What causes colds sores and fever blisters (oral herpes) in the majority of people - but not in everyone? Please let me have a moment to show you what causes cold sores in 99% of these cases.

Initially, what causes cold sores in everyone is the herpes simplex virus, either type 1 or type 2. Both types produce identical sores.

The herpes virus, most of your life, is inactive - hiding deep in the nerves, where your facial nerves connect. About a third of those infected will never know they are infected because their body will keep it from activating.

If the herpes virus senses the right conditions, it will travel through the nerves to the surface of your face. It enters surface nerve cells and makes them create clones of the virus.

As the cells become full of newly created virus, you will notice swelling of the area. When full, the cells are destroyed to release the virus. This is what makes the open sore.

The herpes virus is the root cause of all cold sore, fever blister and oral herpes outbreaks. But what are the right conditions in our body that activates the virus and causes cold sores?

There are a number of things that can cause the virus to activate. Below you will discover the three triggers responsible for 99% of the outbreaks.

1. LOW LEVEL OF IMMUNITY.

An effective immune response is directly related to the quality of your antibodies. Certain factors must be available for your body to build great antibodies.

The strength of your antibodies is directly affected by the quality and quantity of nutrients in your diet. This includes both food and nutritional supplements.

Frequent cold sore events mean your immune system is too weak to protect you. You should begin eating more vegetables - especially those grown organically. Your best quality nutrients, by far, come from the foods you eat.

In addition, it would be smart to add a daily multi-vitamin to your diet. This makes all the difference for many folks in preventing cold sores. But, beware of those worthless grocery store vitamin pills.

Find a reputable store that specializes in vitamins. They will have the quality products you need. Look for high levels of B and C vitamins. These burn up fast when under stress.

2. HIGH ARGININE CONTENT IN THE CELLS.

You hear a lot about these two amino acids in relation to cold sores. They are both essential to your overall health. They also play a big role in cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes.

For the cell to create new particles of herpes simplex virus, it must have ample arginine nearby. Without this one main building-block, virus cannot be created. Thus a cold sore is avoided.

Lysine is not friendly to herpes simplex virus creation. In fact, it is like putting water on a fire. Your cells store both these amino acids in the same area. Space is limited - the more of one protein, the less space for the other.

Eating high lysine foods - dairy products and fish, for example - crowds out a lot of the arginine. Lysine capsules are available and a great way to go. Often this lysine remedy is enough to prevent cold sores for many.

3. YOUR ACID-ALKLINE BALANCE IS TOWARD THE ACID SIDE.

To remain in perfect health, your body needs to be on the alkaline side of the pH scale. The pH scale has 14 points. 7 is neutral. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline.

Your system will usually range between 6.5 to 7.35 pH. Any drop below 7 moves you into the acid range and creates the right conditions for activating the herpes simplex virus and causing cold sores.

The herpes virus loves an acid environment. This also means lower oxygen levels and weak immune defense. Contributing factors that acidify your body include coffee, carbonated drinks, sugar and tobacco. Surprisingly, citrus fruits do not.

Also, winter causes cold sores because it causes your body to move toward an unhealthy acid level. Cold, less exercise, lower intake of vegetables and limited outdoor activity all play a big part in acidifying your system.

If you have a cold sore problem, avoid the acid foods mentioned previously. To keep your pH level alkaline is easy. Eat calcium-rich green vegetables such as cabbage and asparagus. Vitamin stores have alkaline-raising supplements too.

If you want to know what causes cold sores, there is much more we could talk about. But, the three things mentioned in this article will likely answer what causes cold sores for you.

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