Canker sores, cold sores.

Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 18:56:01 GMT
Sender: HERB.TREARNPC.EGE.EDU.TR
From: Paul Iannone <p_iannone.POP.COM>
Subject: Re: Cankre sores?

: I thought this was interesting...I have a friend who is extremely prone to cankre sores. He quit smoking 3 weeks ago or so and since then he has had a continual major eruption. I can't find any reference to these in any of my books...can anyone recommend something? Something must be out of wack?

Tell him to cut back on the coffee. Canker sores (apthae) are usually due to Cold in the stomach (they can also be due to Heat. Usually the Cold ones have white points). The cause can be anything from ice cream to skipped meals (in someone who tends towards Yang depletion, like some smokers).

From: Ian Lloyd <illoyd.DUNCAN.ISLAND.NET>

I used to cancer sore about 2-3 times a month. Then I read somewhere and started taking b-12 supplements, and I haven't had any since.

Ian Lloyd, Pharmacist

From: Paul Iannone <p_iannone.POP.COM>

: I just wanted to say that when ever I get a canker sore, I hold ice on it for as long as it takes the ice cube to melt. The sore will get a little numb. I do this a couple of times a day. Usually it will leave before developing any further, by the next day. Actually it works every time for me.

A practice that will work fine for Hot-type apthae.

COLD-type, most usually due to iced tea or frozen youghurt, will be better served by taking ginger tea and warming the stomach back up. The critical issue in the development of these sores is that the Stomach Channel traverses the inner cheeks. Whatever factor is overflowing from the stomach itself will end up in those Channels.

If the sore is red-tipped, better by cold application, then it suggests an overconsumption of hot food, or skipped and delayed meals, or emotional stress. If the aptha is white-tipped, that suggests cold food consumption, exhaustion, or excessive coffee consumption in some cases.

From: Paul Iannone <p_iannone.POP.COM>

: Hi. Canker sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus.

That's wrong, unless there is a different folk naming convention where you live and practice.

On the west coast of the U.S., at least, the term 'canker sores' refers to apthae, which I am sure you are aware have nothing whatsoever to do with herpes virus, and its so-called 'cold' sores.' Herpetic sores are usually on the lips, and only very rarely in the mouth, while the reverse is true of apthae. Apthae have no known cause, and are a transient lesion that are not infectious.

From: Gerry Fox <WA2VKS.AOL.COM>

>: Hi. Canker sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus.
>That's wrong, unless there is a different folk naming convention where you live and practice.

Hi Paul. I agree that Aphthous ulcers are not caused by the herpes virus. In my practice, most patients refer to any sore in their mouths as canker sores.

Herpetic lesions usually are on the movable soft tissue areas, such as the lips. They are especially common on the tongue and cheeks.

Apthous ulcers are exactly as you described, but are very often found on the firmer tissues of the mouth, such as the gingivae. They often appear in clusters, too, of multiple tiny ulcers.

Either way, both of these types of lesions are painful and annoying.

From: Paul Iannone <p_iannone.POP.COM>

> I have just read that two ounces of aloe juice, plus aloe applied directly to the lesions will help.

As I have stated, there are two basic types [in theory]: Hot and Cold. They should, by Yin/Yang theory, be treated differently. Aloe vera is a Cold herb...it's use should be in cases of Hot type. Warm applications like ginger would help Cold type. The real point of this is that ANY aptha is the result of digestive imbalance, and the important issue is to remedy that problem, which is the 'root' of the case, as opposed to the sore, which is a 'branch' phenomena.

I often predictively diagnose regular ice cream eating by hearing patients describe these sores, while I rarely hear of the red-tipped, Hot type. This tells me that those that consult with me here in Los Angeles [I have clients here and elsewhere] tend toward Cold digestive complaints, not the Hot-type you might expect in a stress-filled urban center. For them, Cold laxatives like Aloe vera are inappropriate.

I specialize, as any Chinese traditional healer, in correcting lifestyle, NOT in heavy application of herbs. For apthae of Cold type, ginger tea clears them right up. For Hot-type, yes, Aloe, but I would more likely use peppermint tea, unless signs of a need for laxation are presented.

Cold sores, herpetic sores, are another issue entirely. THAT they appear on the lips instead of in the mouth is significant:

Placement on the lips, on the OUTSIDE of the body, shows that this is originally an exterior Pathogen or evil. Together with genital herpes, they are on the two areas of intimate contact with others--which suggests an exterior Pathogen as well.

Apthae reflect a problem in the stomach, an inner problem. [If the apthae are on the ridge of the teeth instead of the cheek, then the condition would suggest involvement of the Kidneys as well (look for signs of exhaustion). Tongue sores would involve the Heart as well (look for signs of insomnia or confusion)].

All oral herpes outbreaks are Hot in nature, rising (as Heat does) to the high point of the Large Intestine Channel (usually)[the upper lip; the lower lip is the Stomach Channel], while genital herpes suggest the involvement of Dampness, sinking to the loins [on the Liver Channel], which tend toward Damp-Heat evils.

Clusters [as opposed to a single big sore] suggest Wind evils as well; in other words, suggest a greater level of depletion or toxin in the system or Channel. That gets off into discussion of Excess/Deficiency conditions, which further complicates the diagnosis. But most apthae are a temporary Excess condition, and can be treated simply.

Such an examination of a condition using Yin/Yang parameters is usually interesting, though certainly not flawless. Since people tend to develop a new layer of illness every decade, the use of Aloe for Cold-type apthae might work instead on a Hot liver and help the stomach to function better. So these are rather theoretical discussions of this particular health phenomena.

--Paul || p_iannone.pop.com