Cold sores are an irritating and at times painful ailment to have. They appear usually around the mouth, lips and tongue. They are caused by a contagious virus and are often preceded by a burning or tingling sensation in the area a few days prior to an outbreak.  But with the right treatment you can get rid of cold sores on the lips quickly and easily.

Since cold sores are highly contagious it is best to avoid direct contact with them. Once the cold sore virus is in your body it stays there for life. It usually remains dormant unless triggered by something. There are a number of things that can trigger the virus and cause an outbreak of these painful sores. One of these is stress. If the body is under too much stress or pressure it can trigger an outbreak. Getting a viral sickness or flu can also cause these sores to appear. And lastly injury to the area, physical weakness, being run down and a lack of sufficient minerals and vitamins in the body are also known to be causes of cold sores on lips and the mouth area.

Cold sores are very difficult to cure because of the cause behind them. Cold sores are an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two types of HSV: Type 1 (HSV-1), which is the most common form of the virus, causes cold sores (oral herpes) on or near the lips and mouth area. Type 2 (HSV-2) is responsible for the common STD. However, HSV-2 can also cause oral sores.

HSV-1 is incurable as herpes (HSV-2) is incurable. Once you have the virus, it’s in your system for life. Even when you don’t have a cold sore, the virus is hiding below the surface just waiting for a stressor to trigger it. The virus isn’t curable. However, it is possible to greatly reduce the number and length of cold sore breakouts.

Cold Sore Cures from the Kitchen

Milk: Next time you get the tingling sensation that often precedes a cold sore; try putting some milk on it. The secret to this cure is found in the milk fat. There’s a special protein called monocaprin that studies show can kill the virus. Since this protein is contained in the milk fat, whole milk works the best.

Let the milk sit at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes. Soak a cotton ball in the milk and apply to the affected area. The longer left on the site of the sore the better.

Garlic: This one is a great cure for all kinds of medical issues. Garlic contains a natural antibiotic that fights multiple kinds of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites (and vampires.)

Garlic can be eaten whole, but may upset your stomach and others when they smell your breath. It tends to be much easier to use a garlic supplement.

Licorice: This candy contains glycyrrhizic acid (say that three times fast!) This acid attacks the cold sore virus eliminating the cold sores very quickly.

There’s two ways you can use this. The first and simplest way is to find real licorice and eat it. As your body digests the candy, the glycyrrhizic acid will be absorbed into your system and will go to work on the virus. The second way is to make a licorice cream out of licorice powder and vegetable shortening. Rub this compound onto the sore and let it sit. Don’t go overboard though as this mixture can irritate the skin if used excessively.

Additional Information

Next time you are facing a cold sore try some of the remedies above. For even more natural remedies for cold sores check out Cold Sore Free Forever. In the book, the author spills the beans on how she’s been cold sore free for 5 years. Click here to read more.

Scabies is a type of skin ailment created by mites. Fortunately, there are a plethora of scabies home remedies that are simple and effective.  Scabies are created by mites that tunnel into the outermost area of the skin which creates a rash. The mites create eggs under the outermost are of your skin and eat your blood.  Scabies can be contagious.  The ailment is transferred by directly by contact or by touching the used clothes or bedding of an infected person.

The symptoms for scabies include extreme itching especially during the night and the skin develops a red and unnatural color. The common places of infection are the armpits, the belt-line, and area surrounding your appendages.

Treatment

All the people that stay in close contact, or live with the affected person must also be treated for Scabies during the same span of time. The clothing and bedding of the infected person must be washed to kill all mites and its eggs.  Most conventional treatments for scabies will irritate the skin so using natural scabies home remedies can sometimes work well.

One of the most popular home remedies for scabies is  Neem oil. This oil has for many years been used for the healing of scabies in South Asia.  The Ayurveda is the use of alternative medicine originated in India and supports the use of this oil for treatment of Scabies. Neem oil is supposed to stop the spreading of scabies, relieve itching and heal any damage caused by scratching.

Another scabies home remedy is called Tea Tree Oil. Tea Tree Oil is comes from melaleuca alternifolia, which is an Australian plant. The oil is known to have antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal properties.  It will kill the mites including its eggs, and stops the itching. To avail of the oil’s medicinal properties you should mix about 20 drops of the Tea tree oil into a tub of lukewarm water and take a bath in it.  This process must be done two times a day. You can also apply a small amount of tea tree oil to cotton balls and then rub on the affected area. Make sure that the Tea Tree Oil used for bathing is 100% pure.

Make sure that you also wash your clothes and bedding of the people living with you thoroughly as not to re-infect them and yourself with scabies as and scabies home cure you try will be ineffective.

In conclusion, it is important not to be afraid of scabies because there are many simple scabies treatments that are very effective. However, remember to be careful when dealing with those individuals infected with scabies as they are highly contagious.