Life With Herpes

137:  3 Reasons Why Your Herpes Diagnosis Is Good News

I know this can come to you as a huge surprise. You’re like, wait for what...good news?!?!?!?!?! F that!

Sound familiar? And you’ve probably added a ton of’s “there are nothing good about herpes” thoughts in there. Like, it broke up my relationship, it destroyed my dreams and I’ll never ever meet anyone who will love me because I have this.

Sound about right? Did I miss anything?

Ok… I get it. I felt the exact same way. It’s a shock and it hurts in so many ways when you’re diagnosed. But here’s the secret.

It’s just the stigma that is hurting you. That’s it. It’s just a lie or a fable or a stereotype.

Herpes is a virus that the majority of the population has and it causes annoying blisters once in a while. It’s not the big bad wolf and the reason for all things in life to collapse.

I bet you’re like ok, let’s get to the good news. Ok so here's the good news.

It’s A Wake-up Call

It’s an opportunity to look inward and see where some flaws were in my life. For example, when I was diagnosed I wasn't really taking care of myself. I wasn’t eating the right things, I wasn’t getting the right amount of sleep and basically, my lifestyle was stressful on my body. Maybe this sounds right up your alley or maybe you have different life experiences that you need to put some attention on. This is totally you’re opportunity to take a look, listen and reflect.

Set Boundaries 

The good news is it’s 100% up to you to decide who you’re going to tell about your herpes diagnosis. I believe you don’t need to disclose to people unless you’re going to expose yourself. So instead of fearing the conversation take control and empower yourself to decide when and who gets to know. It’s now your opportunity to take control of your sexual health and your body. Opposed to assuming that everything’s fine because the persons cute and into you and you’re about to get laid..  Get out of your comfort zone and stand up for yourself. Set your boundaries, take control and get comfortable with the uncomfortable conversation.

Weed Out The Lookie-loos

At first, it might sound like you’re lowering your chances of meeting someone because you’re weeding out the people who don’t want to get to know you because you have herpes. It initially feels like this is the reason for rejection but really when you turn your perspective and look at how it’s going to let you know up front who’s really into you and who’s not.

It’s all about you looking at this as a glass half empty or a glass half full. Obviously, our first is half empty but when you begin to move through this and accept that you have herpes and that it’s not going to affect your life then move through it.

Life With Herpes Details:

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Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

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Vibrators are a $1 billion dollar market in the U.S. alone, one in two women get their buzz on, and 81% of women have brought one into bed with their guy. If you or your partner brings a toy into the bedroom, it’s important to not only know your partner’s history – but also that toy’s history.

Ok so as you know I talk about sex and herpes and the best way’s to protect yourself and of course your partner. But today I’m getting out of my comfort zone and talking about sex toys.

Ok so here’s the skinny on the vibrator world. It’s a $1billion  dollar market in the US alone. And in 2020 it’s projected to be $30billion dollar marked worldwide! That’s crazy! Ok here’s the other thing 50% of women get their buzz on and 81% of women bring them into the bedroom with their partner. So let’s face it sex toys are not going away and if anything they are just getting more popular and accepted. YES!!!!

Ok but let’s get back to herpes. Can your sex toy transmit herpes?

The short and quick answer is...yes. But here’s why and let me explain.

First, before we get going we need to talk about two types of vibrators. There are porous and non-porous types of material. Just thinking about it porous means that there’s open spaces or holes and non-porous means that it's all sealed and not as open. So what that means for you and your sex toy is a non-porous toy is going to be your most sanitary and not as likely to let things grow in there. Meanwhile, porous vibrators can trap bacteria and dirt and once it’s in there you really can’t get it out.

Let’s break down the most common types of sex toy nonporous materials:

1. Silicone - This material can be soft or firm but look for 100% silicone for the safest aka. Cleanest material
2. ABS Hard Plastic - It's normally hard and easy to clean. Fewer hibijibes can get in there
3. Glass - Well we know what glass is and it’s also super easy to clean
4. Metal - This is also easy to clean and a hard surface
5. Stones or Wood - they can be both porous and nonporous but you would want to find ones that have been sealed or treated.

Ok, so what this means for us is we need to make sure that we clean the vibrators before and after use. This will keep them as clean as possible and make sure that we cut down on the STI or herpes transmission.  Also, we want to prevent possible UTI’s and yeast infections too.

