A recent Listener article (Feb 2017) discusses an interesting new study which is looking to establish whether honey – a known wound healer – is as an effective cold sore treatment as Acyclovir, which is considered the gold-standard for cold-sore treatment.
So far, 450 participants with a cold sore that has already formed a blister (ie past the pre-sore tingly stage) have been randomly assigned to either a free tube of the medical grade kanuka honey product or a free tube of Acyclovir. Over the next two weeks the participants are sent a daily text reminding them to fill in an electronic diary with details of when they use the treatment, how painful their cold sore is and bow quickly it is healing.
The article explains that “honey has been used to treat wounds for thousands of years and its use is becoming more popular because of growing concerns about both antibacterial resistance and antiviral resistance”. An earlier, smaller pilot study showed that the medical grade honey being tested reduced the amount of time it took for a cold sore to heal by one to two days compared with a reduction of about half a day for acyclovir.
We look forward to hearing the outcome of the study. Until the results of this study are out, the best current advice is to apply acyclovir as early as possible at the tingly stage. However another study in 2014 showed that treatment with a dental Laser significantly reduced the discomfort and duration of the cold sore ulcer. Jeremy has received training for this pioneering treatment and would be happy to discuss the treatment procedure with anyone who is suffering from the virus.
Also, please remember and remind friends and family to be extra careful around newborns as contraction of the Herpes virus (from which coldsores arise) can be fatal. It is for this reason that some experts advise against any kissing of a newborn’s lips up until they are 6 months old in case the virus is contracted.
If you would like any more information about our ulcer treatment or any other type of treatment then please contact us at one of our practices in Takapuna or the CBD.