The internet offers mixed reviews on many of the dozens of cold sore medications on the market today, ranging from statements like "my cold sore was gone in two hours" to "this stuff made it worse!" Some cold sore medications obviously have a better track record than others, but it can be difficult to find the perfect remedy for that annoying and embarrassing cold sore. The biggest factor that will contribute to the effectiveness of your chosen cold sore remedy is noting the stage at which the cold sore has developed when the first treatment is applied to the site. Any cold sore sufferer knows that the best way to treat a cold sore is to nip it in the bud as soon as possible. Once blisters begin to form, you may be out of luck if you are not using the right cold sore medication. I am a frequent cold sore sufferer who has tried almost every home remedy and cold sore medication on the market. In this article I am going to compare two of the most popular cold sore medications: Abreva, the only FDA approved over the counter medication and Zovirax, an FDA approved prescription medication. Abreva: Abreva can be purchased in almost any drug-store for $16-$20. Right off the bat, it is important to note that you won't get much for what you pay. The medicine is in a tiny 2 gram (.07 ounce) tube that is barely an inch long. I have seen many good (and many bad) reviews of Abreva, and my opinion falls somewhere in-between. Healing a cold sore quickly with Abreva is hit-or-miss. I have learned that if I liberally apply Abreva almost every hour as soon as I feel any burning or tingling, it does help tremendously and there is 90% chance that I will avoid a full blown breakout. Often, if caught at that stage, the blisters will simply not develop. However, if I don't have any when the tingling begins, or I wake up to find that the blisters have already begun to form, the cold sore will generally run its course, lasting 9-10 days regardless of how much I continue to apply. It really is important to apply Abreva immediately upon feeling any tingling or pain. Even an hour can make a big difference. Zovirax (Aciclovir): Let me just say that I absolutely love Zovirax and I regret all the years I suffered with cold sores, spending hours researching home remedies and over-the-counter products, when a simple call to the doctor for a prescription was the answer. It is truly a life-saver when it comes to cold sores. Whether it is applied at the first signs of a cold sore or even after bumps and blisters have begun to form, it will zap my cold sore in 24-48 hours. In addition, it does not "dry out" the cold sores which many medications do; shrinking the blisters, but leaving a very hard scab that cracks and bleeds. Zovirax also has something in it to relieve pain and itching. In most cases, if Zovirax is applied during the tingling stage the cold sore does not develop (like Abreva). If it is applied after blisters have formed, it shrinks the blisters overnight and relieves all the redness and irritation surrounding the sore. I have never had a cold sore for more than three days when using Zovirax. The one down-side to using this medication is the cost. A 5 gram tube of Zovirax retails at about $120.00 and is subject to a higher co-pay with insurance because there is no generic equivalent available yet. For a complete list of FDA approved cold sore medications and at home remedies that work, please visit www.ColdSoreAdvice.com Quinn Black is a frequent cold sore sufferer and is the author of ColdSoreAdvice, a free informational website that provides tips to prevent cold sores and uncover the best home remedies and most effective cold sore medications. Sunday, July 27, 2008
Finding The Best Cold Sore Medication - Abreva Vs Prescription Treatments
The internet offers mixed reviews on many of the dozens of cold sore medications on the market today, ranging from statements like "my cold sore was gone in two hours" to "this stuff made it worse!" Some cold sore medications obviously have a better track record than others, but it can be difficult to find the perfect remedy for that annoying and embarrassing cold sore. The biggest factor that will contribute to the effectiveness of your chosen cold sore remedy is noting the stage at which the cold sore has developed when the first treatment is applied to the site. Any cold sore sufferer knows that the best way to treat a cold sore is to nip it in the bud as soon as possible. Once blisters begin to form, you may be out of luck if you are not using the right cold sore medication. I am a frequent cold sore sufferer who has tried almost every home remedy and cold sore medication on the market. In this article I am going to compare two of the most popular cold sore medications: Abreva, the only FDA approved over the counter medication and Zovirax, an FDA approved prescription medication. Abreva: Abreva can be purchased in almost any drug-store for $16-$20. Right off the bat, it is important to note that you won't get much for what you pay. The medicine is in a tiny 2 gram (.07 ounce) tube that is barely an inch long. I have seen many good (and many bad) reviews of Abreva, and my opinion falls somewhere in-between. Healing a cold sore quickly with Abreva is hit-or-miss. I have learned that if I liberally apply Abreva almost every hour as soon as I feel any burning or tingling, it does help tremendously and there is 90% chance that I will avoid a full blown breakout. Often, if caught at that stage, the blisters will simply not develop. However, if I don't have any when the tingling begins, or I wake up to find that the blisters have