Nosebleeds and Vitamin C

Any physical trauma or injury can lead to the quick and sudden flow ofblood from the nose, often called a nosebleed. The situation comes around fairly easily because the blood supply to the mucous membranes lining the nasal passages on the inside are rather abundant and this area is full of blood vessels. Children are very prone to nosebleeds and it is a fairly common situation. However, nosebleeds in them pose no great harm and are to be considered serious only if they keep recurring for no apparent cause.

Professional help from a qualified medical practitioner must at once be availed if the techniques given below fail to stanch the bleeding in about twenty minutes time.

The minute blood vessels so abundant in the mucous membranes are very easily ruptured because of a fall or blow to the nose, leading to profuse bleeding which is very easily stopped. However sometimes, the bone in the nose may be fractured or even broken and this will cause a lot of pain to the person or child.

The lining of the mucous membrane can become cracked and dry particularly during a cold, and blowing the nose with too much energy or too vigorously during such times can also being on a nosebleed. The walls of the blood capillaries can become fragile and hence prone to injury and breakage, they can easily rupture therefore there is a possibility of spontaneous and sudden nosebleeds which can keep recurring in the person.

This fragility in the capillary wall may be due to the deficiency of the vitamin C within the body.

Repeated nosebleeds can also be due to the presence of polyps in the person. Sensitivity to a certain type of food in the person can in turn cause nosebleeds. If the nosebleed in the person keeps recurring serious underlying causes and disorders such as the presence of metabolic disorders like gout, a blood disease like leukemia, renal and kidney disease and the presence of a high blood pressure should be all investigated and cannot be ruled out as probable causes even if they are very rarely linked to repeated nosebleeds.

The drying of the mucous membranes and conditions such as rhinitis and other infections of the upper respiratory tract including sinusitis can bring about nosebleeds besides other possible causes like physical trauma and overindulgence in habits like picking the nose. Some hereditary disorders and physiological reaction such as the reaction of the body to the use of aspirin can bring about systematic nosebleeds, this form of the condition can also originate from a variety of bleeding disorders like hemophilia, through diseases such as scarlet fever and malaria, and blood disorders like anemia and leukemia are also possible causes of nosebleeds.

SUPPLEMENTS AND HERBS

The nose is susceptible to bleeding because of the weakening of the blood vessels internally; this weakening can arise due to the depletion of the vitamin C in the body. This bleeding can be prevented by strengthening the walls of the blood vessels using the vitamin C in combination with the bioflavonoids as supplements. The seed extracts of the grape and quercetin contain the most potent bioflavonoids for use as a supplement alongside vitamin C.

The normal coagulation and clotting mechanisms of blood requires the presence of sufficient quantities of the vitamin K in the body, as the substance is important for normal clotting of blood. The bacterial flora in the bowels composed of healthy and friendly bacteria is sometimes offset due to the utilization of antibiotics or because of other reasons, this indirectly affects vitamin K levels in the body as this vitamin is normally synthesized within the bowels, thus the intake of the vitamin K can be disturbed if there is an imbalance of the bacteria in the bowels.

To restore this imbalance in the bowels, the bacterium such as the Lactobacillus acidophilus and other natural occurring bowel bacteria must be used as supplements in order to enable the bowels to produce the vitamin at normal levels. Vitamin K can also be obtained naturally in the diet and green food supplements such as alfalfa and algae like spirulina and chlorella, other blue green algae and the barley green can all contribute the vitamin in abundant quantities if taken in the diet. Supplements using the essential minerals such as zinc, copper, and iron and an additional dose of the vitamin E may also prove to be useful and are sometimes required.

The efficiency of external therapies to stop nosebleeds can sometime depend on the types of herbs and herbal remedies used, as many of the herbs given below can boost the chances of a nosebleed being stanched or stopped altogether.

To stanch the blood flow from the nose, place cotton gauze soaked in a mixture of cold water and about 10 drops of tincture made from the horsetail herb on the nostril and let it stay there until the bleeding subsides. The gauze should be kept in place while for about ten minutes you breathe through your mouth pinching the nostrils closed, once you are sure that the bleeding has stopped, the cotton gauze can then be removed.

Other treatment options to stop the bleeding are to slice two large onionsin half, put two slices of an onion firm against the nostrils while placing the two other slices on the neck. A few fresh leaves ofyarrow, which have been crushed to a soft pulp, can be placed in the nostrils to stop bleeding, this solution can be used if your nose suddenly bleeds while you are outside hiking or walking and are unable to make it to the house in time. Nosebleeds can also affectively controlled through the use of herbs abounding in bioflavonoids like the hawthorn.

Having much the same property as the hawthorn and equally effective in tea or tincture form for treating nosebleeds are the herbs such as thecalendula, the stinging nettle, a spice herb like the cinnamon and the witch hazel.

HOMEOPATHY

Arnica

Arnica is to be used as a homeopathic remedy in order to help the body during nosebleeds that come about due to an injury and here the herb can help the body reabsorb some of the blood released during the nosebleed.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is to be used as a homeopathic remedy in an all-purpose anti-hemorrhage role, and in all cases of nosebleeds that come about suddenly and without apparent cause or origin and the remedy is also effective in treating persistent and sudden nosebleeds.

ADDITIONAL THINGS YOU MAY DO

Choking, gagging or vomiting can result, particularly if the person lies down flat, as the blood may run down the throat, and hence it is advisable to lie at an inclined angle and not in a flat position as this keeps the head in a stable angle avoiding the possible of blood entering the throat. When bleeding from the nose, for about ten minutes lean forward with the head in a frontal position and pinch the nose while holding the nostril shut.

The bleeding nostril may also be plugged using a wet piece of cotton soaked in cold water. The neck can be rubbed with by placing a cold compress onto it. The blood in the head region can be drawn away, and this can be achieved by utilizing a cold wrap wound tightly around the calves. On the hand of the side of the body on which the bleeding nostril is located, tie an elastic band at the upper joint of the small finger for one minute only and not longer. Redo this action if the bleeding does not subside after the initial action.

Other ways to affect the bleeding is to place a small piece of blotting paper under the tongue when nosebleeds occur. A consequence of this is that bleeding may stop because this action activates and starts a reaction, leading to a constriction of the small arteries present in the mucous membranes lining the nose. To stop the recurrence of bleeding in chronic nosebleed conditions walking barefoot and water stepping regularly are recommended and will prove effective.

USUAL DOSAGE

Vitamin C, with bioflavonoids, 3,000-6,000 mg thrice a day

Vitamin E, with mixed tocopherols, 400-800 IU

3 mg copper with 15 mg zinc

Extract of grape seed, 200-300 mcg for 3 weeks

Green food supplements, one table spoon.

Lactobacillus acidophilus, one tsp or three capsules.