Herpes Testing Blog

This article has the point of dispelling some common myths about genital herpes, and also of  spreading the news about prevention.

Herpes is a very common virus: the CDC estimates that as many as 45 million people ages 12 and older are infected with genital herpes.  This is about one in five adolescents and adults.  This means that it is very likely that you or someone you know have this virus.

Many people that have genital herpes may not know that they have it because they either have very mild symptoms or they mistake the symptoms – such as painful urination in women – for another condition such as a yeast infection.

Just by taking some simple precautions, including using a condom and taking anti-herpetic medicine, you can protect yourself and your partner from getting the virus. Another way, possibly the most effective way, to prevent herpes (or any other STD) transmission is for you and your partner to be tested and known to be uninfected.

What is genital herpes?

Genital herpes is caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which can invade the body through a crack in the skin or through the mucosa of the mouth or genital areas. Signs of a HSV-2 infection are usually one or more blisters on or around the rectum or genitals. When the blisters eventually break, they leave tender ulcers or sores. Those can take two to four weeks to heal after the first breakout. Typically future breakouts will be less severe and have a shorter healing time.

Viral activity tends to decrease with time. This means that as time progresses, somebody with herpes will have less frequent and less severe outbreaks.

Did you know?

Genital herpes can spread whether or not there are symptoms present or if there have never been signs or symptoms.
Herpes is likely to be spread 3-5 days before a breakout.
Having genital herpes can make you two to five times more susceptible to HIV infection.
Condoms do not fully protect you against HSV-2 because the virus can infect areas not covered by the condom.
Even if you are not having a herpes outbreak, you may still “shed” the virus.

How can you protect yourself and your partner?

Abstinence is the only 100 percent effective way to ensure against the spread of any STD including genital herpes. Herpes can also be spread without the presence of signs or symptoms. Condoms act as a physical barrier against the spread of the virus, but they are only effective at protecting the area that it covers, which is probably not the only part of you that is coming in contact with your partner when you are having sex.

There are also over-the-counter as well as prescription medicines that one can take to suppress the frequency and severity of the outbreaks.  In doing so, they also reduce the risk of transmitting the virus. If you are interested in this, the best thing to do would be to ask you doctor about your options

Because such a high number of people are unaware that they are infected with genital herpes, testing for herpes is the best way to determine your status. A long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected is one of the best ways to remain disease-free.

*For the original article, please refer to http://www.hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

“People are very shy talking about it,” he says on the line from his Sunshine Coast home. “They suffer feelings of shame, guilt, of feeling dirty….For some people, having herpes can feel like having leprosy.”

There are several varieties of the virus, like herpes zoster (chicken pox and shingles) and human-papillomavirus, one of the most common sexually transmitted viral infections. Then there is herpes simplex, which can cause sores around the mouth or in the genital area. The last type affects nearly one-quarter of American adults, according to this month’s issue of the University of California, Berkeley’s, Wellness Letter, and about 500,000 new cases occur each year. And it’s genital herpes that causes the most anguish.

“The psychological or emotional impact is worse than the physical effects,” Scipio says. “For people who are in relationships with someone who’s not infected, the stress of potentially infecting a partner is a prime trigger for outbreaks.

“One of my clients is a 17-year-old girl who got herpes from her first boyfriend. She’s completely traumatized. That’s the last thing you want to deal with when you’re just starting your sex life….I’m sad to report that a large number of people are now celibate or cut back on their social lives because of having herpes.”

According to Health Canada, genital herpes is most commonly spread during sex by direct contact with open sores. That includes oral sex, from cold sores on the mouth. Once you have herpes, you are infected for life. Symptoms include tingling or itching around the genitals within a week of having sex with an infected partner. That’s followed by the appearance of a cluster of tiny blisters that burst and leave painful wounds for as long as three weeks. The first outbreak often comes with or is preceded by flulike symptoms such as chills and fever. Once the sores heal, the virus retreats to nerve cells and stays dormant until the next attack.

According to the Wellness Letter, it’s not clear why the virus reemerges: “Many people believe that emotional stress brings on attacks of both genital and oral herpes, and there’s some evidence to support this.”

