photo credit: isabel bloedwater
Natural Cures Blog Carnival on Bruises
by Guest Blogger, Peggy Webb localnourishment.com
Ah, spring. In some parts of the country, kids are already outside turning cartwheels on newly greened grass, gardeners are tending to early chores, and the bumps and bruises have started. Sometimes I think my family must be a particularly clumsy lot, because it seems someone is getting a bump or bruise nearly every day. Bruises are more annoying than dangerous, but proper care can help them hurt less, heal faster, and speak volumes of love to the injured.
What causes bruises?
You’re probably very familiar with bruises caused by blunt trauma. But bruising can occur from surgeries, vascular disorders, nutritional deficiencies, or problems with blood coagulation. Tiny capillaries in the skin break open and blood seeps out of them. Chemicals in the blood and surrounding tissue cause the different colors of bruises as they heal. It’s far easier to bruise your mid arm than your palm because the skin of your palm is thicker, providing more cushioning. The elderly bruise more easily because of reduced elasticity and cushioning in their skin.
Once I get a bruise, what can I do?
Light rubbing. Rub the injured area very lightly with your fingertips. Don’t press down hard or use your palms, you don’t want it to hurt. The idea is to send relaxing touch messages through the nerve gateways, to block out the pain messages. Use a light touch and only rub for a few seconds.
Ice. Applying something cool to the bruise will help keep the swelling down, but be careful not to freeze the skin. We keep a paper cup in the freezer filled with water. With each injury, we peel down the paper sides, if needed, and give the bruise a rub. Again, don’t press down hard; just cool the area.
Arnica-Infused Oil. There are arnica preparations available over the counter that will help with bruising. We use an infused oil I make at home. To make infused oil, chop your herb and combine it with ten times its weight in oil. I like coconut oil or olive oil for infusions. Put the combination in a glass canning jar and set in a yogurt maker or dehydrator overnight to keep it at about 100°F. Strain out the herb (I use cheesecloth) and keep the infusion, well labeled, in the refrigerator. If the injury is bleeding, only apply the oil away from the cut. Getting the oil in the cut will sting.
How can a real-food diet help?
Silica helps your skin stay elastic, providing a better cushion against bruising. Good food sources of silica include leeks, green beans, garbanzo beans, strawberries, cucumber, mango, celery, asparagus, and rhubarb.
Selenium also assists skin elasticity and can be found in seafood, garlic, brown rice, and Brazil nuts.
Vitamin C is necessary for collagen formation, which provides cushioning to skin. Think beyond oranges to guava, bell peppers, kiwi, and grapefruit.
Bioflavonoids can reduce the body’s tendency to bruise. They aren’t produced by the body at all and must be supplied by the diet. Fortunately, they are easy to get in peppers, grapes, onion, garlic, red and blue berries, buckwheat, and green tea.
Vitamin E strengthens the capillary walls, making the skin more resistant to bruising. Enjoy it in almonds, turnip greens, mango, and dark leafy greens like broccoli and spinach.
Zinc helps the skin repair itself after injury. Food sources of zinc include oysters (the richest source of zinc), pumpkin seeds, ginger, pecans, Brazil nuts, oats, and eggs.
Bromelain, found in pineapple, reduces inflammation.
Vitamin K provides clotting factors to stop bruises from worsening. Olive oil and dark, leafy greens are great sources of vitamin K.
Of course, you should seek a doctor’s help if movement of an injured area is painful, the bruise gets larger over time, the bruise develops a large lump, or if bruising occurs often when you haven’t injured yourself.
Get out there and enjoy the sunshine and keep your healthy kitchen stocked with food medicine!
Peggy Webb
Peggy Webb is a homemaker, mom of six and blogger. She’s not a doctor, nutritionist or other health care professional, just a student nutrition and herbal health. Her articles are not to be construed as medical advice. Please consult your own trusted healthcare professionals about your concerns and questions. Visit Peggy’s blog at LocalNourishment.com.
Do you have a health food or home remedy to suggest?
Do you have a health food or home remedy to suggest?
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7 Comments
Wonderful article. I would add that Arnica works best when taken internally, but it should be taken internally only in ‘homeopathic’ form. The crude form of the plant is toxic, and for topical use it shouldn’t be used on broken skin. When made into “homeopathic” form, the toxicity is eliminated and its therapeutic properties are enhanced. There are many good self-help books for learning how to use homeopathic remedies for simple injuries and other self-limiting conditions, such as “Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines” by Dana Ullman and Stephen Cummings, MD. Using Arnica this way works brilliantly to speed healing of all the bangs and bumps.
Also, mild heat may be used instead of cold compresses. This goes counter to conventional thought, and it’s usually thought that cold helps reduce swelling, and it does. But with an injury the inflammation process is really part of the healing process that we want to promote, not suppress. Initially the cold would feel soothing, but in the longer run, the heat will be more effective and reduce the healing time. If desired, warm and cold compresses may be alternated.
Great article, great topic! I used to be covered in bruises all the time, but now I rarely bruise. I think internal health has a lot to do with it. I’ve just started using homeopathic arnica, too, and I’m surprised how well it works for inflammation.
.-= Elizabeth´s last blog ..The Milk Diet and Digestion =-.
Great – Arnica really is great for inflammation caused by injuries, although not other types of inflammation, depending on the cause. For example, inflammation from a bee sting would call for (homeopathic) Apis. The remedies actually target the trauma itself, which allows the inflammatory repsonse to take its course faster.
.-= Karen Robinson DynNC´s last blog ..Can nutrition and regimen help my symptoms? =-.
Very interesting article. I t made me realize that my wife and I hardly ever get bruises. If we do get a bruise, it is very mild and disappears quickly.The incidents that used to cause bruises still happen, but the bruises do not come. I think Elizabeth hit the mark – internal health has a lot to do with it. Prior to changing our diet, we used to get bruised a lot.
I credit the WAPF dietary wisdom for the change, along with eating a lot of pastured animal fat.
.-= Stanley Fishman´s last blog ..How Grassfed Meat Helps Weight Loss =-.
This is interesting. I eat lots of real food but tend to bruise fairly easily. I was just wondering why when this article popped up. I was excited to read it and find a solution, but unfortunately I didn’t seem to tell me anything I didn’t already know. I eat a very varied diet with all those foods, and my iron blood levels are not low. Hmm… I’m stumped!
.-= Meagan´s last blog ..Thai Coconut Fish Sticks with Soup =-.
great article, also what I found is when you get bruises a lot of times its from a circulatory imbalance. I suffered from varicose veins for years and also have a heart problem, I tend to bruise easily because of this. If you use hawthorn berry tea it is thought to strenghten the heart.
try Shaklee suplements!!
It will help!!