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Oral Herpes simplex in children
What can I advise for my grandson who suffers with bouts of oral Herpes Simplex? His GP can offer not help at all and his dentist prescribed a Zovirax suspension, which helped but which is not the answer. Every time he gets a cold, he gets a mouthful of these sores which spread down his throat and stop him from eating. He is almost three.
The first thing to remember when dealing with any herpes infection is that the virus, which lives in nerve cells, cannot be killed off says Max Tomlinson, a naturopath who is based at Pure Medicine in Harley Street. (020 7486 0908). So the best you can do for your grandson is to support his immune system which has clearly taken something of a battering.
Diet has a direct impact on the immune system and according to Tomlinson, all junk food - including sugar, sweets, chocolate, cakes and biscuits - will exacerbate the problem, so cut these out. When he does have an outbreak, avoid citrus fruits and juices, almonds, grains, corn, chicken, dairy, meat and peanuts since these all contain an amino-acid called L-arginine. This acts in the body to suppress another immune acid called L-Lysine which would otherwise suppress the growth of the virus.
You can also use supplements to minimise the risk of another outbreak but since you are dealing with a very young child, take care with the dosages. Tomlinson recommends using Emergen-C, which provides vitamin C in powder form making it a good option for children. He should also take half the adult dose of liquid echinacea, three times a day.
A good liquid multivitamin formulated for children will provide all the B vitamins to keep the nervous system calm. Hypericum has an anti-viral action and will act as a painkiller so give half the adult dose and when he has an outbreak, soothe his throat with tea tree lozenges.