Sunday 14 June 2015

My anti-herpes virus regimen

The following is my homemade anti-virus regimen, inspired by various blogs and studies. Some items are speculative and not provably useful for this specific situation, but there is some logic behind including them.

It is intended for 1-2 weeks, to be started as soon as possible after a risky exposure (as a preventive usage) or after sores appear (to minimise the symptoms). I aim for 1-2 weeks length because this is roughly the incubation period of the herpes virus.

Can you think of anything to add, change or remove?

  1. Methylene Blue oral supplementation 
    • Each dose is 10-50mg of MB dissolved in water
    • Studies commonly use 15mg/day or more (often intravenously however, which might result in a different distribution throughout the body)
    • Repeated several times a day
    • Motivation: MB is a potent anti-nitric oxide
    • Source: studies on Nitric Oxide; inhibiting NO good against infections including viral
  2. Zovirax (acyclovir) cream
    • Over-the-counter anti-viral cream
    • Usually intended as application over lips during outbreaks
    • Motivation: preventively to contain any outbreak and limit its spread
    • Source: if incubation is 1-2 weeks, might as well use it preventively now
  3. Methylene Blue topical application
    • Concentrated MB solution applied on specific skin areas
    • Leaves a blue skin colouring
    • Motivation: preventively to contain any outbreak
    • Source: I believe MB is absorbed topically
  4. Low Carb - High Saturated fat diet
    • Animal products: meat, milk kefir and butter
    • Avoidance of cocoa (internet anecdotes on outbreaks)
    • Motivation: good health, minimise blood glucose spikes
    • Source: possibly anti-viral diet, cf hopefulgeranium.blogspot.co.uk for Hep C
  5. L-Lysine oral supplementation. And L-Arginine restriction?
    • Aim for a high lysine / arginine ratio
    • 1g dose L-Lysine at each meal
    • Maybe severely restricting dietary L-Arginine for a few days? Can't go on forever as a good immune system probably requires dietary protein, which include arginine
    • Motivation: limit viral replication
    • Source: scientific studies
  6. L-Glycine oral supplementation
    • Semi-essential amino acid, anti-stress/inflammation/serotonin
    • One 1g dose at each meal
    • Motivation: anti-stress amino acid, stress worsens breakouts
    • Source: internet forums for stress, Ray Peat website for glycine's anti-stress effects
  7. Vitamin/Mineral supplements
    • Vitamin C (high dose 10g/day) oral supplement
    • Possibly zinc topically (not sure if feasible if already covered with Zovirax cream)
    • Motivation: immune system
    • Source: http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/11/2/93.pdf
  8. Cascara Sagrada oral supplementation
    • Teaspoon tip dissolved in water
    • Supplemented 1-2 times a day between meals
    • Motivation: potent anti-nitric oxide
    • Source: Ray Peat website, personal experience (gut transit probably slowed by high NO)
  9. Cinnamon oral supplementation
    • 1/4-1/8 of a teaspoon of powder mixed in hot water
    • Supplemented once a day
    • Motivation: potent anti-nitric oxide
    • Source: scientific studies about cinnamon and Nitric Oxide
  10. Red light over the skin
    • Light sources: incandescent bulb and 850nm red light laser
    • Laser applied over specific skin areas
    • Motivation: skin healing properties of red light, good tissue penetration
    • Source: scientific studies on red light and wound healing


My main motivation behind the low carb - high saturated fat - low polyunsaturated diet are the following sources:
Ray Peat's articles (for low Nitric Oxide, low PUFA)
Hyperlipid (for low carb, high sat fat, low PUFA)
The High-fat Hep C Diet (for more focus on Hep C)

Herpes forums are filled with anecdotes with L-Lysine (and avoidance of arginine) and vitamin C. The L-Lysine approach seemed more consensual, whereas vitamin C anecdotes are more mixed, cf My-story-on-herpes-vitamin-c-and-how-i-beat-it (some users swear by very high dose vitamin C, others not really).