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How to Get Rid of a Cold Sore

Contributor
By Chris Sherwood
eHow Contributing Writer
(7 Ratings)
Cold Sore
Cold Sore
healthcornertv.com

Nothing is more annoying than waking up one morning with a cold sore in your mouth. They are painful, in some stages contagious, and really put a damper on your fry eating while going out for fast food. So what can you do when you are faced with a cold sore? Well, here are a couple great natural remedies to help relieve the pain of a cold sore, as well as cut the time you are forced to live with the cold sore in half.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  1. Step 1

    The first step in getting rid of a cold sore is keeping yourself well hydrated. This is actually a major step in the healing process of anything your body faces, as a well hydrated body helps you to heal quicker.

  2. Step 2

    Your next step is to try the salt method. Apply a small pinch of salt directly to the affected area. This will help reduce the healing time for your cold sore. A caution though, this may sting a little.

  3. Step 3

    The next method to try is rubbing the liquid of an aloe leave directly on the sore. Aloe has many healing properties and is also great for sunburns.

  4. Step 4

    If the cold sore still persists, rub ice on it. The cold of the ice helps to stop, or at least slow down the spread of the virus.

  5. Step 5

    The final method that you can try before breaking down and heading to the drug store is a tea bag. Tea contains tannic acid, which acts as an anti-viral agent.

Tips & Warnings
  • If you are constantly getting cold sores, try daily eating yogurt. Yogurt contains ingredients that can help prevent cold sores.
  • If you are consistently getting cold sores, keep a food diary and see what foods aggravate the condition. This will help you single out the culprit and change your diet accordingly.
  • There are points in which a cold sore is contagious. For instance, a cold sore is actually a symptom of Herpes simplex 1, a disease that roughly affects 80 percent of the population. If you have a cold sore, be careful who you kiss as it can actually spread the virus.

Comments  

gracehome said

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on 6/2/2009 thanks this really did work!!

CLTAndy said

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on 11/16/2008 I have found that the best way to knock-out a cold sore is to take a **** and a Diovan within the first 8 hours. The best thing to do is to take both pills the minute you feel a cold sore coming (the tingling, the heat, the inflammation on your lip). Follow the dosage by drinking plenty of ice cold water through the day. The cold sore won't stand a chance and any and all signs should disappear within 12 hours.

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