Life With Herpes

https://youtu.be/cvLkYAOsN78

Yes, I absolutely love where food and nutrition is moving. It’s moving from something to hold you over or a quick grab and go while on the run to choosing foods that will improve your health.  I love seeing other bloggers, influencers and healthy minded people make nutrition and health a movement. Over the years we’ve forgotten that food is to nourish our body and give us the fuel to do the things we love and instead it’s become something that we are addicted to and it caused some serious illnesses.

So let’s get into why there are some foods that will really help your body fight the herpes virus. Remember way back when I talked about Lysine and Arginine? Well if you don’t then go here to find that episode. I’ll give a quick breakdown so that we can all be on the same page today. Arginine and Lysine are both essential amino acids, in other words, they help us build our muscles and they are an important part of our diet and overall health. Like I said earlier I go into way more detail in other blogs. For whatever reason, arginine is like miracle grow to the herpes virus. The more arginine we have in our bodies the more likely we are to have a herpes outbreak. On the flip side, lysine is like a fire extinguisher to the herpes virus. Lysine suffocates the herpes virus and prevents it from having outbreaks and it prevents the virus from multiplying. It’s rather fascinating, isn’t it?

Now I know what your next thought is. I’ll just put lysine in my body and will avoid arginine at all costs. Well, it’s not that simple. Remember I mentioned that arginine is an essential part of our overall health and the building blocks to our muscles? Yep. Well, you need arginine and even if you wanted to nix it from your diet you wouldn't be able to.

Hear me out. When you have herpes outbreaks you will want to increase your diet with lysine-rich foods and keep the arginine foods at bay.

Here’s a list of foods to emphasize when you have an outbreak…(you can download this too. )  Download the Life With Herpes Meal Plan Here

• Dairy Products  (Cheese, Yogurt, Kefir, Cottage Cheese, Sour
• Cream., Milk).
• All Fish & Seafood (especially Tuna, Halibut, Salmon, Sardines)
• Eggs
• Organ Meats
• Lean meats
• Poultry
• Potatoes
• Brewers Yeast
• Carrot Juice
• Avocado
• Sausage
• Fruit & Berries
• Vegetables without seeds

When we cut out as much of the arginine as we can while having a herpes outbreak it really will help our bodies heal from the inside out. I’m assuming if you are having an outbreak you are probably taking an antiviral and or using some home remedies. I can promise that by cleaning up your diet while having an outbreak will help you heal faster too. It’s like suffocating the virus from both directions.

I have the downloads for you if you want recipes and the list of the foods to emphasize while having an outbreak. Go here to access them.

If you’re not a member of the Life With Herpes community I want to invite you to join. There are cool downloads like the one I’m talking about now...lol and of course an online community with hundreds of people just like you and me who have herpes. Go there to join

Let me know what questions you have.

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Here’s How I Can Support

Join our Life With Herpes Secret Society - https://lifewithherpes.com/subscription-membership-sp/

Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit

Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/

Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka

www.lifewithherpes.com

www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka

www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast  

www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes

Join The Live With Herpes Community

If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. See you in there.

Ways You Can Support The Life With Herpes Show

If you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed making it for you than a subscribe would be a great idea.

Are you a YouTuber? Go ahead and subscribe to the show. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. When you subscribe it helps the algorithm in YouTube and it helps promote the show. If you are worried about your identity and your friends finding out you subscribed to a herpes channel then change your settings to private. And trust me I totally get it and would want to keep it a secret. Also, when you subscribe you will be notified in your inbox when a new episode is out or when Alexandra is live on Youtube Live. Subscribe Here

Are you a podcast listener? Please give the Life With Herpes show a review. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. You can Subscribe, Rate and Review the show through your iTunes app or on the desktop. Seriously, it helps out a lot more than it is a hassle for you. You see, iTunes has an algorithm that organically promotes the show, so the more ratings and reviews the Life With Herpes Show receives then the higher it gets ranked. This is your way of paying it forward and helping someone find the show who really needs it. Oh, and you can totally use a fake name, so don’t worry about a friend finding you in the iTunes review. Talking about herpes needs to be spread as far and wide as possible. You are totally a part of this movement so THANK YOU!   Subscribe, Rate and Review

https://youtu.be/tmF3tVq6eMs

Hey there! Ok, I want to jump right in and talk about over the counter stuff that I personally use as well as some other stuff that members in our community use. Let’s get real. Outbreaks Suck! But also let’s be honest, there are other things in the world that are way worse so I’m not saying this in a way to sound like a victim. Ya know?

 

But...when we have outbreaks we want to clear them up ASAP and get back to our life. We don’t want them to get in the way of our yoga practice, our spin class, sex, workouts, vacation or whatever we have planned that week.

 

To keep it simple I’ve arranged the supplies in order of pain relief, ways to suppress it and then ways to soothe your body. I was trying to go with the EAT, Pray, Love thing or Mind, Body and Sole. All I could come up with was Pain, Suppress, and Sooth. Let me know if you come up with something better...lol.

Pain 

When outbreaks occur there can be pain and the pain doesn’t just stay by the outbreak. People experience headaches, body aches, flu or cold-like symptoms, even a sore throat. I know my lymph nodes get inflamed and that is usually a tip-off for me to take a raincheck on my plans and lay low.  And of course, there’s the pain of the blister or blisters. If it’s your first outbreak then chances are you’re really in pain and it might even be hard to sit down. Or the outbreak could be in a spot where it hits your underwear or just gets in the way of everyday life. Here are a couple of things I recommend:

1. Take your favorite pain reliever. Whatever it is; Advil, Aleve, Tylenol, Aspirin, IBuprofen, or whatever you like to take. This can relieve some of your aches and pains and help you get through the day. Follow the recommendations on the side of the bottle.
2. Apply either hotness or chilliness. Everyone's a little different and relief will work differently. Personally, I don’t do this when I have outbreaks but I wish I would have when I had my first outbreak. That outbreak was a bitch! Anyway, either take an ice or a warm cloth and apply it to the sore. The ice will numb the area temporally meanwhile the warm cloth will do the opposite. You can use ice and put it together in a ziplock or some of the members in our community recommend sitting on an ice pack. Do whatever floats your boat.   It will sooth and bring comfort to the inflamed area. Both are great and offer relief from some of the pain.

