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any hopes of herpes cures?


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This comes up a lot. Yes there are studies and trials and such. I personally don't follow them but I know some on here can give you details. HOWEVER, as someone who has had this 35 yrs, let me caution you to not get attached to waiting for a cure, because I've heard those promises for the last 25 or so years. It will come when it comes. Until then, we just have to live our lives as best as we can ;)

 

Why is it so hard to find a cure? Well, in part because HIV came along when Herpes was looking like we had some possible options coming down the pike and it took all the funding away (rightly so ... HIV makes Herpes look like a walk in the park :( ). Herpes is not deadly except in the very rare occurrence that a baby gets it during birth (rare because Doctors will do a Cesarean if you have an OB at time of birth) so there's no "rush" in the minds of researchers to find a cure. And then there's the economics of it all. Much more money to be made in Suppression than a cure :(

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ok, ill chime in. first off listen to dancer and don't worry about it, if it comes it comes. there is research going on, bill gates has upped the ante by mentioning the relationship between HIV and herpes, in Africa for instance its almost universal that anyone who had HIV has herpes AND it increases the chance of getting HIV. Gates told them, if you don't fix this you will have a hard time fixing HIV. stopping it moving is the first step. there is a phase 2 human trial going on for a therapeutic vaccine, however, IT DOES NOT CURE!!!! it lowers viral loads to the point of non transmission, meaning you wont be able to pass it along. however it may be a decade before it makes it to market, IF it makes it to market. and big pharma makes a ton off antivirals and probably likes that. I did read about an Australian firm ( might be the same one doing trails, ones head gets overloaded when doing H research on the web) looking into it because they estimate it would be a 6 Billion dollar market. hoping for a cure is fine, putting all your eggs in that basket isn't living. there is some very interesting research into herpes ( even modifying it to kill cancer) I will look for those links soon, I have my son this weekend so H isn't a high priority. they have found how H tricks the body into thinking its part of the ganglion, how it makes our cells drop their defenses, etc. there is also, minor, research into medical marijuana doing something to inhibit the H virus from erupting. it makes the virus to lazy and hungry and it just wants to hang out in its parents basement playing xbox all day eating oreos. ( sorry had to, there is that research going on ) you can bing herpes research just be careful, lots of ignorance and false cures out there. only read on the research at universities and medical centers.

 

again tho, if you hold your breath waiting for a cure, you will suffocate.

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Whoa, whoa Lady_j ... Read more carefully! :) HSV does *NOT* "turn into" HIV/AIDS. All that it does is during outbreaks (just like ANY break in the skin) it makes it if you happen to be having sex with someone who carries HIV/AIDS, it's easier for HIV/AIDS to get in. That's all. Don't let your paranoia overpower the actual facts! ;)

 

FYI, here's one of the first videos I ever made many years ago talking about a cure for herpes ... And it still holds true today.

 

This content is for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute medical advice or diagnosis. I'm not a medical professional, so please take this as friendly peer support. 

Helpful resources:

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research into medical marijuana doing something to inhibit the H virus from erupting. it makes the virus to lazy and hungry and it just wants to hang out in its parents basement playing xbox all day eating oreos.

 

*Snort* ... thanks for the visual and the giggle @seeker ;)

 

There is also a condom that just got approval in Australia that has an anti-viral gel on it that is meant to help slow the passage of HSV and other viral STD's ... which is GREAT news. Supposedly they are using the same gel here in studies to get rid of BV as I recall. Maybe it will be released at some point as a lube.... it would be a great start while the vaccine research continues ;)

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thanks adrial. I reread my post and didn't see anything that said herpes evolves into hiv. was a bit confused, would have been a helluva typo.

 

dancer, I remember seeing somewhere a pair of "shorts" for men to wear to help prevent the transmission of Herpes and warts ( im done with abbreviations for now, lol) basically tighter rubber undies with an opening for, well you get the picture.

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Hey Seeker, no, you didn't write it. Lady_j assumed it and/or mis-read it. My note was to her to read more carefully before diving off the deep end. :)

 

Reminds me of that game "telephone" that begins with someone saying one thing, then after it gets heard and repeated, it changes into something completely different. Unfortunately, this is just a microcosm of what's going on in the herpes world across the board. If we're not careful, the paranoia can actually make it seem like herpes is something it's not. We're here to dispel the rumors. ;)

 

... and for anyone wondering about the facts, here's our "Herpes facts" video for you:

 

This content is for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute medical advice or diagnosis. I'm not a medical professional, so please take this as friendly peer support. 