Scipio subscribes to the theory that stress can trigger outbreaks, a phenomenon he sees as one of virus’s positive aspects.

“It’s a very good barometer; it’s a warning sign when you’re out of balance,” he says. “If you’re not in balance, you’ll have problems. So having herpes forces you to eat healthily, to deal with stress in a constructive way, and to examine your lifestyle. It forces you to stay away from caffeine, cigarettes, too much sugar and processed foods; things you should be staying away from anyway.”

He also says he believes the virus can have a beneficial effect on your personal life. “It’s a litmus test for who really cares about you,” Scipio says. “If you’re in a relationship and you tell them you have herpes, if all of a sudden they aren’t interested anymore–or if they are still interested–it’s affirmation of their desire for you.”

Having the virus also forces carriers to be honest and to practice safe sex, he notes, adding that with a few precautions, herpes doesn’t mean people can’t have good sex lives. Using a condom is vital, even when there are no visible sores, but the areas of the skin, including the anal area, that aren’t covered by a condom aren’t protected, Health Canada states.

There’s no cure, but treatment can shorten attacks and reduce the pain of the sores.

Conventional treatment involves taking prescription antiviral drugs like Zovirax (acyclovir), Valtrex (valacyclovir), and Famvir (famciclovir). They help promote healing and suppress future outbreaks. According to a new study published in the January 1, 2004, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, taking valacyclovir every day can cut the transmission of genital herpes by as much as 48 percent. GlaxoSmithKline, which manufactures the drug, sponsored the study.

Taking daily medication for a year or more is an approach known as suppressive therapy. The Wellness Letter states that suppressive therapy keeps herpes from recurring in 60 to 90 percent of people. “These drugs have been extensively studied and appear to be very safe, with few side effects, even if taken for years,” it says.

Scipio disagrees, arguing that prescription drugs can have side effects worse than the illness they’re supposed to fight. When he starting taking pharmaceuticals years ago, he found himself experiencing migraine headaches for the first time in his life. Scipio says antivirals do have a place in herpes treatment, particularly among those who have just been diagnosed and need some time to adjust to the shock, but he notes the drugs are costly, as much as $200 a month.

He has developed a protocol consisting of herbs and homeopathic agents that he claims is effective and inexpensive. Each client’s regimen is different, but he generally suggests combining internal and topical remedies. The most common herbs he uses include lemon balm, olive leaf, and desert parsley. He sometimes incorporates Bach Flower Essences, which he says can help people deal with emotional strain. While Scipio is convinced, many conventional health professionals would likely argue that the efficacy of herbal substances to treat herpes isn’t proven, and that just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Scipio offers regular clinics around the Lower Mainland, including in Vancouver (on the 14th of every month). He also offers an on-line clinic which he says appeals to many because it’s private. (For details, go to his Web site at www.natropractica.com/.)

Although Scipio understands people’s desire for secrecy, he hopes that will change.

“I counsel people to make peace with the disease,” he says. “I encourage people not to be ashamed and to have the courage to speak out, to not feel like a leper.”

Congratulations!  You’ve finally decided to stop being ashamed of your genital herpes and address the issue straight on.  Lucky for you, you have some excellent options when it comes to treating genital herpes.

Valtrex is a drug specifically designed to attack herpes straight on.  It has three main uses.  Valtrex works wonders on cold sores, helps prevent outbreaks of genital herpes, and treats herpes Zoster, also known as shingles.  Valtrex is safe for almost anyone to use, except in a few specific cases.  If you’re pregnant, have a weak immune system, or suffering from a kidney problem, ask your doctor before taking Valtrex.  He may prescribe a lower dose, or an alternate medication.  If you’re allergic to acyclovir, you shouldn’t take Valtrex either.  If you’re currently taking probenecid or cimetidine, your doctor may also recommend a lower dosage.  Other than that, though, Valtrex is the perfect solution to your herpes problem.  Valtrex is available with a prescription at your local pharmacy, and generic Valtrex is readily available online.

