Options For Herpes Treatment
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios

Defined Tag: Herpes Treatment.

In its most common form herpes is found either on the lips or the genitalia and affects millions of people worldwide. For the purposes of this article, only the type that infects the genitalia will be discussed.

Herpes treatment is at heart a therapy to eliminate or weaken either one of two viruses which circulates throughout much of the body, yet manifests itself specifically on or near the penis or vagina. These symptoms are not a daily occurrence, but rather arise periodically, usually during periods of stress or poor health (and unfortunately, as being infected by the herpes virus can be a cause of stress in of itself, it can create a somewhat self-perpetuating problem). Symptoms include redness, itching, bumps, swelling, and fissures that often times will bleed or produce pus.

Generally there are two basic modes of medicine for herpes treatment: oral and topical. Oral medicine is often a controlled substance, meaning a doctor's prescription must be procured. Topical medicine, while sometimes also a matter for a prescription, is often over-the-counter. This usually comes in the form of a cream or jelly and is usually less expensive than oral applications.

A greater difference lay between these two types of medicine, however. Oral medicines generally work to remove not only the symptoms of the virus, but the virus itself. Topical creams and jellies, on the other hand, only reduce pain, swelling, redness, and whatever other manifestations the disease may display, without destroying the phage itself.

There is normally a window of opportunity for those who have just come into contact with this disease. If herpes treatment is started within 3 to 7 days there is a good chance that it can be eliminated from the body before becoming systemic and thus irreversible -at least, until science can make advances in herpes treatment to the point of complete recovery even after this window of opportunity has expired.

Some oral agents that are primary to herpes treatment are acyclovir, possibly the most common medicine for this malady, which also comes in a topical form (though utilizing both simultaneously is said to have no benefit). This medicine usually begins to alleviate symptoms within 3 days. Another such drug, newer to the market, is valacyclovir, which is usually taken twice a day and seems to have positive results.

Topical agents include a 5% solution of lidocaine jelly to reduce pain, penciclovir, also for pain reduction, and steroids, such as hydrocortisone for pain and other symptoms. To stave off itching diphenhydramine or hydroxyzine may be helpful.

There are other means of aiding herpes treatment -viz., strengthening the body's immune system and bolstering any medicines to be all the more effective. This can come in numerous ways, such as enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle, reducing intake of caffeine or nicotine, getting more sleep, maintaining a healthy diet with a goodly amount of exercise (remembering not to over-do exercise, either), meditation, visualization, bio-feedback exercises, and anything that generally brings about greater health and peace of mind. As an added benefit, these habits alone -even without herpes treatment, may reduce the occurrence of herpes outbreak.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.