Avoiding close contact during outbreaks
Not sharing personal items
Using lip products with SPF to guard against UV triggers
Supporting immune health with a balanced lifestyle
Frequent, severe, or spreading outbreaks—especially in people with weakened immunity—should prompt medical attention.
A Surprising Connection: Oral Health and Alzheimer’s Disease
Recent research has uncovered a potential link between oral health and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have found that Porphyromonas gingivalis—a bacterium associated with gum disease—may play a role in Alzheimer’s development. Harmful enzymes produced by the bacteria, called gingipains, have been detected in the brains of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, as well as in individuals showing early disease markers before memory loss begins.
This suggests that bacterial brain infection could occur early in the disease process, potentially triggering the harmful changes seen in Alzheimer’s years before symptoms appear.
In animal studies, a compound known as COR388 reduced the buildup of toxic proteins and inflammation caused by this bacteria. While human trials are still underway, and no definitive treatment is yet available, this research offers promising new avenues—especially important since no new dementia therapies have been developed in more than 15 years.