 

Suppress

Clearly, we all want to get rid of this outbreak ASAP. What we want to do in essence is suffocate the virus. We want to make it’s living situation as hostile as possible. I mean, why would we want to give it any reason to stick around? Here are two products that I use religiously when I have outbreaks.

1. L-Lysine - As you probably know from past shows and reading the posts that lysine is a key contributor to getting rid of your outbreaks. I’ve gone into great detail in other episodes, they are linked here, but essentially what lysine does is suffocate the herpes virus. It makes it really difficult for the virus to breed and continue to cause you pain. Taking L-Lysine when you have outbreaks will help you heal quicker. I take 3000 mg a day when I have outbreaks, ideally, you take 2 in the morning, 2 at lunch, and 2 in the evening but I take mine all at once usually during lunch.
2. D-lenolate - this is the olive leaf extract ointment that I like to apply directly to my sore. It’s super potent and really works miracles. They are a  local company in Las Vegas and I’ve been to their office and met some of the people who work there. They all were saying rave reviews about how it helps people with herpes. The secret is in the special sauce...lol the olive leaf is filled with properties that will boost your immune system and combat all the bad pathogens, viruses and bacterias. This stuff really helps and it is soothing at the same time. I apply this as often as I can so that it speeds up the healing process.

 

Sooth

Because these little suckers don’t just go away overnight and they take some time to heal there are some remedies that can really help soothe the pain. These remedies will also help with the healing process as well but most of all they will help you get through it.

1. Epsom Salt baths are my favorite. Firstly, baths require you to slow down and relax then when you add the Epsom salts it really helps alleviate the pain or itching from the sores. Epsom salts offer a ton of healing benefits such as helping the body absorb minerals like magnesium, it helps the body sleep and reduces stress, helps with pain and swelling and the baths can help calm the nervous system. These baths really do a total makeover on the body and they really help with the sores. I hear from so many of the members in the community that say taking an   salt bath really helps with the itch and also soothes the sore. Oh and make sure you drink plenty of water, with you take the bath because the salts can dehydrate you. I don’t want you getting out of the bath and fainting!
2. Essential Oils are the new thing and I love them. I know I’ve talked about them before and they each offer something a little different but in general essential oils promote stress relief, they are antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and they rev up the immune system. These are all things that we need. My favorites are melaleuca or tea tree oil, peppermint and lavender. They all have yummy smells and they all help combat the herpes virus. Pick the one that makes you feel comforted. For an added bonus add the oils to your Epsom salt bath. It really turns your bath into a spa-like experience and at the same time fight the herpes hibijibis.
3. Woo More Play, yep the lube that I love. Here’s how it helps. Its key ingredients are coconut oil, vanilla, beeswax, and stevia. All are organic, natural and they have awesome benefits that fight inflammation, free radicals, kills germs, boosts your immune system and other great stuff. Yes, I’ve been known to put lube on my outbreak. Try it! And let’s be serious it's always great to have some lube on hand. Just put a little dibby dab on a q-tip and rub it on your sore. It helps...promise. Just a little disclosure that if you are using latex then oil based lube, aka, Woo is not the way to go. You will want a water-based lube so the latex doesn’t deteriorate.

Ok, so there’s a ton of information here. The key is to find remedies that work for you. Everybody's body is different and there will be different ways to treat your outbreak. These are just a few of my favorites so I wanted to make sure I shared them. Here’s what I want you to do…

To order any of these items go here and here for the lube.

Then if you're not a member of the Life With Herpes community I want to invite you to join. There’s hundreds of people over there just like you and me who have herpes. I’m in there daily and we do live support sessions. Meaning we can chat and you can ask questions. Ok so come on over to here to join us.

Xoxox,

Alexandra

Here’s How I Can Support

Join our Life With Herpes Secret Society - https://lifewithherpes.com/subscription-membership-sp/

Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit

Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/

Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka

www.lifewithherpes.com

www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka

www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast  

www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes

Join The Live With Herpes Community

If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. See you in there.

Ways You Can Support The Life With Herpes Show

If you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed making it for you than a subscribe would be a great idea.

Are you a YouTuber? Go ahead and subscribe to the show. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. When you subscribe it helps the algorithm in YouTube and it helps promote the show. If you are worried about your identity and your friends finding out you subscribed to a herpes channel then change your settings to private. And trust me I totally get it and would want to keep it a secret. Also, when you subscribe you will be notified in your inbox when a new episode is out or when Alexandra is live on Youtube Live. Subscribe Here

Are you a podcast listener? Please give the Life With Herpes show a review. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. You can Subscribe, Rate and Review the show through your iTunes app or on the desktop. Seriously, it helps out a lot more than it is a hassle for you. You see, iTunes has an algorithm that organically promotes the show, so the more ratings and reviews the Life With Herpes Show receives then the higher it gets ranked. This is your way of paying it forward and helping someone find the show who really needs it. Oh, and you can totally use a fake name, so don’t worry about a friend finding you in the iTunes review. Talking about herpes needs to be spread as far and wide as possible. You are totally a part of this movement so THANK YOU!   Subscribe, Rate and Review

https://youtu.be/XrdlJLbR9IY

Life With Herpes

Do you get outbreaks when you travel? For me, it’s a pretty much guaranteed. I love to travel and it’s one of my passions but what I don’t like is waking up the next morning in a new city that I can’t wait to explore and feel a herpes blister. It means that I have to pace myself, it means no sex with my husband, it means I’m feeling uncomfortable, it means I can’t try clothes on and go shopping, it means a whole lot of things that I don’t want to deal with when I on vacay. Do you have this too?

Is vacation a herpes outbreak trigger for you too?

So sorry if its. We’re going to fix it right now.

First, let's talk about why outbreaks happen when we’re on vacay. So typically when we are on vacation we tend to do a lot of stuff that is different. As much as we might enjoy this and get a thrill out of it our bodies are like...WTF?

Let’s go over what our body goes through on vacation. Well, for starters we stress out the day before and most likely the night before. Have you been guilty of pulling an all-nighter to pack and get everything in order before calling your uber to the airport…#guilty! Ok, then you are already starting your trip off with stress on the body from pulling an all-nighter looking for that one thing you need for your trip or adding a signature to your email or getting your cat food organized for the cat sitter. Whatever it is your body is stress.

Something we don’t realize is that travel is really hard on our bodies especially if we are flying. We are lugging are overpacked suitcase through the airport the only thing to eat is over processed food. Think about it...your body is stressed.

