Herpes is a common infection generally transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. There are several strains of the herpes virus, two of these strains commonly cause genital herpes. You can have oral herpes (on the lips, most often 'cold sores'), genital herpes (on the genitals) or non-genital herpes (herpes on other parts of the body; most often 'shingles'). Shingles is not sexually transmitted. It is a secondary event long after the initial infection with common 'chicken pox'. Shingles is usually a one-off occurrence.
Strains of the virus
There are two types of the herpes simplex virus, HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 is the virus that most commonly causes cold sores on the lips or face. It is often transmitted in childhood through kissing, but can be transmitted at any age. HSV-1 can also be transmitted to the genitals through direct skin-to-skin contact, often via oral sex. About 80% of adults have HSV-1 by the time they are 25. A much smaller proportion will show obvious symptoms, such as cold sores.
HSV-2 is the virus responsible for most genital herpes and is most commonly transmitted through sexual contact. Approximately 1 in 8 sexually active Australians has genital herpes. Of these, 20 per cent are aware that they have the virus, 60 per cent are unaware that they have it, but have symptoms, while another 20 per cent have no symptoms.
Controlling the first outbreak
Most people with genital herpes have no noticeable symptoms and do not realise they have come into contact with the virus. They may only notice symptoms at a later date. For others, the first symptoms of genital herpes may show up 2 to 21 days after coming into contact with the virus. This first episode of herpes is often the most severe. When you first come into contact with the virus your immune system has not had time to develop protective antibodies. This means the virus can multiply rapidly, causing significant symptoms.
If you are experiencing a severe first episode of genital herpes, you may notice that your lymph nodes (the glands in your groin, neck and armpit) are swollen, or that you have flu-like symptoms such as sore muscles, tiredness, headaches, fever and chills. You may notice swelling, pain or itching around the genitals, possibly followed by painful red spots that can form small blisters. These blisters may burst to form open sores or ulcers, which crust over and heal. You may also experience pain when urinating due to the tenderness in your genital area.
Herpes of the anus or rectum may also result in rectal and lower back pain, an urgent need to pass faeces, bloody or mucus discharge, constipation and blisters on the skin area around the anus.
Usually symptoms will heal within 2 to 4 weeks and cause no long-term damage. If you experience significant pain with any outbreak you should ask your doctor about antiviral medications which can significantly reduce the length and severity of the outbreak.
Will I get genital herpes again?
After a first outbreak of herpes, the virus stays in the body for life. Some people do not have any further episodes or symptoms of herpes. This is called inactive infection, when the virus is hidden in the body and not infectious.
However, the symptoms of genital herpes do recur in some people. These outbreaks tend to be milder and heal faster than the first outbreak. This is called an active infection.
The active period may be obvious, with symptoms, or it may not. It is possible that symptoms are not obvious, or not present at all, but skin cells are shedding the virus during an active phase. This "viral shedding" may be potentially infectious to others if sexual contact occurs.
What causes the virus to reactivate?
Researchers are uncertain about what causes the virus to reactivate. Some common triggers are menstruation, being run-down or anything that causes skin irritation, such as friction during prolonged sexual intercourse. Triggers are different for different people and can even be different for the same person over time. Keep a record of your outbreaks and try to identify any possible triggers. This will allow you to adjust your lifestyle to best manage genital herpes.
Can I Control the Symptoms?
There are some homeopathic preparations available thatv are effective in controlling Herpes symptoms.
You can get easily confused when you are learning about vitamins, especially when you want to find out just what sort of supplements you should take. At one time or another, we have all been told, that we don't need dietary supplements or need to learn about vitamins, if we ate a nutritionally balanced meal three times a day, but of course, this just isn't realistic in our society. A huge number of us are stressed out on a regular basis, and don't usually take the time to eat at all let alone a nutritionally balanced meal (and three of them?!).
Vitamins must never be substituted for good nutritional intake. To be able to accomplish all the tasks you have to attend to in a day, your body needs fuel. A good diet means one with a lot of calcium, fats, protein, carbohydrates, and fiber supplemented by vitamins as requires for specific health concerns.
A lot of food products are enriched with vitamins and minerals, like breads, pastas, and cereals. Information about vitamins appearing on the labels includes the percentage of the daily recommended allowance of each, which will provide you a very good idea of the quantity of vitamin or mineral you are getting. Calcium is an essential mineral for women, and most publications about vitamins say that women must consume at least 1200-1500 mg of calcium daily.
Most calcium supplements only contain 30-50% of the recommended daily amounts and must be supplemented by diet intake of other sources, such as yogurt, milk, cheese, and ice cream. Vitamin D is a significant vitamin and is essential to bone health, and is contained in some calcium supplements as well. Via sunlight, vitamin D can also be absorbed through the skin, but this is not always an option for people living in northern states, or for the elderly, therefore a vitamin supplement is the answer.
Part of taking care of yourself is learning about vitamins and minerals that our bodies require for optimal health. Many sources are available to you to learn more about vitamins and how certain vitamin deficiencies as well as excess intake can be damaging to your health. It's essential to take an active role in your health, and be well-informed about vitamins in your cabinet and which are right for you.
In addition to searching on the web, you can find an abundance of information about vitamins in various health publications, or you can also consult a nutritionist or naturopathic physician for advice on vitamins and supplements, and how you can implement them into your diet. Here's to your good health!
Both Lachlan Walker & Nathan Knightley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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