Helpful resources:

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Someone at University of Washington once told me they could have a cure "within 10 years," but like Dancer and everybody else pointed out, there really is very little funding. If I had to guess, the combination of ongoing research + little funding means that if a cure did come along, it would be in the 17-25 year range. A liberal estimate, no doubt, but one that I think reflects the funding realities. As one person pointed out, the herpes virus hides in certain cells nerves at the base of the spine, and a major focus of research is on trying to "flush" the virus out of those cells and into the open, where it can be attacked directly. Residing at the base of the spine, no medication can get to it.

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....I am the same....I am 9 months into trying to find a diagnosis....CAUTIOUS ISN'T THE WORD FOR ME....insane maybe! LOL

 

I prefer to hope if the experts say 10 years, Dr. Anna Wald is really the leader in the field and I believe she is also taking a conservative estimate into account. But, that is not to say there won't be roadblocks, especially policy/gov't ones.

 

I am not holding my breath, not stopping my life, but staying positive that at least they will find a way to decrease viral load so it is non-transferrable or at least come up with a test that is easy to use so we can estimate our own viral load before intercourse.

 

 

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@whitedaisies

 

Yes, Anna really is the leader in the field. I've spoken to her several times over the summer, and as much as I would like to call her and pick her brain again, I don't think I should. I think she doesn't like me. I think she thinks that, by this point, I'm a really annoying, nagging pain in the ass, lol. *But* each researcher and clinician you can talk to at the University of Washington will likely give a different response, based on their overall impressions of research progress in the field to date.

 

If you're looking to get viral load down to levels that would make transmission risks negligible, then a therapeutic vaccine is the best hope. There are a couple that are in clinical trials. I do not know how they are doing, but I would say another few years and one or another should be close to being on the market.

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@whitedaisies

 

Yes! I am keeping up on the research and continuing to read the medical literature. I figure I have gotten this far with my knowledge, so why not keep it up?! I always follow things that are of interest to me, and herpes is now one of them. I will keep you and everyone else posted whenever I hear anything. You have to be careful sorting through the news, and try to separate out the wheat from the chaff. Once you do that, you will see that there are continual advancements, some small, others bigger...but each one represents *progress*. I think a herpes cure will be one of a cluster of medical breakthroughs that happen within a ten-year time frame, as medicine advances and catches up with AIDS, Alzheimer's, and other conditions. Don't worry, daisies, it will happen in your lifetime, and by that, I don't mean when you are elderly. Well before that.

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@whitedaisies

 

Daisies! How risque!!!!! LOL JUST KIDDING. YOU GO DAISIES!!!

 

I am working on getting myself in shape and back in good health, as I have been dealing with other health complications of a very stressful year. But I know I'm going to get right back to where I was before, and I will even look better than I did before this past year. Good things can and will happen!

 

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@whitedaisies

 

Well, then get busy making up for lost time, daisies!!

 

"Spreadin it around the old folks home?" Lol that was funny, cause by the time we're all old, *everybody* has *something*! Seriously, for example, 50-70% of single women ages 45-65 have H (genitally). It really is so very common. So don't worry, I doubt you'll be spreadin' anything :)

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It actually makes me really angry to think that the "powers that be" are not motivated to find a cure because drug companies make more money from suppressive medication rather than a cure. I know we can't put our lives on hold waiting for a cure and yes I know that H is just a nuisance and not a serious medical condition HOWEVER it DOES cause a lot of emotional grief and psychological distress and I think that aspect should not be overlooked. Eliminating the stigma seems very unlikely (sorry to sound so pessimistic) and finding a cure would bring so much emotional relief to SO many people. I know I would be willing to pay big money for a cure.

 

Just venting :)

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I hear u.

 

But this is what I know going thru this healing process....still going by the way...lol....we can't expect a cure to "cure" out emotions. We need todo tht on our own. We need to struggle through it, to make us question ourselves, our beliefs, our life so we can come out stronger. A cure cannot do that. A cure when it comes will heal is physically. Expecting it to heal us emotionally is expecting too much from a pill or a needle.

 

I hate this virus. Don't get me wrong. It has impacting me more physically likely more than most of you on this forum physically but emotionally I think I am in a better place. I have even forced to go through shame, humiliation, uncertainty, question my ethics, the meaning of life. I like that I did that and because of it I am doing thigs I would t normally do that Malle me happy. They are little things but will turn to big things.

 

Sexually I am more frustrated I give u that. But I am more fulfilled emotionally

 

Good luck to you. I hear you and I do agree it is such a challenge for people to deal with this and it is unfair really but I am trying really hard to embrace the positive and know that a cure will come and emotionally I will be ready and then physically I will be too

 

Xoxoxoxoxox

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I get all that you are saying...I really do. But I have had this for almost 30 years and although it physically has not caused me much of a problem, the emotional toll has been tremendous and continues to be an emotional problem for me almost 3 decades later. Yes, I can work on that through therapy, but I know that a cure would go a long way in helping me put this behind me. It would be a dream come true.

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