By Marge Roberts, BSN, MSHP, DAHom
I grew up in rural Wisconsin on a dairy farm and it could get very, very, very cold in the winter. Our old farm house was heated with a single wood burning furnace located in the basement. It did have a blower but only for the main floor. We kids slept upstairs where the only heat was that which passed up the stairs or through the ceiling. We could see our breath on some winter nights.
Regardless of the weather, the cows had to be milked every morning and every night. Summer or winter, rain or shine, the work on a dairy farm was never-ending. I loved being outside and still do; I enjoyed the summer but dreaded the winters. After high school, I went to the University of Wisconsin for my nursing degree. Not having a car, I walked several miles to the campus each day for my classes. If you are old enough to remember the 70s, I was blessed that maxi-coats were in style. I often say that I was cold the first 23 years of my life, at which time I moved to Texas.
One thing I could count on every winter – I would have several cold sore outbreaks. And most of the time they were HUGE, running down my chin and looking horrific.
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) and may spread to the face or genitals through close contact such as kissing and sharing eating utensils, razors or towels. Some who carry the virus never manifest a cold sore but can spread the virus to others.
Cold sores may be triggered by stress, a viral infection or fever, hormonal changes such as menstruation, fatigue, exposure to sunlight or wind, changes in the immune system or injury to the skin. Mine are triggered by cold or whenever I get chilled.
I wish I had known about the Newton Cold Sores complex back in the day. When I met Newton, in the late 1990s, I was introduced to clinical homeopathy and the Cold Sores complex. I take the complex when I first get that itching and tingling feeling. I have not had a cold sore outbreak for many years, but I always have the complex handy whether at home or on the road. If I wake up in the middle of the night with the tingling, I get out of bed to take it; I don’t wait until morning.
With cold weather upon us and fatigue and stress permeating the air, or if you get cold sores triggered by other events, consider stocking your medicine chest with a bottle of the Cold Sores complex, and begin taking at the onset of any symptom of a cold sore outbreak. The Newton liquid complexes are preserved in alcohol and bear no expiration date; you can have it in your medicine chest for when/if you need it and don’t have to worry about it expiring. It’s on sale this month so buy several, one to keep at home, one at the office and one to keep in your car.