food & drinks that cause/prolong herpes outbreaks

I've now had sores for a little over 2 weeks.. at this point they are white/red and scabby (sorry to be so graphic). I'm wondering if something I'm doing could be prolonging the process? since I've read that caffeine and alcohol might have an affect I've avoided both. I'm so sad about this because I love coffee and like to have a few glasses of wine on the weekends to unwind. I know everyone's different but is anyone able to indulge in these things without breaking out?

Chocolate and nuts both are high in arginine which the virus seems to like.

I had a spell about 8 years back when Trail mix set me off - usually when I was already stressed. I could often have the chocolate OR the nuts but not both together.

Nowadays, very little set me off. Thank heavens. I love my chocolate and I love cashews and pistachios and eat a lot of peanut butter :)

I have been craving caffeine and chocolate which is odd cuz I can go with out both honestly but I do want it but I'm scared also I'm not a big drinker but sometimes when I go out I like to have a drink or two I'm taking 1000mg of lysine do you think that will help me be able to consume more of the stuff that normally triggers it as of now I've only had one do I do not know my triggers

Everyone's triggers are different AND change over time. Stress is def, #1 - after that it seems to be a crap shoot from person to person and also over time things change...

In my experience, which is very limited as i have only had 3 herpes outbreaks on the skin, foods and drinks don't really do anything to me. I do beieve its when i go without a lot of sleep that it socks it to me. i don't take anything yet although I've been thinkig of buying some lysine tabs when i get christmas gifts out ghe way. I agree with dancer. cuz usually when i can't go to sleep its because of stress. So now I'm just like "i will not stress out because of herpes today" and i just keep trying to focus on good stuff. However right now i have to tell myself more "i will not stress out because of christmas funds. spend wisely" lol there was a post here a while back about doing breathing exercises that could help to. she's a yoga instructor i believe. anyhow just zoning out and relaxing could fo wonders. Mpersonally I've always thought everything in moderation. although I'm a big hugmofous coffee drinker. but i drink coffee all time and I've had 3 outbreaks since march. the first one wad proba ly a lil over 2 weeks but this last one seemed to clear up in a week but i made sure i slept when i was tired too and didn't just keep chuga lugin the coffee

Hi,

well it always deppens on your body and immun system , when i eat nuts I get directly an outbreak but a lot of people dont get an OB at all.Sugar is never good because every virus (H or whatever)love it and it let them grow but sure you always aloud to eat a bit of it.Never stop living :)enjoy

I went gluten free and started taking LLysine to help with healing about 3000 mgs for the whole day. never thought about the sugar aspect. thanks for the info▲

Hi everyone,

I have another outbreak, but I am not sure what i ate or whether its due to stress. I stay away from chocolate and nuts. Other than that I eat healthy and stay active. Yoga helps a lot. I am thinking about eating gluten free and trying a Paleo diet. Anyone tried this yet?

What we all have to remember, too, is that even if we have perfect nutrition and our health is at peak performance, we will still get herpes outbreaks. Herpes outbreaks aren't always due to something we ate or stress. Those are contributors to outbreaks happening, but outbreaks can happen regardless. So just be aware of how you've been taking care of yourself when you do notice an outbreak coming on to see if there is a pattern of when outbreaks do show up for you, but it's not going to be an exact science. Sometimes outbreaks just happen. :)

P.S. I think that should be our shirt in the future when this movement hits critical mass: "Outbreaks happen." ;)

Hi Daisy!

I came up with a saying the other day that I am using alot lately, and that is that "Herpes is a slippery little devil". In other words, while we know certain things about it (where it resides, how it sheds, etc), there are still HUGE gaps in the understanding of what may trigger an OB.

If you were somewhat recently exposed to the virus, you may have a number of outbreaks in the first year or so no matter what you do as your immune system learns to kick in and keep the virus under control. I *personally* believe the younger you are and the more "hormonal" you are the higher the likelihood of numerous outbreaks too - I got HSV1 as a small child on the lip and I would break out every year, twice a year (with HORRID temperatures) until I hit puberty, when it suddenly cut back to a mild outbreak with no temperatures... and now (I'm 54 and menopausal) a hardly break out at all). I hit the jackpot and got HSV1 in my late teens and it would always come up if I traveled (NOT fun when you get up from sitting on a plane and your undies are stuck to the sore...OWEEEE!!) and often when I had my period. Nuts and chocolate caused breakouts when I was going through menopause, but not before or since.

So you see, triggers can vary from person to person AND from one time in your life to another. If you feel inclined to try Gluten Free or Paleo, then by all means, do. Both are worthwhile explorations into diet (I believe our individual "perfect" diets are based on our blood type and/or ethnic origins) to see if they contribute to our personal health. A diet that does not agree with YOUR system will add stress/toxins/etc that could well trigger an outbreak.

(((HUGS))) and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So, i think i remember reading somewhere that eating seafood is a good way to maybe prevent an OB... anyone else hear this? So i didnt know about the nuts and chocolate thing. & here i am stuffing my face with pecan pie, chocolate pudding pie, and all sorts of nuts lastnight for thanksgiving. Ive only experienced one outbreak so far, and it was around halloween. & so far i keep telling myself i wont get another, soo i hope my mind tricks my body to be outbreak free!

Hi,

yes seefood is quit well because it have a lot of l-lysine and vegatables and fruit will help to fight against that virus too..There are alot of things which are natural antivirales ,one of them is for excample .tumeric or coconut oil.

Hello, I have had herpes for 5 months now and only got an outbreak once, the first time. I do feel tingly and itchy sometimes especially when im about to get my period. itchy in the same place I got the OB and and also these random shooting tingly feeling down my leg or just in my genital area. but my question is if I have not had any other OB in the last 5 months, are my chances of not getting any ever again higher? what about years from now is it possible to get random OB years later even tho your body has worked up the immunity for it? please advise? I have a friend that has had it for 5 years and she only got an OB once. will this be my case?

@mmy

The thing with Herpes is that it doesn't play by the "rules" - and there are soooo many factors that cause OB's - your personal immune system, how your body processes the Arginine/Lysine that seems to have some influence on OB's with some people, your diet in general, stress, sexual preferences (rough sex can bring on OB's in *some* people), hormones, alcohol, age, length of time you have had H, etc. So there is no way to be able to tell you whether you may have another OB or not. I know people who have NEVER had an OB in 30+ yr marriages who have their first OB when something stressful happened in their life (which then causes marital issues till the Dr's help them to understand that H doesn't play fair sometimes). Also, the type of H will influence OB's - HSV1 genital often (but not always!) goes dormant after a few OB's - HSV2 can be a lot more cranky and difficult to get under control. So there is no "answer" to your question. All you can do is to take care of the things you can (stress, diet, etc) so your body has the best chance to keep the virus under control.

(((HUGS)))