5 Best Remedies for Cold Sores

It happens many times that when you wake up in the morning, you feel cranky, itchy and blister near your mouth that makes you uncomfortable. These are the symptoms of cold sores. It is a contagious infection caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV). The general symptoms of cold sores are a sore mouth with pain, fever, sore throat and sometimes drooling mostly in children or swollen lymph nodes around and in the neck. It is an irritating situation that embarrasses you as well as gives you immense pain.

Here are the five best cold sores remedies for you. However, before that let us know some more facts about cold sores.

Some Important facts about cold sores:

• It is not necessary to have cold sores at the very first time when you are infected.
• If once you get affected by HSV virus, it remains in your body and you may get cold sores anytime throughout your life span.
• The first outbreak of cold sores is always around your mouth in the form of blisters.
• Further outbreaks can affect at the meeting point of your lip and facial skin.
• You may feel pain, burning sensation, itching, tingling or other uncomfortable feelings before 6-48 hours of the actually visible sign of cold sores around the infected areas, which is known as the prodromal stage.

Common triggers of cold sores:

If you are infected by HVS virus, you may get cold sore any time because of some common triggers. These triggers are the reason behind recurrent cold sores.

Here are some triggers:

• Stress is the biggest trigger of cold sores.
• Sunburn can also excite HVS virus and in the result, you get caught by recurrent cold sores.
• People having weaker immunity are more likely to get infected and recurrent. For such people, cold sores can be fatal sometimes.
• Cold or Flu can also trigger HVS virus.
• Pregnancy is also a trigger for women for having a recurrent cold sore.
• Many times dental treatments and cosmetic surgeries may lead to trigger HVS virus.
• Food allergy can be considered as a trigger for cold sores sometimes.

Five best remedies for cold sores:

Whenever you get cold sores, you are advised to consult a doctor or a skin specialist. Apart from that, let’s discuss five best cold sores remedies that may help you to reduce the effect of the infection.

1. Oral antiviral medicine or tropical ointment: You may get these medicines in medical store with a proper prescription. If you consume such medicines without the advice of a specialist, it may be hazardous to you.
2. Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera has a magical heeling property. You can find Aloe Vera easily around your vicinity. Applying Aloe Vera gel to the infected area helps to ease out the pain and heal the infection.
3. To avoid triggers: It is an old saying that prevention is better than cure. As cold sores cannot be cured completely, it is wise if you avoid any trigger that might outbreak cold sore.
4. Petroleum jelly: Petroleum jelly helps to reduce wetness around your skin and increase the healing process.
5. Increase immune system: This is the best cold sore remedy. Stay healthy, eat proper food timely and boost your immune system so even if you are infected by HVS virus, you won’t get an outbreak of cold sores.

Allergies in Kids

Children love fun and run here and there. They play with everything and anything and thus can catch up some allergies. But you don’t need to worry because kids are kids after all, and allergies in kids are very common. All we need to do is to check out the symptoms and go for the right medication or consult a doctor as soon as possible. Their are many ways by which kids can get allergies. Children can come in contact with allergens by inhaling, eating or just by skin contact.

So, here we are going to discuss about allergies in kids and tips to prevent them.

What is an Allergy?

It is an overreaction of the immune system to any substance which is not harmful to many people. But allergies may cause symptoms which can be serious as well as life threatening. The immune system of the allergic person produces antibodies to fight against the allergens. These antibodies release certain chemicals which cause a reaction to a person’s eyes, nose, skin or anywhere in the body.

How Kids get Allergies?

Kids can often get allergies as hereditary. But some kids can get allergies even if no member of the family is allergic.

Prevention:

If your child is allergic to any particular substance, you should avoid his/her reach to it. Allergies do not have a cure and hence it’s better to prevent.

Here are some tips to avoid allergic conditions:

• Keep the house clean and dust free.
• Keep the windows closed especially on windy and stormy days.
• Try to avoid having indoor plants and pets.
• Do not allow anyone to smoke near your child even if it’s in a car or at home.
• Wash toys like teddy bears etc to avoid dust mites.
• Consult your Paediatrician for effective medicines to avoid allergy symptoms.

Skin Allergy Symptoms:

Swollen, red, itchy, bump can be some symptoms of skin allergy. Touching of an allergen such as items made of latex like toys or balloons can cause skin allergies. Sometimes hives are formed on the skin which can itch caused by insect bites or medicines. If you see none of these reactions, then it might not be a skin allergy.

Treatment:

Natural remedies can be used to soothe skin irritations such as aloe Vera cream or a bath in warm water with mild soap. You can also put some baking soda in your child’s bathtub which can be effective. Help your child avoid touching allergic substances. Sometimes they might also have to avoid petting animals and wearing jewellery containing nickel.

Food Allergy Symptoms:

Any food can cause allergy to your child. Most common foods that trigger allergies are eggs, peanuts, peas etc. Food allergies can cause your child to Vomit and sometimes might have trouble in breathing as well. It may form hives and make your child feel a little dizzy. Try and look when the symptoms are seen, what your child has eaten so that you can pinpoint the allergen and avoid it the next time.

Treatment:

The only way you can avoid food allergy is by avoiding allergic food stuff. For that, you have to first identify what your child is allergic to. Always remember to read the ingredients label carefully to avoid reactions. If your child has diarrhoea let them eat bananas and toast and let them drink a lot of water. If possible avoid strong scents like perfumes and room fresheners. Help them keep their head still when they feel dizzy.

Respiratory Allergies:

Cigarette smoke, viral infections, dust mites, furry animals, changing weather etc. can trigger respiratory allergies like Asthma. Symptoms can be coughing, wheezing and (or) trouble in breathing. Airborne allergies could cause an itchy feeling in the mouth. Your kid's sneezing or running nose may indicate an allergy to something in the air.

Treatment:

Breathing steam over a bowl of hot water help in clearing sinus congestion.

Allergies in kids is a big subject, and there are lots of things you still need to know. If you care for your kids and want to prevent them from allergies, do read this blog post and. But consulting a child specialist or a good doctor is the most authentic way to prevent your kids from allergies. Hope you learnt something important here.