Help, I get Canker Sores all of the time, is there a natural way to stop them?
Kacie, MI.
Natural Help for Canker Sores
Canker sores, also known as aphthous ulcers, are small, shallow lesions that develop on the soft tissues in your mouth and at the base of your gums. They usually pop up alone, but sometimes they show up in small clusters.
Your mouth might tingle or burn before the actual sore appears. Soon, a small red bump rises. Then after a day or so it bursts, leaving an open, shallow white or yellowish wound with a red border. The sores are often painful, making eating and drinking very difficult, and can be up to an inch across, although most of them are much smaller. Occasionally, someone who gets canker sores may also develop a fever and feel sluggish and uncomfortable.
Unlike cold sores, canker sores don't occur on the surface of your lips and aren't contagious. Canker sores are always found inside the mouth, and don not spread by sharing food or kissing someone. Most canker sores go away on their own in a week or two.
Causes:
No one is certain what causes canker sores. They often first appear between the ages of 10 and 20, although they can occur at any time in a person's life.
- Hereditary - One thing that doctors have noticed is that although the sores are not contagious, they can run in families. That means if your parents or siblings get canker sores, the genes you share with them make it more likely that you'll develop the sores, too.
- Stress - There may be a connection between canker sores and stress. If the sores show up around exam time or some other big event in your life, it may be a sign of how much stress you're under.
- Gender - About twice as many women as men get them. Doctors think that may be due to the difference in male and female hormones, especially because women often get them during certain times in their menstrual cycle.
- SLS - Some research suggests that using products containing sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a foaming agent found in most toothpastes and mouthwashes, can be associated with canker sores.
- Allergies - Some foods can cause canker sore breakouts after eating them.
- Dietary deficiencies - Not getting enough iron or vitamin B12, may also contribute to some cases of canker sores.
Natural Help
Homemade mouthwashes can ease Canker Sore pain.
· Try rinsing your mouth four times a day with a mixture of two ounces of hydrogen peroxide and two ounces of water or a combination of four ounces of water mixed with 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Swish the mixture in your mouth for about a minute and then spit it out — do not swallow it!
· Dabbing a mixture of equal parts water and hydrogen peroxide directly on the sore, followed by a bit of milk of magnesia, may reduce discomfort and speed healing.
Avoid certain foods.
· You'll want to watch what you eat while you have a canker sore. Spicy foods and acidic foods such as lemons or tomatoes can be extremely painful on these open wounds. So can anything sharp, such as nuts or potato chips, which can poke or rub the sore. Be careful when you brush your teeth, too. It's important to keep your mouth clean, but brushing the sore itself with a toothbrush will make it worse.
· In prevention, avoid food that you might be allergic to. If you breakout in canker sores after eating a particular food. Eliminate the suspected food item for a short period of time and later reintroduce it to test the reaction to confirm an allergy.
*These foods have been known to cause allergy causing canker sores: Dairy, nuts, peanut butter, cinnamon, kiwis, strawberries, tomatoes, citrus fruits, eggs, pork, honey, brewer's yeast, wheat products and even chocolate.
· In prevention, avoid food that you might be allergic to. If you breakout in canker sores after eating a particular food. Eliminate the suspected food item for a short period of time and later reintroduce it to test the reaction to confirm an allergy.
*These foods have been known to cause allergy causing canker sores: Dairy, nuts, peanut butter, cinnamon, kiwis, strawberries, tomatoes, citrus fruits, eggs, pork, honey, brewer's yeast, wheat products and even chocolate.
Alkalize the body:
~Eat Alkalizing foods.
~Green Smoothies and raw food will be one of your most powerful tools.
Green Smoothie Recipe:
In a Vita-Mix (or your blender) mix:
- Meat of one pealed, pitted, fresh Mango
- 4-6 kiwi (While kiwifruit is a high-acid food, it is one of the top most alkaline-forming fruit in the body.)
- 1/2 apple
- Whirl with 4-5 cups water for 30-40 seconds
- Then add one leaf at a time of 1-2 bunches of Kale (whichever variety you desire)
- Add ice and cold water, as the blender whirls, until blender is full.
- Sip on this all day!
You can switch the fruit out with other high alkaline forming foods, if you have an allergy to any of the above fruits. The concept with green smoothies is to use whatever fresh produce is "calling your name" (choose low glycemic index fruits. Choose strawberries, kiwi, blueberries,apples, pears, cherries, plums, etc.) Thus it will alkalize your body!
Check out a book by
Essential Oil Liver Cleanse:
1 drop Lemon EO
1 drop Peppermint EO
1 tsp. Fresh lemon Juice.
Take first in the morning, everyday.
Follow with water.
1 drop Lemon EO
1 drop Peppermint EO
1 tsp. Fresh lemon Juice.
Take first in the morning, everyday.
Follow with water.
Essential Oil Help
For immediate relief and to help get rid of canker sores, take 2-3 drops Tea Tree or Helichrysum and put directly on the sore.
Can also saturate a piece of gauze with a mixture of 1 drop Oregano and 1 Tbl. carrier oil (grape seed, olive, etc) and hold it on the canker sore for a few minutes several times a day. Can also, take in capsule 2x a day.
Dill can help calm and heal mouth ulcers and canker sores. Take in capsules or apply to sore, or make a tea using 2 drops Dill, 1 teaspoon sweetener, and 1 cup warm water. Drink 2x daily.
Can also saturate a piece of gauze with a mixture of 1 drop Oregano and 1 Tbl. carrier oil (grape seed, olive, etc) and hold it on the canker sore for a few minutes several times a day. Can also, take in capsule 2x a day.
Dill can help calm and heal mouth ulcers and canker sores. Take in capsules or apply to sore, or make a tea using 2 drops Dill, 1 teaspoon sweetener, and 1 cup warm water. Drink 2x daily.