Before we look at what causes this sometimes very serious infection, let us first of all describe it. One simplified definition I came across recently was

"A localized collection of clear fluid causing elevation of the skin, separating it into an upper and lower layer"

For those unfortunate sufferers of this condition well, you know it's just a dreadful thing to have. What I want to do in this article is to briefly examine what causes cold sores, give you a few tips as to what things you can do right now to avoid making things worse, which will give you a few ideas to help get some relief.

In basic terms cold sores are created by the Herpes Simplex Virus. They are also known as fever blisters or oral herpes. Cold sores are a dense bunch of minute blisters that appear in the corners of the mouth and on the surface and around the margins of the lips. They are also characterized by a widespread ache all over your body and some pain around the genital area, leading to serious discomfort during urination.

Stress can be a factor in awakening this virus, one of the main causes of stress being illness. Indeed some of the terms derive from those very illnesses that caused the problem - fevers (fever blisters) and colds (cold sores).

But rather than sitting there feeling helpless, there are things you can do right now to keep things from getting worse and also to get better.

6 Things you should avoid

1. Salty foods - these can aggravate your cold sores and make them even more agonizing. Until you've got to the bottom of your problem I strongly recommend cutting salty foods right out of your diet. They'll just do you too much harm.
2. Direct sunlight - again this can make your cold sores much more painful and irritated. Just keep out of the sun as much as you possibly can to give yourself the best possible chance of recovery, especially your lips. Apply a lip balm with a sun block to minimize your exposure to sunlight.
3. Touching cold sores - try not to do it, this could cause a new infected area
4. Kissing - don't kiss people with cold sores.
5. Wind - especially cold wind can cause an extra amount of pain. Try and avoid exposing yourself to cold winds and make a point of keeping extra warm.
6. Caffeine - for some people food and drinks containing caffeine can act as a trigger for a fresh outbreak of cold sores. If you are sensitive to such things as coffee, chocolate, etc it is better to restrict your consumption of these items to reduce the chances of a new infection.

Hopefully the above list has given you some useful tips, but remember, nothing will happen unless you take action. Studies have shown that the use of natural remedies can not only reduce the amount of time spent suffering by over 70%, but they can even help prevent future outbreaks of cold sores from happening again. So that has surely got to be worth a try!