Then when arriving at our vacation destination we are exhausted and on cloud 9! Our body pushes for our second or fourth wind as we are full of excitement and are ready to dive in and enjoy.  It doesn’t matter if you are going on a relaxing vacation and sitting on the beach or if you are heading to a big city to explore. Your body is on overdrive!

Let’s not forget to mention all the goodies we indulge in. I don’t know about you but I always have a few extra glasses of wine as well as I’ll order dessert and I’ll probably have something yummy that I don't typically eat. This little change in diet can really through your immune system and your body into shock. Just think if your drinking more then your not sleeping as well. If your having more dessert then that means more sugar which means a lower immune system, if you're having some yummy foods then chances are they are a little more work for your digestive system to process. All of these little things add up and cause stress on our body.

Why does stress on our body cause...HERPES OUTBREAKS?!

Now, I want to do all these things when I’m on vacation and I most certainly want you to do all of these things when you are on vacation. You deserve it. What we don’t want to come with us is an outbreak.

So here’s what I do leading up to a trip to keep my body relaxed and as stress-free as possible.

Lysine

Up my dosage of Lysine about two days before vacation from 1000 mg to 3000 mg. This way there is extra lysine in my body and it will help keep the herpes virus under control. To learn more about lysine you can click here.

Sleep

Get caught up on sleep. Did you know you can actually get caught up on sleep before you are going to be low on sleep? Yep. If you know you are going to be low on sleep you can rest up a couple of nights before and it will actually help you when you are low on sleep. So I will make sure I get caught up, I’ll even take little 45 minute catnaps if my body is craving it.

Antiviral

Take an antiviral. This is something I personally do and it works for me. You may or may not need to do this, it all depends on your body. But I will take 1 the day before departing, 1 the day of travel and depending on the type of travel like if it’s to Europe then I take 1 then first day of vacation. Like I mentioned earlier, I know my body will get an outbreak on vacation if I don’t take care and prep. This antiviral system works for me. You may not need to take it at all or you might need to take it daily while you are on vacation.

No Procrastination

No all-nighters of packing. Get packed and done by a reasonable hour. Just do it. I mean really think about it, being the last minute anything never really goes as planned. Make your packing list, lay out your clothes and get packed way before the moon comes out. I’ve gotten to the point where I actually take a half day the day before a trip. There is always something last minute and there is no reason to go into your trip tired, stressed and sick with an outbreak.

Here’s the thing. We want to do all of the fun things on our trip. I want you to have an extra drink by the pool, or a gelato when in Rome or stay up all night dancing when you're in Vegas! I mean…#YOLO. So remember to get plenty of sleep, do your best to eat a balanced diet and if your body is feeling run down then up your lysine and take your daily antiviral. I’ve spent way too many trips having outbreaks and it’s just not worth it.

What are your tips for travel? Do you have anything you recommend? DM me and let me know!

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Here’s How I Can Support

Join our Life With Herpes Secret Society - https://lifewithherpes.com/subscription-membership-sp/

Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit

Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/

Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka

www.lifewithherpes.com

www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka

www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast  

www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes

Join The Live With Herpes Community

If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. See you in there.

Ways You Can Support The Life With Herpes Show

If you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed making it for you than  a subscribe would be a great idea.

Are you a YouTuber? Go ahead and subscribe to the show. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. When you subscribe it helps the algorithm in YouTube and it helps promote the show. If you are worried about your identity and your friends finding out you subscribed to a herpes channel then change your settings to private. And trust me I totally get it and would want to keep it a secret. Also, when you subscribe you will be notified in your inbox when a new episode is out or when Alexandra is live on Youtube Live. Subscribe Here

Are you a podcast listener? Please give the Life With Herpes show a review. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. You can Subscribe, Rate and Review the show through your iTunes app or on the desktop. Seriously, it helps out a lot more than it is a hassle for you. You see, iTunes has an algorithm that organically promotes the show, so the more ratings and reviews the Life With Herpes Show receives then the higher it gets ranked. This is your way of paying it forward and helping someone find the show who really needs it. Oh, and you can totally use a fake name, so don’t worry about a friend finding you in the iTunes review. Talking about herpes needs to be spread as far and wide as possible. You are totally a part of this movement so THANK YOU!   Subscribe, Rate and Review

 

