Alternative Herpes Treatments

Until recently, with the advent of new and effective specific antiherpes drug therapy, alternatives to drugs were the only forms of treatment available. Now there are several very safe drugs that have been PROVEN effective for the treatment of herpes. Alternative treatments are generally NOT as effective as the proven ones. Thus, you should give the alternative route very careful thought before embarking on it, especially if by choosing it you would be keeping yourself from receiving a treatment KNOWN to be effective.

Some of the alternative chemicals listed here are not drugs in the legal sense. A drug has to undergo rigorous testing before it is allowed to be licensed and sold for physicians to prescribe. In order to gain the license, the drug must be shown to be effective in the treatment of the disease for which it is being recommended and safe enough that the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. Alternative drugs and chemicals DO NOT have to meet these criteria. Some reasons that alternative chemicals may remain available are as follows:

• The chemical was given drug status before government control came into effect - i.e., the "grandfather clause" applies.

• The chemical is considered safe without testing because it is a food by-product. An example is L-lysine, in some countries; in others it is not available.

• The chemical is considered safe because it is an accepted food additive. BHT is an example.

• The chemical is licensed by a government in another country and is imported for personal use.

The fact that you are able to buy a chemical that someone says you can take as medicine does not necessarily mean that anyone knows it is safe or effective. It is only tested for safety and efficacy if it is called a drug and taken through drug clearance channels. BHT and L-Lysine, among others, have never been shown to be safe or effective in humans in the doses recommended by some people for herpes. Nevertheless, just like drugs in the pharmacy, these chemicals go into the body, circulate in the blood, deposit in body tissue, and so on.

The list of potential alternative treatments for herpes is very long. Alternative treatments may involve potential dangers. For example, if ineffective alternatives are sought in lieu of proven treatments for a life-threatening but potentially curable disease, needless deaths may result. Of course, this is not the case with herpes, because herpes is not normally life-threatening. But pursuing ineffective treatments because they may seem more "natural" or less expensive can victimize people and cause significant harm because they can rob people of money, time, and even hope. Standard therapies used incorrectly can do the same, of course. Be selective and careful when choosing alternative or standard therapies. The alternatives arousing the greatest interest are listed below. This is not intended to be a complete list. (If you want to see that list you'll have to order the book)

Stephen L. Sacks MD was a great clinician and specialist in infectious diseases as well as a renowned expert on sexually transmitted diseases. I have his book in my home library and often refer to bits and pieces of it for educational purposes to share with you, to make a point, or refer folks to. There are some topics that do come up on the message boards from time to time that I feel very strongly about. Having read this book and other materials in my home library I was able to understand where my own thoughts and opinions were at with regard to alternative therapies.

I am not against alternative therapies OR over the counter treatments. In fact, I have used OTC stuff for various reasons at one time or another. However, I do NOT believe that just because something is called "alternative" or "natural" as compared to prescription medications that it is necessarily safer. Too many times people will speak negatively of prescription meds and use the excuse that pharmaceutical companies are making too much money and that's why they want you to take them. No, that's not how it works.

Pharmaceutical companies are in the middle of trials, studies, and research to come up with drugs that will hopefully improve the quality of life for millions of people that suffer from various illnesses. Some of these illnesses or diseases are fatal and others not so much. Money in my opinion has nothing to do with it and anybody that is against prescription medications strictly for that reason alone should rethink this.

Lives are saved every single day because of clinically proven medications. Can we really say the same thing about alternatives? When was the last time an alternative therapy that you were taking was proven to be clinically effective for the specific reasons that you are taking it for? To me, the difference between a prescription medication and an alternative therapy is that the prescription medication has to live up to certain medical standards and the alternative does not. If you are worried about your boy, you overall health, and your immune system don't you want to know EXACTLY what that substance is doing when you ingest it into your body? I know I do! - Angela

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