Blog
Arginine-Free Diet: Is It Possible and What Are the Benefits and Consequences?
Exploring the Impact of Diet on Herpes Management
Managing herpes through diet is a common approach for many people living with the virus. One dietary strategy is to follow an arginine-free or low-arginine diet. Arginine is an amino acid that can promote the replication of the herpes virus, and reducing its intake may help manage outbreaks. In this post, we'll explore whether an arginine-free diet is possible, its benefits, and potential consequences.
Arginine is found in many foods, including…
If You’re Suddenly Getting More Outbreaks, What Could Have Changed?
Identifying New Triggers and Adjusting Your Management Plan
Experiencing an increase in herpes outbreaks can be concerning, especially if you've previously had them under control. Identifying what has changed and adjusting your management plan accordingly can help you regain control of your condition. In this post, we'll explore potential new triggers for herpes outbreaks and provide strategies for managing these changes effectively.
One of the most common reasons for a sudden increase in outb…
Embracing Self-Worth and Acceptance: Transforming Life with Herpes through Support and Self-Discovery
This week on our support group call, we had some great conversations about acceptance, self-worth, and dating. Of course, it started off with talking about herpes and some herpes-related questions, but as we dove deeper into the conversation, I wanted to outline how getting herpes was an opportunity given to us to learn our self-worth.
Understanding Self-Worth Through the Pennies Analogy
Let's use the example of pennies. It takes 100 pennies to make one dollar. Our goal is to get to the do…
Does Herpes Have a Smell?
Understanding Symptoms and Hygiene Practices
One common question about herpes is whether it has a distinct smell. Understanding the symptoms of herpes and maintaining proper hygiene can help you manage your condition more effectively. In this post, we’ll explore whether herpes has a smell and provide tips on hygiene practices to keep you comfortable and confident.
Herpes itself does not have a specific smell. The herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes outbreaks of sores and blisters, which ca…
Navigating Herpes Outbreaks – Insights from Our Support Group
Welcome, everyone! This week, our support group was thrilled to welcome several new faces. Seeing the community grow is always heartening—it means our message is reaching further and that more individuals are ready to find support and understanding about living with herpes. If you're new here or have been with us for a while, remember, being diagnosed with herpes is not the end of the road. It doesn't confine you to loneliness nor does it bind you to the person from whom you may have contracted …
How I Spent My 4th of July with a Herpes Diagnosis - Oh Sh*T Anniversary Pt. 7
Everything feels so out of reach when you are first diagnosed. Everything comes crumbling down and you feel like you're never going to be able to come up for air. It's suffocating and terrifying at the same time. Would love to tell you after I was diagnosed I picked up and was able to straighten my life out right away. That wasn't the case and I did not have a rebound in one day or even the week later.
Back when I was diagnosed I was really struggling. So now it's the 4th of July. I had pla…
Navigating Resentment and a Herpes Diagnosis: Understanding and Overcoming Emotional Challenges
This week on our support group call, I opened up about my herpes diagnosis. This week marks my 13-year anniversary of being diagnosed with herpes. I'm not going to say time flew by, and I'm not going to say time heals. In fact, time does not heal the situation; it just allows you to pick up more situations in your life that need more immediate attention. Think of it as a compounding effect. What heals the situation is you facing it and working on it. Working on the trauma, the hurt, and healing …
The Day I Got Diagnosed with Genital Herpes Was the Worst Day of My Life: Oh Sh*T Anniversary pt.5
It's Friday July 1st and this was the day that changed my everything. This was the day 13 years ago that I got diagnosed with genital herpes. I still have the dress that I was wearing when I was diagnosed with herpes so I thought I'd be fun to try it on.
If you can remember I had gone for my annual physical on Tuesday, so I was patiently awaiting my results. I was thinking that if I don't get a phone call by 3:00 then I'll have to call the doctors because otherwise it's a holiday weekend w…
What Life with Herpes Looks like for 13 Years - Oh Sh*T Anniversary Pt.5
In case you're just tuning in and haven't been following along this weeks series, let me bring you up to date. This is my "oh shit anniversary", aka the week I got diagnosed with genital herpes. So I'm bringing you along for the emotional ride and sharing what my diagnosis was like.
At this point in the week I still had not received my diagnosis and there was still so much up in the air. I remember feeling so unsettled and was in limbo wondering if I had herpes and if it was going to change…
What Doctor Said when I Went for My Physical: Oh Sh*T Anniversary pt.3
In case you missed it, we're in the middle of the Oh Shit Anniversary. It was 11 years ago I was diagnosed with herpes. This is the exact day 13 years ago....
Now it's Tuesday and I know something is wrong. This is the same day as it was eleven years ago. By now the blisters had fully shown up and I was in unbelievable pain. I felt so sick and could not imagine what was going on. Today was supposed to be just a regular physical but instead it turned into the day to go to the doctors and get…