• Menu
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Schedule Your Appointment Today
  • Call: (805) 497-7508
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Tools
    • Books
    • Important Sites
  • Review Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Miguel Gonzalez, MD, FACP, FCCP

Delivering powerful, effective integrative therapies to those seeking a healthier, happier life.

  • Services
    • Lyme Disease Treatment
    • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
    • Intravenous Vitamin Therapy
    • View All Our Services
  • Team
    • Dr. G
    • Meet Our Team
  • Patients
    • Extended Care Plan
    • New Patients
    • Patient Testimonials
  • Blog
    • Archived Blogs by Category
      • Cancer
      • Lyme Disease
      • Herpes
      • Testosterone
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Services
    • Lyme Disease Treatment
    • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
    • Intravenous Vitamin Therapy
    • View All Our Services
  • Team
    • Dr. G
    • Meet Our Team
  • Patients
    • Extended Care Plan
    • New Patients
    • Patient Testimonials
  • Blog
    • Archived Blogs by Category
      • Cancer
      • Lyme Disease
      • Herpes
      • Testosterone
  • Contact
  • Search

Importance of Stress in Herpes Outbreaks

You are here: Home / Archived Blogs by Category / Importance of Stress in Herpes Outbreaks

Nov 20, 2012 By //  by Miguel Gonzalez, MD 1 Comment

Stress triggers or aggravates a variety of health concerns, including infections. Herpes virus is particularly associated with stress, and studies have shown that stress levels and their duration can also predict the recurrence of herpes outbreaks.

Herpes simplex is causes by two types of virus, type 1 (HSV-1) or oral herpes and type 2 (HSV-2) or genital herpes. Unlike other infections, this virus, once acquired, will remain in the body for the rest of the person’s life. Between herpes outbreaks it stays in a latent form in the nerve roots. Besides stress, other factors such as sun exposure, menstrual periods, surgeries and skin-to-skin contact can trigger a new episode of active lesions.

In order to better assess the connection between stress and herpes outbreaks, researchers evaluated genital herpes in women age 20-44 with one to ten years history of visible genital herpes with at least one outbreak in the last six months. This study, published in 1999 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, indicates that the greater a person’s stress, the more likely it is that they will suffer a herpes outbreak. Short term stressors reported by the subjects included flying on an airplane, being a victim of vandalism, and breaking a leg. Long term stressors included being worried about relatives, job security, or finances. This study correlates herpes outbreaks with long term and persistent stress. Thus, the scientists concluded that herpes management should include not only antiviral medications but referral to counseling as well.

Another study, published in 2008 in “Stress and Health” found that those suffering from frequent reactivation of HSV-1 also appear to be more vulnerable to the effects of stress on the immune system and high levels of stress were associated with subsequent reactivation of HSV-1. This study involved both men and women, and the average age was 25, all the participants being university students.

Managing Stress
Sleep is more important that most people realize. Lack of sleep interferes with the ability to cope with stress and function normally. The average adult needs an average of eight hours of sleep, although this need may vary from one person to another.

A balanced diet can also have an impact on stress levels. Enough fresh fruits and vegetables supply the body with B vitamins that have anti-stress qualities and other nutrients that keep the mind and body strong. Avoid coffee, alcohol, sugar, and fatty foods.

Exercise helps increase the levels of feel-good chemicals in the brain which help people cope better with stress. Both diet and exercise also help boost the immune system and thus decrease the likelihood of a herpes outbreak.

Relaxations techniques such as deep breathing, yoga and tai chi are great methods for relief stress and improved mood.

Don’t spend too much time alone. When feeling stressed, it is better to go out and socialize, or spend time with family, rather than dwelling on the stressors. It is also good idea to seek professional help and counseling to earn different techniques for coping better with stress.

References:

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=485171

http://psych.cf.ac.uk/home2/smith/a%20prospective%20diary_.pdf

http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/news/19991111/long-term-stress-trigger-herpes-outbreaks?page=2

http://www.webmd.com/genital-herpes/guide/stress-healthy

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Archived Blogs by Category, Blog, Featured Article, Herpes

About Miguel Gonzalez, MD

Miguel Gonzalez, MD, FACP, FCCP is a Board Certified Internist & Pulmonologist who has done extensive training and research in all aspects of functional, integrative and holistic medicine such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, mind-body medicine, bio-identical hormone therapy, bio-detoxification, chemical and heavy metal toxicity & sensitivity, Lyme disease, IV vitamin therapy and many others.

To take control of your health and start living a full and healthy life schedule your appointment today.

« Low Testosterone Dangers
Causes of Low Levels of Testosterone in Men »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kevin says

    April 5, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    Great post! I can totally relate to this. Any time my stress levels were very high (not enough sleep, excessive anxiety, etc) I would get an outbreak. Add alcohol consumption on top of that and forget about it! Fortunately I learned my triggers and kept stress to a minimum and sleep to a maximum and don’t get outbreaks like I used to.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

To take control of your health and start living a full and healthy life schedule your appointment today.

Schedule your appointment today

Company Info

Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs: 8:00am-12:00pm & 1:00pm-5:00pm
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-805-497-7508
Fax: 1-805-495-6834
Adress: 303 S Moorpark Rd
Thousand Oaks, CA 91361

Dr. G’s eBook

For impactful health & wellness information and to receive Dr. G’s eBook, subscribe below!

Services

  • Lyme Disease Treatment
  • Intravenous Vitamin Therapy
    • Artesunate
    • Chelation
    • Gold
    • IV Curcumin
    • IV Glutathione
    • IV Vitamin C
    • Myers
    • NAD IV Therapy
    • PK Protocol
    • Poly MVA
  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
    • Hyperbaric Chamber Rental
  • Integrative Therapies
    • Ondamed (PEMF)
    • Cymatherapy
    • EVOX Therapy
    • Infrared Light Therapy
    • BEMER Physical Vascular Therapy
    • The Listening Program
    • BioPhoton
  • Regenerative Therapies
    • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
    • Intravenous Vitamin Therapy
    • NAD IV Therapy
  • Office Services
    • Laboratory Testing
    • Testosterone Replacement
    • BioIdentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
    • The Detox Diet
    • Supplements

From the Blog

Spring 2018 Health Notes

Spring 2018 Health Notes

Mitigating Cognitive Decline With NAD

Mitigating Cognitive Decline With NAD

Fuel your body against illness, aging, addiction with NAD

Fuel your body against illness, aging, addiction with NAD

Genetic Testing Reveals Your Past and Future

Genetic Testing Reveals Your Past and Future

Footer

Company

  • Miguel Gonzalez, MD, FACP, FCCP
  • Meet Our Team
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Services

  • All Services
  • Ondamed (PEMF)
  • The Detox Diet
  • BEMER Physical Vascular Therapy

Services

  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
  • Lyme Disease Treatment
  • Office Services
  • Intravenous Vitamin Therapy

Quick Links

  • New Patients
  • Tools
  • Patient Testimonials
  • Extended Care Plan

Site Footer

Member Of Professional Healthcare Associations

(805) 497-7508 · [email protected]

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration


Copyright © 2018 Dr. Gonzalez MD · Site By Chase Kaizen · Log in