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Hi, I have posted here before but not for oral herpes which I also suffer from. Mine occur on the inside or outside of my nose, sometimes extending towards my mouth. Needless to say, not a pretty site :( and I have battled for years to try and improve the sores asap. What I hadn't looked into much before though was how to avoid getting them in the first place. There are always triggers for things and our bodies try to tell us this by giving us a rash, or a sore or spots etc. I too have also found a link with artificial sweeteners but what I have discovered through my own testings is CAFFEINE! It's a huge NO NO, well at least for me. I have cut out all caffeine products such as coffee, chocolate, coke etc. I loved all 3 but the alternative (a sore) is not worth it. I have found a coffee substitute called Caro and there is also one called Ecco. They are a cereal beverage and are sold in supermarkets right next to coffee. I usually mix that with decaf coffee. There is still caffeine in decaf but a very low percentage. I used to get outbreaks just about every month. I have been sore-free for 3 months now and counting :) Also as most of you would know, both Lysine and Arginine are amino acids. Most, if not all foods have each of these in them. Lysine is good for us herpes sufferers but arginine is very bad. Nuts, especially peanuts are at the top of the list for arginine properties. I printed a list from the web of foods high in arginine. The key is to ensure your diet has far more lysine. Plain yogurt and cheese top the list there. Also important is to know that the ratio of lysine in a food far out weighs the arginine content. If you don't think you are getting enough lysine, then you can always take a supplement. If any of you out there are staph carriers and suffer from severe infections around the nose towards the mouth area, I have an idea about that too so let me know if you are interested.
