The Healthy Choices Wellblog

They do this with an attractive, healthy-looking couple. At the beginning of the commercial, one or the other of these good-looking folks says “I have genital herpes” while the other, smiling says “and I don’t”.

Then there’s a doctor-looking actor who reports that you can spread herpes at any time, not just when you have signs of an outbreak and that there is only one approved medication for treatment of genital herpes….tada….Valtrex.

The commercial ends with the same couple, still smiling. One says “I still have genital herpes”, driving home again the point that it never goes away and you are never, ever safe from transmitting it. Then, the other half of the glowing couple reports “and I still don’t”……it is implied that this difference is in great part due to the one with herpes taking Valtrex, right?

Even though the doctor just said nothing can keep you from spreading herpes at any time. It’s important to hear what they are really saying. It isn’t that Valtrex keeps you from spreading herpes; it is only being said that Valtrex can help reduce outbreaks.

To me, the focus on the std aspect of herpes is WAY missing the boat, anyway.

What you don’t see yet, and what I feel has to be coming, are commericals talking about the far more serious implications, systemically, when you have genital herpes. From what I’ve read, the danger goes far beyond the possibility that you may have a more complicated lovelife with herpes.

Systemic Herpes Complications:

One very serious complication from the herpes simplex virus is herpes encephalitis, or herpes of the brain. I haven’t seen a single commercial telling folks that, if they have repeated outbreaks of genital herpes or oral herpes, they are also at risk for developing herpes of the brain. Herpes Encephalitis can lead to permanent brain damage and can also be fatal.

Update 7/18/2008: After receiving a comment from a person with GHSV, I wanted to include the fact that HSE is considered rare. According to emedicine, 3 in 100,000 with HSV develop HSE. However, as I also wrote in the comments section, the fact that it’s rare won’t matter to those who have it. What will be important to them is knowing what it is, early enough for effective treatment. Related post: Arginine and Herpes

I also wanted to update what I said about the cause of HSE, again due to the insightful comment from a person who has genital herpes. I went back online and pored over information again and, after reviewing about 20 medical sites, came to the same conclusion. Most sites agree that HSE in adults is caused by HSV-1 while HSE in newborns is typically caused by HSV-2.

What was important to me through all the reading I did was that, whether it was from HSV1 or HSV2, it was definitely herpes-related so I’d consider anyone at risk who has had either fever blisters, genital herpes or shingles.

This brings up another important factor….I’m not singling out genital herpes in this article but herpes in general. I believe scientific study will one day find that the systemic effects of herpes simplex and herpes zoster are more pervasive and
far-reaching than is now believed to be the case.

Herpes and Heart Disease:

The herpes simplex virus has also been implicated in heart disease. I’ve written ad nauseum about the arginine heart connection and wondering whether banning arginine as a herpes preventation treatment is wise. I have wondered if the ban on arginine for herpes suffers has, in some way, made that connection even stronger, since arginine is such a powerful factor in a healthy cardiovascular system. Whether it is the abstinence from arginine or something about the herpes virus itself, there does seem to be a connection between people who have herpes and people who then develop heart problems.

As far back as 1984, researchers have linked these two conditions but do you hear about that on the tv? Not yet. I found an old New York Times article which talked about the possibility that hardening of the arteries can start when fragments of herpes virus infect the arterial walls.

INVESTIGATORS EXPLORE LINKS OF HERPES TO HEART DISEASE

Meningitis is another herpes-related complication that can develop if the herpes virus spreads to the tissues around the spinal cord and brain. The virus can infect the cerebrospinal fluid and cause meningitis.

The virus can additionally infect the lower part of the spinal cord, producing a bizarre set of symptoms that can include unexplained constipation, a loss of feeling in the legs or a feeling of having no strength in the legs, and problems with urination. I’m really looking closely at this set of symptoms after my last bout of fever blisters and shingles because I’ve also reported ad naseum about the weird and persistent constipation problem I’ve been having. Even though it started after a long trip, and I assumed it was from sitting in one position for hours, could that have just been the trigger that stimulated a herpes response? Could my unusual constipation be herpes-related? I certainly know it’s new for me, a problem I’ve never had to this degree, ever in my life before.

Gosh, now that I really think about it, maybe herpes was behind my heart challenges of a few years back. It is ironic that an extremely high dosage of arginine cleared that up within a month but that, after that, it began to cause fever blisters and then shingles. I wish someone would seriously look at the arginine factor in all of this because just banning it is obviously not the answer, at least from my own experience.

I’m not trying to scare anyone here but I am trying to press home the seriousness of this condition, way beyond being a hindrance to your lovelife. It could be a hindrance to your life, period. The herpes simplex virus can cause viral infection to spread to almost every system of the body including lungs, liver and your joints. Source: Yahoohealth

Ocular herpes, or herpes of the eye, is another complication that can be devastating. If herpes is spread to the eye, it can lead to permanent eye damage or even blindness.

Additional complications from HSV infection:
Herpes and Alzheimer’s link studied, in people who have both HSV-1 and a gene called ApoE4. This same article details a complication known as Eczema Herpeticum, which can afflict HSV patients who have pre-existing skin conditions or a compromised immune system. Other rare complications, but complications that anyone with a compromised immune system and HSV infection should note, include arthritis, increased risk of cancer of the throat, ulcers in the stomach lining, certain types of kidney disease and blood disease, and inflammation of the cardivascular arteries.

The point I’m trying to make here is that this virus, herpes simplex, and all it’s strains are not just std’s. They are systemic infections that can cause far-reaching and very dangerous health problems if not managed carefully.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a proponent of prescription drugs. I suspect that Valtrex will present with some side effects in the future that are not now known, and I sincerely hope I’m wrong about that. My path to healing has always been the natural healing path. Luckily, nature does have some of the most potent antiherpetic substances on earth.

Essential oils for herpes work so well for so many because eo’s can pass the blood/brain barrier, which means rapid absorption and assimilation.

Whether you choose natural remedies or prescription drugs to treat herpes, the most vital point is that it should be treated and treated agressively.

I’ve added an entire section on the herpes simplex virus over at the wellness library. You can start on that series here:

Herpes Infections Information

And rather than jump on the fear bandwagon of Valtrex and the drug companies, let’s arm ourselves with information and take aggressive action to stop herpes now.