Recently Diagnosed with Herpes? Advice just for you!

So you went to your doctor for a routine exam, he or she noticed a small bump on your private areas – and suggested a blood test to rule out the herpes simplex virus. You may have noticed the bump but thought nothing of it. Perhaps it looked like a shaving bump, or a bug bite – whatever the case is…genital herpes was the very last thing on your mind. You leave the doctors office, nervous – but sure that you couldn’t possibly have that disease. A few days later you receive a call from your doctor who nonchalantly tells you that your test results were positive for the herpes virus. She offers to give you a prescription for suppressive treatments and reminds you to come back in one year.

Just like that your entire life is turned upside down. What should you do? How will people react? Should you tell your best friend? How is this going to impact my dating life? You will have an endless amount of questions running through your mind. The very first thing you will need to do is just take a step back – and relax. As difficult as that may seem – it is very important to remain calm. Stressing out will only make your outbreaks worse.

1. How did this happen to me?: You have to stop blaming yourself. Even using condoms 100% of the time won’t protect a person from contracting genital herpes. This is a virus that can go years upon years without detection and often shows no outward signs of infection. Having herpes doesn’t make you dirty or promiscuous.

2. I can’t believe he or she did this to me!: The next stage in dealing with a herpes diagnosis is to blame your most recent sexual partner, but the truth is – herpes can’t always be traced back to your last partner. Once again, it can literally remain dormant in a persons system for a long time – without them even knowing it. Unless you’ve been tested in the past for HSV 1 and 2, it’s very difficult to pin point when and where you contracted it.

3. No one will want to date or marry me: This is totally false! There are millions of happily married couples where one person has herpes and the other person does not. Dating and relationships are difficult enough, dating with herpes does complicate things – but it won’t make it impossible. You will need to be responsible in dating, but that’s the case even without herpes.

4. I won’t be able to have children: This is another totally inaccurate myth! Herpes simplex virus has absolutely no effect on your ability to have children. If you are a woman, your doctor will likely suggest that you deliver through a Cesarean section (also known as a c-section) to avoid the risk of passing on to your child, but herpes has no effect on conception.

Herpes is not a death sentence, it is manageable as long as you have the right attitude, a healthy diet, and effective treatment options

Recently Diagnosed with Herpes: Know the Facts!

Transmission is caused by close oral, anal, or genital contact, including intercourse, masturbation, kissing, or any direct skin-to-skin contact which allows for the transfer of bodily fluids.
A person is considered contagious when prodromal symptoms, active sores, and healing lesions are present.
Herpes is potentially contagious when no symptoms are present. That is, a person who has genital herpes is potentially always shedding active virus.
Approximately 1 in 6 members of the general infected population is thought to shed active virus occasionally without symptoms.
Some people do not get typical blister-like sores but harbor active virus in their saliva, vaginal, or penile secretions, and can shed the virus without knowing they have herpes.
Lesions can occur deep inside the vagina where they cannot be seen or felt, but can readily transmit the virus.
An uninfected individual has about a 75% chance of contracting herpes during intimate contact with someone actively shedding virus.
Oral herpes can be transmitted to the genitals, and vice versa. Symptoms are similar.
Auto-inoculation: An infected individual can spread the virus to other parts of his or her body by touching an area shedding virus and then touching, scratching, or rubbing another susceptible part of the body. Towels are especially conducive to this.
It is possible for a person to contract genital herpes if the partner with oral herpes performs oral sex. Oral herpes can be transmitted to the genitals, and vice versa. Symptoms are similar.
Environmental surfaces like toilet seats may be a source of contagion, but there is no evidence that this poses a real threat to the general population. Experts differ as to how long the virus can survive on its own. The primary cause of infection remains intimate contact.

Does HPV caused Throat Cancer?

Changing sexual practices have led to a dramatic rise in throat cancer in the United States over the past two decades, and experts say they fear an epidemic of the disease.

The comments were made Wednesday at a news conference held by the American Association for Cancer Research to discuss research into the role of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV) in head and neck cancer.

