by Sally G. M.S.W.
www.herpes.org
Sadly, in much of society, a stigma is associated with the Herpes virus. And, for unknown reasons, it is the “go to” sexually transmitted disease (STD) in pop culture when the goal is to ridicule or shame someone. Jokes about Herpes or about people possibly having the virus appear regularly in movies, television, radio, and on the Internet.
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by Dr. H., Medical Director
www.herpes.org
Herpes is a virus, specifically “herpesvirus hominus”. Simplex is a sub-category of that family. Simplex falls into five categories, types 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8. Generally type I infects the mouth in humans and type II affects the genital tract, but there is a substantial overlap. Type 6 and 7 cause an infection of infancy and Type 8 has been associated with Kaposi’s Sarcoma which is seen in HIV.
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by Dr. H., Medical Director
www.herpes.org
Living with genital herpes as a chronic health condition is a relatively straightforward process. And while outbreaks can certainly be a nuisance, it is the individual’s outlook on life and degrees of fatigue, anxiety, and stress that can complicate the management of the virus.
The message of this paper is that through some basic education and awareness, people with genital herpes can feel more at peace with the condition as they achieve excellent control of the disease, avoid spreading it elsewhere on the body, prevent family members from catching it, and significantly lower the risk of transmitting the infection to their partner.
This page gives straight-forward answers to many of the top several questions asked by the clients using www.herpes.org. These questions will be kept as current as new information surfaces and clients’ needs change. External sites mentioned will open in a new window.
WE NEVER EVER POST LETTERS SENT TO US BY OUR CLIENTS. THE LETTERS THAT FOLLOW ARE SUMMARY QUESTIONS OF SOME OF THE MANY THOUSANDS OF QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SENT TO US OVER THE YEARS.
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Dr. H. has answered many questions since we started this feature on Herpes.Org back in 1998. Please know that he diligently responds to each question personally, and now we have accumulated much of this information for your benefit.
Please note that nothing written on this page or anywhere else on Herpes.Org should be construed as either medical advice OR establishing a physician-patient relationship. If you have any medical issues, we ask that you visit a health practitioner licensed to practice medicine in your own locality.
These questions are not in any particular order, but rather reflect the broad range of the sorts of questions that we answer.
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by Michele Picozzi
Whether or not you take drugs to suppress future outbreaks of HSV-1 (facial herpes) and HSV-2 (genital herpes), to get outbreaks under control a strong immune system is necessary. With some positive lifestyle and dietary changes and adding certain dietary supplements and herbs you can decrease the frequency, length, and severity of outbreaks.
As a society, we take better care of our cars, pets, and toys than we do ourselves. We often sacrifice sleep, regular meals, and exercise in pursuit of our goals. Too often we end up out of balance.
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by Dr. H., Medical Director www.herpes.org
Earlier in the history of the understanding of herpes infections the medical and social management of the diseases caused by these viruses seemed easy: Patients were told to avoid having physical contact with possibly susceptible areas of other persons’ bodies when obvious symptoms were present, such as redness or blisters. Yet, a tremendous increase of persons now harboring herpes simplex virus in the genital area has occurred over the last twenty years. This vast growth in the numbers of herpes sufferers – now totaling over fifty million people in America alone – has not seemed to be readily explained by the much, much smaller number of persons who actually had obvious genital infections.
This information has caused scientists to examine how the virus spreads. The conclusions have been nothing short of astonishing.
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by Dr. H., Medical Director
www.herpes.org
Managing genital herpes during pregnancy is very important to the health of the soon-to-be-born infant. Infants exposed to the herpes simplex can experience brain infection, seizures, prolonged hospitalization, mental retardation, and death if the infection takes hold. With such a frightening prospect for potential harmful or fatal effects on the baby, then persons who have genital herpes must give careful thought to the risks associated with childbearing when one or both future parents have genital herpes.
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