Delta Healing - Wellness Resources for Body Mind and Spirit

New Ways to Prevent Canker Sores

Author: Janet Malley

You\'ve had them before, those nasty little gray or while round sores inside your mouth on the tongue, the roof of your mouth or inside your cheeks. They hurt and make you feel miserable.

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 that different causes may be the trigger for different people. To find an effective treatment, it\'s helpful if you can determine what seems to cause them by paying attention to patterns of occurrence.

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.

Anti-viral Treatments:

Golden Seal Mouth Wash - Golden Seal is an herb. Use it to make a mouth wash by mixing a quarter teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of golden seal powder (contents of one capsule) into a cup of warm water. Be aware that the golden seal powder will not dissolve completely but the mixture will still work fine. Rinse your mouth with the mouth wash at least three times a day.

Canker Sores Begone - Because this topical herbal product is ready-made and packaged in a small plastic bottle that will fit in your pocket, it\'s convenient for frequent applications throughout the day. Those I\'ve recommended it to find it more effective than anything else they\'ve used.

PERHAPS A FOOD ALLERGY? If you\'ve noticed a canker sore after eating acidic foods such as citrus fruit or a tomato, or other foods such as chocolate, grapes, strawberries, certain nuts, sugar, coffee, spicy or salty foods, you may be close to solving the puzzle.

The first approach if you suspect a food allergy, is food elimination. Eliminate the suspected foods for a few weeks, and then reintroduce them one at a time to see which one triggers a canker.

Food elimination may be too difficult for some people, so another way to go is nutritional supplementation. Buffered Vitamin C taken daily will reduce the level of histamines in your body. Take 1,000-1,200 milligrams. To enhance the effectiveness of the vitamin C, take 100 milligrams of grapeseed extract daily which will help work as a preventative, or if there\'s an existing canker sore, allow for quicker healing.

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 - If purchased at a health food store, it should give you the nutrients necessary to prevent canker sores. Take 800 micrograms of folic acid, 500-1,000 micrograms of vitamin B12, 10 milligrams of iron, and 20 milligrams of zinc. If your multivitamin doesn\'t include all you need, add what\'s needed to make up the difference.

If you find the causes above just don\'t seem to apply to you, or you\'re still not sure, 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 - You may have heard this before, but if you haven\'t tried it, you should. Tea contains the ingredient Tannin, which 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.

In deciding upon which of these options to try, be patient and persistent. If one remedy doesn\'t seem to work, try another. Finding a solution will be worth it, wouldn\'t you agree?

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.