It works by getting into cancer cells, killing them from the inside, and also boosting the patient’s immune system.

Head and neck cancer, which includes cancer of the mouth, tongue and throat, affects up to 8,000 people every year in the UK.

Study leader Dr Kevin Harrington, who is based at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said current treatments were effective if the cancer was picked up early but that many patients were not diagnosed until it was more advanced.

The herpes virus, which is also being tested in patients with skin cancer, is genetically manipulated so that it grows inside tumour cells but cannot infect normal healthy cells.

Once there it has a triple effect – it multiplies, killing tumour cells as it does so, it is engineered to produce a human protein that activates the immune system and it also makes a viral protein that acts as a red flag to immune cells.

In the 17 patients injected with the virus, in addition to their standard treatment, at the Royal Marsden Hospital, 93% showed no trace of cancer after their tumour had been surgically removed.

More than two years later, 82% of patients had not succumbed to the disease. Only two of 13 patients given the virus treatment at a high dose relapsed, the journal Clinical Cancer Research reported.

There were no safety concerns with use of the virus, the researchers said, and it is hoped the virus could one day be used to fight other types of cancer.

“Around 35 to 55% of patients given the standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment typically relapse within two years, so these results compare very favourably,” said Dr Harrington.

He is now planning a trial comparing the viral treatment with the standard treatment in people newly diagnosed with head and neck cancer.

Dr Alison Ross, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said it would be some time before the treatment could be used in patients as it still needed to be tested directly against standard treatment.

But she added: “This small study highlights the potential of using genetically modified viruses as a weapon to fight cancer.” (BBC)

Article by Emma Wilkinson on MmegiOnline

Can warts on the hand lead to anal or genital infections? Are warts a form of herpes? Those are among the questions readers recently posed to Dr. Peter Leone, associate professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Public Health, responds.

Q. I do not have genital herpes; however, as of late I have begun getting many warts on the inside of my hands. Is this a form of herpes? If so, can these warts be transmitted sexually and/or turn into genital herpes when exposed to the genital area? What is the cause of these warts, and how should they be treated?

A. Dr. Peter Leone responds:

Warts are caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV, whereas genital herpes is caused by herpes simplex virus, or HSV. Warts are not a form of herpes, and HPV will not cause genital herpes. Conversely, genital herpes does not cause cervical cancer or anal cancer.

There are more than 100 types of HPV. Different types are associated with infections in different areas of the body and different forms of persistent infection. From 90 to 95 percent of HPV infections are transient and clear without any disease manifestation. Cervical, anal and some head and neck cancers are caused by different types of HPV infection.

More than 30 HPV types can infect the genital tract. Four in particular are associated with HPV-related disease. Up to 90 percent of genital warts are caused by HPV Types 6 and 11, while about 70 percent of cervical cancers are caused by HPV Types 16 and 18.

Warts on the hands and feet are most commonly caused by HPV Types 1, 2 or 3. Rarely, much less than 1 percent of the time, they can infect the genital tract. If you have warts on your hands or feet, however, you will not transmit that HPV type to your own or your partner’s genital tract, no matter how much physical contact you have. Unfortunately, the high-risk HPV types associated with cervical and anal cancer can, and usually are, transmitted in the absence of any visible lesions.

Treatment of warts involves either freezing or chemically treating the wart (ablation therapy), or the use of immunomodulating agents that stimulate the immune system to clear the virus. You should see your clinician to decide what therapy is best for you.

Two HPV vaccines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of papillomavirus infections. The bivalent HPV vaccine, called Cervarix, offers protection from persistent infection with HPV Types 16 and 18, which are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine, or Gardasil, offers protection against those strains and two others, HPV Types 6 and 11, which are responsible for a majority of anal and genital warts.

Article from Consults – Experts on the Front Lines of Medicine

If you have noticed symptoms that you have never see before…

The first thing that you need to do is to confirm if what you have is actually herpes.  You will need to do this by visiting a Doctor for a professional diagnosis.

