Home Therapy to Heal Fever Blisters

When you have a fever blister, the last thing you feel like doing is leaving the house to show your new bump to the neighborhood. Luckily, there are plenty of home remedies that can help you heal your fever blister quickly and safely. And if this is your first outbreak, take comfort: The first outbreak is almost always the worst, and now that you're learning how to take care of them yourself, future blisters will be much less of a pain.

Home Therapy

• Fever blisters are aggravated by arginine, an amino acid that's found in a lot of the foods you eat. While you have a fever blister, avoid foods with a high arginine content. This includes nuts, chocolate, beer, gelatin, oats and whole wheat. In terms of fever blisters, the opposite of arginine is lysine, another amino acid. The herpes virus that causes fever blisters thrives on arginine, but is shut down by lysine. Lysine can be taken as a daily supplement in amounts between 1,200 and 3,000 milligrams. Lysine speeds up healing and can reduce the severity of the initial outbreak. Combine Lysine with a daily B vitamin complex and zinc for an immunity system boost. You can also incorporate lysine into your diet by indulging in quality, gelatin-free yogurt, which has high levels of lysine.
  The cheapest option you have is also one of the most effective: ice! Icing your fever blister will not only relieve the unpleasant tingling sensation, but it will also slow down the multiplying of the virus, keeping the sore from spreading across your lip or face.
  Coating your fever blister with lemon balm, a commercial lysine chapstick or petroleum jelly will help prevent painful cracking. Lemon balm and lysine also work to inhibit the virus. If you have a little extra cash, the topical cream Abreva is the only FDA approved cream on the market to reduce the healing time of cold sores.
  It's hard, but try to relax. Fever blisters often show up in times of stress, and their appearance only causes more headache. Though having a fever blister can be embarrassing, keep in mind that the majority of the population suffers the occasional outbreak.