already begun to form, the cold sore will generally run its course, lasting 9-10 days regardless of how much I continue to apply. It really is important to apply Abreva immediately upon feeling any tingling or pain. Even an hour can make a big difference. Zovirax (Aciclovir): Let me just say that I absolutely love Zovirax and I regret all the years I suffered with cold sores, spending hours researching home remedies and over-the-counter products, when a simple call to the doctor for a prescription was the answer. It is truly a life-saver when it comes to cold sores. Whether it is applied at the first signs of a cold sore or even after bumps and blisters have begun to form, it will zap my cold sore in 24-48 hours. In addition, it does not "dry out" the cold sores which many medications do; shrinking the blisters, but leaving a very hard scab that cracks and bleeds. Zovirax also has something in it to relieve pain and itching. In most cases, if Zovirax is applied during the tingling stage the cold sore does not develop (like Abreva). If it is applied after blisters have formed, it shrinks the blisters overnight and relieves all the redness and irritation surrounding the sore. I have never had a cold sore for more than three days when using Zovirax. The one down-side to using this medication is the cost. A 5 gram tube of Zovirax retails at about $120.00 and is subject to a higher co-pay with insurance because there is no generic equivalent available yet. For a complete list of FDA approved cold sore medications and at home remedies that work, please visit www.ColdSoreAdvice.com Quinn Black is a frequent cold sore sufferer and is the author of ColdSoreAdvice, a free informational website that provides tips to prevent cold sores and uncover the best home remedies and most effective cold sore medications. 
Sunday, July 13, 2008
What Makes a Good Guitarist?
Many people want to be good guitarists. To be clear, when I say "good guitarist" I mean guitar-hero-good, not local-bar-playing-good. However, there are few people out there who actually achieve this level of ability. Certainly, I have not. However, I would still like to comment on what I think makes a good guitarist. It is not the focus of this essay to comment on lightning fast fingers or a solid rhythmic ability. I do not believe that a good guitarist needs to have perfect pitch or supersonic sight reading abilities. My goal is to identify qualities of great guitar players that transcend any stylistic considerations. There are great guitarists in every genre of music and my goal is to identify what they all have in common. The first and probably most important quality of a good guitarist is desire. Whether you are a finger-pickin' country hillbilly or a death metal shredder, you have to want to be a guitarist. A lot of people wish they were guitarists - like when a chick is around that they want to impress, or right after they get their favorite artist's new album - but I am talking about a real burning desire to only play guitar. You have to eat, sleep, and think guitar. This desire is what will drive you to continue practicing when all your friends are out on the town or when the newest movie hits the theater or when the home-team makes the play-offs. Ask any great guitarists out there, guitar is number one. Secondly, to be a good guitarist, you have to listen to guitar music, or at least music in general. This may sound obvious but I once knew this guy who wanted to be a writer. He always talked about it at opportune social moments and he liked to fill a big chalkboard in his dorm room with all of his "profound" scribblings. The problem was, he never read anything. As you may have guessed, he was not a very good writer. To be good at anything, you have to be familiar with the body of work that has been done before you. This goes for anything. Imagine a person trying to be a great chemist without learning what was in any of the chemistry textbooks. You have to know what has been done before you so you can see where you contribute. The best guitarists are students of the instrument. Finally, to be a good guitarist, you have to have the ability to practice - and no, not everyone has this ability. To illustrate, for the next two weeks I want you to practice guitar for one hour per day. 80% of readers will not make it past a few days and 99% of readers will not have the perseverance to make it the entire two weeks. Great guitarists have practiced four or five times this much for years! Practicing is a skill that good guitarists have mastered. It is much easier for individuals who have the burning desire I was talking about earlier. I guarantee this, good disciplined practice will trump talent any day of the week. So there it is. That is my version of what makes a good guitarist. Sure, you can write me off as someone with too much time on his hands and someone who needs to get off his soapbox. Let me say that I will be the first to tell you that I do not possess these three qualities - most of all the desire. Before you write me off though, ask yourself how many people you personally know with all three of these qualities. Then ask yourself how many guitar heroes you personally know. I rest my case. My name is Ryan Gloman and I have a passion for guitar and a passion for sharing information. I hope that this article helps you on your way to becoming a great guitarist. I understand that learning to play the guitar can be a daunting task at times. Luckily, you can find tons of helpful info on the net. Check out this site for some great tools.
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