Firstly, you may be worrying about nothing (it could just be a skin irritation from the way, for example) and an accurate diagnosis can put your mind at ease.  Secondly, there are many conditions that can be confused with herpes which is why a professional analysis is important.

Genital herpes is generally only spread from direct “skin to skin” contact with an infected area.  It is unlikely to contract the virus on the genitals from a Beautician because the virus dies very quickly when it is outside of the human body.  The virus must make direct contact with the genital area in order to be transmitted to this location. 

Bikini waxing is normally done using a fresh strip of wax each time (not re-useable) so this makes transmission via the wax itself highly unlikely.

If the person performing the wax did not wear gloves and has Herpes Whitlow (finger herpes) then it could be possible for the virus to be spread via their fingers, or, if they had a cold sore and touched their face immediately before touching your genitals.  These are two scenarios that are unlikely but theoretically possible.

Another alternative that is more common is that a bikini wax could cause trauma to the skin which could “trigger” a herpes outbreak.  It is possible for an herpes outbreak to occur months or even years after becoming infected, particularly if something aggravates the virus, such as trauma to the affected area or if your immune system is running low.

In addition to this, there have been cases where the herpes virus has been transmitted through sharing the same razor blade for shaving.  Proper hygene is always recommended and care should be taken not to share any inanimate objects that may have come into direct contact with an active herpes infection (such as razors, lip gloss or sex toys).

For further research you may like to read this article: Spreading and Preventing Herpes

Cutting back on certain foods and correcting your diet could mean the difference between having regular herpes outbreaks and having no outbreaks at all.  It’s simple and it’s true.

Let me explain, there are two key things to consider when treating and managing herpes:

1)  The state of your health and immune system:

If you become sick (or are recovering from an illness), are under stress or have a particular strain on your health, then this could allow the herpes virus to become more active more often. 

Smoking, drinking alcohol and other negative lifestyle habits can contribute to poor health – but diet is the most important factor.  To improve your overall health, stay away from processed and packet foods, eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and reduce toxins and caffeine wherever possible.

Easy Steps to Improve Your Diet and Help Your Body Conquer HSV:

• Drink a freshly made fruit or vegetable juice daily.  This has an amazing potential to boost your health and vitality.  But it must be freshly made, so buy a juicing machine or visit your local juice bar if you have access to one.
• Cut back on coffee and soda; try substituting these drinks with water or herbal tea whenever possible.  Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water each day to flush and hydrate your body.
• If you do splurge on “unhealthy” foods try following it with a glass of water with a generous squeeze of citrus (such as lime or lemon).  The citrus juice has an alkaline effect in the body which can help to neutralize acid forming foods (like bread, meat, deep fried or junk food, etc).  This helps your body to metabolize and break down these heavy foods more effectively, better eliminating the waste and giving you an improved quality of health.
• Don’t like your vegetables?  Recent clinical studies may change your mind.  Eating broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts may be a step in the right direction to successful suppress herpes.  These vegetables are naturally high in a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C) which studies show may have the potential to interfere with the way the Herpes simplex virus reproduces.  Current clinical trial results are promising.

2)  Foods that can trigger an outbreak:

Did you know that eating certain foods that are rich in “Arginine” can actually provoke an outbreak for some people? 

Arginine is an essential amino acid that the herpes virus needs to become active, grow and well basically to function altogether.  Arginine is the food supply for the herpes virus and without it the virus cannot surface to the skin or cause symptoms.

So then let’s stop eating Arginine altogether, right? No, definitely not.  You still need to obtain arginine in your diet because it does a range of necessary and wonderful things for your body. Arginine has a similar mode of action to the drug Viagra which gives us a clue as to one of the many benefits of this amino acid.

What you do not want to do is ‘tip the scales’ and have an excess amount of Arginine in your diet – too much Arginine can create an environment where the herpes virus can thrive and become very active.

