Update: The Canker Sore

Many of you may remember the attack of the killer canker sore from my blog a couple weeks ago. I am so glad to report that I no longer battling that DREADFUL thing!

Did you know that 40% of people deal with canker sores at some point or another? It is most common in young adults and particularly woman, so I am a prime candidate. After reading all of over the internet and talking to various medical experts and canker sufferers alike, here are some of the things I learned while enduring that painful mouth monster.

First of all canker sores are different than a cold sore which is outside of the mouth and are contagious.
The causes of Canker sores are unknown, however there is some evidence that canker sores may be linked with deficiencies of iron, folic acid, or vitamin B12. To me this was a sign that I needed to start taking my prenatal vitamins again, which would give me a boost in all of these nutrients. I struggled with anemia during pregnancy and have slacked off on my vitamins since then. Let this be a reminder to breast feeding moms, you still need to be taking the same vitamins you did while pregnant and add an additional 500 calories to your diet to keep you and your baby healthy. I am not the best example of all of this, but I don’t want to have to endure another one of those canker sores, so I am definitely doing the vitamin thing again! Another health tip that has done wonders for me is to eat yogurt with live acidophilus. This will help heal and prevent.

For the most part, all you need is time. Your Canker sore will probably be an evil resident in your mouth for about 3 to 10 days. In the mean time stay away from spicy or acidic food. Swishing salt water was helpful for me and the best over the counter treatment in my opinion is Kanka ointment. It is so painful when you apply it that you tingle all over for about 3 seconds, but then it will be numb for a couple hours so that you can actually talk or eat.
Good luck to anyone out there dealing with this viscous nuisance and remember it all goes back to time. It will pass in time.