Hi Candidreams,

Thanks for posting, this is a good topic.  I am not a doctor, so I cannot give any medical advice, but I do have Herpes and have explored the world of alternative medicine a bit.  The links posted by Madison March are useful, I hope you've looked at those.

I have done a lot of research about this online as I find typical Western medicine to be less than comprehensive.  One thing I've discovered is that everyone is different.  Treatments that work for one person may not work for another.  I'm still trying to find a method of preventing outbreaks that works for me.

To combat outbreaks I've tried traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and herbs.  I like acupuncture, it makes me feel good.  But in terms of getting rid of outbreaks...doesn't work for me.  However, my acupuncturist did make me a paste of crushed herbs that I was to put on my sores and I found it helped reduce the outbreak.  I didn't try it for very long as the herbs are expensive and I don't have health insurance...but it's something I would recommend looking into.  

The other thing I tried was something called Choraphor.  It's a topical solution made of sulfur and St. John's Wort that you can buy online.  You put it on when your outbreak is at its peak (hard to wait for) to try and kill off parts of the virus.  I found this to be about as effective as taking prescription medication.  It did, in fact, get rid of the outbreaks, but didn't prevent them from coming back as other Herpsters have claimed.

As for my struggle to prevent outbreaks from happening, I'm currently taking a cocktail of vitamins and supplements and working with my diet.  I've found that caffeine brings on outbreaks, so I've had to cut that out completely.  Because both doctors and acupuncturists have talked to me about Lysine, I try to take in more Lysine than Arginine.  (ie eating foods like fish and milk, avoiding foods like nuts and chocolate.)  I'm currently taking B-complex vitamins with Rose Hips, B-12 vitamins, Iodine supplements, Lysine supplements, and sometimes Acidophilus as I can confuse herpes outbreaks with yeast infections.  Phew!  That's a lot of stuff.  I'm not saying you should do all that...I have been exploring this topic for a couple years now, so I'm about at my wit's end and willing to try anything.  I noticed the B vitamins helped me get over an outbreak quicker (when just Acyclovir wasn't cutting it) and, if nothing else, I've found I don't need as much sleep as before and have more energy since I started taking the vitamins and supplements every day.  

I also heard that Rhus Toxicodendron, of homeopathic medicine, can help prevent an outbreak when taken with the first signs.

I will be writing SharePosts that go in much more depth about these and hopefully trying out more options in the future. 

Just remember that everyone is different.  Maybe you'll find that Chinese herbs work miracles for you.  Maybe it's just taking a Lysine supplement.  But I hope what I've mentioned can get you started thinking about it or trying new things.  But please, don't try anything new without researching the negative effects it could have on you, potential overdosing, etc.

Good luck!

PJ