Canker sore or Cold sore?

Okay...let's get one thing straight: canker sore does not equal cold sore.

What is a canker sore?
It's a mouth ulcer--a rather painful, open sore inside the mouth that looks white or yellowish and is surrounded by a bright red area (in case you didn't know, redness is one of the key hints from your body that it is mad at you because something is wrong).

Most canker sores are caused by:

• stress
• hormonal changes
• lack of certain nutrients (iron, folic acid, and B-12 are the ones to keep an eye out for)
• food allergies

Another side note, women are at higher risk to get them (hormonal changes...this happens monthly for us...think about it) and there is a genetic component.

Most of the time, these little jerks go away with time. Check out this PubMed article for treatments and other home remedies. Pretty good ideas here.

Now listen...this is important: If you have a canker sore that won't go away or you get them often, you should ask your doctor about it because there might be something else going on. Remember that your body has ways of giving you red flags or warnings. If you get canker sores a lot, it's most likely your body's way of telling you that you are lacking something important or consuming something you shouldn't be.

What is a cold sore?
AKA a fever blister...this little bugger is a straight up infection. To be specific, it is an infection caused by Herpes Simplex Virus 1. Don't freak out and please pay attention to this next statement: Herpes Simplex 1 does not equal Herpes Simplex 2. HSV-1 is Oral herpes and HSV-2 is genital herpes. There are ways that 2 can be found in the mouth but we won't get into that on this episode of 'Health Education 101 by AntiUnhealthy'.

So to focus on HSV-1, here are some signs you are getting a cold sore:

• itchy, burny, or tingly lips
• sore throat, fever, or swollen glands
• appearance of blister on gums, lips, mouth, or throat

These guys might go away on their on in 1 to 2 weeks or your doc can give you an antiviral. Check out this PubMed article for more ways to make it feel better. This same article also has an excellent list of ways to prevent transmission of the virus. It's not that hard. Check it out.

Okay, so how do you know? Canker sore or Cold sore?
The most straightforward way to tell the difference is the location. Most of the time, canker sores are found on the inside of the mouth and cold sores are found on the outside of the mouth.

Hope this clarified some things for ya. And just some advice, whether you want it or not, don't complain to other people that you have a painful cold sore if it is actually a canker sore. You might get a less-than-happy response...especially if it's your better half. Just sayin...