Lysine for cold sores is in the news a lot. You will find that empirical evidence strongly suggest the power and effectiveness of using lysine for cold sores.

How does lysine work for cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes? What is the best way to use it?

Good questions for sure.

But, prior to using lysine for cold sores, it is best to know as much as possible about how a cold sore is created.

The primary cause of all cold sore events is the herpes simplex virus. Whether you call them cold sores, fever blisters, or oral herpes outbreaks, they are all the same thing.

This very contagious parasite virus inhabits 9 out of 10 people throughout the world. Most of these folks caught the virus before their twelfth birthday.

For most of your life, the herpes virus is hiding in the nerve roots. For facial sores, the virus resides behind the ear, in the nerve ganglia. If the virus stays latent, you will never experience a cold sore.

The herpes simplex virus, because it lives in your nerve cells, can quickly sense a change in your immunity. If so, it will activate to replicate. Stress is the primary trigger that brings on a cold sore event.

The herpes virus squirms through the nerve fibers to the surface of your skin. Once there, the virus will enter the nerve cells.

The herpes simplex virus then compels the cell to build new virus. The cell eventually swells and explodes. Then millions of highly contagious virus particles cascade out.

The cold sore is a large ulcerated wound caused the disintegration of a huge group of surface nerve cells.

Arginine is an amino acid (protein) that is the main protein needed to create the herpes simplex virus. Chocolate and nuts are particularly rich in arginine, and it is found in lesser amounts in many other foods.

Your cells have a special area to store proteins, such as arginine, inside the cell.

Lysine is another important amino acid. Lysine can be found in high quantities in dairy and fish. Herpes viruses cannot be created with this particular protein fraction. Lysine is to cold sores as water is to fire.

Here is the good news. Arginine and lysine fight over the same storage space within your cells. The more your cells store lysine, the less arginine it can hold.

Reducing your arginine supplies by increasing lysine intake is a trick many folks use to stop herpes virus activity and support quick healing. It can also prevent future cold sore events by starving the herpes virus of the fuel it needs.

You can increase your lysine levels with a diet rich in vegetables, fish and dairy products. Also, not eating high arginine foods, such as chocolate and nuts, will help reduce your arginine levels.

Adjusting your eating habits to control oral herpes, cold sore or fever blister attacks is not usually much fun. Most folks prefer lysine in capsules for the bulk of their treatment. This amino acid is inexpensive and you can find it anywhere.

With lysine capsules, you can change your intake based on your need. And you often do not have to give up the foods you love, such as chocolate or nuts.

Two to five grams (2000 to 5000 milligrams) is a common dosage during an oral herpes cold sore outbreak. Between sores, folks take 500 to 1000 milligrams per day as prevention maintenance.

But, this is where lysine is misunderstood.

Lysine for cold sores is awesome when taken as an internal remedy. But it has not been very effective when put directly on the sore.

I mention this because you will find cold sore remedies at the store that contain lysine. These are designed to put directly on the sore. The lysine does not absorb and get into the cells this way. Save your money.

Lysine for cold sores is one of the more proven and convenient cold sore remedies that you should be using.

There is much more you should know about lysine for cold sores - and other great cold sore remedies. But, there is just not enough room to cover it all in this one article.

Whether you want to shorten the duration or to prevent future outbreaks, lysine is powerful medicine. But, keep this in mind. There are several other excellent cold sore remedies for you to try - that may work even better for you than lysine for cold sores.

• How to Get Rid of Cold Sores and Numerous Ways to Do It
• Enjoying the Advantages of a Natural Herpes Remedy
• Genital Warts and Herpes: Differences and Similarities
• Best Cures for Genital Herpes
• Discover A Natural Treatment for Swine Flu and Protect Your Family from Infection