He doesn't get any treatments because he doesn't think any of them work. He told me he was on medication several years ago and that it didn't have any effect on him. The modern medical view of herpes is considerably less dismal.
Several antibiotics are now available that are effective in suppressing the virus.
We also now recognize that severe complications of the infection are uncommon, although the outbreaks can be very annoying. HSV II usually causes infection around the genitalia, buttocks, or anal area and is sexually transmitted, although transmission through towels and toilet seats can occur. Both HSV I and HSV II can be transmitted from an infected person even when they do not have any sores, so it is not sufficient to practice safe sex only when you are having a herpes outbreak. On the other hand, having antibodies to either of the herpes viruses tends to make subsequent infections with either virus more mild. The recurrent nature of herpes infections is what drives people wild, and your friend sounds like one of the unfortunate few who gets them very regularly for a protracted period of time.