If all of this is too much for you to take in right now don’t worry.  The good news is that there is another amino acid called Lysine that makes this whole situation very easy to manage.  Lysine is an essential amino acid which naturally balances out high levels of Arginine (the herpes virus’ food source).

What this means is that whenever you eat foods that contain Lysine and Arginine, the Lysine will help cancel out the Arginine.  It does this naturally and is the reason why Lysine has been proven in clinical studies to help reduce and prevent herpes outbreaks.

As we mentioned earlier in this article, if you have high enough levels of the amino acid Lysine in your diet this can slow down the growth of the herpes virus and restrict it from causing outbreaks.Here we explain which foods can be helpful and which to avoid or reduce in order to help reprevent a herpes recurrence.

Foods which can be benefical – High in Lysine and low in Arginine:

Why we need to pay attention…

Genital herpes and cold sores (conditions which are both caused by the Herpes simplex virus [HSV]) are contagious. Unlike some viruses, herpes is generally only spread by direct skin to skin contact (or direct contact with the active infection).

The complication however is that herpes can be spread at times when there are no symptoms at all, due to what is referred to as Asymptomatic Viral Shedding.

Genital herpes is considered by all medical authorities (including the CDC and American Health Association) as a virus that is NOT spread via a toilet seat.

You cannot catch herpes from saliva, body fluids, coughing or through the air. It is also not passed on genetically or through the blood stream. Herpes can be contracted in the womb but this is a very different and rare situation and can only happen if a women who has never had an herpes infection before becomes exposed to the virus during her pregnancy. As I mentioned, this occurrence (known as neo-natal herpes) is rare and preventable.

If a woman has already been exposed to the herpes virus prior to becoming pregnant then the antibodies that her body develops will be sufficient to protect her baby during pregnancy.

Long story short, herpes can be spread to a significant other through direct contact with the infected area and this is one of the most important concerns that we face when diagnosed with herpes.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT let a little virus like herpes take control of you.  YOU can take control of this culprit by:

a) Listening to your body

b) Taking care of your symptoms

c)  Using sensible safe-sex precautions, and

d)  Communicating with your partners

1.  The first issue (which also happens to be one of the hardest) is communication.

You need to inform your partner if you have this virus before putting them at risk of contracting it. The tricky situation with herpes (and yes, herpes includes cold sores) is that the virus can spread even when there are no signs or symptoms. At this point in time, herpes is also incurable.  This does not mean that you cannot live an awesome, healthy and happy life with great sex – but it does mean that you need to be mindful of passing it on and to do this, you need to inform a partner before you put them at any risk. There are no if, buts or maybe’s about this. You must tell them.

Ok, so this is easier said then done, but there are some tips that can make the process easier.. timing, location and your attitude can all make a big difference. This is one article that I found helpful here, it has some practical pointers that can help you to prepare: The Herpes Talk – tips for telling someone new that you have herpes.

The other aspect of communication is that once you are in a relationship you need to be honest about when you are feeling symptoms so that you can work together to avoid all contact with the infection so that you can prevent transmitting it.

2.  Avoiding contact with the area during “high risk” times will reduce your chance of spreading herpes dramatically.

High risk times are:

• Any time that you notice a sign or symptom, even if there is nothing visible on the skin (including itching, tingling, body aches, redness and other signs that the virus may be active or traveling along the nerve pathways)
• Any time during an ‘outbreak’, from the moment it begins until the time when the sore or infection has healed
• Up until approximately 7 days after the infection has healed and the skin has returned to normal. This is an important time to avoid contact as there is likely to be virus lingering on in the area even once the symptoms have gone. This is the most common time period for ‘Asymptomatic Viral Shedding’ to occur.

3.  Condoms and safe sex precautions can halve the risk.

The chance of spreading herpes to an uninfected partner is approximately 4 to 10% (depending on whether you are male or female) and this risk can be sliced in half by taking sensible precautions – such as avoiding contact during noticeable symptoms and using latex condoms or dental dams in between outbreaks to guard against shedding. Dental dams are coined as being the female condom, it is similar to a sheet of latex that can be placed over the vagina during oral sex.