But back to herpes and sex toys and transmission. If you're partner or you have herpes then it’s important that you, of course, disclose to them. Obvi. But it’s important that you’re aware that the toy can also act as a vehicle for transmission. Some people like to use condoms on their vibrators for easy cleaning and lessen the risk but if that's not your jam then no worries. If you’re using you’re vibrator with multiple people make sure that your sexual health is discussed and for best practice methods wash it between people.

Ok, so this was a fun one today... definitely out of my comfort zone...if you want some suggestion on the safest vibrators head over to my Amazon store.

Life With Herpes Details:

• Join the Secret Society
• HerpAlert (use promo code: lifewithherpes and get 10% off)
• Amazon store to get your vibes on

Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Just in case…

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There are foods that can help us and there are foods that can hurt us.

Let’s face it. You are what you eat. At the end of the day what you put in your body will either help keep you healthy or make you sick. Food is a pleasure and there are so many yummy things out there. But at the same time, there are some foods that can really help us when it comes to our herpes outbreaks.  With this being said by no means do I want you to deprive yourself of some delicious foods.

In past episodes, I’ve talked about foods to avoid for herpes outbreaks. Well’ let’s talk about some foods it includes that will help keep outbreaks away as well as help you recover faster when you have one.

Before we get into the foods we need to do a quick refresher on why these foods are helpful or harmful. It boils down to two essential amino acids, lysine, and arginine. They both are helpful and important for our bodies so we need to make sure they are included in our diet however too much of one can really increase the outbreaks. Arginine is like lighter fluid to the herpes virus. The virus loves the arginine rich diet, in fact, it feeds the virus. On the contrary, lysine is a fire extinguisher to the herpes virus.The virus considered a lysine rich environment in a hostile environment. So...that’s what we want to create, a hostile environment for the virus. I go way more in depth. Here’s the link.

All of these foods are high in lysine and low in arginine. This lysine arginine ratio is key. Keep in mind you can never have a diet without one or the other, remember they are essential amino acids.

1. Dairy - This includes all dairy types. Dairy is high in lysine and low in arginine. Dairy is a good source of vitamins and protein as well. Some examples of dairy products are: cheese, yogurt, kefir, sour cream milk, cottage cheese, and the list can go on. Of course, I have to put this out there that there’s a difference between the sugar processed dairy products and of course the organic low sugar or zero sugar added. Just saying, if you’re going down this health path you might as well do it right.
2. Seafood - Seafood and shellfish are a great source of lysine. Really all types of fish are good for you but the key fishes are; tuna, halibut, sardines, and salmon. So a tuna sandwich is a great choice for lunch meanwhile add sardines to your pizza. Of course, you don’t have to stick to just these fishes go with what you love and enjoy.
3. Avocado - Avocados are really good to include in your diet regardless of having herpes but in this case, they are helpful when fighting the virus. Avocados are nutrient dense and contain just about everything you need when it comes to fats, carbohydrates, and protein not to mention they are high in lysine. So add avocado to your daily diet.  

For a list of the herpes diet meals you can click here and we’ll get it right over to you.

Back to what I was saying earlier. Don’t stress yourself out about foods as well as deprive your self or punish yourself if you eat something that could cause an outbreak.  There are foods that are known to increase herpes outbreaks and I eat them regularly but I watch my consumption. This is just a guide for you to be in control of your health and help support you from a nutritional way.  If you don’t like the foods I mentioned then skip it if you love them than that’s great news.

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Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Just in case…

Learn about the Herpes Outbreak Toolkit:

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I get a ton of questions from people in our Secret Society asking if they should date in a regular dating site like bumble, tinder or match or if they should go to a specific dating site for herpes.  That's a great question! In my opinion, if having to reveal that you have herpes is going to hold you back from going on dates then absolutely go to a herpes dating site. The elephant is already out of the room and you both know that you each have herpes. What could be better than that?

Regardless of it being a “herpes only” dating site or a “religious dating” site or just a “hookup dating” site whatever it is you still have to fill out your profile and you still have to have the conversation about having herpes.

On any dating site they're going to start off the same types of questions; What's your gender, name, age, where do you live,  what's your profession, ethnicity, do you want children, do you smoke, do you drink, and other pretty generic questions. A non herpes specific dating sites they’re now asking people about STD’s!!! One of the questions asked if you’d feel comfortable dating anyone with herpes! I think this is awesome!

