Dear Doctorleela,

unfortunately, that is medical reasoning, not homoeopathic. The understanding of the virus has no meaning to the case from our perspective, but the need to treat a cold sore is certainly a cultural need more often than a medical need. Don't we hate cold sores!

While it may be true that the cold sore might be part of a prodrome or represent a deeper condition, until you have general symptoms to show us the nature of that state or impending disease, how will we know what remedy to use?

Many of my patients present with cold sores. If they are improving under a remedy, then I do not treat even if the cold sores appear at this time. Until I see a clear indication for a new remedy or to repeat the old remedy, I wait. It is too easy to muck up a case by jumping to treat every symptom that comes up. Let things develop and THEN make a decision about treatment. At this stage the patient could just be producing cold sores to protect himself from whatever morbid influences normally create his previous set of symptoms.

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David Kempson.<br />Dip.Homoeopathic Medicine.<br />Lecturer Australian College of Natural Therapies (Brisbane Campus)<br />Member AHA, AROH, HMA<br />Member Australian Homoeopathic Association. Member#0442.