A.P. asks from Janesville, WI on December 21, 2011
Any Magic Cures?
I'm sorry that this is not really a mom question, other than that it's about a mom :). I've been prone to canker sores every since I was a little girl. When I was a teen I started getting them in my throat, on my tonsils, which has continued today, especially in times of stress or if I'm fighting off a bug. I've been tested for things like herpes (especially in college when that's what they assume :)) but they are just plain old canker sores, but in my throat. I've got a terrible one right now, and as silly as it seems for something so "little," it is really dragging me down because of the constant pain when eating, talking, etc. So mamas, what do you do for canker sores, both for pain relief and for making them go away? I've tried a lot of things over the years. Right now I've just been gargling with salt water and sometimes hydrogen peroxide, but this one just keeps getting worse! I would be so grateful for any suggestions!
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B.C. answers from Norfolk on December 21, 2011
Since you've seen doctors for this I assume they've ruled out that they are signs of other conditions - celiac disease, Behcet's syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and squamous cell carcinoma.
You can try a few things:
German Chamomile
Ladys Mantle
vitamin B12
Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL)
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/treatments/a/Canker.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/canker_sores/article.htm
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J.M. answers from Denver on December 21, 2011
When I worked in a dental office, my boss would write a prescription for a rinse/gargle that really helped people. It was 1/3 liquid Benadryl, 1/3 Maalox or Pepto Bismal and 1/3 topical anesthetic. Swish or gargle with the concoction prior to eating. This will need to be compounded, but I think that most pharmacies can mix this one, and it wouldn't have to be a compounding pharmacy.
My husband gets canker sores from Crest toothpaste. Once he switched toothpaste, he hasn't had another one. I always keep liquid Benadryl and Pepto on hand and just mix equal parts and that works pretty well. The only thing the topical anesthetic does is numb the area. (It won't hurt to swallow this either and it will get it in your throat where you need it)
Years ago my mother used to get these terribly. Her old time country doctor used to give her a shot of B12 and it always cleared them up. Llysine is also supposed to help. Hope that some of these remedies work for you. I can't imagine how miserable you are. Be sure to avoid anything acidic until they are healed.
Merry Christmas.
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A.S. answers from Boca Raton on December 21, 2011
We love a supplement called lysine.
3 moms found this helpful
A.C. answers from Madison on December 21, 2011
Canker sores ARE herpes; they are the Herpes-Simplex 1 virus. They belong with the same family as canker sores. My husband and I have had lots and lots and lots and lots... well, just lots and lots of issues with canker sores/HSV-1 and, after asking doctors in the allopathic community and in the alternative care community, the consensus that finally came back--from all the doctors--is that, canker sores are herpes. Sorry. That's a fact.
My husband gets them really, really bad in his mouth. We discovered that he is allergic to sodium lauryl sulfate, the ingredient that makes toothpaste foam. Once he quit using commercial/over-the-counter brands that had that and started using organic toothpaste/toothpaste without sodium lauryl sulfate, the number of canker sores he'd get dramatically dropped. Some toothpaste ideas (Whole Foods, Co-op stores, alternative health pharmacies) include: Weleda brand (there's 3 different flavors) and Neem Toothpaste (cinnamon is my fav! It can be found at Whole Foods). I love the Neem Toothpaste because it still foams; they use a coconut byproduct.
I don't really have an answer as to what to put on them inside the mouth.
BUT, I do have something you can do to prevent them. Buy a supplement called L-Lysine, 1,000 mg, from a company called Solaray. I have found that this supplement is THE BEST thing I have ever found to help control/prevent them. I take 3,000 mg/day, my husband takes 2,000 mg/day. The severity and the rate of infection we both have has dropped dramatically. But look for and buy only the SOLARAY brand; I haven't found any other brand that works as well as the Solaray one.
And yes, canker sores can be indicative that you could be 1) nutritionally deficient (that's me!), 2) could have an immune-compromised system (that's me!), 3) you could have food allergies/intolerances (that's me!), 4) could have Celiac disease, 4) could have gluten intolerance (has the same 300 signs and symptoms as Celiac disease, but it's not an auto immune disease like Celiac disease is.) (That's me!), or 5) you could have an overload of heavy metal toxins in your system, therefore messing up your immune system and your nutrients (that's me!).
**A caution about Tincture of Merthiolate, which one poster recommended. Tincture of Merthiolate (if one can even get this yet) contains Mercury. Mercury is a Heavy Metal/Toxin and shouldn't be taken. By anyone. Period.
3 moms found this helpful
B.C. answers from Norfolk on December 21, 2011
Since you've seen doctors for this I assume they've ruled out that they are signs of other conditions - celiac disease, Behcet's syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and squamous cell carcinoma.
You can try a few things:
German Chamomile
Ladys Mantle
vitamin B12
Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL)
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/treatments/a/Canker.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/canker_sores/article.htm
3 moms found this helpful
T.F. answers from Minneapolis on December 22, 2011
I am a chiropractor and I second L-Lysine....
2 moms found this helpful
R.K. answers from Appleton on December 22, 2011
My grandmother told me years ago that one of her family members got a lot of canker sores when he was a child. When he was a child and went for the umteenth time to he pharmacy to get a prescription to cure them his pharmisist asked him if he ate a lot of pickles; he said yes he did. The pharmisist told him to stop eating pickles and the canker sores would go away. I found through personal experience that anything pickled could cause canker sores.
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P.S. answers from Grand Forks on December 22, 2011
My family has used powdered alum for 4 generations. From the grocery store spice section, if you can't find it in powdered form just use spoons to grind it down. Put a small pinch on the canker sore for 30 seconds. It will burn slightly but usually the sore will go away in the next day.
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L.P. answers from Pittsfield on December 21, 2011
I can relate- I have a history of some pretty horrendous canker sores too- never in my throat though- that sounds awful :(
I got a script from my dentist for Triamcinolone Acetonide Dental Paste USP, 0.1% It's been like a miracle cure for me, and has saved me from weeks of agony. This isn't something that you would be able to use for the one in your throat, though. I would call your doctor and see what he/she can prescribe for that. Maybe something else exists that you can gargle with or swallow.
If you keep getting canker sores, you may have some sort of nutritional deficiency (I'm anemic). You may want to consider asking your doctor if there are some tests you can have done to determine why you keep getting them.
Here is some information you might find helpful:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/canker-sore/DS00354/DSEC...
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/canker_sores/article_em.htm
http://www.quantumhealth.com/news/canker_sores.html
http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/health/how-to-get-rid-o...
Hope you feel better soon!!!!!! =o)
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