With the herpes specific dating sites there are a lot of herpes specific questions. So before we get into necessarily how to answer that let's just talk a little bit about Herpes 101.  Okay so there's two types of herpes that were concerned with here. One is HSV-1 and one is HSV-2. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can cause oral or genital herpes. One of the biggest misconceptions is that HSV-1 only stays in the oral region and will never go in the genital region or vice versa. Just an FYI  there's a lot of people being diagnosed with HSV-1 genitally. If you want to learn more about herpes you can click here and here

Now back the dating sites and why it's important for you to know if you have HSV-1 or HSV-2. Here’s the deal it’s possible for you to contact the other herpes strain. A  perfect example is my personal situation, I have HSV-1 and HSV-2. Have HSV-1 orally and HSV-2 genitally. It’s rare for people to get both strains of herpes however like my personal situation it is possible. So if that's something you're concerned with then it's really important that you're aware of what strain you have and potentially what strain your partner has.

Ok back to you filling out the dating site information on a herpes specific dating site it’s important to be as specific on your herpes location and type. This way you and your potential partners can have a heads up. Remember, as I was explaining earlier, you could have really any combination you can have HSV-1 orally or HSV-1 genitally you can have HSV 1 and 2 genitally you can have HSV-2 orally.

I took this from a dating site word-for-word and this is how it reads:

• HSV-1 usually cold sores
• HSV-1 usually genital
• HSV-2 usually cold sores
• HSV -2  usually genital
• I don’t know where I have herpes
• I don’t know what type I have

Okay, so if you know where you have herpes then click the appropriate box. But if you don't know let's help you figure that out.

There's a lot of situations where people know they have herpes and know where their outbreaks are but they don't know what type it is. If that's you the best thing for you to do is to go to your doctor or whoever diagnosed you and ask them to look into your paperwork and find what strain you have. The blood test or the swab test will tell you what strain it is. If it’s too much of a hassle for you to locate your original herpes diagnosis paperwork then ask your physician to run a blood test. Again, this is not crucial or required but it’s probably best to know what you have so that you can communicate that with your partner.

If you’re reading this and thinking how’s it possible for someone to not know where they have herpes well let me tell you. This happens all the time. These people are asymptomatic which means they don’t get outbreaks but because they have the viruses they’re still able to transmit the virus to potential partners. In this situation just fill out the questions to your best ability and let your potential partner know that you have herpes, you know what type it is but don’t know where you have it.

Ok, so I hope this helps you with the herpes dating sites and filling out what type you have and why it's important. Of course as always, if you have questions feel free to reach out to me.

Oh and here’s a list of the dating sites I recommend:

• MPWH
  
  
• Dating Positives 

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• HerpAlert (use promo code: lifewithherpes and get 10% off)

Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Just in case…

Learn about the Herpes Outbreak Toolkit:

Need to talk confidentially about herpes?

Oh Yea and in case you need Herpes Outbreak Essentials

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Ok on this episode my husband, Bill, joins me to talk about our relationship, sex life, and intimacy.

Bill shares his point of view about being intimate with me and how it’s not really a big deal at all. The only time me having herpes comes up in our intimate relationship is when I have an outbreak. It’s so easy to crawl into a hole and pretend like you don't have an outbreak or get super angry and mad at the world. This helps nobody. It doesn’t help you it doesn’t help your partner and it doesn’t help your sexual relationship.

We handle it by having a conversation about it. That’s it. I just let Bill know that I either feel like one’s coming on or I have one or sometimes I don’t know what’s going on. But the point is I let him know what’s up.

Bill share’s how it’s no big deal at all and there are ways that we get creative if there is the physical need. Because let’s face it...sometimes there are needs. Right?!

Just because it’s not “traditional” sex doesn’t mean that it’s not sex or doesn’t mean it’s not intimate. So get that thought out of your mind.

Then Bill and I go on to share a concept when it comes to sex. Ok so hear me out… Sex is like a sneeze!!!

I know you’re going what???!!!

So when you think about it sex is about 20 minutes. Right? Give or take a bit but in all seriousness, on average it's about 20 minutes. Well, that’s like a sneeze!!! Everything else is intimacy. Everything else is the sexy part. So that means it’s the look, its the touch, its the fun life things you do together. It’s flirting, it’s putting on some sexy lingerie, cooking together or whatever it is. That's the real intimacy part!!! All that stuff is foreplay!!!