4.  There are medications and herbs that may help to reduce the chance of ‘Viral Shedding’.  This may be a consideration to help reduce the risk of spreading the virus to a partner when there are no symptoms.

If you are becoming intimate with someone then you may be interested in taking a medication or herbal supplement to help reduce the chance of ‘Asymptomatic Viral Shedding’ – this is the reason why the herpes virus can be spread at times when there are no symptoms. Taking daily Valtrex has been proven in Clinical Trials to reduce viral shedding by up to 40%. Combine this with the prevention methods above and the chances of transmission are extremely minimal.

However, in saying this, it is very important that you consult with your Doctor regarding the pros and cons of taking this medication. Valtrex is a drug which can have side-effects (not everyone experiences side-effects but they are possible and range from nausea and headaches to hair-loss).  Depending on where in the world you live and what type of insurance you have, Valtrex medication could also be costly to take on an ongoing basis.  A cheaper version of this medication is called Acyclovir.  It is generally equally as effective as Valtrex but needs to be taken more often because it is not as concentrated.

A natural alternative is to boost the body’s immune system (through positive diet and lifestyle changes) and to target and deactivate the herpes virus internally with anti-viral herbs.

Medicinal herbs (which are extractions made from various roots, berries, flowers, plants and bark) can be very powerful and some herbs have even been proven to reduce ‘Viral Shedding’ in Clinical Trials, one such herb is Olive Leaf (Olea europaea).  One combination that could be helpful to dominate the virus into submission is Olive leaf, Andrographis and Echinacea.

The reason for this is that Andrographis has been proven to interfere with viral replication and the functioning of viruses (in particular the way that a virus alters healthy DNA). Andrographis even has the ability to assist cells that are already infected by a virus. Echinacea is a powerful preventative herb, which also increases the effectiveness of Andrographis when taken together. This is an excellent combo for helping to prevent herpes outbreaks while possibly reducing the incidence of Viral Shedding.

There have not yet been clinical trials to specifically study the rate of transmission in HSV-2 affected patients and their partners while taking these herbs, however, the results from the current Clinical Trials data (including herpes studies in humans) is very encouraging, particularly for people who are interested in using complimentary alternatives with limited side-effects, if any.

So in summary, you can reduce the small risk of transmitting herpes even further through:

• Communicating with your partner about when you are feeling symptoms
• Abstaining from sex or contact with the area during “high risk” times (this includes from the moment you notice symptoms, while they are present and about a week after they have gone away).
• Sensible safe sex practices (such as using latex condoms or dental dams when possible – even though condoms are not a 100% guarantee they have been proven to cut the risk of transmission by about half).
• Taking Valtrex or Supplements which may help to reduce the incidence of viral shedding (such as a herb formula containing Andrographis, Olive Leaf and Echinacea).

To prove the point they have now added an STD specific councelor on board to help field questions.  It is free to join so this would be worth taking a look at if you are in a slump about this virus and need some direction.

Read the full article here: http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/dating_news.htm

Information for women who have herpes

Well, the excellent news is that if a woman has already been exposed to the Herpes simplex virus (HSV) then she will have antibodies built up inside her body to protect her baby from getting herpes throughout her pregnancy.  Herpes will also not affect your ability to conceive or carry a baby in any physical way.

HSV is the cause of cold sores, genital herpes, herpes whitlow and other similar infections, so if you are female and have been exposed to this virus at one time or another the outcome is very good for protecting your baby.

Hormonal changes do tend to affect outbreaks for some people (particularly women) so it is common for females to have an increase in outbreaks during pregnancy or at the time of menstruation.

However, if you have outbreaks during pregnancy don’t be too worried about the baby growing in a ‘viral environment’, although the outbreaks are stressful and definitely not a lot of fun they are not harmful to your baby (other than the effects that they are having on you physically, such as stress, etc).

