Herpes is a common infection – so common, in fact, that everyone with a sex life is susceptible to it. If you’re not careful enough, you can acquire the virus and experience all those nasty symptoms that come with it. And it’s not only common to ordinary people. Even high profile personalities and celebrities are prone to the infection. After all, you can never find a group as sexually active as those who are always in the limelight and gossip pages for some scandal or another.

David Beckham, reportedly, has herpes himself.  Yes, the hunky football player has the virus in his great body as well. So that translates to his wife, Posh Spice Victoria Beckham having it. And since David Beckham has the herpes, he has probably infected all those other girls that came before the former Spice Girls member. Given that he didn’t exactly lead a celibate life, who knows who else got to share the virus with him.

But that’s for the tabloids and gossip columns to ponder on. The point is, if David Beckham, rich and good-looking as he is, also has herpes, then that only means that you can really get the virus if you’re not careful enough. Herpes doesn’t know social or economic status. It will attack anyone who is unaware of it. So it’s best to take the necessary precautions to make sure that you’re free from the virus.

For starters, you get to minimize the risk of transmission by using condoms. They serve to cover the affected area and prevent skin-to-skin contact so they can be effective but only up to some extent. You should also avoid sexual intercourse during an active outbreak because this is when the virus can be easily transmitted.

Ilse Hagen

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

Few things in life can be as embarrassing as walking around with cold sores on your mouth, especially when many people know that cold sores is just another term for herpes. Indeed, most people who are diagnosed with oral or mouth herpes find it hard to imagine themselves living normal lives again. Oral herpes can be described as red and itching sores and blisters around your lips. The virus can even spread as far as your gums and tongue. Oral herpes is so contagious that even toddlers who do not wash their hands can contract the disease.

What happens when you become infected

Once you had sexual contact with a herpes-infected person, you have to wait as much as a couple of weeks before you can detect the symptoms. This is because mouth herpes follows a certain cycle. After the contact, the virus enters your system through your skin. Your immune system fights back and this is how you develop a fever, which is one of the earliest signs of herpes. After wards, the virus will then travel to your spinal area where it can reproduce amidst the nervous tissues. This explains that back pain that a herpes carrier may experience. After a week or two, you will start noticing the blisters around your oral area. After your first breakout, the virus may remain dormant for a time being, until it is triggered to reproduce again.

Staying outbreak-free

Since there is no known treatment for mouth herpes or any kind of herpes for that matter, the best you can hope for is to remain free from recurrences or outbreaks. One way to do this is to avoid factors that can trigger a flare-up, such as arginine-rich foods, emotional and physical stress, sun exposure, unprotected sex, etc. You may also want to refrain from touching the infected area while there are lesions.

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Ilse Hagen

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

Being diagnosed with genital herpes can be a very disconcerting experience, and most the thing new sufferers want to know most of all is “How do I get rid of it?”. But what people who are recently diagnosed with the disease must know is that having herpes is not the end of the world. What you should do after learning that you have herpes is to accept that you have the disease and learn as much as you can about it. And one of the first things that you will learn about genital herpes is that there is currently no known cure for the disease. This does not mean though that having herpes is a death sentence. The disease itself is easily manageable and once you are able to take care of the symptoms, you can still live a normal life even if you have this disease. Even if you can’t get rid of genital herpes you can still deal with it in such a way that it will have a minimal impact on your life.

To manage genital herpes effectively, you must be able to control the symptoms. Because it is caused by a virus, symptoms of genital herpes are affected greatly by lifestyle factors such as stress, diet (check out Top Herpes Diet Tips) and exercise. So if you know that you have genital herpes you should do your best to keep yourself in good health and in tip-top shape.

Your ultimate goal in managing herpes is to control outbreaks which are characterized by the trademark genital herpes blisters. There are individuals who have managed to avoid having outbreaks for years and they have done it through eating healthy and having sufficient exercise.

Remember, even if you can’t totally get rid of genital herpes, you can still live a normal life with a healthy lifestyle.

Adriana Sands Click here for more information on treatments and a guide to help you get rid of genital herpes quickly and effectively.

Additional Reading:

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

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) typically caused by type 2 of the herpes virus.

Genital herpes is one of the most common STDs in the world. It is a viral infection that is spread by close contact with somebody who has herpes simplex virus, or HSV. Any sexually active person may contract genital herpes.

While it is not a life-threatening STD, it is incurable. Symptoms of genital herpes may include: genital itching, small breaks or red patches in the skin around the genitals, thighs or buttocks. It is also possible for you to have no symptoms, but still have the virus.

The initial outbreak, if symptoms occur, consists of flu-like symptoms like fever, headache, and general joint and muscle aches, and possibly genital discomfort. These symptoms may linger for days, during or after which they will notice reddened areas on the genitals which may turn into painful blisters, which eventually burst, crust over and generally to leave sores that will heal with no scarring left behind. The intensity of the initial outbreak varies between individuals, but for some it may be severe and last for up to three weeks if not treated. These symptoms generally quickly clear up with medication.

Genital herpes is spread through direct skin-to-skin, genital-to-genital or mouth-to genital contact. It is usually spread during intimate sexual contact. The virus is more likely to be passed if sex occurs during an active herpes outbreak. Since many people don’t notice the genital herpes signs and symptoms, it is not always possible to detect an active outbreak. It is also possible to spread genital herpes even when no symptoms are present – in an instance known as asymptomatic shedding.

Chance of transmission is greater if there are any breaks in the skin.

Sores in other areas – like the buttocks and thighs – can be just as contagious as those in the genital area, and should be avoided.

During times when there is no outbreak, there is still a slight chance of transmission, even when signs of an outbreak are absent. If you or your partner has a fever blister, it is a good idea to abstain from oral sex because the virus may be passed to the genital area.

Contrary to popular belief, sharing cups, towels or bath water, and toilet seats are not ways genital herpes can be transmitted. Only skin to skin contact with the infected area can pass the virus. Normal activities like cuddling, sharing a bed, or kissing are safe.

A genital herpes diagnosis does not mean that you have to abstain from sex. It does mean, however, that you and your partner should take proper measures to reduce risk of transmitting the virus.

The chance of contracting genital herpes is reduced if latex condoms are used during sexual intercourse. Couples should abstain from sex during herpes outbreaks, because chance of transmission is increased. Engaging in sex during an outbreak actually irritates outbreaks and makes them last longer. In some cases, if both partners have genital herpes, they may agree that condom use is not necessary.

If you or your partner’s outbreaks are frequent or severe, or if the recurrent outbreaks cause increased stress, then treatments that prevent or reduce the frequency of recurrences, should be considered.

Herbal treatments are worth looking into because they consist of compounds found in nature that have been proven to significantly reduce herpes outbreaks.

Dylan Morris ~ Dylan Morris is a freelance writer and supporter of nutraceuticals, natural, herbal treatments for disease control and prevention. Visit http://herpaflor.com/ for more information.

Additional Reading:

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