So get it out of your head that sex is just the verb. There’s so much more to sex than the act. Intimacy is fun!!!

Bill share’s a story about how I tease him by putting on my little sexy outfit...you’ll have to watch or listen to hear his story.

I then go into talking about how having herpes it doesn’t make me feel less sexy, less desirable, less like a woman. It doesn’t have an effect on our marriage or our sex life.

Life With Herpes Details:

• Join the Secret Society
• HerpAlert (use promo code: lifewithherpes and get 10% off)

Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Just in case…

Learn about the Herpes Outbreak Toolkit:

Need to talk confidentially about herpes?

Oh Yea and in case you need Herpes Outbreak Essentials

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When we look down and see a bump or a cut or a red spot it’s either one of two reactions. Either it’s an OMG WTF I’m going to die or we just shrug it off and assume it’s nothing.

Which one are you?

In other episodes, I talk about in detail what herpes symptoms are, what they look like and how you’re going to feel. Today I want to get the nitty-gritty on what’s not herpes. If you’re wondering about symptoms go here to check out past episode 101 here.

What’s Not Herpes:

• Pimple which includes whiteheads, blackheads & cysts
• Ingrown hair
• Canker sore
• Contact Dermatitis (Skin rashes) - from poison ivy, laundry detergent, perfumes, medications, lotions, etc.
• Scabies
• Jock itch
• Bug Bites
• Yeast infection
• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea

So normally I don’t recommend going to google because there are so many scary photos up there and then it can become daunting and plain scary. I mean I’m the type of person who takes my dog to the vet and I look at the heartworm photos and think that I have heartworm.  So.. if that’s you then do your best to stay away. But, if you’re wondering about any of the items I discussed earlier and want to know more then check it out.

Here’s the thing, nobody ever thinks that it’s herpes. But, the majority of the population has herpes so if you see something that raises your eyebrow or makes you wonder to go get it checked out. ASAP. Living in limbo is worse than the diagnosis. To seek herpes treatment and potential diagnosis go here to HerpAlert. Use the promo code: lifewithherpes to receive 10% off. I’m obsessed with HerpAlert and what they offer when it comes to privacy, the ability to talk to an MD doctor and receive a diagnosis within the hour. Check them out.

Life With Herpes Details:

• Join the Secret Society
• HerpAlert (use promo code: lifewithherpes and get 10% off)

Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Just in case…

Learn about the Herpes Outbreak Toolkit:

Need to talk confidentially about herpes?

Oh Yea and in case you need Herpes Outbreak Essentials

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Let's talk about sex, getting tested and standing up for your sexual health! Thank goodness we are in a time in history where we can have an STD awareness month. And have a plethora of information to educate ourselves so that we can protect ourselves and our partners.

STD’s or STI’s have a huge stigma but the thing is that there’s a 110 million Americans living with STI’s. In case you’re wondering how many Americans there are about 325 million Americans. So this means that 34% of Americans have an STD/STI. This is huge and to think there’s still a stigma is frustrating.

So let me break this down, according to the CDC there’s:

• 20 million new STI cases a year
• 50% of the cases are in young people from ages 15-24
• Only 12% of the young people say they’ve been tested

So what does this mean...we need to educate and learn how to talk about sex and have the confidence to stand up for our sexual health? This means that it’s ok to ask your partner to wear a condom and if your partner refuses then it’s ok to say NO. It’s ok to require your partner to get tested for STI’s before having sex. If your partner doesn’t want to get tested or won’t share the results with you then it should be a red flag to say NO. It’s ok to ask you’re a partner if they have other partners. Basically what I’m saying is you need to stand up for yourself and have a conversation with your partner before becoming sexually active as well as once you’ve begun a sexual relationship.

Here’s what you need to do to protect yourself:

• Talk about your sexual heal with your partner
• Get tested before having sex
• Find out if you’re exclusive or if there are multiple partners
• Use protection aka. Condoms,  

I know I talk about this all the time but I need to make sure I mention it today is just because you ask for a STD test it doesn’t mean that you’ve been tested for herpes. Yep! Shocking right? So you specifically have to ask for a herpes test. I’ve heard from our Secret Society members that in some countries it’s hard to get a herpes test unless you have signs of blisters. But...it’s your health and you need to stand up for you!

