Tim again here, Sonja is out at her book club tonight and left me all by myself, poor me!

A new development, I found a magic cure for Sonja’s eye….. maybe…..

As you may know she has a virus in her right eye. A form of Herpes called ‘Stromal keratitis’ which is when the infection goes deeper into the layers of the cornea. Nasty.

She has been suffering with an outbreak for a while now and the drugs she has been on have been making her very achy and sick, knocking her for a loop. We have been getting really frustrated with the lack of progress and the effort her specialist is making so I decided to do some research.

Interesting stuff as it turns out. There seemed be two main additional non-drug related treatments touted on the web. One is all to do with Body pH which on closer inspection seems to be a load of bunkum. It is the idea that your body’s alkalinity or acidity can affect your susceptibility to various diseases. For the bottom line of this subject go here:

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/reams.html

What a great site this is BTW.

The other is all about a natural amino acid called Lysine.

Never heard of it? Well neither had I. Here’s a summary of what is claimed about it:
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Lysine is an amino acid that you obtain naturally through your diet. Taken in adequate dosages, this amino acid has been scientifically proven to “slow down” and retard the growth of the herpes virus, as well as inhibit viral replication. Studies have shown that supplements of Lysine can reduce the frequency and intensity of herpes and cold sore outbreaks.
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I found plenty of information to support this claim and almost nothing criticizing it or describing any negative side effects. BTW a great site I found for learning what is real and what is a scam, or myth related, is Quackwatch, http://www.quackwatch.org/

For some sites that talk specifically about Lysine go here:
http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/herpes_treatments.htm
http://www.herpes.com/Treatment.shtml

Here’s the thing:
There are two amino acids that have been found to significantly influence herpes, they are Lysine and Arginine. It has been established that Arginine can provoke outbreaks and is required by the herpes simplex virus to replicate and cause symptoms. Tissue culture studies show that Lysine works by repressing the metabolism of Arginine, an amino acid that is essential for the herpes virus to replicate and become active.

Clinical studies have also shown that Lysine taken in small concentrations has a limited effect, if any, on the herpes virus. When taken at a dosage of 1250mg per day or higher, however the results are significant.

Foods that contain high amounts of Arginine – to be avoided, include nuts, gelatin, chocolate and coconut.

Foods high in Lysine – to be preferred, include most fruits and vegetables particularly mango, apricots, pears, apples and figs also milk and dairy products (including ice-cream, cheese and yogurt) and eggs.

While this suggests that eating healthy amounts of foods rich in Lysine and low in Arginine is a good idea they tend to balance each other out and are therefore unlikely to provide sufficient amounts of Lysine to have the required effect.

For a full list of food containing Lysine and Arginine go here:
http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/diet_and_nutrition_with_herpes.htm

Sonja has been talking gelatin, as it allegedly aids in reduction of joint pain and growth of hair and nails. It is however high in Arginine so it may be that she has been actually aiding the virus to replicate!

Anyhow she decided (somewhat skeptically) to give Lysine a try. It is available relatively cheaply at most drug stores.

She started a 2,000mg per day regime starting Friday 6th February. And so far, against all expectations, she has felt immediately better, perceiving a reduction in aches and pains and much less of a sick stomach.

So how real is this effect? Sonja is very aware of the placebo effect as a possible explanation. However, the other medicines that the doctor has prescribed do not seem to be controlling the virus and are certainly making her feel very sick. So she intends keep up the Lysine regime for the time being and monitoring the results carefully.

She is back to the doctor Tuesday 17th February to see how the virus is progressing. Keep your figures crossed for her!!!!

If the positive effect continues this may make for an interesting discussion with her doctor…