By Nanci Elliott

I have been conducting a tremendous amount of research on the causes of herpes outbreaks in the past few years and I am now at the point where coffee is looking like a serious culprit. I could not find any medical studies directly linking caffeine to herpes outbreaks (and as there is no money to be made from linking the two, I am not sure who would ever fund this study), I did find a significant amount of data regarding coffee and the adrenal glands.

Coffee and Exhaustion: When you drink coffee, the caffeine will begin by enhancing neuron activity in your brain. This increased neuron activity sends a message to your pituitary gland to secrete a hormone which in return, sends a message to your adrenal glands to release adrenalin. Adrenaline is an important factor in the, “fight or flight” response which puts your body under great stress. Adrenaline is very important if we are being chased in a dark alley or preparing for an athletic event, but at our work desk each morning? Not so important.

Exhaustion and Herpes Outbreaks: This constant flooding of unnecessary adrenaline, coupled with the sharp drop in adrenaline as the hormone wears off, depletes our adrenal glands and can cause fatigue, headache, irritability and/or mental confusion. Continuing with the cycle for years can leave one in a state of complete exhaustion, and it is this exhaustion that in my opinion can lead to chronic herpes outbreaks. Caffeine; where is it? I have identified coffee as a major source of caffeine but it is vital to recognize that caffeine is found in abundance in chocolate, tea (black and green), and soft drinks.

Additional Reading:

Stop Herpes Now and From Coming Back For Good by Dr David Hoggs

Positive Single – Support site for herpes members.

No matter what kind of disease you are suffering from, it is very important that you handle it very carefully through the help of the best herpes diet and nutritious food. Eating the appropriate food for a certain kind of disease is one of the factors that will absolutely to control it. In terms of herpes – an infection in the genital area caused by HSV type 2, there is a list of foods that are good and bad for it. However, it is proven that a huge amount of extra vitamin intake will definitely help the patient to deal more effectively with the disease.

Herpes can be very irritating, embarrassing and at times can impede your personal relationship. This is due to the fact that the herpes virus creates lesions in the genital area of the patient which can be painful when there is a coital intercourse. It is important to know the fact that it can be transferred through sexual intercourse which has caused some people to talk about it very uncomfortably to their partner in fear that they would walk away from them once they know that the person they are dating or espouse has herpes.

One sad part about herpes virus is that, once you got it, it will stay in your system for the rest of your life. However, you should not feel despair because there are so many ways that can help you to keep it under control; one of these is through proper administration and intake of herpes diet. Yes, this is a diet that is specifically designed for the herpes patients. Vitamins that strengthen the immune system are also encouraged to take together with the herpes diet for effective control of the virus that causes the flare up of the herpes disease.

One of the basic groups of foods that a herpes patient should take is the diets that are rich in lysine – an amino acid which is commonly found in most protein foods that are necessary for optimal growth. Lysine is produced through oral intake of additional vitamins and a certain kind of herpes diet. Lysine can easily be found in so many common foods like the meat, fish, yoghurt, fish, and cheese and many more. Lysine plays a very vital role in restoring the damaged muscle tissues, recuperating from surgery or wound; it also helps absorb calcium very effectively which is good for the formation of strong bones.

Another important thing that you have to remember about the herpes diet is the kinds of the foods that are restricted so to avoid an outbreak of the virus. Research shows that foods that are rich in arginine – an amino acid that triggers and exacerbates a herpes outbreak, should be avoided at all times. Foods that contain arginine amino acid are chocolates, nuts, Soya beans, coconuts and oats, just to name a few. If you really can’t avoid some foods that contain arginine, the best thing that you should do is to limit the intake and that the amount of the lysine enriched-food should be greater than the arginine.

Before you buy any herpes treatment products, read our unbiased reviews on popular Natural Cures For Herpes to make a better decision. Find out which herpes products work and which do not.

Audrey Lynn

Additional Reading: Stop Herpes Now & From Coming Back for Good by Dr David Hogg

Yogurt and cold sore have a very interesting relationship. Yogurt is a double edged sword which can either help or worsen the condition of someone with the disease.