Life With Herpes https://youtu.be/ZT3v2mTWuqo Welcome, today our guest, Beverly Zeimet, will explain why she believes we can heal herpes through the power of thoughts and emotions! Beverly has been in the alternative field for over 35 years, and she specializes in emotional release and helping people find their true identity and purpose. She works with her clients to look at their own lives and look at what roles they take on and how those roles can impact their lives. We met at a networking event in Las Vegas. When I told her what I did we had a fascinating discussion about the emotional side of herpes, the why, where, how and how to heal. Everything she told me is so different from what we are taught in Western culture: we're told to take a pill and it will fix everything. Beverly explains we often get identified by what people relate us to rather than who we are, and diseases like herpes can become who we think we are. When you look at how you lost your identity and the emotional impact of that is and you start feeling those emotions your life starts to change. It can be devastating when you get your initial diagnosis and you may even think your life is over, but it's not. Dealing with the emotions that you experience can help you change your perspective. You can still have productive relationships and life a full life, it's not a scarlet letter you have to wear. It's a dysfunction in your body and when you start to understand the underlying current and vibration that it brings you can start to experience the emotions, without letting them run your life. A lot of the emotions that occur with herpes are fear, anger, grief, guilt, depression, and shame. But when we can understand what causes those emotions we can shift things. Herpes is usually a sexual disease, as a result it impacts your sexual identity and your sensual identity. The difference between the two (sexual and sensual) is that sensuality is the power of who you are: how you express yourself, how you stand, how you walk and how you talk. It's how you trust and perceive your overall gender look. Sometimes if your sensual identity gets out of whack it becomes attached to your ego. And when it reaches that point it's usually just superficial, underlying all of that could be sexual abuse, or not feeling confident in who you are, or not feeling proud of who you are internally. Because of those feelings you have to make yourself appear to look good to everyone else, so you can hide what you feel inside because you don’t look good to yourself. When you are hiding your feelings of depression, shame and guilt - even suicidal tendencies. On today’s Life With Herpes, Beverly candidly explains she fought depression most of her life, she was always looking for acceptance. This started in childhood when she wanted to be accepted by her dad, she grew up as a tomboy until her brothers came along. She was a strong extrovert until she went to school and got picked on because she was so small. Then she became an introvert, but she was filled with anger and wanting to fight. So when she was 24 she realized she had no identity. She understood her only identity came through being a mother and a wife, she had three young children under the age of 5. Which made her ask herself what was her purpose? Why was she here? She grew so despondent she began thinking of suicide because she had no purpose to her life. She was in a loveless marriage in Iowa, she didn't want to be in her marriage nor in that part of the country. She wanted out but didn't see a way to leave; it felt like her whole world was caving in on her because she had no purpose and no identity. She took off one night on a walk - this was back in the 70s when there were no self-help books and no one to talk to. At the time you just dealt with it on your own. But she knew there had to be more than that and so she took a walk. On this walk her anger started to come out: she was mad at God. She gave him a piece of her mind that night! After she finished with God she started ripping her dad, her mother, and her 10 siblings. She blamed everything that was wrong in her life on everyone else. Basically, she had decided she was going to check out; she just had to figure out when and how, which is why she was on her walk. After she had quieted down and wasn't yelling anymore, she was walking in thought and heard an inner voice ask her: Are you done? That pissed her off and she started yelling again! She yelled and screamed until she sobbed. She cried and cried like she had never in her life; she cried so hard she couldn't breathe! Through that, she heard the voice again ask her if she was done. And she said yes, I want out. In that moment she surrendered. The voice said, "Ok, we just have one question for you." She asked what the question was and the voice asked her who was going to take care of her kids? And that jolted her back into reality; she knew then she couldn't check out so she asked the voice to make a deal with her. She would take care of her kids and be there for them to grow up but she wasn't going to let them grow up in a loveless marriage nor in Iowa. In return, she needed to know her purpose. She knew she was more than just her kids' mother, and she told the voice she needed focus, guidance and to show her the way. The voice did guide her, and she shares the specifics of those next five years. Beverly also shares how her writing career got started during that time, what gave her the taste of freedom and why shame can lead to suicidal thoughts. She also tells us why she believes you can cure herpes and her own personal story of fibroid tumors. Listen in for that and more on today’s edition of Life With Herpes! Beverly’s Resources Beverly Zeimet’s website Email Beverly Zeimet Beverly’s free handout Beverly’s Facebook page The Power Formula, by Beverly Zeimet Here’s How I Can Support Join our monthly live Herpes Support Group - www.lifewithherpes.com/supportgroup Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/ Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka www.lifewithherpes.com www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast   www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes Join The Live With Herpes Community If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. You will receive a slack invitation as soon as you sign up. See you in there. Ways You Can Support The Life With Herpes Show If you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed making it for you than  a subscribe would be a great idea. Are you a YouTuber? Go ahead and subscribe to the show. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. When you subscribe it helps the algorithm in YouTube and it helps promote the show. If you are worried about your identity and your friends finding out you subscribed to a herpes channel then change your settings to private. And trust me I totally get it and would want to keep it a secret. Also, when you subscribe you will be notified in your inbox when a new episode is out or when Alexandra is live on Youtube Live. Subscribe Here Are you a podcast listener? Please give the Life With Herpes show a review. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. You can Subscribe, Rate and Review the show through your iTunes app or on the desktop. Seriously, it helps out a lot more than it is a hassle for you. You see, iTunes has an algorithm that organically promotes the show, so the more ratings and reviews the Life With Herpes Show receives then the higher it gets ranked. This is your way of paying it forward and helping someone find the show who really needs it. Oh, and you can totally use a fake name, so don’t worry about a friend finding you in the iTunes review. Talking about herpes needs to be spread as far and wide as possible. You are totally a part of this movement so THANK YOU!   Subscribe, Rate and Review 

Life With Herpes https://youtu.be/UoHz1iwTv7E Hi guys and welcome to today's episode. I’m getting a ton of questions on genital herpes and oral herpes and it can be pretty confusing so today I want to spend some time on HS1 when it’s down there. A lot of questions I hear are:

• “I have HSV1 but I also have genital herpes, so does that mean I have HSV2 also?”
• “I have HSV1 but I don't get cold sores.”
• “If I have HSV1 down there can my partner get it on their mouth?”
• “I’m confused because I have genital herpes but HSV1 is oral herpes.”

In general, we are told to think oral herpes is only HSV1 and it can only be around your mouth and the “other” kind is genital herpes and its HSV2. This is 100% false and really they are no different from each other.  For the sake of understanding, today’s message let’s get away from associating oral herpes with HSV1. Let's just use HSV1 and HSV2. With fun sexual activities like oral sex, herpes can be transmitted from someone orally to their partner genitally or visa versa genially to their partner's mouth.  This is why so many people are getting oral herpes down there. To make sure we all know how common herpes is, ⅔ people have HSV1 and ⅙ people have HSV2. These statistics show there are more people with HSV1 and therefore it’s very common to be diagnosed with genital HSV1. It’s important to find out from your doctor when you are diagnosed with herpes if it’s HSV1 or HSV2. This way you can have a conversation with your partner and your potential future partners. For example, if partner A has HSV1 genitally and partner B has HSV2 genitally they can transmit herpes to each other because they are different strains of the virus. I’ve seen this actual situation happen to a number of couples and then boom...a whole new outbreak.   So the bottom line is HSV1 and HSV2 can go wherever you give it a place to go. The previous categories of genital vs oral are not specific enough and in order to fully communicate with our lovers we need to know what strain and where we have it. DM me if you have any questions on this topic or need some clarification. See you next week. Xoxo, Alexandra Here’s How I Can Support Join our monthly live Herpes Support Group - www.lifewithherpes.com/supportgroup Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/ Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka www.lifewithherpes.com www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast   www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes Join The Live With Herpes Community If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. You will receive a slack invitation as soon as you sign up. See you in there. Ways You Can Support The Life With Herpes Show If you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed making it for you than  a subscribe would be a great idea. Are you a YouTuber? Go ahead and subscribe to the show. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. When you subscribe it helps the algorithm in YouTube and it helps promote the show. If you are worried about your identity and your friends finding out you subscribed to a herpes channel then change your settings to private. And trust me I totally get it and would want to keep it a secret. Also, when you subscribe you will be notified in your inbox when a new episode is out or when Alexandra is live on Youtube Live. Subscribe Here Are you a podcast listener? Please give the Life With Herpes show a review. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. You can Subscribe, Rate and Review the show through your iTunes app or on the desktop. Seriously, it helps out a lot more than it is a hassle for you. You see, iTunes has an algorithm that organically promotes the show, so the more ratings and reviews the Life With Herpes Show receives then the higher it gets ranked. This is your way of paying it forward and helping someone find the show who really needs it. Oh, and you can totally use a fake name, so don’t worry about a friend finding you in the iTunes review. Talking about herpes needs to be spread as far and wide as possible. You are totally a part of this movement so THANK YOU!   Subscribe, Rate and Review

