If you are or your kids is a regular cold sore sufferer, the first thing that you should do is avoid foods that are too acidic or salty. Furthermore, foods such as chocolate, peanuts, grains, oatmeal and whole-wheat may be good for you in some ways but if you are a cold sore sufferer, these foods can exacerbate your condition because they are high in arginine.
Arginine is an essential amino acid but there is evidence that having too much of this particular amino is in conflict with lysine, another essential amino acid which helps fight against herpes simplex. Hence, cutting down on argenine-rich foods allows lysine to do its work more efficiently.
You should also increase the amount of foods that are rich in vitamins A, C and E that you consume as these vitamins help fight herpes, with a recommended dose of at least 5000 mg of vitamin C a day being highly desirable. You should also increase the amount of iron and (particularly) zinc that you ingest every day as it is believed that these trace minerals also help to keep the herpes virus under control.
Basically, what you need to do is increase your general ‘wellness’ levels because although it is not known exactly why the dormant herpes simplex virus generates cold sores every now and then, it is obvious that there must be some reason why this happens. It is also not unreasonable to assume that the stronger and healthier you are, the less likely it is to happen, so improving the overall quality of your diet might be all that you need to do to keep cold sores at bay.
Another health giving food that is widely recommended is garlic as it contains allicin which is one of the strongest natural antibacterials known to man. It is however best if garlic is taken either raw or in the form of garlic capsules because if it is cooked, a degree of the goodness is lost.
Eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is also highly advisable, with organic produce being the best because of the high level of natural nutrients contained in produce of this nature.
Lysine can be obtained from many foods such as milk, eggs, red meat, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ and fish, so one step in the right direction would be to increase the amount of these foods that you consume.
Even so, there may be times when you should boost your herpes resistance with lysine supplements as evidence indicates that thinking 1000mg of lysine three times a day reduces cold sore healing time by a considerable margin.

When it comes to the necessity of seeking treatment for burns, it is generally accepted that it is not necessary to be treated for first degree burns as natural home remedies will usually be more than enough to deal with the problem.
However, the situation with second and particularly third degree burns will often be very different, although again, there are differences to take into consideration. For example, whilst it may not always be necessary to seek treatment for second degree burns, the risk of permanent scarring could possibly be minimized by seeking medical treatment for burns of this nature.
The first thing to look for is whether the burn exhibits the characteristics of third degree or a full thickness burn. For example, if the burned area is white or charred, has a leather-like consistency or is dry and relatively painless, then it is likely that you have a third-degree burn that needs medical attention.
Remember also that minor burns can mature into more serious injuries as well, so it cannot be assumed that a minor burn is not going to become a major problem. You should therefore keep a constant watch on any burn injury that you sustain so that you can ascertain whether the injury ultimately becomes one that needs medical attention, even if it did not merit it at the beginning.
Even if the burn is clearly more of second degree injury as opposed to the more serious kind, the size of the wound is relevant to whether it is necessary to seek attention. In this scenario, most medical experts would recommend that if the burn covers an area that is more than twice the size of your palm, you should report the injury to your doctor.
Furthermore, irrespective of the size of the wound, if you suffer a second degree burn on your face, ears, near eyes, on your hands, feet or genitals, you should get the injury assessed by a medical attention. The same rule applies if the burned area is on a major joint as well, regardless of the size of the injured area.
Finally, it is an unfortunate fact that all burns are painful, irrespective of the degree or size of the injury. As suggested previously, it is very unusual to need to seek medical attention for first degree burns, but if the pain caused by it becomes unbearable, you might choose to seek medical attention to get something to deal with the pain.

Fires are more common than most of us imagine. I hate to think about what I would do should my kid get burned severely! Would I know what to do first?
In the event that there is a fire or an incident in which you sustain a thermal burn injury or injuries, there are many factors to consider depending upon the circumstances.
To begin with, if you are involved in a naked flame incident as a result of which your clothes are on fire, the first thing that you must do is put the fire out. If you are doing this for yourself, the normal recommendation is to ‘stop, drop and roll’ to extinguish the flames.
If on the other hand it is someone else whose clothes are on fire, either encourage them to follow the same routine or try to wrap them in a blanket or large towel to extinguish the flames. This works even better if the blanket or towel is damp.
Once the flames had been extinguished, remove any burnt clothing and if at all possible, remove yourself or the person you are helping from the vicinity of risk if that has not happened already.
The next step is to try to bring the injured skin area under control but in doing this, you need to apply a degree of care. This is because whilst applying cool water to the burned area within the first 30 seconds or so can limit the severity and extent of the burn damage, the water cannot be too cold and you should certainly never use ice.
Water that is too cold or ice applied to a burn wound could potentially encourage hypothermia in a patient whose burn injury is sufficiently serious and deep. In addition, applying ice to the wounded area could worsen the extent of the damage as well. For these reasons, you should only use cool water.
Finally, when you are attending someone else who appears to have been badly burned, your main focus whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive should be on keeping them both warm and still. As suggested previously, someone who has suffered third degree burns is in danger of losing body heat (particularly if the burns are extensive) and movement is not recommended.
These are just the steps you should take until the ambulance arrives!

It is one thing to get a suntan but ultraviolet light can also give us and our kids a severe burn. The most common source of ultraviolet light to which you are likely to be exposed is the sun. Under normal circumstances, the risk posed by the rays of the sun is likely to be limited as (for example) you are only out in it for less than an hour or two every day, and you are fully clothed as well.
It is nevertheless a fact that for most people, a vacation almost always involves getting out in the sunshine, which significantly increases the risk of suffering sunburn. The fact is, the majority of pale skinned Westerners are simply not designed to stay out in the sun for extended periods of time, so if this description fits, it is an extremely important factor that you must pay heed to.
The safest and easiest way of avoiding sunburn is of course to avoid the sun altogether. However, assuming that there are certain times when this is not something that you really want to do, it is absolutely essential that you take appropriate precautions to avoid getting burned.
For example, the sun is at its hottest between the hours of 10am and 4am, meaning that it makes sense to avoid going out in the sunshine during these hours. There is far less likelihood of the misery of sunburn if you go out earlier or later rather than risking the full heat of the day.
Instead, sit in the shade with an ice cold drink in front of you and watch the world go by as the chances are that you will find this every bit as relaxing as sunbathing.
And even if you do get outside before or after the sun is at its hottest, you should use protective creams or lotions at a minimum (protective clothing is even better) and you must always wear a protective hat as well.
At the same time, you should also be aware that the majority of commercially produced sun protection products contain potentially harmful chemicals such as titanium dioxide (which the International Agency for Cancer Research suggest is a possible human carcinogen), and that this even applies to specialized sun protection products that are sold as ‘baby’ suntan lotions!
If therefore you want to get out in the sun but minimize the risk of getting burned whilst doing so, I would recommend that you use only a natural sun protection product which you know does not contain potentially harmful chemicals.