Aphthous stomatitis or canker sores...almost everyone has experienced these painful outbreaks in the mouth.  Often, when there is one sore, there are more, sometimes up to fifteen or twenty.  The size of these mouth ulcers can range from almost nothing to over two centimetres.  Canker sores can appear on the tongue, inside of cheeks, lips, or gums, and usually begin as a little crater surrounded by slightly raised concentric rings of yellow then red.  Healing can take from four to twenty days.

According to the Merck Manual, the cause of cankers is unknown, but weakened localized immune function seems to be involved, as do deficiencies of iron, B12, lysine, folic acid.  Other influencing factors may be poor oral hygiene, food allergies, especially to chocolate, stress, and fatigue.  Cankers are believed by some experts to be contagious suggesting there might be a micro-organism involved.

So, what can be done to prevent them and/or to make them heal faster?

As always, diet is very important.  Eliminating sugar, dairy (except butter), refined grains (white bread and pasta), alcohol, coffee, tea, and  pop can only help to increase the vitality of the body and raise the immune system to a more functional state.  Focus on eating fresh vegetables (one serving for every 25 lbs of body weight every day), some fruit, whole grains, limited amounts of animal protein (preferably chicken breast, lamb, or salmon), and lentils and legumes, with lots of reverse osmosis water to drink.

During an outbreak, the diet will need to consist of softer foods like homemade pureed vegetable soups (without tomatoes, please), baked or steamed fruit, and tofu drinks just to reduce wear, tear, and pain while eating. Also, for the sake of comfort, high acid foods such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, and foods containing vinegar, may need to be avoided.

In the event of an outbreak, each canker needs to be gently dabbed with Tea Tree Oil to get rid of any micro-organisms that might be causing the problem.  Use a fresh cotton swab for each dab.  Silver Shield Liquid or Silver Shield Gel, can be used topically to speed healing. The gel is made of food grade ingredients. Silver Shield promotes healing of infections/irritations of almost every description.

I have found that it is useful to support the entire immune system when working with canker sores. Sometimes it is necessary to implement the Candida diet, also. Because of this, we have noted good results when we include acidophilus (Bifidophilus Flora Force) in the program.

HRP-C Liquid or HRP-C Capsules are also a must.  This combination of herbs stimulates the immune response to fight micro-organisms off that don’t belong in the body.  It is available in liquid or capsule form.  Initially, all of these items are used in fairly generous amounts, and when the outbreak subsides, the tea tree oil and Silver Shield are discontinued, while the acidophilus and HRP-C are reduced to small maintenance amounts.

At the very first indication of an impending outbreak, the herbs and oil need to be increased up to strong therapeutic amounts and used until the outbreak is cleared.  It is most common for outbreaks to become less frequent, less severe, and of shorter duration when using the herbs on a daily basis at maintenance levels.  Within just a few months, it is quite normal for outbreaks to be thwarted at the first sign and be completely controlled/healed within twenty-four hours.  Yes! Miracles really do happen!

Judith Cobb