Life With Herpes https://youtu.be/nbZVDinjiRI Hi friends!  Ok, let’s get right to it. Outbreaks suck! I’m going to be vulnerable and tell you some of the thoughts that go through my head when I get an outbreak.  I think; why me, why now, urg… of course I got an outbreak, Oh it was because I ate this or did that, why did I sleep with him, what was I thinking, oh no did I give it to my husband, annoying I have to watch what I eat the next couple of days, oh man I have to cancel some of my plans and do some self-care and take care of myself. Any of this s**t sound familiar? Yes, even though I’ve done a ton of self-work, forgiveness and totally moved on from that being diagnosed in July of 2011 it still can get to me when I have an outbreak. And you know what, that’s ok! Here is what I do when I get outbreaks. Take the antiviral asap. The sooner you get it in your system the sooner it can start working and start nipping it in the bud. A lot of times if I can get in within minutes of feeling an outbreak then I can even catch it and prevent the outbreak. Ideally, that’s the key. Boost my vitamin intake. The key is to get your immune system up and running. When you get an outbreak your body is compromised and it’s running on low or empty. So I make sure I have plenty of vitamins to keep my immune system strong. Besides my daily probiotic and my multivitamin, some other key vitamins are zinc, vitamin C, and lysine. The zinc is going to help boost your immune system (yay) and fights off invading bacteria and viruses. It also helps wounds heal faster. I take 1 capsule which is equal to 30mg.  Vitamin C is an ascorbic acid and it helps prevent the cells from free radicals. Also, this helps your immune system. I take 2 capsules to equal 1000 mg. The last very very very important supplement is I-Lysine! I’ve done a past episode on this and I’ve linked it here, but before I go into lysine I need to talk about arginine. Here’s where lysine and arginine come into play with herpes. The herpes virus needs arginine to breed. Without arginine, it can’t multiply. It’s basically fuel to the fire and it feeds the virus which makes it multiple and thus you get an outbreak. If you have an outbreak and continue to feed it with herpes lighter fluid then guess what happens. You guessed it, it keeps the outbreak active longer and can even cause more lesions. So not a good combo. On the contrary, lysine suffocates the herpes virus. The virus cannot replicate when lysine is present. So when using the lighter fluid analogy it’s like a fire extinguisher to the virus.  Lysine and Arginine play a pretty big role in preventing your herpes outbreaks. I have just discovered this miracle product that is made from olive leaves. The company is actually based out of Las Vegas so I’ve had the privilege to see some behind the scenes work. I apply this olive like past directly to the sore. I do it as many times as I can a day. So basically every time I go to the bathroom. Ladies, if you're like me and are about to worry about staining your panties, the stain does come out in the wash. I use a q-tip and apply it liberally to the area. I rest up. I do what I can to take things off of my calendar and take care of myself. This is personally the most difficult thing for me. What about you? But then I realize that this is how I most likely got in this position. So I force myself to take a nap, drink plenty of water and take an Epsom salt bath. The Epsom salts do wonders for your nervous system as well as help heal the sore. I even put some drops of essential oils in there too. I love an Epsom salt bath with lavender oil!!!! Let me know what works for you, I ‘d love to learn if there is something else out there that you do when you get your outbreak. Somethings will work better for others and some things won't. Remember the key to all of this is forgiveness, self-respect and self-love. See you soon! Xoxox, Alexandra Here’s How I Can Support Join our monthly live Herpes Support Group - www.lifewithherpes.com/supportgroup Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/ Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka www.lifewithherpes.com www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast   www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes Join The Live With Herpes Community If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. You will receive a slack invitation as soon as you sign up. See you in there. Ways You Can Support The Life With Herpes Show If you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed making it for you than  a subscribe would be a great idea. Are you a YouTuber? Go ahead and subscribe to the show. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. When you subscribe it helps the algorithm in YouTube and it helps promote the show. If you are worried about your identity and your friends finding out you subscribed to a herpes channel then change your settings to private. And trust me I totally get it and would want to keep it a secret. Also, when you subscribe you will be notified in your inbox when a new episode is out or when Alexandra is live on Youtube Live. Subscribe Here Are you a podcast listener? Please give the Life With Herpes show a review. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. You can Subscribe, Rate and Review the show through your iTunes app or on the desktop. Seriously, it helps out a lot more than it is a hassle for you. You see, iTunes has an algorithm that organically promotes the show, so the more ratings and reviews the Life With Herpes Show receives then the higher it gets ranked. This is your way of paying it forward and helping someone find the show who really needs it. Oh, and you can totally use a fake name, so don’t worry about a friend finding you in the iTunes review. Talking about herpes needs to be spread as far and wide as possible. You are totally a part of this movement so THANK YOU!   Subscribe, Rate and Review

Life With Herpes https://youtu.be/Fk9oCzIQ_IA Welcome to today's episode. In general when we hear the word herpes, or STD or STI our heart sinks. We become paralyzed and think, no way this is happening to me. Right? We also hear the word herpes and think, what the heck is it or oh I better google that. Since launching Life With Herpes in June of 2017, I’ve heard pretty much everything when it comes to herpes. Just an FYI...nothing is TMI. So if you DM me don’t be afraid to say it and don’t hold back. I’ve heard things like…

• I don’t want to die from getting herpes!
• Eww gross the blisters are gross, will they scare?
• Why me, I feel like my life is over what do I do?
• Is the itch on my balls the herpes coming on?
• How did I get it, I never had sex!
• I’ve been with the same partner for 2 years and now it just showed up, how is this possible?
• If I have it down there will it show up there?

