Genital Herpes
Genital Herpes
17 Managing Strategies
You played sexual Russian Roulette and you lost. You have burning sores on your genitals. You are feverish and weak. The doctor runs a few tests and says you have genital herpes, also known as herpes simplex II. He says the disease is incurable—you will have it forever. You feel like you've just been handed a one-way ticket to hell.
But you haven't been, so stop feeling so bad. In fact, here's your ticket back home.
Keep your chin up. Why? First, if you're like most people, once your initial attack of herpes comes and goes (usually in two to three weeks), subsequent attacks will be infrequent and usually not nearly as severe as the first one. Second, if you're among those for whom herpes seems destined to bring misery, there is now a prescription medication called acyclovir that can reduce the frequency of attacks up to 90 percent. In short, "either by the natural progression of the disease or by therapeutic interventions, herpes is far from a hopeless condition," says Will Whittington, M.D., a research investigator with the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Division at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.
Beef up your immune system. Experts do not know exactly what causes the herpes virus to lie dormant for long periods and then abruptly awake to create havoc. But many think that a weakened immune system, like a drunken sheriff in an old western town, invites the little bandits to return. However strong this connection may be, it would be wise for you to keep your immune system sober and armed with a well-rounded diet, lots of rest and relaxation, and regular exercise.
The Mind/Body Connection Why do some people carry the herpes virus for years without an attack, while others carrying the virus experience regular attacks? The answer is largely in the mind, says Christopher W. Stout, Ph.D., of Denver, a clinical psychologist specializing in psychoneuroimmunology. "People who are more tense, depressed, carry more hostility, and are more easily aroused to anger, seem to suffer more frequent outbreaks," says Dr. Stout. "These kinds of attitudes are thought to suppress the body's immune system." Judy Hurst, R.N., says, "I don't care how much research is done over the next 1,000 years, I'm convinced that stress will always be the number one factor." But if you weren't subject to stress before you learned you had herpes, you're certainly feeling stress now. This can create a situation in which your stress contributes to outbreaks, which contributes to stress, which—on and on. The question is—how do you get off this roller coaster? Learn all that you can. Read about herpes, speak to your doctor, try to make as much sense out of, and gain as much control over your situation as you can, says Dr. Stout. Join a support group. Every major city has one. They offer camaraderie, emotional support, and a place to talk confidentially and share information, says Hurst. The American Social Health Association can help you find one in your area. Call (919) 361-2742. Consider short-term therapy. Upon learning you have herpes, you may experience sadness, depression, anger, and guilt. A good professional psychotherapist, in only a few sessions, should be able to help you gain some perspective, says Dr. Stout. Learn relaxation techniques. There's a wide variety out there, including meditation, relaxation therapy, visualization, and biofeedback. Find an approach that works for you, says Dr. Stout. |
|
Use soap and water. Your inclination upon discovering sores on your genitals may be to bombard them with everything in your medicine cabinet. As with any sores, you do need to be concerned about developing a secondary (bacterial) infection, but soap and water is all you need or want to keep the area germ-free, says Dr. Whittington. You won't kill the virus with anything in your medicine cabinet anyway, and lots of things in there may make matters worse. "Acyclovir is the only medication that has been shown to have clear benefits for people with herpes," says Dr. Whittington.
MEDICAL ALERT
A Drug to Aid Healing If you have a stubborn case of herpes or are experiencing many recurrences, you might want to consider seeing your doctor for a prescription of acyclovir, a drug that has been proven to speed healing time and limit the severity of the attack, says Stephen L. Sacks, M.D. If you are having your first attack or your recurrences are frequent, or if you believe them to be frequent, your doctor can most probably help you. If you are pregnant, it is very important for you to inform whoever is handling your pregnancy, as herpes can infect newborns, says Dr. Sacks. A strong link was once suspected between genital herpes and cervical cancer. That link is not as strong as once thought, but it would still be wise for women with herpes to get a yearly pap smear, says Will Whittington, M.D. |
|
Steer clear of ointments. Genital sores need lots of air to heal. Petroleum jelly and antibiotic ointments can block this air and slow the healing process, says Stephen L. Sacks, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia and the founder and director of the UBC Herpes Clinic. Never use a cortisone cream, which can inhibit your immune system and actually encourage the virus to grow, he says.
Warm the discomfort away. During your primary attack or bad secondary attacks, taking a bath or shower to get warm water over the genital area three or four times a day may prove soothing. (It does to most people, but some find they don't like it.) When you get out of the shower or bath, blow the genital area dry with a hair dryer set on low or cool, being careful not to burn yourself. The air from the dryer will also prove soothing and may possibly speed up the healing process by helping the sores dry out, says Dr. Sacks.
