How to get rid of herpes – some common solutions

Herpes is a viral disease that shows its bad impact on sexual health. Its outbreak leads to boils and rashes and reddening of skin in affected area. It is caused by herpes simplex virus-1 or HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 shows its effect on oral region of the patient and HSV-2 affects genitals and anal region. To know how to get rid of herpes, therefore, one must pay attention to the symptoms manifested by the disease.

How to get rid of herpes using home remedies

Since herpes is a viral disease, antibiotics may not work on it. The patients are put on a medicinal regime that largely acts towards checking the growth of virus. While medicines do the job of restricting the growth of virus, there are certain natural methods which are found to be helpful in providing relief from painful symptoms of this disease.

  1. Bathe in slightly salted water: Salted water helps in fomenting the affected parts and cause subsiding of herpes outbreaks. The pain caused by these is subsided by soaking yourself in comforting, salty water.
  2. Sitz bath for genital ulcers and blisters: Unprotected sex or getting oral sex can lead to contracting herpes from a person having blisters in or around mouth. Sitz bath offers the comfort and fomentation to areas in genital region affected by herpes.
  3. Use of loose clothing: Since herpes requires you to manage blisters and cold sores, it is better to use loose clothes or keep the affected area open as much as possible. This helps in drying of the blisters and wounds faster in addition to preventing the further damage caused by friction developed from tight clothes.
  4. Use of ice packs: The cool sensation of ice packs helps in finding relief from the symptoms of herpes. Ice pack is to be covered with cloth first as direct application to affected area may add to the discomfort instead of relieving it.
  5. Refraining from sexual activity: Genital herpes is sexually transmitted disease passed to partner during sexual activity. Thus, it is advisable to avoid indulgence in sexual act of any kind until the partner is completely cured of the disease.

Medicines used for treating herpes

Healthcare professionals use medicines mainly for treating herpes in order to inhibit the growth and activity of virus that causes this disease. Acyclovir is one such medicine that restricts the virus’s multiplying. However, virus continues to remain inside the body in dormant state and can cause re-occurrence of the herpes infections if the body is again exposed to similar conditions.

Acyclovir is main medical advice for prolonged use or when the symptoms refuse to disappear permanently. The other action of this medicine is reducing the pain and burning sensation. In case of infection reappearing constantly due to compromised immune system, the patient can be put on antiviral medicine for indefinite period. Sometimes, the symptoms appearing the second or third time are quite mild, and so, no medicine is required. Only soaking in warm water, application of ice packs and use of loose clothes can let sores heal.

Difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2

The main difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2 strain is that the former causes oral herpes while the latter is responsible for the outbreak of symptoms in genital region. HSV-1 herpes is more common than HSV-2, and is found more generally in population. Thus, location of infection differs the two strains; medication, prevention, etc. remain the same for the two.

Preventive measures for avoiding herpes disease

Prevention is the best policy if you are searching for safe ways that tell how to get rid of herpes. People with genital herpes contract this infection quite frequently due to unprotected sex or having sex with infected partner or partners. Thus, very first preventive measure will be to practice religiously use of condoms while having sex. Going monogamous can also be helpful in preventing self from exposing to the outbreak. Some of the easy preventive measures are:

  1. Avoid sex when the symptoms are present in the body.
  2. You can avoid sex with multiple partners.
  3. Avoid acts like kissing, anal or oral sex when blisters are present around the mouth.
  4. Use condoms as it reduces the risk of passing infection to partner.

Sometimes, herpes like symptoms can be found on other parts of the body too, when a person suffering from oral herpes comes in skin to skin contact with affected part. Thus, washing hands regularly and often is also good preventive step that one can take to avoid herpes disease.

Herpes is curable, but the best way to stay away from it is not to let it happen. Because once it happens, the chances of recurrence are quite high and one may experience outbreak quite often.

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