Are Canker Sores Making Your Life Miserable?

If you are like me and you’ve been plagued with canker sores your whole life, you know how miserable and life disrupting they can be. From keeping you up at night because of the pain, to making it difficult to be intimate with your significant other, to preventing you from eating anything at all, canker sores can put certain aspects of your life on hold until the slow process of healing takes its course. And even then, there are no guarantees of how quickly they may return. Every tingle of the gums to the accidental slip of biting your cheek leaves you in fear of those little monsters rearing their ugly heads. So, how does one not just learn to live with canker sores, but actually prevent them in the first place? Well, thankfully, there are several solutions that can help with both. 

The biggest thing to tackle when it comes to canker sores is prevention. And I can speak from personal experience when it comes to this subject matter. Over the years, I have found and developed a method that has kept my mouth almost 100% canker sore free for several years. The biggest (not so) secret to preventing canker sores is this little essential amino acid called L-Lysine. (Lysine is an amino acid that has been shown to help fight the herpes virus, which is what causes canker sores.) Unlike non essential amino acids such as glutamine, which your body makes naturally, essential amino acids can only be obtained through diet. And Lysine, while prominent in many different foods, isn’t always as easily absorbed in certain individuals. Therefore a supplement may be needed, especially if you deal with chronic canker sores like I have. Studies have shown that by taking a steady dose of Lysine daily, you can significantly reduce the development of new canker sores, and it has been shown to help you recover from present canker sores more quickly. So, I would highly encourage you to go out and get started on a Lysine supplement today. This alone has been the number one cause in my canker sore reduction. 

The other challenge one faces in dealing with canker sores, is how to help it heal once you have one. And there are actually several different methods to both encourage healing and prevent irritation. One helpful method is by gargling (not swallowing) salt water. Salt has been used for centuries as a natural to treat and fight off infection. In the case of canker sores, it is no different. It can help to speed the healing process by killing off the virus and keeping fresh bacteria off the sore. 

Diet also plays a crucial role in the healing process. To help avoid irritation you’d be well off to avoid certain foods such as tomatoes, coffee (sorry, the nectar of the gods will have to wait), chocolate, spicy foods, salty foods, carbonated beverages, anything acidic, and even avoiding sugary foods can help. It’s best to eat soft and bland until the sore has healed. But just make sure you’re getting your vitamins, even if it’s through a supplement during this period of time. 

And of course I would always recommend having an oral anesthetic on hand to help numb the pain, because let's be honest, no one has time for that. 

If you are like me and struggle with canker sores, then give these methods a try. And hopefully, like me they will be your miracle to a canker sore free life.