If you suffer from canker sores, then you know how painful and irritating these recurring ulcerated mouth sores can be. They appear on the inside of your mouth - on the tongue, soft palate (the back portion of the roof of your mouth), or inside your cheeks, and are round, white, or gray in color, with a red edge or border.
There seems to be a controversy on the cause of canker sores, and even exactly what they are - a bacterial or viral infection? An allergic reaction to certain food, or a vitamin deficiency?
It appears the answer is this - the cause is different from person to person. To find an effective treatment, it's important to be mindful when you get a canker sore of what food you ate, if something painful occurred in the mouth, such as dental work or biting the inside of your cheek, if you are under a lot of emotional stress, or not getting adequate sleep.
IS IT A VIRAL INFECTION? If your canker sores occur after a dental procedure or other painful experience in the mouth area, for example, biting the inside of your cheek, or when you are experiencing stress, are over-tired, or receiving chemo therapy or radiation treatments, consider a virus as the culprit.
Items that Contain Anti-viral Properties:
Propolis - Produced by bees, propolis is used as a construction material in bee hives, comprised of a complex of chemicals which play a role as an antiviral agent. This is not a good choice for those who are allergic to propolis.
Slippery Elm - Make a paste by mixing this herbal powder and water. Smear the paste directly on your canker sores as often as you feel you need to. This mixture has been found to completely heal canker sores in some people.
Canker Sores Begone - My clients, readers, and others I've recommended it to rave about this topical, multi-herb product, which is packaged in a small pocket-sized bottle, convenient for throwing in your purse, backpack or gear for application wherever you happen to be.
ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO CERTAIN ACIDIC FOODS? Acidic food is a common trigger for many people. You are probably aware that citrus fruit and tomatoes are acidic, but so are grapes, chocolate, salty or spicey foods, sugar, certain nuts, strawberries, and coffee. If this seems to apply more than a virus, try one the following suggestions:
Eliminate the suspected foods for a few weeks, and then reintroduce them one at a time to see which one triggers a canker. This may take a little self-discipline, but it's well worth the experiment.
If you prefer an approach that doesn't involve food elimination, try nutritional supplementation. On a daily basis, take 1,000-1,200 milligrams of buffered vitamin C. This will help reduce the level of histamines in your body. You can enhance the effectiveness of the vitamin C by taking 1,000 milligrams of quercetin which by inhibiting histamine release, will reduce inflammation, allowing for a quicker healing of an existing canker sore.
VITAMIN DEFICIENCY OPTIONS - Because research shows that if you are deficient in thiamin, it can lead to recurrent mouth ulcers. As a preventative, and on a daily basis, take 100 milligrams of thiamin.
A High-Potency Multivitamin - I always recommend to buy vitamins at a health food store or online vitamin retailer, because there, you'll know the vitamins will be of a higher quality. The vitamin you chose should include 500-1,000 micrograms of vitamin B12, 800 micrograms of folic acid, 20 milligrams of zinc, and 10 milligrams of iron. Add what you need to from individual supplements if the multivitamin doesn't include all you need.
If you don't find that the causes above apply to your situation, don't despair. Here are two remedies that just may provide the relief you're looking for:
Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) - There's an herb known as licorice, which has anti-inflammatory properties, decreases healing time, and soothes canker sore pain. Chew one or two 200-milligram tablets two or three times a day until the sore heals. In addition, you can empty the powder from a capsule into one half cup of lukewarm water, dissolve the DGL, and swish the solution around in your mouth. Repeat this at least two or three times a day until the sore has healed.
Tea Bag - Tannin from tea may relieve the pain almost instantly. Hold a used tea bag against the sore for a few minutes. Repeat a few times daily until healed.
If one remedy doesn't seem to work, just try another. For many, solving this problem requires patience and persistence, so be willing to invest it.
There seems to be a controversy on the cause of canker sores, and even exactly what they are - a bacterial or viral infection? An allergic reaction to certain food, or a vitamin deficiency?
It appears the answer is this - the cause is different from person to person. To find an effective treatment, it's important to be mindful when you get a canker sore of what food you ate, if something painful occurred in the mouth, such as dental work or biting the inside of your cheek, if you are under a lot of emotional stress, or not getting adequate sleep.
IS IT A VIRAL INFECTION? If your canker sores occur after a dental procedure or other painful experience in the mouth area, for example, biting the inside of your cheek, or when you are experiencing stress, are over-tired, or receiving chemo therapy or radiation treatments, consider a virus as the culprit.
Items that Contain Anti-viral Properties:
Propolis - Produced by bees, propolis is used as a construction material in bee hives, comprised of a complex of chemicals which play a role as an antiviral agent. This is not a good choice for those who are allergic to propolis.
Slippery Elm - Make a paste by mixing this herbal powder and water. Smear the paste directly on your canker sores as often as you feel you need to. This mixture has been found to completely heal canker sores in some people.
Canker Sores Begone - My clients, readers, and others I've recommended it to rave about this topical, multi-herb product, which is packaged in a small pocket-sized bottle, convenient for throwing in your purse, backpack or gear for application wherever you happen to be.
ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO CERTAIN ACIDIC FOODS? Acidic food is a common trigger for many people. You are probably aware that citrus fruit and tomatoes are acidic, but so are grapes, chocolate, salty or spicey foods, sugar, certain nuts, strawberries, and coffee. If this seems to apply more than a virus, try one the following suggestions:
Eliminate the suspected foods for a few weeks, and then reintroduce them one at a time to see which one triggers a canker. This may take a little self-discipline, but it's well worth the experiment.
If you prefer an approach that doesn't involve food elimination, try nutritional supplementation. On a daily basis, take 1,000-1,200 milligrams of buffered vitamin C. This will help reduce the level of histamines in your body. You can enhance the effectiveness of the vitamin C by taking 1,000 milligrams of quercetin which by inhibiting histamine release, will reduce inflammation, allowing for a quicker healing of an existing canker sore.
VITAMIN DEFICIENCY OPTIONS - Because research shows that if you are deficient in thiamin, it can lead to recurrent mouth ulcers. As a preventative, and on a daily basis, take 100 milligrams of thiamin.
A High-Potency Multivitamin - I always recommend to buy vitamins at a health food store or online vitamin retailer, because there, you'll know the vitamins will be of a higher quality. The vitamin you chose should include 500-1,000 micrograms of vitamin B12, 800 micrograms of folic acid, 20 milligrams of zinc, and 10 milligrams of iron. Add what you need to from individual supplements if the multivitamin doesn't include all you need.
If you don't find that the causes above apply to your situation, don't despair. Here are two remedies that just may provide the relief you're looking for:
Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) - There's an herb known as licorice, which has anti-inflammatory properties, decreases healing time, and soothes canker sore pain. Chew one or two 200-milligram tablets two or three times a day until the sore heals. In addition, you can empty the powder from a capsule into one half cup of lukewarm water, dissolve the DGL, and swish the solution around in your mouth. Repeat this at least two or three times a day until the sore has healed.
Tea Bag - Tannin from tea may relieve the pain almost instantly. Hold a used tea bag against the sore for a few minutes. Repeat a few times daily until healed.
If one remedy doesn't seem to work, just try another. For many, solving this problem requires patience and persistence, so be willing to invest it.
About the Author:
The herbs and vitamins are available in health food stores. Canker Sores Begone is available online at www.csbegone.com, (888) 877-6315. Author: Janet Malley is a natural healing teacher and writer living and working in Southern California. Contact her at janetmalley@gmail.com.
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