If You're HSV Positive, Having "The Talk" Can Be Difficult
How to Live a Fulfilling Life with Herpes
First, let’s start off with what is herpes.
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex virus. There are two types: HSV-1 virus that causes oral herpes or more commonly known as “cold sores”, and HSV-2 virus that causes genital herpes. Both the HSV-1 and the HSV-2 can only be transmitted via physical contact: HSV-1 from things like eating from the same utensils, sharing lip balm, drinking from the same cup,and/or kissing; and HSV-2 from sexual intercourse and/or oral sex.
First Appeared on HSV Singles
A Physical Nuisance, But An Emotional NightmareA lot of people are surprised by how common herpes is. Over 40 million of people live with this draining yet common condition, but only a few know they are infected. In the United States of America, 1 in 5 people live with the disease. Genital herpes has become the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in recent years.
If you are living with herpes, you are not alone. There are many others like you and even though there’s no cure for herpes, you can still live a happy and healthy life. For an infected person, it’s very important to find the right crowd. The community here is made of similar people who understand your situation and will not be quick to judge.
Meet Positives is was built for positives and has thousands of herpes singles who have made this website their sharing platform. Members share their stories and information on how to live a better life with the infection. By joining you will enjoy a number of benefits.
Massive outbreaks occur due to the increasing phenomena of casual sex, casual dating, having multiple sex partners, polyamory, swingers clubs, and commercialization of discrete technologies such as Snapchat, Facebook Poke, GIF Chat, Avocado, Between, iDelete and Kik among others.
The sad truth about herpes is that the symptoms almost always appear in a later stage of the disease. Some risk factors include having multiple sex partners, being female, having another sexually transmitted infection (STI) and/or having a weakened immune system.
Some of the earlier symptoms include: blistering sores (in the mouth or on the genitals), pain during urination which is also called “genital herpes”, and mouth/genital itching. On a later stage, symptoms can occur in the form of having a fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, tiredness, lack of appetite, and an eye infection also known as “herpes keratitis.”
Although the herpes virus stays in the body for life, there are many ways to cure the virus so the symptoms do not occur as harshly or as often.
Here are four ways to treat herpes effectively:
1.Be sure that your diagnosis is correct. Some doctors mistake herpes to other sexually transmitted infections, and the treatments are very different. So make sure you have the right diagnosis for your case. Avoid self-diagnosis and self-treatment that can be more harmful in the long run.
2.Do not be afraid to talk to your doctor about your treatment concerns.Be transparent with your medical history because this can affect your doctor’s prognosis of your case. There may be some medicines that cannot be combined to prescriptions you are currently taking, so make sure you divulge your past and current health issues and medications.
3. Follow your doctor’s advice.You might feel that you can sway away from all of your doctor’s advice, but herpes treatment can be sensitive so you have to follow your treatment every step of the way. You will know if your treatment is going effectively if your sores heal sooner, and the severity and occurrence of outbreaks are greatly minimized.
You will most likely be prescribed the following anti-viral medicines: Acyclovir (Zovirax), Famciclovir (Famvir), and Valacyclovir (Valtrex). These medicines reduce outbreaks and the virus cells’ regrowth. Through time of taking these medicines, you also risk passing the virus to other sexual partners.
4. Try taking Echinacea. Echinacea is a natural herb traditionally used against flu, colds and infections. You can take it as a tea, tablet or pill. While it cannot guarantee a 100% cure to the infection, it can definitely help ease out any further regrowth that might occur.
5. Use baking soda to ease dry sores. Having dry sores can be very painful especially if the weather is already dry in itself. Baking soda is a proven treatment in the healing process of open sores as it dries out moisture from lesions. Use with caution though, as too much can dry up your skin.
6. Take a rest and reduce stress.Stress plays a big part in herpes flare-ups and in decreasing your immune system. You should make a conscious effort to reduce all your stresses in life, no matter how small you think they are.
Here are some tips to help reduce your stress:
1. Meditate. Set aside a few minutes per day to be alone and to clear out things in your mind. This helpsout in regularizing your breathing and in relaxing your mind and body. It is also said that closing your eyes while saying positive mantras like, “I love myself just the way I am” can be very helpful in the meditation process.
2. Learn to breathe deeply. Set aside five minutes per day focusing on inhaling and exhaling deeply. Inhale slowly, feel the breath coming calmly from your diaphragm up towards the top of your head. Now exhale slowly feeling the calmness from the top of your head onto your diaphragm, then out through your mouth.
3. Listen to your body. If your body tells you to rest for the weekend, listen to it. If it wants to do light exercises to heavy ones, listen to it. The most important thing is to give the rest your body deserves as it tries to recuperate from the stresses of coping up with the disease.
These are some ways to cope up with herpes, and although it’s a long, arduous journey to healing, the most important thing is to be positive, and to be proactive in the healing process. Do not take shortcuts with treatments: follow your doctor’s advice, take care of yourself and do not isolate yourself from others. There are many online sites that connect people with herpes so they do not have to go through “the talk” again. Check out Meet Positives and discover that you are not alone in this journey!