Do any of these sound familiar? You betcha. I had thoughts and questions like these too, except the balls part...lol Our society has done a great job of making us feel like lepers and an even better job of not educating us so this leaves us without knowledge of how to properly take care of the herpes virus and prevent outbreaks as well as prevent transmission. So here it is. Here’s the 101 on Herpes! What is herpes? Herpes is known as the Herpes Simplex Virus or HSV1 or HSV2. HSV1 is most commonly associated with oral herpes and HSV2 is most common in the genital region. Because herpes is a virus it means you will have herpes for the rest of your life. In other words, at this point, there is no cure for herpes. Sorry! When the virus is not active it will lie dormant along your nervous system until it wakes up and decides to rise to the surface of your skin and cause an outbreak. Think of it like a volcano, some are active some are dormant and some you just really don't know when they are going to explode. What does it look like? In some people, they describe their outbreak like a papercut. And some people describe their blister as a liquid filled blister. Some outbreaks are just one blister and other outbreaks can have a cluster of blisters. The blister will take on different appearances depending on if it’s in the infancy stage of the outbreak or if it’s in the healing phase. The beginning can look like a small bump or a cluster of small bumps, then they can fill with fluid or they are open and can look like paper cuts. The final stage is the scab stage where the blister has a small scab on it. Lesions can take the form of; a red spot, a pimple, an ingrown hair, razor burn, and a bug bite. How do I know if I have herpes? The best way to determine if you have herpes is to see a medical professional and get tested.  Of the 16.2% of people who have HSV2 80% of them don’t know they have it. That number is unbelievably high and quite scary. Get tested and find out. In so many cases an outbreak goes unnoticed or misdiagnosed basically because we don’t want to admit we have it. Your test results will let you know if you have HSV1 or HSV2. What are some of the symptoms of herpes? There is a long list of herpes outbreak symptoms and for everyone, they will be different. I like to use the example of having a cold. Everyone has a little bit of different symptoms but at the end of the day, it’s a cold. Here are the herpes symptoms:

• Swollen lymph nodes
• Swollen glands in your pelvic area, throat or under your arms
• Exhaustion
• Headache
• Body aches
• Pain around your genitals
• Inflammation around your genitals
• Difficult peeing because sores can block the urethra
• Itching
• Nerve pain

Will I die from herpes? No, you will not die from herpes. Herpes is just a skin disease and that is it. If I’m exposed to herpes how long before it shows up? The typical incubations time is 2-14 days. However, in some people, it can take weeks, months and years before it is noticed. Can I be herpes positive without having an outbreak? No, if you are testing positive for herpes then at some point you’ve had an outbreak. If there is a blood test administered then the test is looking for the herpes antibody. The way our bodies work is when there is a foreign object such as a virus our body goes to work with our fighter T cells to protect us and the result are antibodies. So if we have herpes antibodies then we have the herpes virus and somewhere along the way, we had an outbreak. How do you test for herpes? There are two types of tests, a swab test or a blood test. Typically if a person is showing blisters then the medical provider will swab the blister. If there are no blisters present and it’s a routine check-up there will be a blood draw to look for the herpes antibody. I went into great detail in episode 85. Are Oral Herpes and Genital Herpes different? Yes and no. They are both herpes but they are different strains. At the end of the day they both do the same thing, cause a blister. HSV1 is most common in the oral region and can also be known as oral herpes, fever blisters or cold sores. HSV2 mostly appears in the genital region and known as genital herpes. However, either type, 1 or 2, can go to any spot. What are the signs of genital herpes? Genital herpes can appear anywhere in the genital region. For both men and women it can show up; your butt, your anus, inside of your thighs or below your belly button. For men, you can get an outbreak; on your penis, on your balls, or anywhere in that area. And for women, you can get outbreaks; on your vagina, inside your vaginal canal and even up to your cervix. What are the signs of oral herpes? Oral herpes likes to show up around your mouth. Blisters can appear on the lip or just outside of the lip. Sometimes the outbreak can travel up your face but the outbreak will begin around your mouth. Is a cold sore herpes? Yes, cold sores are the same thing as herpes. If I have oral herpes can I get an outbreak genitally or visa versa? If you have HSV1 and it is orally then you will get outbreaks orally. If you have HSV2 and get outbreaks genitally then you will get outbreaks genitally. A lot of times people ask if they have oral herpes will it show up genitally and the answer is no. The only way that can happen would be if that area was infected with the virus. Wherever you have your outbreaks is where you will continue to have your outbreaks. How is herpes transmitted? Herpes is skin to skin transmission. So when an infected person comes into contact with an uninfected person they can potentially transmit the virus. This can happen with kissing and touching.  The virus likes moist wet areas so it is possible for the virus to be transmitted by another vehicle such as a lipstick or sharing utensils or drinks. Can I pass herpes without an outbreak? Unfortunately, herpes can be transmitted without an outbreak. It’s called asymptomatic shedding. Asymptomatic shedding is when the virus decides to shead and the virus pops up to the surface of the skin. There are no symptoms and the infected person has no clue this is going on. At this point, the virus can be passed and transmitted. What sexual acts can transmit herpes? Pretty much any sexual act can transmit herpes. I know...its a real bummer. So vaginal sex, oral sex, anal sex, foreplay, fondling and even masturbation can transmit herpes. How common is herpes? Herpes is so common and I can guarantee you that someone in your family has it too, they’re just not telling you. For HSV1 ⅔ or 217 million Americans have it and for HSV2 ⅙ people or 25 million Americans have it. That's a ton of people so please don’t feel alone. Of the 16.2% of people with HSV2 or genital herpes, 80% don’t even know they have it.   How do I get tested for herpes? One of the reasons why herpes is taboo and its becoming an epidemic is because a herpes test is not included in the typical STD check up. A patient specifically has to ask for a herpes test. Not knowing this has become a surprise to many of us who suddenly get test results back and were like what? How did this happen? You can go to planned parenthood or your healthcare provider and ask them for a herpes test. What are the herpes stats?