This can sound kinda corny but it’s true. I mean I believe sex is a natural part of life but it doesn’t mean that you need to become sexually active until you’re ready. So with that being said, sex is a choice. It’s 100% up to you to decide when you want to have sex so with that being said you need to make sure you’re 100% ready to have the sexual health talk and take proper precautions to get tested and talk to your partner. Truly there’s nothing sexier than communicating and getting vulnerable together before jumping between the sheets.

If you want to learn more about getting tested for herpes go to HerpAlert.com. I’m obsessed with the company because they are the leading telehealth company for herpes diagnosis. It’s private and an MD will diagnoses you within the hour and have your prescription sent to your pharmacy of choice. It’s that simple. Oh, and if you use the promo code:lifewithherpes you’ll get 10% off. Go to HerpAlert and check it out.

Life With Herpes Details:

• Join the Secret Society
• HerpAlert (use promo code: lifewithherpes and get 10% off)

Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Just in case…

Learn about the Herpes Outbreak Toolkit:

Need to talk confidentially about herpes?

Oh Yea and in case you need Herpes Outbreak Essentials

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We’ve all heard the saying people talk about sexual diseases and don’t catch one. We’re taught in sex ed “or maybe we’re taught” that having sex can lead to STI’s, in our case herpes and other things. And so with that said we go out into the world and become sexually active and think that the only way we can get “something” is by having sex. The other big thing we’re told is that if you use a condom then you’re fine but that’s another whole topic.

So…today I want to talk about way’s herpes can be transmitted to protect you and you’re partners.

Before we go into the sexual ways herpes can be transmitted let's do a little breakdown on why and how herpes is transmitted.

Also if you want to get the full deets on herpes you can click here.

Herpes is a virus and it’s skin to skin transmission. So, in other words, you catch herpes from touching someone else who has the herpes virus. Don’t freak out, this does not mean that if you touch someone you’ll immediately get herpes or if you have herpes you can never have human contact again. What it means is if you touch someone in the area that the person is infected in then you’re at a pretty high risk of contracting the herpes virus.

So for example, if you have genital herpes and you hug someone then you are not at risk of transmitting herpes. Unless, of course, you used your genitals to hug someone...lol. So does that make sense?  

Here’s another example, if you have oral herpes and you have sex with someone and don’t kiss them then the person is not at risk of getting herpes.

I just want to clarify that if you have oral herpes you have to use your mouth to transmit it and the same thing goes for genital herpes, you have to use your genitals to transmit herpes.

Now that we have an understanding of how herpes transmission works let’s go into sexual ways you can transmit herpes.

Oral sex - Ok so most of us don’t think that STI’s or STD’s can be transmitted with oral sex. But the truth is it can. In fact, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HPV, and hepatitis b can be transmitted through oral sex, the only thing that’s 100% not possible is pregnancy. What this means is oral sex is not a great solution to not having a condom or an easy way to “not have the conversation” about safe sex. Oral sex transmission is just as probable as vaginal sex. THere’s a lot of new herpes cases that pop up from just having oral sex.

Anal sex - this is not as common as vaginal sex or oral sex however, you can still transmit herpes and other STD’s with anal sex. This again goes back to the skin to skin transmission. The herpes virus likes the anus just as much as other parts of the genital area. In fact, that's typically where I get my outbreaks and I know I’m not alone because there’s a lot of members in our secret society who get their outbreaks there too and are confused about why it’s there.

Foreplay - I looked up the definition of foreplay and basically to get to the point its, sexual behavior that precedes sexual intercourse. What does that mean or what does that cover? That means that there’s touching! Whatever you and your partner want to do during foreplay is up to you but my guess is that there’s some type of skin to skin contact and I’d say the majority of the time there’s no condom or protection being used. So just because you’re not having “sex” you’re not out of the woods. Herpes can still be transmitted.

Spooning or cuddling - Ok so you’re either keeping it PG or you’ve just finished either way there’s a possibility for herpes transmission. A perfect example of this is after sex the condom comes off and there’s potential cuddle time. And with cuddle time comes skin to skin contact. And with that comes the potential for transmission. Or you’re not even doing anything sexual but you’re spooning while you’re sleeping and you guys sleep naked. Again...it’s skin to skin and potential for transmission.

