Canker/Cold Sores
FOODS TO EAT MORE OF
FOODS TO AVOID OR MINIMIZE
ESSENTIAL OILS
NATURAL/HERBAL
YOGA / MEDITATION THERAPY
SUPPLEMENTS & HOMEOPATHIC
MIND-BODY CONNECTION
RECIPES/FOOD MEDICINE
Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets.
Abbreviation Definitions:
LC = Low Calorie (under 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch/dinner, and 200 for beverages/sides/snacks)
GF = Gluten Free
KT = Keto / Low Carb
VG = Vegan
VT = Vegetarian
BEVERAGES
MEALS
SIDES/SALADS/SNACKS
- Fruits: Apples, apricots, berries, grapes, papayas, pears
- Vegetables: Arugula, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collard greens, kale, onions, romaine lettuce, squash, watercress
- Fish (especially halibut, salmon, sardines & tuna)
- Legumes/Beans (except chickpeas), nutritional yeast, sea herbs, sprouted beans, yogurt
- Garlic
FOODS TO AVOID OR MINIMIZE
- Whole grains, nuts, chocolate, carob, bacon, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, mushrooms
- Alcohol & caffeine
- Sodium lauryl sulfate in toothpaste/mouthwash
ESSENTIAL OILS
- Bergamot, blue cypress, galbanum, geranium, German & Roman chamomile, hyssop, laurel, lavender, lemon, tea tree, oregano, rosalina, sage (throat, bottom of feet, on location)
- When you feel the tingling of a sore starting, try rubbing tea tree directly to area and it will sometimes prevent the sore from developing.
NATURAL/HERBAL
- Astragalus, birch, burdock, calendula, cayenne, chamomile, cloves, dandelion root, echinacea (if caught early), elderflowers, garlic, ginseng, lemon balm, licorice, myrrh, noni, parsley, St. John's wort, sumac, yarrow
- Can be worsened by stress, try yoga & meditation
- Zinc Lozenges: 1 lozenge every 2 hours for 3-4 days (do not exceed 150 mg zinc daily from all sources).
- Daub with apple cider vinegar, cornstarch, alum powder or Goldenseal tincture.
- Rinse with Epsom salt water.
- Swish liquid echinacea in the mouth for 2-3 minutes, up to 3 times daily.
- Mix myrrh tincture with warm water and swish in mouth for 2-3 minutes, up to 3 times daily.
- Melissa Cream: apply cream to sores 2-4 times daily (also called lemon balm); Can also make a tea out of lemon balm and apply liquid with cotton ball.
- Flaxseed Oil: 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) a day; take in the morning.
- Canker Sores: Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda in a 1/2 cup warm water and use as a mouth rinse several times a day
- Eat a whole green pepper, raw (except seeds)
- Dab a pinch of instant coffee on canker sores
- For cold sores, soak a cotton swab with 100% pure vanilla and apply to cold sore for 1 minute 3-4 times daily
YOGA / MEDITATION THERAPY
- Yoga For Anxiety and Stress (27 minutes - Yoga With Adriene)
- Yoga for Anxiety (16 minutes - Yoga With Adriene)
- Relax & Restore Yoga (10 minutes - Sadie Nardini- BeFit Yoga)
- Meditation for Anxiety (14 minutes - Yoga With Adriene)
- Instant Stress & Anxiety Releasing Yoga Meditation (4 minutes - sadienardini)
SUPPLEMENTS & HOMEOPATHIC
- Arsenicum Album 6c: 3-4 times daily until symptoms improve
- Borax 6c: 3-4 times daily until symptoms improve
- Echinacea/ Goldenseal: 200 mg echinacea and 125 mg of goldenseal 4 times daily
- Iron: 100mg daily
- Lactobacillus acidophilus: 4 tablets 3 times daily
- Licorice (DGL): Chew 1-2 deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) wafers (380 mg) 3-4 times daily between meals
- Lysine: 1,000 mg L-lysine 3 times daily (take on empty stomach, do not take with milk, discontinue when sores heal)
- Mercurius Sol 6c: 3-4 times daily until symptoms improve
- Natrum Muriaticum 6c: 3-4 times daily until symptoms improve
- Selenium: 600 mcg a day only during flare-ups (don't exceed 600 mcg daily; higher doses may be toxic)
- Vitamin A: 25,000 IU twice daily for 5 days (pregnant women should not exceed 5,000 IU daily)
- Vitamin B Complex: 1 pill each morning with food (look for B-50 complex with 50 mcg vitamin B12 and biotin; 400 mcg folic acid; and 50 mg of all other B vitamins)
- Vitamin B6: No more than 50 mg/daily
- Vitamin C/ Flavonoids: 1,000 mg vitamin C and 500 mg flavonoids 3 times daily (reduce if it causes diarrhea)
MIND-BODY CONNECTION
- Can represent feelings of blame, or having a fear of expressing nasty/angry words out loud.
RECIPES/FOOD MEDICINE
Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets.
Abbreviation Definitions:
LC = Low Calorie (under 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch/dinner, and 200 for beverages/sides/snacks)
GF = Gluten Free
KT = Keto / Low Carb
VG = Vegan
VT = Vegetarian
BEVERAGES
- Apple-Orange Smoothie GF VG VT
- Banana-Blueberry Smoothie GF VT
- Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie GF VT
- Blueberry-Pomegranate Smoothie LC GF VT
- Cranberry-Blueberry Smoothie GF VT
- Mango-Blueberry Smoothie GF VT
- Sunrise Smoothie LC GF VG VT
- Super Skin Smoothie GF VT
MEALS
- Adult Ramen LC GF VG VT
- Baked Salmon with Dill Sauce LC GF KT
- Balsamic Glazed Fish LC GF KT
- Basil Caesar Salmon KT
- Beef Bone Broth LC GF
- Chicken Bone Broth LC GF
- Chickpea Spinach Soup LC GF VT
- Chickpea Wraps LC VG VT
- Crispy Potato-Crusted Fish LC GF
- Crumb-Topped Salmon LC KT
- Fish Fillets with Broccoli Stuffing LC
- Garlic Soup LC GF VG VT
- Ham & Collards Soup LC GF
- Mung Beans and Rice LC GF VG VT
- Oven-Fried Fish LC KT
- Salmon with Mustard Sauce LC GF KT
- Salmon with Spinach Artichoke Sauce GF KT
- Sesame Salmon LC GF KT
- Vegan White Chili LC GF VG VT
- Vegetable Broth LC GF VG VT
SIDES/SALADS/SNACKS
- Asparagus Au Gratin LC KT VT
- Asparagus with Hollandaise LC GF VT KT
- Beans & Greens Salad LC GF VG VT
- Brussels Sprouts with Cashew Sauce GF
- Caraway Brussels Sprouts LC GF VG VT KT
- Collard Greens LC GF
- Couscous Pilaf VG VT
- Creamy Bean Francais VT
- Creamy Kale LC GF KT VG VT
- Dill Vinaigrette Greens LC GF VG VT KT
- Fried Cabbage LC GF VG VT KT
- Glazed Carrots LC GF VG VT
- Irish Potatoes (Colcannon) LC GF VT
- Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing LC GF VG VT
- Molasses Beans LC GF
- Roasted Asparagus LC GF VG VT KT
- Roasted Broccoli LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Butternut Squash LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Carrots LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Onions LC GF VG VT
- Sesame Green Beans LC GF KT VG VT
- Spinach & Strawberry Salad LC GF VG VT
- Squash Souffle GF VT
- Steamed Edamame LC GF VG VT