Nosebleeds: Causes & Cures

[visionarymom]

bump!

[visionarymom]

Bump!...Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

[just jane]

Hi I don't have a lot of time this morn but i knew i needed to answer you.  My dd  and ds have had nosebleeds all their lives..   Huniddity helps some at first i didn't think it was a factor but then it was a small factor.  Get a humidistat to measure your humidity.  The BIG thing that HELPED was giving them alfalfa tablets (they chewed the Shaklee alfalfa from the time they were 2 on) and now I give them chlorellla instead.   The miracle behind this is they are both FULL of vitamin K which helps blood to clot!!   They still have occasional nosebleeds but it does help.  I know that because THEY go and get pills if they are having nosebleeds!!   Best Wishes!   If your dd is young you could try liquid chlorophyll too.   justjane

[herbalmom]

Cayenne can also be given mixed with honey. That's what I used when my kids were younger. I never measure- since it was always when I needed it NOW I would just dump some honey in a cup, mix in some cayenne & quickly feed 1/2-1 spoonful to the child followed by a glass of water. HTH Blessings ~herbalmom

[visionarymom]

Hi I don't have a lot of time this morn but i knew i needed to answer you.  My dd  and ds have had nosebleeds all their lives..   Huniddity helps some at first i didn't think it was a factor but then it was a small factor.  Get a humidistat to measure your humidity.  The BIG thing that HELPED was giving them alfalfa tablets (they chewed the Shaklee alfalfa from the time they were 2 on) and now I give them chlorellla instead.   The miracle behind this is they are both FULL of vitamin K which helps blood to clot!!   They still have occasional nosebleeds but it does help.  I know that because THEY go and get pills if they are having nosebleeds!!   Best Wishes!   If your dd is young you could try liquid chlorophyll too.   justjane

Thanks for the response. Humidity has nothing to do with it in our case. It can be dead of winter or sticky summer day, and she bleeds either way. We also already have a humidistat/Aprilaire.

She also takes alfalfa in her liquid mineral supplement, along with bilberry, and shavegrass, both of which help with clotting/contain vit.k.

And like I said, she gets a large clot FIRST, and then bleeds till the clot is removed. Not the other way around. I guess I'm wondering if something more serious could be an issue, because this process seems backwards.

Any experience with that???

Visionarymom

[just jane]

Actually, my sister told me you blow the clot out and then stop the nosebleed. In my ds that seemed to work.  Go figure!  From what I have read it is rare to have a serious problem with the nosebleeds.  Now if it is occuring all the time sometimes people go in to a ENT to have their nose blood vessels cauterized.  My brother had this done.  Times have probably changed since then but they did not even put him to sleep!!!  Talk about STRESS! OWEEEE!  Did you try liquid chlorophyll?   For my children I gave them alfalfa untill this year I tried chlorella because the chlorophyll content is higher.   The more chloro you get into her the better.        just me

[visionarymom]

Thanks Jane,

I've never heard of anyone else having the same experience of blowing out the clot, and then stopping the bleeding. It still doesn't make sense to me, but I feel a little better knowing someone else noticed this as well. 

visionarymom

[panmamma]

i am so glad i looked this up....ds3, who is 3yr old, hand another nose bleed today. the only one of my 3boys who does this........but I noticed it happens more when he sleeps in our room where the a/c is cooler. would it be the air is too dry with the a/c on? he is one for rubbing his nose alot and pickin' boogers....LOL!!! though his nosebleeds only happen at night or waking up.
as to the blood clots.......i have noticed that too....actually that's why i came to check here, he had a pretty good sized one (in my opinion) come out and his nosebleed seems to be better.
my boys aren't on any vitamins, though i was thinking about it, should he get some calcium or iron pills then? his daddy seems to be more worried than me!

[Wing]

I haven't actually tried this yet, but I have been told to put olive oil on a q-tip and swab it around the inside of the nostrils, which is supposed to lubricate and strengthen the vessels to keep them from bursting.

[CountyCork]

Hey.  My husband gets a nose bleed about once a week.  Any season, any humidity.  He does not have sinus problems, food allergies, or frequent colds.  We live in Minnesota.  We are pretty healthy people.

Any brilliant ideas of the root cause, and a root cure?  They clear up within a few minutes usually, so I don't need info on how to stop, just how to prevent.

Thanks!

Ok, now I just asked him and he said it is only in one nostril, never the other, and his nose is slightly crooked.  But they did not start until around college time (early 20s) and he's 43 now.

[SarahK]

Any blood pressure problems at any time?

[miff aka Missi]

Hey.  My husband gets a nose bleed about once a week.  Any season, any humidity.  He does not have sinus problems, food allergies, or frequent colds.  We live in Minnesota.  We are pretty healthy people.

Any brilliant ideas of the root cause, and a root cure?  They clear up within a few minutes usually, so I don't need info on how to stop, just how to prevent.

Thanks!

Ok, now I just asked him and he said it is only in one nostril, never the other, and his nose is slightly crooked.  But they did not start until around college time (early 20s) and he's 43 now.

