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Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD or STV) which results in the infrequent outbreak of painful legions and boils around the genital area along with other symptoms. This is a variation of the cold sore virus (the cold sore virus is ‘oral herpes’ or HSV-1, genital herpes is HSV-2) and like the cold sore virus it cannot be cured, only controlled and managed.

This of course is bad news for those infected herpes who obviously could benefit from a cure to prevent the soreness and itchiness as well as to protect others, reinvigorate their sex-lives and avoid embarrassment. For this reason there is much research being conducted into potential cures or at least more effective treatments for herpes and sufferers will be pleased to hear that some of these are currently looking very promising.

One area of research is looking into the effectiveness of lysine as a treatment for herpes. Lysine is an essential amino acid, meaning that it is important to the healthy function of our bodies but cannot be produced by the body itself. This means it must be ingested as a protein in order to be used and from here it has many beneficial effects. Of these benefits, those relevant to herpes include aiding the production of elastin and collagen which improve the health of the skin thereby combating some skin conditions. The anti-herpes affects are more likely to work however by tipping the balance of lysine and arginine in the favour of lysine. It has been noted in some studies that an excess of arginine can exacerbate herpes symptoms and this concurs with other studies. In one report it was found that in a sample of 45 patients lysine could suppress the symptoms of herpes (Griffith et al 1978) though there are few studies on the effect. Another way in which lysine is thought to work is by producing antibodies that can help to repair tissue.

Lysine is available from many health stores to be taken as a dietary supplement and can also be found in foods including milk, soy, lentils, oranges and others. Lysine has been shown to be more effective in treating oral herpes.

Another area of research is ‘antiviral therapy’ which is aimed at developing drugs capable of distinguishing those harbouring the virus from those that do not. Such drugs will then destroy the virus inside infected cells without damaging those that are healthy or causing mutation. This has been achieved for various other viral infections using various indicators and specific chemical reactions.

Another area is immunotherapy. Here the treatment is aimed at helping the body itself, specifically the immune system, to combat a foreign infection by stimulating the correct white blood cells.

Other studies are looking not into curing herpes but in improving management and lessening outbreaks. Interferon for example may be able to help suppress herpes by preventing the replication of the infected cells. However studies need to confirm these ideas (interferon is a known and accepted treatment for genital warts which is a similar condition in many ways).

Similarly, research is also looking into the developing vaccines which work using either samples of the HSV virus or DNA. These are then entered into the body in small doses in order to act as a target for the immune system and to ‘prepare it’ for the real infection once it enters the blood. It is thought that a vaccine will be available within 3-5 years, while one vaccine that is more generally anti-viral but may help herpes, ‘Isoniplex’, is already available. This vaccine is currently undergoing further research.

A downside of the vaccine approach however is that obviously this has no use for someone already infected with herpes. However it can make their sex lives a little easier too by enabling long term sexual partners to get the vaccine which would mean they could have intercourse without fear of contracting the condition.

Another preventative measure being examined is the microbicides. These work by killing off contagious microbes and come in the form of gels and creams that can be applied to the vagina or penis. While these again are not aimed curing herpes, by applying them to the genitals of either the infected party or their partner it would be possible to prevent the spread of the disease. Thus a herpes-infected patient could have sex without discussing their condition and everyone else could opt to be on the safe side.

In other words, if you are currently suffering from herpes then help may well be on the way in the next few years. It may even be that something that already exists and is available can greatly help you with your condition but just simply needs to be discovered. Do your own research too then and read up on the mechanisms of the disease and you can decide on what looks promising.

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