Ok so what’s I’m trying to get across is a couple of things. 1) just having sex doesn’t transmit herpes 2) you really need to communicate with your partner about having herpes 3)please don’t let this stop you from having skin to skin contact or be afraid of touching your partner.

I want you to think about are if you’re engaging in sexual activities such as oral sex, vaginal sex, anal sex, foreplay then you need to be using protection aka a condom the entire time. Not just during the act of sex. Use it during foreplay and be responsible about using it. When you’re all done take precautions and if that means putting on your underwear to cuddle then do it.

By communicating with your partner you guys can talk about what you both feel comfortable with. When couples are in communication about having herpes it makes it so much easier to prevent transmission.

Back to this communication thing, and condoms and not telling your partner, I think I’ve painted a picture of how herpes can be transmitted even with using a condom. Because say you used a condom but didn’t use it during foreplay...boom that was skin to skin.

Life With Herpes Details:

• Join the Secret Society
• HerpAlert (use promo code: lifewithherpes and get 10% off)

Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Just in case…

Learn about the Herpes Outbreak Toolkit:

Need to talk confidentially about herpes?

Oh Yea and in case you need Herpes Outbreak Essentials

Are you social?

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Ok so let’s get right to it. When we are diagnosed with herpes we feel and also pretty much believe that everything about our lives is over. We’re hard on ourselves and punish ourselves for getting herpes. I mean all that we did was have sex just like the 97% of American adults. T he difference is that we got herpes.

So when the trauma of the diagnosis sets in we think that we’ll never fall in love or worse, the person we love will never love us. We think that we’ll never be parents. Or we think that we can’t get that dream job that we’ve been working so hard for. Let me tell you this is total BS!

All that we have is herpes. It’s a virus that causes annoying and sometimes painful blisters. That’s it. Having the virus dose not mean that we won’t get into the collage of our dreams or get our dream job offer.

So here’s why I want to prove this. Even astronauts have herpes. Yep astronauts.

Do you know how prestigious it is to be an astronaut. I mean not everyone can just wake up and decide they want to be an astronaut. It takes years and a ton of hard work. It requires an engineering degree so all of you who think that having herpes will prevent you from a badass degree like engineering think again. You need three years of professional experience, you need 1000 hours of flight training and the list goes on and on.

Ok so if you’re like what does this have to do with herpes...I’m not an astronaut and neither are you. Just hold on a sec.

A recent article came out talking about astronauts and herpes. Yep...even highly educated and highly respected men and women like astronauts have herpes.

If they have it and can navigate a rocket to the moon then you my dear can do anything you want too.

Let me tell you more about the astronauts in space with herpes. It’s pretty fascinating if you ask me. So  this whole thing started out as testing immune systems of astronauts while in space.

Samples of blood, urine and saliva were collected from astronauts before, during and after space travel. These trips were short and long term space missions.  

Also, I think these numbers will make you feel a little better… there’s a ton of astronauts with herpes. There’s a total of 112 astronauts to date now out of the 112 there are 61 with the herpes virus. That means that 54% of the astronauts have herpes. And yes, this is a combination of both genial and oral herpes.

Ok so back to what I was saying earlier about how common the herpes virus is and how we shouldn’t let it hold us back. The majority of astronauts have herpes!

According to Satish Mehta at Johnson Space Center ,they found that the Herpes viruses is reactivated in more than half of the astronauts due to the space travel. "These frequencies -- as well as the quantity -- of viral shedding are markedly higher than in samples from before or after flight, or from matched healthy controls."

Just to clarify the reactivation of the viruses doesn't necessarily mean that the symptoms return. So just because the virus was reactivated it didn’t mean that the astronauts had herpes outbreaks. Actually only 6 had active outbreaks and they were minor.

So basically the magnitude, frequency and duration of viral shedding all increase with length of spaceflight," Mehta said. In other words the longer the mission the more the astronauts had viral shedding.

Alright, so here’s the deal. The majority of the population have herpes. Yes, when we’re diagnosed it sucks. It’s really embarrassing and the news can be destructive to our relationships as well as our ego. What I want you to take from today is don’t give up on your dreams just because you have herpes. Remember more that 50% of astronauts have herpes and they have a pretty prestigious job.

Shoot for your stars and the moon and don’t let herpes hold you back from your dreams.

I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes.

