by Janet Malley
Those painful canker sores! These recurring ulcerated sores inside the mouth appear on the tongue, soft palate, or inside the checks. Eating isn’t a pleasant experience when you have an outbreak.
It’s frustrating that there seems to be no consensus on what causes them, or if they can be triggered by bacterial or viral infections, allergic reactions to food, a vitamin deficiency, or if they are contagious.
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.
Items that Contain Anti-viral Properties:
Propolis - Produced by bees, propolis is used as a construction material in bee hives, comprised of a complex of chemicals which play a role as an antiviral agent. This is not a good choice for those who are allergic to propolis.
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 - My clients, readers, and others I’ve recommended it to rave about this topical, multi-herb product, which is packaged in a small pocket-sized bottle, convenient for throwing in your purse, backpack or gear for application wherever you happen to be.
FOOD ALLERGIES. When you eat acidic food such as a tomato, citrus fruit, strawberries, grapes, chocolate, certain nuts, spicy or salty food, sugar or coffee, do you get a canker sore? If the answer is yes, or I think so, try one or both (but not at the same time) of the following suggestions:
Eliminate the suspected foods for a few weeks, and then reintroduce them one at a time to see which one triggers a canker. This may take a little self-discipline, but it’s well worth the experiment.
If you prefer an approach that doesn’t involve food elimination, try nutritional supplementation. On a daily basis, take 1,000-1,200 milligrams of buffered vitamin C. This will help reduce the level of histamines in your body. You can enhance the effectiveness of the vitamin C by taking 1,000 milligrams of quercetin which by inhibiting histamine release, will reduce inflammation, allowing for a quicker healing of an existing canker sore.
FOR YOU, IT MIGHT BE A VITAMIN DEFICIENCY - You might be deficient in Thiamine. Research indicates it can result in recurring canker sores. You might want to experiment to see if thiamin prevents your mouth sores by taking 100 milligrams daily.
A High-Potency Multivitamin - I always recommend to buy vitamins at a health food store or online vitamin retailer, because there, you’ll know the vitamins will be of a higher quality. The vitamin you chose should include 500-1,000 micrograms of vitamin B12, 800 micrograms of folic acid, 20 milligrams of zinc, and 10 milligrams of iron. Add what you need to from individual supplements if the multivitamin doesn’t include all you need.
If nothing has worked from the previous recommendations, don’t worry. Here are two additional methods from which many people have found success:
Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) - This is a form of the herb known as licorice. It has anti-inflammatory properties, speeds the healing process, and soothes the discomfort of canker sores. Take two 200-milligram tablets 20 minutes before meals, or chew one or two tablets two or three times a day. Use until the sore heals.
Tea Bag - Tannin from tea 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?
About the Author:
The nutritional products 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 a suburb of Los Angeles. Contact her at janetmalley@gmail.com.