The only complication that you do have to be mindful of is the virus being active on the skin at the time of delivery if you are having a natural vaginal childbirth.  When pregnant, your Doctor will be able to give you more guidance here and can assess the situation later on when the time is closer to the birth.  Most women who have genital herpes do have a normal vaginal childbirth

You would need to talk to your Doctor if you are considering taking Valtrex (or any other drug) during pregnancy, he/she will be able to give you the best guidance here.  There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of Valtrex in pregnant women and the manufacturer advises that it should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.  In nursing mothers, Valtrex should be administered with caution and only when indicated.

Lysine, vitamin c with bioflavonoids and zinc are nutrients that are safe to take in reasonable quantities during pregnancy and can help to prevent and minimize outbreaks.  They can also be beneficial for the developing baby.  Avoiding foods that are rich in Arginine; such as chocolate, nuts, brown rice, oats, and caffeine (such as coffee and coca-cola) may also help to prevent outbreaks and is a gentle approach during pregnancy.  Drink plenty of water and reduce stress however possible.

Information for men who have herpes

If you are a man who has herpes you can have healthy, happy children just like anyone else.  Herpes does not affect your sperm count, your ability to conceive or the health and development of your children.

The only complication that you do need to be mindful of is passing the virus on to your female partner while she is actually pregnant.   If a woman has her first encounter with the herpes virus at any point in the pregnancy, there is the possibility of the virus crossing the placenta and infecting the baby in the uterus.  This transmission of the virus to the fetus can cause neonatal herpes, a potentially fatal condition. Mothers who acquire genital herpes in the last few weeks of pregnancy are at the highest risk of transmitting the virus to their baby in this way.

If your partner already has herpes then her body will have already produced antibodies to protect the developing fetus, so this risk will not be relevant.  However, if your female partner has never been exposed to herpes then it is extremely important to protect her from catching the virus during her pregnancy.  You will need to have your partner tested via a blood test to determine whether or not she already has antibodies to the herpes virus. 

Just because a person cannot see or recall having any symptoms does not mean that they have never been exposed to the virus – their immune system may be completely suppressing the infection allowing them never to experience symptoms.

Once you have obtained a blood test and have determined whether or not your partner has HSV antibodies you will understand the possible risks more clearly.  You may need to take extra care to prevent transmitting the virus to the mother during these delicate nine months. 

Here is some practical advice for men if the mother does not have herpes:

• Avoid giving oral sex for the duration of the pregnancy if you have a history of facial herpes or cold sores
• Explore alternatives to intercourse, such as touching, kissing, fantasizing, massage, mutual masturbation, erotica, etc
• Use sensible safe sex practices (such as  latex condoms or dental dams when possible – even though condoms are not a 100% guarantee they have been proven to cut the risk of transmission by about half).
• Communicate with your partner about when you are feeling symptoms
• Abstain from sex or contact with the area during “high risk” times (this includes from the moment you notice symptoms, while they are present and about a week after they have gone away).
• Take Valtrex or a herbal remedy such as Immune Support which could possibly aid in reducing the incidence of viral shedding

Steps to help reduce outbreaks:

• Drink lots of pure water every day (try to drink 6 -8 glasses every day)
• Supplement your diet with Lysine, vitamin c with bioflavonoids and zinc
• Boost the immune system with antiviral herbs such as Andrographis, Olive Leaf and Echinacea
• Get plenty of high quality sleep
• Relax your thoughts through meditation and mind claming exercises (such as deep breathing). 
• Reduce any causes of stress in your life and find new ways to remedy any stress that is unavoidable.
• Exercise daily – take a walk, stretch or do yoga
• Try eating a diet rich in natural foods; cut down on white and refined sugars, white flour, dairy and processed meat products, alcohol, caffeine, fats and foods with additives
• Increase the amount of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet

Above all, enjoy the experience of bringing a child into this world.  Each moment passes into the next and it is important to allow yourself to really appreciate and become enlightened with the pregnancy and birth, rather than dwelling on this measly little virus that has minimal chances of affecting the process in any way.