My Very Small Pest

One of the nonhuman residents in my body is a herpes virus. In the lip, thank goddess. He likes to come and hang out after I get sunburned, even just a little. Like I told you, the sun zaps my immune system. So when I went to the beach a week and a half ago, I was well aware that if my sunblock/shade combo was not 100%, I'd probably be getting a visit from Herpie.

By the time we were heading back, on Tues. the 29th, he was sending me emails. If I get my remedies on at that times, he might decide to go back and hide in my spine. By that evening I had some remedy on, and I thought he was just going to leave a note on the door, but by the next day there he was lounging on my lip. So no kissy-kissy for part 2 of vacation, the 4th of July weekend! Wah!

My consistent treatments since then lessened the average 3-4 week average visit of a herpes outbreak to a little over a week. There was no free beer in the fridge, so Herpie decided to go back to where he lives, which is between two vertebrae in my neck, next to my spine.

Ivieee's herpes simplex protocol: I wear dark lipstick if I am going to be in the sun. Sunblock lipbalms and such wear off and have an SPF nowhere close to my Manic Panic Purple Haze lipstick. (LM hates lipstick, so I didn't wear it at the beach this time! Is that love, or stupidity?) If your lips get sun exposure, or if you do whatever it is that triggers a sore, lick your lip and apply a dusting of Goldenseal powder right on the spot. (One single capsule is enough for a whole round of therapy, and for some reason the tincture of Goldenseal does not seem to help me.) When it wears off, do it again. That always does it for me, if I get it on by the "tingle" stage. I didn't get to it in time this time, so I kept applying the Goldenseal powder, and alternated it with some of my Natural Magic Healing oil, because it has a little real Lemon Balm (Melissa) essential oil in it. This stuff is fabulously expensive, and very effective against Herpie. Finally, I had just made a tincture of Prickly Ash, and because of its topical anaesthetic properties, I put that on straight. It sure did kill the pain, and I wonder if its antimicrobial properties are effective on viruses too? Anyway, I never did get a big sore, it didn't hurt much, and it is almost gone now, and I'm sure looking forward to some good kissin!