As soon as you feel that slight tingling sensation on your lips, where you know you’re about to get that nasty looking cold sore, that’s when you know it’s time to break out the Valtrex.  The earlier in the outbreak you take them, the better and more efficiently it works.  That’s why it’s important to have a supply of Valtrex available, even before you feel your next outbreak coming on.  Take 2 grams of Valtrex two times in that first day, and you have a good chance at killing that cold sore before it even comes to the surface.

For genital herpes, you take the full regimen, twice a day for ten days (meaning you need a total of 20 1-gram pills), the first time you have an outbreak, because the first outbreak is usually the most severe.  After that, the next time you feel an outbreak coming on, take two pills, twice a day for three days (a total of six pills), and you can usually pre-empt any future outbreaks.

For more information, please refer to http://www.pro-medics.com/

The herpes simplex virus (HSV) can infect the eye and sometimes causes so much damage that the person’s cornea must be replaced with a transplant. (The cornea is the clear covering of the front of the eye that helps focus light for vision.) Doctors knew transplants were more likely to fail in people with HSV than in patients with other disorders, such as keratoconus, an abnormal steepening of the cornea.

This higher failure rate occurred even when HSV infection did not appear to be active in patients. Researchers at the Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, theorized that such patients might have corneal inflammation that could not be detected upon clinical examination but might increase the risk of transplant rejection.

Unlike organ transplants, in corneal procedures the new tissue is placed on a bed of existing tissue. Though HSV had been inactive for six months before surgery in 81 percent of patients, microscopic evidence of inflammation was found in 74 percent, and the transplant failure rate did indeed correlate with the presence of this biomarker.

“It is also possible that treating inflammation intensively before corneal transplant surgery would reduce the risk of rejection,” said Dr. Roni M. Shtein, MD, MS, cornea specialist and lead author of the report.

For the full article, please refer to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701082702.htm

Pro-medics.com, the online pharmaceutical company, announced their sales addition of the new herpes medication, Generic Valtrex. This innovative drug treatment has just recently become FDA approved for the prevention and treatment of Genital Herpes.

Valtrex is an anti-viral medication that has been medically proven to treat both cold sores and shingles, as well as shorten the length of Herpes treatment time.

Ralphe Rowe, Company Product manager explained, “Unfortunately, Genital Herpes has been currently increasing in appearance amongst the American public, involving a series of embarrassing and uncomfortable symptoms.” “Pro-medics online is proud to offer its customers a discreet and medically effective solution to treating the virus.”

Pro-medics online, offers its clientele free anonymous phone consultations, providing customers with live medical advice and support. This unique form of customer service alleviates the requirement of a prior prescription or potentially embarrassing visit to the doctor.

Pro-medics pharmaceuticals is known for offering its customers first rate service and quality medications at highly discounted prices. The company therefore stocks the preferred generic version of Valacyclovir, otherwise referred to as Generic Valtrex. Generic Valtrex is just as effective as its name brand counterpart, only it’s available at less than half the original drug’s price.

Regarding this decision, Pro-medics President of Sales, Sarah Tenne, explained “Our Company places an emphasis on bringing its customers quality drugs at discount prices. We see no reason for product quality to come at the expense of customer affordability”.

About Pro-Medics
Pro-Medics.com is an online pharmacy website, offering customers popularly prescribed prescription drugs. Pro-Medics also specializes in erectile dysfunction and diet pills, offering a full line of both popular brand name medications as well as their discounted generic counterparts.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/07/prweb2610284.htm.

Doctors at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have tested a gel that when applied topically in the vagina, may help prevent infection by both H.I.V. and herpes simplex virus.

The effectiveness of the gel, called PRO 2000 and made by Indevus Pharmaceuticals, was shown in a pilot study of 20 H.I.V.-infected women.

The study found that the gel significantly reduced virus levels while causing no inflammatory response, and a new study is under way to determine whether the gel causes any other side effects

A much larger study of  the gel has been financed and is to include more than 3,000 women.

Researchers have long sought such a treatment, and they want to be sure that “whatever drug makes it to the market will be safe.”

For the complete article, see http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9F00E3D71E3DF93BA35750C0A9639C8B63&scp=2&sq=herpes%20gel&st=cse.