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex virus. There are two types: HSV-1 virus that causes oral herpes or more commonly known as “cold sores”, and HSV-2 virus that causes genital herpes. Both the HSV-1 and the HSV-2 can only be transmitted via physical contact: HSV-1 from things like eating from the same utensils, sharing lip balm, drinking from the same cup,and/or kissing; and HSV-2 from sexual intercourse and/or oral sex.
First Appeared on HSV Singles
A Physical Nuisance, But An Emotional NightmareA lot of people are surprised by how common herpes is. Over 40 million of people live with this draining yet common condition, but only a few know they are infected. In the United States of America, 1 in 5 people live with the disease. Genital herpes has become the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in recent years.
If you are living with herpes, you are not alone. There are many others like you and even though there’s no cure for herpes, you can still live a happy and healthy life. For an infected person, it’s very important to find the right crowd. The community here is made of similar people who understand your situation and will not be quick to judge.
Meet Positives is was built for positives and has thousands of herpes singles who have made this website their sharing platform. Members share their stories and information on how to live a better life with the infection. By joining you will enjoy a number of benefits.
Massive outbreaks occur due to the increasing phenomena of casual sex, casual dating, having multiple sex partners, polyamory, swingers clubs, and commercialization of discrete technologies such as Snapchat, Facebook Poke, GIF Chat, Avocado, Between, iDelete and Kik among others.
The sad truth about herpes is that the symptoms almost always appear in a later stage of the disease. Some risk factors include having multiple sex partners, being female, having another sexually transmitted infection (STI) and/or having a weakened immune system.
Some of the earlier symptoms include: blistering sores (in the mouth or on the genitals), pain during urination which is also called “genital herpes”, and mouth/genital itching. On a later stage, symptoms can occur in the form of having a fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, tiredness, lack of appetite, and an eye infection also known as “herpes keratitis.”
Although the herpes virus stays in the body for life, there are many ways to cure the virus so the symptoms do not occur as harshly or as often.
Here are four ways to treat herpes effectively:
1.Be sure that your diagnosis is correct. Some doctors mistake herpes to other sexually transmitted infections, and the treatments are very different. So make sure you have the right diagnosis for your case. Avoid self-diagnosis and self-treatment that can be more harmful in the long run.
2.Do not be afraid to talk to your doctor about your treatment concerns.Be transparent with your medical history because this can affect your doctor’s prognosis of your case. There may be some medicines that cannot be combined to prescriptions you are currently taking, so make sure you divulge your past and current health issues and medications.
3. Follow your doctor’s advice.You might feel that you can sway away from all of your doctor’s advice, but herpes treatment can be sensitive so you have to follow your treatment every step of the way. You will know if your treatment is going effectively if your sores heal sooner, and the severity and occurrence of outbreaks are greatly minimized.
You will most likely be prescribed the following anti-viral medicines: Acyclovir (Zovirax), Famciclovir (Famvir), and Valacyclovir (Valtrex). These medicines reduce outbreaks and the virus cells’ regrowth. Through time of taking these medicines, you also risk passing the virus to other sexual partners.
4. Try taking Echinacea. Echinacea is a natural herb traditionally used against flu, colds and infections. You can take it as a tea, tablet or pill. While it cannot guarantee a 100% cure to the infection, it can definitely help ease out any further regrowth that might occur.
5. Use baking soda to ease dry sores. Having dry sores can be very painful especially if the weather is already dry in itself. Baking soda is a proven treatment in the healing process of open sores as it dries out moisture from lesions. Use with caution though, as too much can dry up your skin.
6. Take a rest and reduce stress.Stress plays a big part in herpes flare-ups and in decreasing your immune system. You should make a conscious effort to reduce all your stresses in life, no matter how small you think they are.
Here are some tips to help reduce your stress:
1. Meditate. Set aside a few minutes per day to be alone and to clear out things in your mind. This helpsout in regularizing your breathing and in relaxing your mind and body. It is also said that closing your eyes while saying positive mantras like, “I love myself just the way I am” can be very helpful in the meditation process.
2. Learn to breathe deeply. Set aside five minutes per day focusing on inhaling and exhaling deeply. Inhale slowly, feel the breath coming calmly from your diaphragm up towards the top of your head. Now exhale slowly feeling the calmness from the top of your head onto your diaphragm, then out through your mouth.
3. Listen to your body. If your body tells you to rest for the weekend, listen to it. If it wants to do light exercises to heavy ones, listen to it. The most important thing is to give the rest your body deserves as it tries to recuperate from the stresses of coping up with the disease.
These are some ways to cope up with herpes, and although it’s a long, arduous journey to healing, the most important thing is to be positive, and to be proactive in the healing process. Do not take shortcuts with treatments: follow your doctor’s advice, take care of yourself and do not isolate yourself from others. There are many online sites that connect people with herpes so they do not have to go through “the talk” again. Check out Meet Positives and discover that you are not alone in this journey!