Cold sore is one of the forms of the herpes virus. It can stay dormant in a person’s body until a stimulus triggers it which results to the manifestations of the different symptoms of the disease. However, there are also ways on how to suppress these symptoms. In the case of yogurt and cold sore, the former can both trigger the herpes virus but it can also help to suppress it.

There are no known medications to completely eradicate cold sore or the herpes virus. The best that treatments and medications can do is to suppress the symptoms of the disease as well as prevent an outbreak from happening. One of the ways included in the treatment is through diet. In the diet plan for someone who has cold sore, yogurt is included since the bacteria from which it was made, the acidophilus bacteria, has been known to be a good fighter of cold sore. The problem is, commercialized yogurt has been pasteurized meaning the acidophilus bacteria have been neutralized thus becoming ineffective. Before buying yogurt, one should make sure that it still contains active acidophilus bacteria.

Looking at the other side of the story of yogurt and cold sore, some commercial yogurt contain gelatin. Unfortunately, gelatin can cause a cold sore outbreak which should be totally avoided. When buying yogurt, always check the label to see whether gelatin is one of its ingredients.

By Charlene Nuble

Charlene J. Nuble is a healthcare professional who loves writing about women’s issues, parenting and other health related stuffs. Click on the link to learn more about Yogurt And Cold Sore

There are some foods that have proven to be “herpes friendly” and some that seem to trigger outbreaks. So by knowing the “good” food and which ones to avoid, you could significantly lower the occurrence, severity and duration of your herpes outbreaks.

The reason some food is good and some bad is mainly because of two amino acids, namely Lysine and Arginine. Both these amino acids are found naturally in food. A Lysine-high and Arginine low diet is highly recommended for the treatment of herpes symptoms.

Why Lysine

Herpes needs Arginine to replicate itself. That is the reason why a Arginine Rich diet will result is more frequent, severe and longer outbreaks. Lysine on the other hand has an exact opposite effect.

Extensive Research has proven that Lysine hinders the absorption of Arginine; therefore limiting the replication of the herpes virus. This will result in less frequent and less severe herpes outbreaks.

Even though a high Lysine herpes diet alone may not be enough to stop herpes outbreaks, it is highly recommended that you include it as part of your herpes prevention program.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the effects of Lysine on herpes are stronger on Oral herpes than Genital Herpes.

With that said, here is a list of food that is high in lysine and should be included in your herpes diet:

1. Cheese
2. Meat
3. Legumes
4. Dairy products
5. Chicken
6. Potatoes
7. Eggs
8. Yogurt
9. Vegetables
10. Fish
11. Avocado
12. Beef
13. Soy Products (not Soya products, there is a difference)

Other foods that are highly recommended:

1. Broccoli
2. Cranberry
3. White and green tea

And here are some foods that are Arginine Rich. The following should be kept at a minimum in your herpes diet:

1. Chocolate
2. Coconut
3. Nuts
4. Oats
5. Soya beans
6. Raisins
7. Whole wheat bread
8. Cereal grains

In addition to a high Lysine and low Arginine diet, You could also take Lysine Supplements on a regular basis. The best supplement I know is “HERP-EEZE ™”. This is a Lysine supplement made specially to fight the herpes virus.

For other supplements I would suggest you ask your doctor or dietitian. Keep in mind though that lysine supplements are not recommended during pregnancy.

Herpes Diet conclusion: Try to create a balance in your herpes diet , there is no reason totally exclude Arginine Rich Foods in your diet. However try by all means to keep the ratio of Lysine Rich foods higher than that of the Arginine Rich Foods. If this is not possible you could try out some Lysine supplements as they will have the same effect.

With that said, keep in mind that Lysine and Arginine are only part of the problem. If you are interested in a much more detailed dietary management solution I recommend you check out this blog: http://www.all-about-herpes.blogspot.com/ It outlines the top Herpes Natural Treatment guides for 2008. These guides have helped thousands of people that now live free of herpes symptoms. I have no doubt that they will work for you too.

by John Martell

Additional Reading:

Genital Hepes Diet. – Natural Diet Plan For People Who Have Genital Herpes

Stop Herpes Now & From Coming Back for Good by Dr David Hogg