OK, we all know that as sufferers of herpes, there is no cure for herpes. You will have to live with it for the rest of your life. However, that statement actually sounds much worse than it actually is.

The key to living with herpes is to be able to control or contain the outbreaks. OBs do happen and truthfully, they happen more often for some people than others. But there are a few home remedies that seem to have worked very well for some people. Because these are home remedies, there is no real scientific evidence, just some testimonials from people who have benefited from it.

We try to sift out a few that sound promising and share them with you.

The first of these home remedies would be Tea Tree Oil. Yes, you must have heard of this before. It is a natural anti-septic and anti-fungal essential oil. In fact, some natives first used the leaves as a tea replacement.  Tea tree oil contains terpenoids, which have been found to have antiseptic and antifungal capabilities.

When do you use Tea Tree Oil?

When you have an outbreak, Tea Tree Oil can help to relieve some of the symptoms. It helps to relieve itch and in some cases, reduces pain.

Do I take my medication?

Yes, while Tea Tree Oil might help to relieve some of the symptoms of herpes, you do need to take your medication. Some people have shared that using Tea Tree Oil helps them to reduce the discomfort during outbreaks and even shorten the outbreak periods. But that could be just the herpes medicine working.

Whatever it is, Tea Tree Oil is generally a well known essential oil and will not harm you.

By Kari Banks

Genital herpes comes from the herpes simplex virus otherwise called HSV. There are two types of this virus. They are simply referred to as type 1 and type 2. The type 1 is associated with the mouth. It consists of cold sores or fever blisters. It is highly contagious and can spread from mouth to mouth or mouth to genitals through kissing and sexual activity. Type 2 is found in the genital area and is transmitted from an affected partner to another through sexual intercourse.

You can identify genital herpes by the sore, blister or painful ulcer located in the genital area. The symptoms may include a burning or itching pain on contact. It does not have to be present to be passed onto another person. Once the virus exists in a person’s body, it never goes away.

There are many treatments available for genital herpes. There is no way to cure genital herpes, however. The treatments can range from ingesting antiviral medicines to using topical ointments to soothe the pain from the sores. Sometimes the treatments can make the outbreak of the virus not last as long as it would without the treatment. Antiviral medications can do the same. Sometimes medication can prolong the time between outbreaks of the herpes simplex virus.

If you think you may have contracted the disease it is important to seek medical attention to identify it and treat it accordingly. You will need to contact sexual partners to let them know about your discovery. If you plan on remaining sexually active, it is important to use prophylactics to prevent the herpes from spreading from partner to partner. Although it is difficult to tell a sexual partner what you have contracted, it is necessary so that they can be checked out as well. It is a difficult to know that you have it and know that there is no way to cure genital herpes.

Genital herpes can affect pregnant women as well. One of the medical questions that doctor’s ask is if genital herpes is possibly in the system. It can be dangerous for a newborn baby if sores are existent on the vagina during a vaginal birth. If this is the case, usually a cesarean section would be performed to prevent the baby from being affected. It can cause other complications if it is contracted while the woman is pregnant.

Although there is no way to cure genital herpes, one can live with it and lead a fairly normal sexual life as long as precautions are taken.

Additional Reading:

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

Cold Sore Freedom in 3 days by Grace Melgarejo

Positive Single – Support site for herpes members.

By Abigail Lewin

Men carrying the virus for genital warts may be at increased risk of developing HIV, a new study claims.

The study of Kenyan men has raised the possibility that vaccinating against genital warts could drive down the rates of infection of HIV, which is causing devastation in Asia and Africa.

Scientists from the University of North Carolina tested 2,168 Kenyan men at the start of the study and discovered that half tested positive for Human Papilloma Virus, which is the cause of genital warts and cervical cancer in women.

Over the course of 3.5 years, 6% of the men with HPV developed HIV, compered to just under 4% of those who at the start of the study tested negative for HPV. The researchers made controls for the risk factors for HIV and eventually showed that men with HPV were 80% more likely than those without to become infected with HIV.

In the latest study, even when researchers factored in the impact of circumcision on HIV infection, sexual history and whether the men had genital herpes, which is also associated with HIV, there was a strong link between HPV and AIDS.

The results suggest that the HPV virus itself may make someone more susceptible to HIV. The results are part of a wider study into HIV, which showed that circumcision reduces a man’s likelihood of developing HIV.

Genital warts is a very common sexually transmitted infection. Sufferers develop small warts around the genitals and anus. The warts can be controlled with topical creams like Warticon and Aldara. However though Warticon and Aldara can treat visible warts, the virus itself is incurable.

A vaccine for the strain of HPV that causes genital warts has however been developed, named Gardasil. Though vaccination programs have focused on young women, in order to reduce incidences of cervical cancer, Gardasil was recently approved to vaccinate young men.

While many Western governments have launched vaccination programs for women, the costs of a vaccination program in the third world, worst hit by HIV, would likely prove probative. However it is likely that the team, lead by Dr. Jennifer S. Smith, will conduct trials to see whether the vaccine could reduce rates of HIV transmission.

In a written statement, Smith said “Finding a vaccine to prevent HIV is the greatest hope for curbing the world’s AIDS pandemic, but so far there is no such vaccine. However, there is a vaccine to prevent specific types of HPV infection, and vaccinating young men before they become sexually active could potentially help prevent the spread of HIV.”

Abigail Lewin is a health writer specialising in sexual health and sexually transmitted infections such as genital warts. She has previous written about treatments such as Aldara and developments in the pharmaceutical world.

Additional Reading:

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

Positive Single – Support site for herpes members.

By Maggie M Turner

Nothing is worse for a young adult about to set out on the path of their life than discovering from one’s physician during a routine check up or through blood work that the young adult has unwittingly contracted a sexually transmitted disease. Worse yet, is the discovery that the disease in question is in fact genital herpes.

This is then compounded by the fact that there is no known cure for genital herpes, and there is no real effective medical treatment for the condition either. This has led many people so afflicted with the disease to the Internet, in search of other potential remedies, and this had led to the discovery of several types of herbal cures and natural herpes cures.

First, it will help to know a little bit about what genital herpes is exactly. Genital herpes is a form of the herpes simplex virus that effects the patient’s genitals with painful and uncomfortable flare ups, rashes, dry skin, pus filled blisters and painful and irritating soars throughout the pubic region.

There are also a host of other symptoms, including pain in the legs and arms, pain in the rectum and anus, pain during urination, nausea, involuntary urethral discharges for men, and involuntary vaginal discharges for women.

Worse yet, genital herpes is a chronic condition that there is no known cure for, and few viable medical treatments are available either. Though there are anti viral drugs, they are largely ineffective. So it is little wonder then that so many patients are seeking a natural herpes cure. And while there are many out there on the market, they too are largely ineffective at treating the actual herpes virus, or even the symptoms during a flare up.

There are two basic types of natural cures for genital herpes. There are the herbal treatments and there are the topical treatments. Technically there is a third method, which is basic attention to hygiene, but that is not so much of a natural cure for herpes as it is just plain common sense.

Herbal Treatments
Taken in the form of oral supplements or as an herbal topical solution, whole body healers and herbalists swear by the abilities of the herbs at their disposal to abate the flare ups of the herpes virus and to ease the pain, discomfort and frustration of the condition itself. Unfortunately there is little evidence that these herbal treatments are in any way effective.

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

Positive Single – Support site for herpes members.