Dr. George: Oral Herpes and Ulcerations Have Many Causes & Cures

Dear Dr. Meinig:

Some time ago you wrote about oral herpes and how these painful mouth ulcers often occurred to those who drank fruit juices and ate fruit. I get very large mouth sores that have finally been diagnosed as apthous stomatitis. Fruit was not the cause in my case. Do you have any suggestions as no one has been able to help me get rid of these extremely painful ulcers? – S.O.

 

Dear S.O.:

Recurrent apthous ulcerations generally run from about a quarter of an inch in diameter to over a half inch, and occur on the lips, gums, and other mouth tissues. For the most part they tend to be larger and therefore more uncomfortable than the more common oral herpes or cold sore lesions.

The two diseases are somewhat similar in appearance but viruses have not been found to be present in the apthous ulcers, but are found in herpes cold sores. Streptococcus bacteria are found but some investigators believe their presence is one of a secondary infection rather than a cause.

Citrus and other fruits, as well as sweets and nuts, can be causative but not as often as holds true for that of the common cold sore. A somewhat more frequent reason for apthous ulcers arises from the eating of benzoic and oxalic acid fruits such as prunes, plums, cranberries, sour cherries, dates and rhubarb. To this list of causes can be added rye crackers and rye bread.

The most frequent cause of apthous ulcers has proved to be an allergic reaction to wheat. This grain affected 25 percent of those tested. It is accompanied by a deficiency of stomach digestive acid enzymes, a universal problem in allergy cases. Another 20 percent of these patients were found to have deficiencies of vitamin B12, folic add or iron and all of these people experienced complete remission of their ulcers when these items were supplemented. Often B12 and folic acid have to be given by intramuscular or intravenous injection as oral forms of these vitamins are not readily absorbed by some people.

A common factor in all different kinds of ulcer cases is the number of individuals with these problems that are low in zinc and Vitamin A.

In addition, apthous ulcerations have sometimes been associated with a low white blood cell count and they have also been confused with the diseases erythemia multiform and Behcet’s syndrome.

For acute, severe attacks a frequently used treatment has been the use of corticoid therapy (prednisone). Although it helps reduce the ulcers, it is not curative. When long-term treatment is necessary, the usual side effects of the drug, mainly water retention, euphoria, muscle weakness and stomach discomfort, makes the use of cortisone products questionable.

Many other forms of treatment are used but at best they, too, are palliative and do nothing to correct or prevent the return of these ulcers.

The best approach is to seek out those foods or beverages that are directly involved and any possible allergy-causing substances. In all food allergy situations, taking supplements of stomach acid enzymes is called for and can be crucial to achieving a cure.

If these approaches are not successful by all means request B12 and folic acid injections as they help in numerous conditions where the causes are difficult to pinpoint.

Regarding oral herpes: My files contain four past articles on the subject of cold sores and their treatment and prevention. Hardly a day went by in my practice when I didn’t treat one or more of these infections. My experiences with treating thousands of them, along with the latest simple treatments using lysine (an amino acid) is covered in these reports. If you will send $3 to cover cost of compiling and shipping to me at the OVN, all four articles will be mailed to you.