof of the mouth. Inside the mouth, fever
blisters are smaller than canker sores, heal more quickly, and often begin as a blister.
Both canker sores and fever blisters have plagued mankind for thousands of years. In
ancient Rome, an epidemic of fever blisters prompted Emperor Tiberius to ban kissing in
public ceremonies. Today fever blisters still occur in epidemic proportions. About 100
million episodes of recurrent fever blisters occur yearly in the United States alone. An
estimated 45 to 80 percent of adults and children in this country have had at least one
bout with the blisters.
What causes fever blisters?
Fever
blisters are caused by a contagious virus called herpes
simplex . There are two types of herpes simplex virus. Type 1 usually causes oral
herpes, or fever blisters. Type 2 usually causes genital herpes. Although both type 1 and
type 2 viruses can infect oral tissues, more than 95 percent of recurrent fever blister
outbreaks are caused by the type 1 virus.
Herpes simplex virus is highly contagious when fever blisters are present, and the virus
frequently is spread by kissing. Children often become infected by contact with parents,
siblings or other close relatives who have fever blisters. A child can spread the virus by
robbing his or her cold sore and then touching other children.
Most people infected with the type 1 herpes simplex virus became infected before they were
10 years old. The virus usually invades the moist membrane cells of the lips, throat or
mouth. In most people, the initial infection causes no symptoms. The herpes virus,
however, stays in the body. Once a person is infected with oral herpes, the virus remains
in a nerve located near the cheekbone. It may stay permanently inactive in this site, or
it may occasionally travel down the nerve to the skin surface, causing a recurrence of
fever blisters. Recurring blisters usually erupt at the outside edge of the lip or the
edge of the nostril, but can also occur on the chin, cheeks, or inside the mouth.
Several factors weaken the body's defenses and trigger an outbreak of herpes. These
include emotional stress, fever, illness, injury, vitamin
deficentcies , some foods and exposure to sunlight, many women have recurrences only
during menstruation. One study indicates that susceptibility to herpes recurrences is
inherited. Research is under way to discover exactly how the triggering factors interact
with the immune system and the virus to prompt a recurrence of fever blisters. Keeping
your immune
system strong will help.
Many people who have recurring fever blisters feel itching, tingling or burning in the
area 1 to 3 days before the blister appears. Applying antiviral herbal extracts such as Lemon
Balm, Red
Clover, and Tea
Tree Oil , to the areas that tingle, burn or itch, may prevent the outbreak or at
least lessen the severity. New research has shown Lemon
Balm (Melissa Officialis), to have strong anti-herpes and antiviral properties.
Studies also suggest Samento
to be a beneficial internal treatment for all forms of herpes. Another natural formulation
GSE,
Grapefruit Seed Extract NutriBiotic Skin Ointment was created to combat the herpes
virus. This formula contain Lysine which has been clinically shown to inhibit the life
cycle of the herpes virus.
If fever blisters erupt, continue applying the antiviral and also apply an antibacterial
extract such as Olive
Leaf tincture or antibiotic
tincture to keep an infection from developing. If you know sunlight triggers your
outbreaks use an SPF 15
sunscreen on the lips and general area where the outbreaks usually occur before going
out in the sun. Be careful not to touch the sores and spread the virus to new sites, such
as the eyes or genitals. To make sure you do not infect others, avoid kissing them or
touching the sores and then touching another person.
Some investigators have suggested adding Lysine
supplements to the diet will lessen or stop the outbreaks. Acyclovir is an antiviral
drug that prevents the herpes simplex virus from multiplying. Acyclovir creams were found
to be only minimally effective. The long-term effects of daily oral doses of acyclovir are
not known, nor are the effects the drug might have on an unborn child.
Little is known about how the immune system interacts with herpes simplex viruses causing
fever blisters. The immune system uses a wide array of cells and chemicals to defend the
body against infections. Scientists are trying to identify the immune components that
prevent recurrent attacks of oral herpes. Scientists are also trying to determine the
precise form and location of the inactive herpes virus in nerve cells. This information
might allow them to design antiviral drugs that can attack the herpes virus while it lies
dormant in nerves.
Currently there is no cure or vaccine for herpes simplex virus available to the public.
Many research laboratories, however, are working on this approach to preventing fever
blisters. For example, scientists at the National Institute of Dental Research and the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have developed a promising
experimental herpes vaccine. In tests on laboratory mice, the vaccine has prevented the
herpes simplex virus from infecting the animals and establishing itself in the nerves.
However, the vaccine would be useful only for those not already infected with herpes
simplex virus.
What causes canker sores?
Most people have their first bout with canker
sores between the ages of 10 and 20. Children as young as 2, however, may develop the
condition. The frequency of canker sore recurrences varies considerably. Some people have
only one or two episodes a year, while others may have a continuous series of canker
sores.
The cause of canker sores is not well understood. More than one cause is likely, even for
individual patients. Canker sores do not appear to be caused by viruses or bacteria,
although an allergy to a type of bacterium commonly found in the mouth may trigger them in
some people. The sores may be an allergic reaction to certain foods. In addition, there is
research suggesting that canker sores may be caused by a faulty
immune system that uses the body's defenses against disease to attack and destroy the
normal cells of the mouth or tongue.
British studies show that, in about 20 percent of patients, canker sores are due partly to
nutritional
deficiencies, especially lack of vitamin
B 12-folic acid and iron.
In a small percentage of patients, canker sores occur with gastrointestinal
problems, such as an inability to digest certain cereals. In these patients, canker
sores appear to be part of a generalized disorder of the digestive
tract .
Women are more likely than men to have recurrent canker sores. Genetic studies show that
susceptibility to recurrent outbreaks of the sores is inherited in some patients. Many
women have bouts of the sores only during certain phases of their menstrual cycles. Most
women experience improvement or remission of their canker sores during pregnancy.
Researchers have used hormone
therapy successfully in clinical studies to treat some women.
Both emotional stress and injury to the mouth can trigger outbreaks of canker sores, but
these factors probably do not cause the disorder. Vitamins
and other nutritional
supplements often prevent recurrences or reduce the severity of canker sores in
patients with a nutritional deficiency. Patients with food allergies can reduce the
frequency of canker sores by avoiding those foods.
Mouth
rinses containing natural antibiotics and anti-inflammatories
reduce the unpleasant symptoms of canker sores and speed healing by preventing bacterial
infections in the sores. Numbing ointments such as clove
oil can reduce the pain and duration of canker sores. Canker sores are not contagious,
so patients do not have a worry about spreading them to other people.
Other products to help both of these conditions are listed below.
Copyright 2002 Herbal Remedies USA LLC & Deb Jackson
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