Zovirax is the branded name while Acyclovir is the generic name. Generic, of course, is much less expensive.

L-lysine does seem to help some folks avoid outbreaks, but not everyone.

The triggers seem to vary greatly from one person to another, too. I'm happy to hear that chocolate isn't one for you. :-)

The big trigger is stress, whether it's emotional or some physical thing that taxes the immune system, such as getting a cold or trauma. Some people report nuts as a trigger, too, and exposure to bright sunlight is one for many people, especially for oral herpes.

Some other sites that I find have good information without trying to sell a product are the Westover Heights Clinic which has a comprehensive free herpes handbook at
http://www.westoverheights.com/genital_herpes/handbook.html
and there's a great very actve peer support discussion forum at
http://racoon.com/herpes