“ A dream is a wish your heart makes.” - Walt Disney

Life With Herpes

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Xoxo,

Alexandra

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As we all know there’s a couple of ways to treat ailments or sickness when it happens. We can go to the doctor and get antibiotics or some type of prescription, we can go the holistic way or we can do nothing. In the past decades we got away from the holistic way and anytime we had a sniffle or our finger hurt we to the doctor to get an antibiotic. Now more and more people are turning towards holistic ways to treat a sickness or in our case a herpes outbreak.

Personally, I do both the medical western methods and the holistic eastern methods. We’re lucky that with modern technology and advancements we can cure and treat so many illnesses. However, I’m a huge fan of pulling something out of my cupboard and using it to aid in healing or even doing the job. I mean, it’s pretty cool to think that things you keep in your cupboard can help a herpes outbreak heal.

Here are some of my favorite holistic ways to clear up and treat an outbreak.

1. Essential Oils

If you’ve been binge-watching or listening to Life With Herpes for a while you know how much I love essential oils. They are compounds extracted from plants. There’s hundreds of them and they all do something a little different. If you want to know more then you can do your own research on them. But the bottom line is they can have some major impacts on your mood and even your health. The essential oils I use and recommend for herpes outbreaks; melaleuca or commonly known as tea tree oil, lavender oil, peppermint oil, and oregano oil. You can refer to x episode to learn more about how I use them and why I love them.

1. Vanilla Extract

Ok so vanilla extract is what you use when you make chocolate chip cookies or for your other baking needs. Personally I think vanilla makes everything taste better!  Did you know vanilla also contains alcohol? So with that being said you can use vanilla extract instead of rubbing alcohol to sanitize. This would be ideal if you have an oral outbreak and let’s be honest, vanilla tastes way way way better than rubbing alcohol...yuck! The vanilla extract will help clean and dry out the herpes sore so it will heal faster. Just use a q-tip and dab the sore with vanilla.

1. Epsom Salt Baths

Epsom Salt Baths are some of my favorite baths!!! I was introduced to them a while back by a physical therapist who recommended that all athletes or people who exercise regularly should be taking epsom salt baths a couple of times a week. I’ll be honest, I don’t make the time to do them weekly but if or when I have an outbreak I’ll hop in the tub and soak. The epsom salts really really do help sooth the pain, help with itching,  dry out the sore and a bonus is the epsom salts also calm your nervous system. And if you have an outbreak then chances are your nervous system is on over drive and needs you to take an Epsom salt bath. My favorite thing to do is add some lavender essential oil to the bath, it's all sorts of goodness.

1. Coconut Oil

I feel like a while back coconut was the miracle drug or all the answers to your medical needs. Suddenly everything was coconut oil. Well, I’m a huge fan of coconut oil for all sorts of things like cooking over 400 degrees or using it as a natural lotion, my husband and I even use it for lube! But for herpes applying coconut oil to your genitals will really help alleviate pain. One of the symptoms is itching or a burning like irritation adding coconut oil to the sore or the itchy area can help sooth the pain. Getting back to the miracles of coconut oil but in all seriousness coconut oil is pretty amazing, it’s antiviral, anti bacterial, antifungal and it has other great health benefits if your consuming it. But to stay on topic with herpes we’ll just talk about using it topically.

Something that you can use to kill a couple of birds with one stone is Woo More Play lube. Yes, I’m talking about lube and herpes. I know that if you have an outbreak right now lube or sex is the last thing you want to do. But you can use Woo More Play to help with your outbreak. The ingredients are all organic which include coconut oil (yay), vanilla extract (double yay) and two other ingredients like bees wax which helps with swelling and stevia which helps remove any bacteria. So it’s a win win. You can use your lube to help with your outbreak! Click Here To Buy Woo More Play.

If you’re missing any of these herpes outbreak essentials you can purchase them on Amazon, go here to visit the Life With Herpes Amazon store.

Details:

• Join the Secret Society
• HerpAlert (use promo code: lifewithherpes and get 10% off)

Oh yea, remember to subscribe to the Life With Herpes newsletter and get The 5 things  I wished she knew before I was diagnosed with herpes sent directly to your inbox + weekly updates.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Just in case…

Learn about the Herpes Outbreak Toolkit:

Need to talk confidentially about herpes?

Oh Yea and in case you need Herpes Outbreak Essentials

Are you social?

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