Increasing rates of HPV infection, spread through oral sex, is largely driving the rapid rise in oropharyngeal cancers, which include tumors of the throat, tonsils, and base of the tongue, said Scott Lippman, MD, who chairs the thoracic department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Studies of oropharyngeal tumor tissue stored 20 years ago show that only around 20% are HPV positive, Lippman said. Today it is estimated that 60% of patients are infected with the virus.

“The percentage of oropharyngeal cancers that are HPV positive is much higher now than it was 20 years ago,” he said. “This is a real trend, and that is why there is concern of an epidemic given that fact that oropharyngeal cancer is increasing at an alarming rate.”

Changing Face of Throat Cancer

Smoking and alcohol abuse were once considered the only major risk factors for these cancers, but this is no longer the case.

American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis Brawley, MD, said as many as half of the oropharyngeal cancers diagnosed today appear to be caused by HPV infection.

“Changing sexual practices over the last 20 years, especially as they relate to oral sex, are increasing the rate of head and neck cancers and may be increasing the rates of other cancers as well,” he said.

He added that there is some evidence that oral HPV infection is also a risk factor for a type of cancer of the esophagus.

“The paradigm is changing,” Lippman said. “The types of patients we are seeing now with oropharyngeal cancers are not the patients we have classically seen who were older, smokers, and have lots of other problems. These are young people, executives, a whole different population.”

Oral Sex Not Safe Sex

The experts agreed that it is critical for the public to understand that oral sex doesn’t equal safe sex.

The message was unofficially promoted in the early days of the HIV epidemic and it is still widely believed by many, especially teens.

Studies suggest that teens are often unaware of the risks associated with unprotected oral sex, including the transmission of HPV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.

“There is a huge public health message here,” Brawley said.

Article courtesy of: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=104215

How Do I Know if I have Herpes?

With more and more people having sex in today’s culture and with less and less information being known about sexually transmitted diseases, it is common that people aren’t sure what the symptoms and signs are of different sexually transmitted diseases. When it comes to a certain disease, a common question could be “how do you know if you have genital herpes?”

The first way you know if you have genital herpes is by the features that will show up. These include itching, pain, and sores in the genital area or around your mouth and face. Unfortunately, these symptoms do not always show up right away so you could have contracted the disease long before you know you have it. The symptoms of genital herpes are the least prevalent of any sexually transmitted disease which makes it one of the most fearsome in the respect that you could have the disease, not know it because of lack of signs, and therefore infect someone else without knowing it. This fear is what makes it important to answer the question how to do you know if you have genital herpes. When symptoms do present themselves, the first outbreak is usually the worst. The good news is that some people never experience another outbreak. The bad news is that some people can experience outbreaks up to 40 years past the first one.

Some symptoms of genital herpes are small, red bumps and blisters or open sores in the genital and anal area. Also, pain and/or itching around the genital, anal, and thigh area. The first outbreak begins within weeks of being infected starting with itching, which turns into small, red bumps or blisters, which end up as open sores that ooze, they scab over and eventually heal, but the infection is permanent; there is no known cure for this disease. Other symptoms are that it may be painful to urinate and the genital area may be tender until the outbreak is over. During the first outbreak, you may experience the same symptoms as you would if you had the flu: headache, muscle aches, and fever.

If you think you have herpes, you need to see a doctor because they are the ones who can answer the question “how do you know if you have genital herpes” for sure. If you find out you do have it, it is important to be honest and tell every sexual partner you have about it so they can get tested as well.

Information on Genital Herpes

Genital herpes is the sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex type 2 virus – also referred to as HSV2. It is also possible to contract genital herpes through having oral sex with someone who has cold sores, or the herpes simplex type 1 virus.

Herpes type I (cold sores) and Herpes type II (genital) are both caused by the same virus. The only difference between the two viruses is where the virus itself is located. The virus that causes genital herpes (herpes type II) is located in the base of the spine, this is what causes herpes type II related outbreaks to appear below the waist line. Genital herpes can appear anywhere below the waist, this includes the buttocks, thighs and pelvis.

Symptoms of herpes outbreaks typically begin with pain, tenderness, or itching in the genital area and may also include fever and headache. Bumps and blisters may appear on the vagina, penis, scrotum, anus, thigh, or buttocks. Blisters soon open to form painful sores that can last up to 3 weeks.

