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Living with Herpes Simplex


Living with the herpes simplex infection, especially genital herpes, may be challenging since an outbreak may be triggered easily by stress, anxiety and fatigue. The most effective way to cope and live with the condition is to understand it properly and know what triggers an outbreak. The following measures may be helpful in managing the herpes infection:

  • Learn to monitor the symptoms and treat them as soon as you first experience them.
  • Understand that you are not alone and genital herpes is a common condition that affects a large number of people.
  • Talk to your doctor about any questions or doubts you have about the disease. Also seek advice regarding the various treatment options available to you.
  • If you have genital herpes, avoid placing blame on anyone as this may add to your emotional stress and prevent you from coping with the disease in a healthy manner.
  • Join a support group for individuals with genital herpes where you can interact with people who have the same disease.
  • Some people experience a reduction in the frequency of outbreaks when they cut down on their caffeine and alcohol intake. Others may experience improvement when they avoid foods such as rice and nuts. It may be helpful to keep a food journal.
  • Discuss the condition with your partner and decide on which precautions are appropriate.
  • Stay abreast with new research and information about antiviral medications that may help to alleviate outbreaks of genital herpes.
  • Manage stress effectively. You can reduce the stresses in your life with the help of the following techniques:
  1. Massage
  2. Yoga
  3. Meditation
  4. Hypnotherapy
  5. Acupressure
  6. Acupuncture

Prevention
Herpes Simplex
References
  1. A. Schuhmacher, J. Reichling, P. Schnitzler, Virucidal effect of peppermint oil on the enveloped viruses herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in vitro, Phytomedicine, Volume 10, Issues 6–7, 2003, Pages 504-510, ISSN 0944-7113, 10.1078/094471103322331467.
  2. C. Ishihara, J. Iida, N. Mizukoshi, N. Yamamoto, K. Yamamoto, K. Kato, I. Azuma, Effect of Nα-acetylmuramyl-l-alanyl-d-isoglutaminyl-Nϵ-stearoyl-l-lysine on resistance to herpes simplex virus type-1 infection in cyclophosphamide-treated mice, Vaccine, Volume 7, Issue 4, August 1989, Pages 309-313, ISSN 0264-410X, 10.1016/0264-410X(89)90191-6.