• ⅔ or 217 million Americans have HSV1
• ⅙ or 25 million Americans have HSV2
• 25% of women and 20% of men have HSV2
• Herpes male to non-herpes female transmission rate is 10%
• Herpes female to non- herpes male transmission rate is 4%

Based on no sex during active outbreaks, non-use of daily antivirals, and non use of condoms

• Condoms reduce transmission by 30%-50%
• Daily antiviral suppression reduce transmission by 48%
• 50% of genital transmission via oral sex is HSV1

  References: American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) http://www.ashasexualhealth.org/ Center of Disease Control (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/ Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org/ WebMD https://www.webmd.com/ Here’s How I Can Support Join our monthly live Herpes Support Group - www.lifewithherpes.com/supportgroup Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/ Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka   www.lifewithherpes.com www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast   www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes Join The Live With Herpes Community If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. You will receive a slack invitation as soon as you sign up. See you in there. Ways You Can Support The Life With Herpes Show If you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed making it for you than  a subscribe would be a great idea. Are you a YouTuber? Go ahead and subscribe to the show. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. When you subscribe it helps the algorithm in YouTube and it helps promote the show. If you are worried about your identity and your friends finding out you subscribed to a herpes channel then change your settings to private. And trust me I totally get it and would want to keep it a secret. Also, when you subscribe you will be notified in your inbox when a new episode is out or when Alexandra is live on Youtube Live. Subscribe Here Are you a podcast listener? Please give the Life With Herpes show a review. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. You can Subscribe, Rate and Review the show through your iTunes app or on the desktop. Seriously, it helps out a lot more than it is a hassle for you. You see, iTunes has an algorithm that organically promotes the show, so the more ratings and reviews the Life With Herpes Show receives then the higher it gets ranked. This is your way of paying it forward and helping someone find the show who really needs it. Oh, and you can totally use a fake name, so don’t worry about a friend finding you in the iTunes review. Talking about herpes needs to be spread as far and wide as possible. You are totally a part of this movement so THANK YOU!   Subscribe, Rate and Review

Life With Herpes

https://youtu.be/65rHgmukoTk Hi friends and welcome to today’s episode, thanks for spending your time with me. I love spending my time with you. A lot of times when we are diagnosed with herpes we can become germaphobes. I mean, I already was one and when I got herpes I went over the edge. Anyone else guilty? When I had an outbreak I would begin to alienate my body. I wouldn't touch certain parts of my body and I would ALWAYS wash my hands like 25 times before I touched anything. It was like self-punishment. There is a level when you need to stop, take a deep breath and move on. People ask me all the time will this transmit herpes or will doing that transmit herpes or what if… So here are some sexual things we are doing that can transmit herpes. Remember, I want you be aware of them not punish yourself.

Ok, The Obvious One…(no drumroll needed) Sex.

I mean sex of all kinds. This includes; vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex and any other type of sex that you can come up with. In the hookup culture, what is considered a “goto” in lieu of a condom is the good ole blow job. Somehow we are missing in sex-ed that oral sex, including blow jobs and going down on someone, can transmit herpes just as easily as sex. So really the only thing you can be sure about with oral sex is not getting someone pregnant. Other than that, you are at as much risk as good old fashioned sex. In fact, 50% of genital herpes transmission is from oral herpes HSV1 transmission.

Fingering, Handjobs & Masturbation.

If a person is infected and more importantly has an outbreak and you are messing around in that area then herpes can be transmitted. It goes back to skin to skin and touching the infected area. So even if you are keeping it at second base you want to make sure if you or your partner are having an outbreak to keep your distance. Even if you are a one-man band and you can still pass it. For example, if you have oral herpes and are having an outbreak and you touch it or pick at it and then decide to do some self-pleasure without washing your hands then boom. You just transmitted it. I want to make sure this is brought to your attention but what I don’t want is for you to shut down sexually or feel like there is no hope and you might as well wear a chastity belt. Please don't feel that way. I believe that it’s important to know everything there is to know about it so that you and your partner can make the right decision for the both of you. And trust me you can get creative when it comes to getting it on. There’s always latex! What I don't want to happen is think that an alternative solution will keep you and your partner protected and then see the virus pop up. Something I want to encourage everyone to do more of is wash your hands. I know I sound like your mom when you were 3 but its so true. Sometimes just washing your hands can prevent a ton of diseases and germs. When in doubt just wash your hands with warm water and soap for 25 seconds. See you all soon and DM me with any questions. Remember...get creative. Xoxo, Alexandra Oh and...Need Some Latex? Shop for it here.

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Alexandra

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What Your Partner Is Thinking When You Tell Them You Have Herpes [video_player type="youtube" style="1" dimensions="560x315" width="560" height="315" align="center" margin_top="0" margin_bottom="20" ipad_color="black"]aHR0cHM6Ly95b3V0dS5iZS9nWEw2SkZCQjY0VQ==[/video_player] Life With Herpes This is one of the big questions I hear when it comes to dating someone who does not have herpes. We are always worried what we should say or not say or wondering what they are going to need from us in order to process the information. Here are the top questions partners ask and how you should respond. Tell The Truth  

Meaning, tell them you have herpes but you don’t have to go into your entire story. There's another day and place for this. Remember this is now about them processing it, not you reliving your diagnosis. What I mean by this, is you can touch on when you were diagnosed, if you want to disclose who it was from you can or you don’t have to, if you don’t know you can say you don’t know. But the most important thing is letting your new lover know you have herpes.

How It Affects Them

Naturally, when we are told some shocking news we go into our survival brain and worry about how it will affect us or change our lives. So this is what’s going on with your lover so try not to take it personally if they are not as consoling and more concerned about their health. They are going to want to know what the herpes virus is and such as what type you have, where you have it, how long you have had it. This is where you go int to the herpes 101 or highschool sexed.

Will They Get It

We are back to the survival brain and wondering if they either already have it or what the chances are they will get it. The key here is to let them know that is why you want to discuss this. There are 3 ways to prevent passing herpes and they are condoms, daily antiviral and communication. There are a lot of episodes on prevention and viral shedding, I’ll invite you to check those episodes out for more details. The key here is to discuss with them what methods you want to use to prevent passing it.

How Often Do You Get Outbreaks  

Your lover will ask you how often do you get outbreaks and do you take anything for it. This would be a good time to mention viral shedding and how herpes can be transmitted without signs or symptoms. You can refer to the FAQ document that I have for you to download to get the stats and the chances of transmission.

Do you know when you are getting an outbreak? What does it look like?

Once you let them know how often you get outbreaks they are probably going to ask you if you can tell when one is coming on. Maybe you can maybe you can’t. Everyone has different signs and symptoms of an outbreak. Talk about it. Oh and don’t be surprised if they ask what it looks like and if it hurts. Remember, if they have never been exposed to someone having herpes or never had a conversation about this they don’t know.