Other symptoms may include: pain or a burning sensation during urination; muscle aches; and tender, swollen glands in the groin area. After the first herpes infection, the virus can lie dormant without causing any symptoms. But the virus might reactivate later, leading to sores that usually don’t last as long as those during the first outbreak. The virus tends to reactivate following some type of stress, like a cold, an infection, hormone changes, menstrual periods, or even before a big test at school.

According to the CDC, ninety percent of the people affected with herpes type I or II are unaware of their status. The herpes virus can lie dormant for years. Often times, a person may have herpes symptoms that they mistake for something else. Because most herpes outbreaks aren’t major or that severe, it is easy to pass them off as shaving bumps, acne, allergic reactions or anything else that may cause small bumps.
Herpes is very contagious and is passed through the mucous membranes via skin to skin contact. Many people may not realize this, however condoms do not protect against herpes. This is because condoms do not completely cover the genital area. So if someone is experiencing an outbreak on their scrotum, and it rubs against a woman’s vagina or anus – the virus can be spread.

There is no cure for genital herpes, however there are suppressive treatments such as Valtrex. There are also natural treatments for herpes outbreaks.

If you have been diagnosed with genital herpes, the best thing you can do is to remain as healthy and stress free as possible. Stress and a poor diet are triggers to herpes outbreaks.

Our Recommendations for Natural Outbreak Treatments:

• Natural Herpes Outbreak Treatment

• Take Control of your Herpes

• Treat Outbreaks Naturally

Information about Oral Herpes

Herpes Simplex I – also known as oral herpes or cold sores is a very common skin condition. It is estimated that somewhere between fifty to eight percent of the adult population in the United States has oral herpes with many of them receiving it as children through an innocent kiss from a friend or relative. Because it is so common, many people consider cold sores to be an “ok” form of herpes, while they consider herpes type II or genital herpes to be the “bad” type of herpes. The truth of the matter is, they are both caused by the same virus. Not only that, but a person with oral herpes can pass on their virus to a persons genitals (through oral sex) and the other person will now be at risk for genital herpes.

Much like genital herpes, oral herpes is contracted through skin to skin contact through the mucous membrane tissue. A person need not have any visible symptoms present to pass the herpes virus along to someone else.

Herpes Simplex is a very tricky virus because it will often lie dormant or have long periods of latency where there are little to no visible symptoms. A healthy immune system, diet and emotional stability will lead to less severe and infrequent outbreaks. It is important to eat well, avoid sugars, caffeine and stress.
While symptoms of oral herpes most commonly appear on or around the lips, oral herpes is not always limited to this area. For some, symptoms may appear between the upper lip, on or inside the nose, or on the chin or cheek. In these instances, herpes is referred to as oral-facial herpes.

Oral HSV-1 is especially common, with many people acquiring it during early childhood or adolescence. You have most likely seen someone experiencing an oral herpes outbreak before.

A primary infection with oral herpes can be similar to a first episode of genital herpes in that pronounced symptoms occur. During the first episode, classic lesions tend to form as small fluid-filled blisters that can appear as a single blister or in a cluster. Sores may also appear inside the mouth or on the back of the throat, and the lymph nodes in the neck may swell.

Much like genital herpes, however, symptoms of oral herpes can be very mild and go unnoticed. Subtle symptoms can be easily mistaken for another infection or condition such as a small crack or cut in the skin, chapped lips, bug bite, or a pimple, to name a few examples.

At least a quarter of people with oral herpes experience recurrences. Again, as with the first episode, symptoms vary from person to person. Lesions may appear as either a blister or a cluster of blisters or sores. It is possible that a recurrence will involve only the subtle symptoms described above.
The treatments available for oral herpes are the same drugs used for genital herpes including Valtrex and Acyclovir. There are also natural treatments for oral herpes outbreaks.

Our Recommendations for Natural Outbreak Treatments:

• Natural Herpes Outbreak Treatment

• Take Control of your Herpes

• Treat Outbreaks Naturally