For those of you new to Genital Herpes. I know this can be a very confusing and frustrating time. The important thing to do right now is to realize that it isnt going away and to take action because the more you sit back and depress yourself the longer the outbreak will last and the frequently they will occur. It is vital to your health that you maintain a stress free lifestyle. Get plenty of REST! Have a stressful job?? Try new relaxing things like yoga, hot baths or taking a mid day nap. Find something that relives stress like reading, writing in a journal, prayer or meditatating. To the macho guys its ok for you to do these things too! Also stay away from strenous exercise that may cause to much stress on the body as this can cause an outbreak. For those of you out there with a sweet tooth try eating fruits instead of candies. Artificial sweetners and crystal light are a big no no!! Even gum is a no no. Read your lables NO ASPHARTAME! Dont believe me?? Chew a stick of gum right now and wait for the tingle down there! Also stay away from caffine. Eat plenty of protein like chicken, eggs, black beans etc. I use to love juice but found that it had too many ingredients that my body just didn't agree with so I make my own drinks now. I fill a pitcher with water and lots of cut up strawberries, you can also use cucumbers if you desire flavor but no sugar. These are just a few alternatives I have come across over the years of dealing with my herpes. A rule of thumb I just adopted that if it has more than 10 ingredients in it I'm not eating it!! I haven't tried any of the natural "cures". I believe there is a cure out there but the FDA wont allow because they are in cohoots with all the drug companies out there to keep the market flooded with drugs but anyway thats a post for another day....so its up to us to share with each other our experiences and remedies. Please share your thoughts and remedies