Some key things to remember when you are having this conversation is it’s not about you. It’s about your partner. So do your best to inform them even if you feel like it’s captain obvious, they don’t know. This is not a time to bash your ex and tell them how awful they were to you and the cheated on you etc. Save that for another time and another place. This is about making sure they feel comfortable with you having herpes and giving them the facts and answering questions. If you want more guidance with this come over to Life With Herpes and find the support. Here’s How I Can Help Join our monthly live Herpes Support Group - www.lifewithherpes.com/supportgroup Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/ Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka www.lifewithherpes.com www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast   www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes Join The Live With Herpes Community If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. You will receive a slack invitation as soon as you sign up. See you in there. Ways You Can Support The Life With Herpes Show If you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed making it for you than  a subscribe would be a great idea. Are you a YouTuber? Go ahead and subscribe to the show. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. When you subscribe it helps the algorithm in YouTube and it helps promote the show. If you are worried about your identity and your friends finding out you subscribed to a herpes channel then change your settings to private. And trust me I totally get it and would want to keep it a secret. Also, when you subscribe you will be notified in your inbox when a new episode is out or when Alexandra is live on Youtube Live. Subscribe Here Are you a podcast listener? Please give the Life With Herpes show a review. It is a way to pay it forward to fellow friends who are living with herpes. You can Subscribe, Rate and Review the show through your iTunes app or on the desktop. Seriously, it helps out a lot more than it is a hassle for you. You see, iTunes has an algorithm that organically promotes the show, so the more ratings and reviews the Life With Herpes Show receives then the higher it gets ranked. This is your way of paying it forward and helping someone find the show who really needs it. Oh, and you can totally use a fake name, so don’t worry about a friend finding you in the iTunes review. Talking about herpes needs to be spread as far and wide as possible. You are totally a part of this movement so THANK YOU!   Subscribe, Rate and Review

Life With Herpes https://youtu.be/zjdAdBj1f5Y Becoming Courageous Welcome to this edition of Life With Herpes. Emily Ann Peterson is my business  #BFF and she is here to talk about bare naked bravery. Emily Ann is a singer-songwriter, author & creative consultant. She inspires courageous expression for people who crave all things beautiful, strong, sacred, creative and connected. Is Emily Ann’s book and her story about her experience of surviving an eating disorder, starting a musical career during the recession and the neurodegenerative disorder in her right hand that completely altered her life as a cellist and musician. We dive deep into those topics and more on today’s Life With Herpes! In 2013 Emily Ann’s life changed...again. Everything came to a screeching halt when she received a life-changing medical diagnosis: she had a neurodegenerative disorder in her right hand. At the time she was a full-time cellist; her cello was her second life and her voice in the world. It was her identity. Having overcome adversity before in the form of an eating disorder and a musical career, she dove headfirst into her diagnosis and the life-changing experiences it brought. Those experiences and that attitude brought her Bare Naked Bravery, her first book. Bravery Is A Part Of Life She wrote her book because she knew other people out there would be going through or know someone who is going through a similar experience. There was no book about how to be brave nor a book with the tools you need to be brave, so she wrote it. Emily Ann shares there are a lot of instances in which we find ourselves needing to be brave and we don't know how. Without a book or how-to manual, it can be even more terrifying. We can feel like we are all alone in our experience, and we'll have to pioneer it on our own. So even if there's just general advice we can receive in those moments it will be helpful. For her the medical diagnosis she received was even more of an isolating experience because people with her disorder usually aren't diagnosed until later in life, and it usually doesn't ruin their careers. She was younger than most and her career as a cellist seemed to be over. It also resulted in a complete identity reconstruction, something you may experience or have already experienced if you received a herpes diagnosis. If you have just been diagnosed with herpes and you identify with the stigma then you may have to go through something similar. And that is very tricky. Bravery Isn’t Perfection Her reconstruction was a process. She got curious about what bravery is: everyone talks about courage and strength but the definitions are either conflicting or inadequate. And the books she was reading about fear also didn't help much. They talked about lessening fear or eliminating it, but she came to see fear as a tool of bravery. It's not something we need to avoid or deny or ignore, it's something we need to use to move forward with the right decisions for ourselves. On today’s Life With Herpes, Emily Ann asked me how I used fear or experienced fear when I was diagnosed with herpes. I explain that at first I went into hermit mode. It was the Friday before the 4th of July so I had a three day weekend, and I remember being a hermit. I went to yoga, I cried. I went home, I cried. I went to yoga, I cried. I wasn't diagnosed with fear, I was a deer in headlights. I was in a state of shock. She explains how she utilized her fear: she went to the mountains to "creatively sulk". But she also used her fear to get really curious: she wanted to figure out what her diagnosis was actually and to figure out what bravery actually meant for her. She also got very intentional about the people she was hanging out with - our support systems can either be toxic to us or they can support us and help us. How you utilize your fear depends on your personality type. If you are introverted you may go into hermit mode. If you are extroverted you have to find trusted people to help you process and you can go into research mode. The people you share and process with must be people you can be vulnerable with and people who will love you no matter what. It's important to recognize how you respond to your diagnosis is going to be different than someone else. How you face your fears and lean into bravery will be your own experience and your own process. So consider your diagnosis an invitation to get to know yourself better. The more you get to know yourself the easier it will become to be brave. Reach Out To Emily Ann Emily Ann Peterson’s website Emily Ann’s Bood… Bare Naked Bravery Emily Ann Peterson on Twitter Emily Ann Peterson on Facebook Emily Ann Peterson on Instagram You Totally Want this---> School of Advanced Bravery Here’s How I Can Help Join our monthly live Herpes Support Group - www.lifewithherpes.com/supportgroup Herpes Outbreak Toolkit - https://lifewithherpes.com/herpes-outbreak-toolkit Emergency Call - https://lifewithherpes.com/emergencycall/ Keep in touch with Alexandra Harbushka www.lifewithherpes.com www.instagram.com/alexandraharbushka www.facebook.com/lifewithherpespodcast   www.pinterest.com/lifewithherpes Join The Live With Herpes Community If you are ready to join a community of people who are living with herpes also then you will want to join our slack group. It is FREE and it is a great way to find the support and comfort that you are looking for. Head on over to www.lifewithherpes.com and join our community. 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