Wear loose-fitting, cotton undies. As air is essential to healing, wear only underpants that allow your skin to breathe—that is, wear cotton, not synthetics, says Judith M. Hurst, R.N., coordinator and medical adviser to Toledo HELP, a support group for people with herpes in the Toledo, Ohio, area. If you wear nylon panty hose, make sure the crotch is made of cotton. If you want to wear a bathing suit without compromising fashion, consider cutting the cotton crotch out of a pair of undies and sewing it into the swimsuit, says Hurst.
Ease painful urination. Urination for people having a first herpes outbreak can bring intense pain as acidic urine passes over open sores. This is particularly true for women. Try directing the urine stream away from your sores with a bit of rolled-up toilet tissue, suggests Dr. Sacks. Or, consider urinating in the tub when you finish bathing, says Hurst.
Don't touch. Although the disease is called genital herpes, it is possible to pass the virus to other parts of the body by touching an open sore and then bringing your fingers into contact with, say, your mouth or eyes. For this reason, it is important not to touch your sores, says Sandy Moy, coordinator of the Herpes Resource Center at the American Social Health Association (A.S.H.A.). If you think you might scratch at night, cover your sores with protective, breathable material such as gauze, she says.
The Alternate Route
Can You Beat Herpes with Castor Oil? Apply castor oil packs to your abdomen? Why? Because a strong immune system can keep the herpes virus from acting up, and castor oil packs fortify your immune system. So says C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Shealy Institute for Comprehensive Pain and Health Care in Springfield, Missouri. Dr. Shealy bases his theory on the writings of deceased psychic healer Edgar Cayce, and, he says, on as yet unpublished current research at a major university. For maximum beefing-up of your immune system, says Dr. Shealy, start with 1 cup of castor oil, with which you thoroughly soak two thicknesses of flannel cloth. Place the saturated cloth on top of your tummy, and cover with plastic. Over the plastic, apply a heating pad, set as high as is comfortable, and leave it on for 1 hour. Initially, do this once a day, every day for a month. Continue the treatments three times a week, increasing use of the packs during a herpes attack. |
|
Consider these supplements. Some people and even some doctors say that such things as zinc in ointment form or capsules, the amino acid lysine, or the food-additive butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) taken as a supplement, can fight off herpes attacks. But despite spotty studies on their effectiveness, these are unproven remedies, according to the vast majority of doctors. If you decide to try any of these, know that high dosages may be dangerous and should only be taken under a doctor's supervision.
Call for help. If you have any questions regarding your condition, help is available, says Moy. A.S.H.A. runs two hotlines that offer free advice to people with herpes. Call the Herpes Hotline at (415) 328-7710, Monday through Friday, 12:00 to 4:30 p.m. (Pacific time); or the STD Hotline at 1-800-227-8922, Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Pacific time).
Write for help. You can also subscribe to The Helper, A.S.H.A.'s quarterly publication on all aspects of herpes, by writing to Subscriptions, H.R.C./A.S.H.A., P.O. Box 13827, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. (Moy ensures that all literature from the Herpes Resource Center comes in plain, unmarked envelopes.)
Don't do unto others. Remember how you got herpes. You now have a responsibility to protect others. When you have sores, you are highly contagious—avoid sex. When sores are not present, you probably will not pass the virus, but you may wish to use a condom for further protection and peace of mind. Incidentally, because you already have herpes doesn't mean you can't catch another form of it. Although this doesn't happen often, genital herpes can recur with more than one strain of virus, says Dr. Sacks.
PANEL OF ADVISERS
Judith M. Hurst, R.N., is coordinator and medical adviser to Toledo HELP, a support group for people with herpes in the Toledo, Ohio, area. She is also an obstetric nurse at Toledo Hospital.
Sandy Moy is coordinator of the Herpes Resource Center at the American Social Health Association (A.S.H.A.), a nonprofit organization that aims to educate the public about sexually transmitted diseases. She has a master's degree in social work.
Stephen L. Sacks, M.D., is an associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and the founder and director of the UBC Herpes Clinic. A renowned expert on the management of genital herpes, he is the author of a respected book on the subject, The Truth about Herpes.
C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D., heads the Shealy Institute for Comprehensive Pain and Health Care in Springfield, Missouri. He is also a clinical and research professor at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, the founding president of the American Holistic Medical Association, and the author of such books as The Pain Game and The Creation of Health.
Christopher W. Stout, Ph.D., is in private practice in the Denver, Colorado, area and a clinical psychologist specializing in psychoneuroimmunology (the study of the connection between the immune system and human emotions). He is also an industrial consultant.
Will Whittington, M.D., is a research investigator with the Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.
