Your question came in on the same day a similar one was addressed to Dr. Lamb and published in his nationally syndicated column. The headline for his article that day was "Mouth Ulcer Cure Unknown."

While some of these cases have been difficult to stop, most have yielded to prevention after a little detective work revealed the cause. The vast majority of cold sores are caused by the use of organic acid foods, usually when consumed in excess - but sometimes even in small quantities. Acid juices such as orange, tomato,grapefruit, pineapple, snappy tom, are commonly the culprit.

Juice becomes a problem for a couple of reasons. First of all, a glass of juice usually represents several pieces of the fruit. For example, most glasses of orange juice are made from three to five oranges. Not many of you would eat three to five oranges at one time day after day. Digestively most of us just can't handle that much acid. But that glass of juice is downed in seconds.

For a few people just eating one orange, strawberry or piece of pineapple will cause these painful ulcers the first fruit that comes in season. Chemically these food during the digestive process are broken down into carbon and water. However, some individuals find it difficult or impossible to utilize fruit acids. Prunes, plums, cran- berries, sour cherries and rhubarb are benzoic or oxalic acid fruits and these are particularly difficult to digest and should therefore be greatly minimized in dietary use.

Because so many individuals use canned and frozen varieties of juices it should be kept in mind that the fruit used for these purposes often is the poorest on the tree? the culls not acceptable for sale to eat. This fruit is higher in acidity and lower in sugar. In fact, the State of Florida allows addition of sugar to their orange juice in order to compete with ours in California.

A number of people who don't eat fruit also get cold sores. These herpetic or apthous ulcers are, insome, due to allergies. The most frequent offenders are chocolate, nuts, rye bread or rye crackers, but any food can be a cause. Making a list of everything one had to eat and drink for the one to two days before the breakout can, after a few attacks, lead to the trouble causer.

It has been found that the phosphorus level off the saliva of those people prone to cold sores is often lower in those having difficulty in digesting organic acid foods. Also, people with low amounts of the stomach's digestive acid are more prone as are hypothyroid cases A vast number of different kinds of treatments are prescribed by dentists to hand these ulcers once they occur.

Most of them have to be applied daily for a week to ten days.even when done professionally. One product which works extremely well, usually with only extremely well, usually with only one treatment, is Solution Negatan, a product of savage Laboratories. As it is caustic acid and not a home remedy, have your dentist or physician purchase the negatan and use it in treatment for you. It is excellent for any mucous membrane ulcer in the mouth or vagina but is absolutely non-effective on the lips or els where.

It is only slightly painful on application but wonderfully relieves the pain in but a few minutes, allowing immediate eating without discomfort. Home treatment with vitamin E ointment or an E capsule opened, and the oil rubbed on the ulcer, is helpful to many. Chewing vitamin E capsule to get the oil on the ulcer is somewhat easier than breaking or cutting a capsule. Lactobacillus acidophilus tablet or yogurt or buttermilk are also helpful to many cases as are supplements to replace deficient stomach acid. If you are fortunate to sense an ulcer just as it start to appear, a high dosage of vitamin B-complex will at times stop it in its tracks. Once established the B vitamins don't seem to affect the healing too greatly.

Copyright (c) 2007 Sung Lee, and George Meinig D.D.S