My husband use to have nose bleeds quite often.  He thought they were bothersome enough to get his nose cauterized.  He's actually had that done at least twice.  No problems for about 12 years.

My daughter was having nose bleeds 3-4 times a week when she was just 4 years old.  We had her nose cauterized too.  It was explained to me at that point that some times the blood vessels in the nose are too close to the surface and that the slightest little thing will break them open and that can be what causes the nose bleeds.  She's had some since then (4 years ago), but not several times a week. 

I don't really know anything about the cons of cauterization.  Whatever they are, we haven't experienced any of them. 

Missi

[CountyCork]

Any blood pressure problems at any time?

Sarah - His BP is around the upper 120s over the low 80s, so it's not ideal but not real high.  He's thin, fit, triathlete, good diet, the whole she-bang. Do those BP numbers signify anything to you?
We tried lowering it with garlic, cayenne, and going off coffee for a time.  Nothing made a difference.

[SarahK]

Any blood pressure problems at any time?

Sarah - His BP is around the upper 120s over the low 80s, so it's not ideal but not real high.  He's thin, fit, triathlete, good diet, the whole she-bang. Do those BP numbers signify anything to you?
We tried lowering it with garlic, cayenne, and going off coffee for a time.  Nothing made a difference.

Hmm...  No, that really shouldn't be high enough to bust a schnoz normally.  But it's my only hunch at this point. 

I guess, if it was me, I would keep it in mind and then also watch 'when' it happens.  If it is when his BP may be elevated above resting rates and only then, I would but it back on the list of 'prime suspects'.

Sarah K

[CountyCork]

Thanks for your good wisdom.  I would say that he generally gets them when laying down, usually in the evening.  I've seen it happen when he gets up from being down - on the floor with kids, etc.  So maybe it is the "sudden change" in BP that triggers it? 
We'll start paying close attention.  Thankfully he can stop the bleeding very quickly, usually within a couple minutes, and it's never enough to cause alarm.  They are just pesky.  KWIM?

[healthybratt]

Thanks for your good wisdom.  I would say that he generally gets them when laying down, usually in the evening.  I've seen it happen when he gets up from being down - on the floor with kids, etc.  So maybe it is the "sudden change" in BP that triggers it? 
We'll start paying close attention.  Thankfully he can stop the bleeding very quickly, usually within a couple minutes, and it's never enough to cause alarm.  They are just pesky.  KWIM?

I was just thinking maybe the blood vessels are weak like in varicose veins??  I've not heard of this, but I wonder if taking something like butcher's broom or some other vessel strengthening herb would help?

[anb]

I have had trouble with nosebleeds since I was born (I'm 31).  My father had the same problem and eventually had to have his nose cauterized.  I would wake up in the mornings covered in blood (scared my Mom a bit...) and was always that kid in the back of the room trying to get her nose to calm down enough to learn.  As an adult, I've found that as my immune system is stronger, I have less nosebleeds.  And when I do have one, it's usually the first warning sign of a cold or virus that I may not be able to shake. 

Just recently, a friend told me that her son experiences nosebleeds, too.  Their doctor told her that her son has a superfluous vein in his nose; it's basically too close to the surface and will bleed at the slightest bump or provocation.  His nosebleeds seem to usually be on the same side, as do mine.  I think this may be my issue as well.  It might be worth checking into for some of the folks who have posted that their kids/selves/DH are having recurring nosebleeds. 

The best way to stop a nosebleed that I use is a technique my aunt taught me ages ago.  Using a brown paper bag, index card, or other stiff paper, tear off a piece about one inch by two inches.  Fold it up into a little strip about 1 inch across and 1/4-1/2 inch wide, which should now be very stiff, but bendable at the same time.  Place this inside the mouth, along the upper lip, where that little piece of skin is attached from your gums to your lip (I'm pointing, but you can't see me. Is this clear as mud?).  There must be a pressure point there, because I've NEVER had a nosebleed that didn't respond.  It's so effective, I carry an index card with me when I travel, and my DH knows how big of a piece to tear off now.  I've never found pinching the bridge of my nose to do a thing, and leaning forward or back have the same result: blood down my throat.  I spent half my life with Vaseline up my nose at night.  I usually bled through it.  However, blowing the clot out (um, eew!) right off the bat is pretty effective.  I usually follow that with the paper in the lip trick. 

Best of luck to everyone dealing with this.  It's no fun at all being the one with the nosebleed, but has to be scary watching your kids bleed profusely!

[WithLoveAndJoy]

CNB, thanks for posting, I have been having recurrent nosebleeds about once a week since the end of my last miscarriage.  It started with a bad cold 2 weeks after the miscarriage, and has tapered off to about once or twice a week.

It has been so annoying I decided to talk to my doctor, and he did some blood work today.  We'll see what comes of that.  But it is comforting to see that so many people have this problem and it isn't from some major health problem.

[doriece]

I have a few kids that tend to have nosebleeds so I read about a lack of zinc being the cause. I also had them as a child so they
can be very annoying & long-lasting. I give them a zinc supplement with food.