Tending to Skin Conditions & Viruses: a Tender Topic.

What feels more vulnerable than having “something going on” with your face?

Maybe that is not something that bothers you, but it does me, especially when it is a cold sore. Coincidentally, right around the time I made this video I was also bitten in the face by my dog. Scars don’t bother me as much as cold sores, though. They certainly make for better stories.

Cold sores—the herpes virus, although millions of us are carriers for it—tends to also carry with it a certain amount of sensitivity or even shame. Why? Maybe because there is a storyline that is often attached to herpes that involves “doing something wrong.” I know that is the case with me. The first time I ever got a cold sore, I was in the depths of my methamphetamine addiction. I was on edge of losing my marriage, my house, had already lost my most recent job, and had already signed over custody of my granddaughter to her grandparents. There was a lot going on.

I thought I was having an acne breakout—that my skin was just extra toxic from the drugs I was on—and, as the habit went, I picked at the sore thinking it was a pimple. It was not; it was herpes. Maybe I had a cold blister on my lips when I was younger, though I do not think I did. I think I did something in that time window that exposed me to the virus and possibly because my system was so weak and susceptible, it affected me in a way that it had never been able to before. The sore took forever to heal. The scab took over my chin, as you can see in the video, that is the only place I ever get them.

It was maybe 15 years before I had another outbreak; that was at the peek of the covid lockdowns. It rose in a similar fashion to the first time, but that time I knew it for it what it was. I treated it with some Abreva, an over-the-counter topical medication made specifically for cold sores.

When the most recent one arose, I felt it come first in my dreams. They were agitated and restless that night. It’s appearance was also preceded by a flush of heat, waves of anxiety, and an all over itchiness. By the time the sensations became localized into a “tingle” my whole system was already aflame. Viruses are systemic. Our entire body reacts to them. As I have gotten older I take a more wholistic approach to my healthcare. I know my skin is negatively, and rather quickly, impacted by excess amounts of sugar. I break out. This was not a break out.

As you’ll see in the video, this time I went for essential oils instead of OTC medicine. This time I also addressed the internal aspects of it as well as the topical. I took l-lysine, an amino acid, and refrained from eating anything that was too acidic. I also monitored my levels of stress and stimulation. I noticed how my whole body felt fatigued and extra sensitive and I paid special attention to my dreams and environment. These are the cues that our mechanized medical system overlooks. When everything is set in problem/solution models we can either “fix it” or we can’t. Rarely do we listen for the underlying stories that are woven into the “conditions.”

This situation was asking me for containment, for clear boundaries, to really listen when I was approaching overwhelm. To put my own wellbeing above any agendas or timelines I might be attached to and to really listen to my body.

In this video, I show you the supplements I used and talk about this process as I created and applied a homemade poultice for my skin. I know I am not alone in tending to this condition, so I hope there is something for you here. Be gentle with yourselves and each other.

Lotsa love,

~Justice