Healing Bruises Naturally

[LilyEilis]

Well, this might not go here, but it kind of has to do with skin...and I didn't think it should go in "Women's Health" and there weren't any other appropriate health forums...so anyway.

Rather long story, but in short, at church on Sunday, a table fell on the back of my leg.  It didn't hurt too much at the time, but the rest of the day it was a little "tight" feeling and would hurt to walk on it if I had been sitting for awhile beforehand.  That night I rubbed lavendar oil diluted with olive oil on it because I thought I had remembered hearing that lavendar was helpful to healing muscles...?  It was pretty good the last two days, but last night it started bruising really badly on my lower leg (where the table hit it) and this morning it's becoming painful and the bruise is starting to show up on my ankle (which wasn't hit).  Any ideas for healing it naturally?  I rubbed some more diluted lavendar oil on it this morning...but other than that, I don't have any ideas and rather limited resources.  Thanks for any help!

[WithLoveAndJoy]

I would suggest rubbing in a cream that has arnica in it.  The only drawback to using arnica is that you CANNOT have any open wounds or cuts, because this herb is to only be taken externally.

I have a friend whose son smashed his forehead and began to badly bruise, but after four applications of the arnica cream (do an online search or check your local health food store) the bruise completely disappeard for her son.

Anyone else know a quick way to prepare arnica for bruises if a cream is not available?

[LilyEilis]

Thanks for the arnica cream idea, joyfullyhis (I love your username!)...maybe I'll be able to find some at the tiny health food store here...

Anyone else know a quick way to prepare arnica for bruises if a cream is not available?

I guess I should've clarified...by "limited resources" I meant that I don't have a way to get the fresh herbs and make my own creams, salves, etc...so "cures" that can be purchased would work best.  But thanks for asking about a way not to have to purchase the cream...it was sweet of you to think of that!
Have a beautiful day!

[Hamama]

I have had great success with chamomile tea for healing bruises. We used chamomile tea on my daughters head when she fell down the steps and she was left with only a few scratches.  My husband has had two injuries that would have left bad bruises. (The first was when he slipped down the deck steps and scraped his back. The second was when he chipped the bone in his finger tip at work. The workmens medcenter took x-rays and said nothing more that they could do. They gave him a pain rx and then told him to ice and return in a week.)
I boiled some water and packed a cloth tea bag with chamomile tea ( can use store bought tea too)  soaked the bag in hot water and applied to his injury as hot as could be without burning the skin, Repeated the next day and the result was no bruising left.
When my husband returned to the medcenter a week later he had his wedding band back on and the nurse could not tell which finger had been broken! My husband told her about the home treatment and she ran around the office telling everyone.
I could go on with more stories but you get the idea...this is one of my favorites!

[WithLoveAndJoy]

Wow, thanks for the idea about chamomiles, I am slowly building up my herbal/natural medicine kit. 

Lily, you are so sweet!  I thought your need was probalby more immediate, so I always like to have several options in case a person doesn't have every possible resource at their disposal (who does?)    Hope that you find success with one of the remedies!

[mishy]

I have been told that if you put aloe on a bump it will not bruise.  I haven't tried it yet, but I know two people who claim it is true!

[LilyEilis]

I boiled some water and packed a cloth tea bag with chamomile tea ( can use store bought tea too)  soaked the bag in hot water and applied to his injury as hot as could be without burning the skin, Repeated the next day and the result was no bruising left.
When my husband returned to the medcenter a week later he had his wedding band back on and the nurse could not tell which finger had been broken! My husband told her about the home treatment and she ran around the office telling everyone.
I could go on with more stories but you get the idea...this is one of my favorites!

Wow...that sounds amazingly simple!  How long do you leave the bag on?

[Hamama]

Wow...that sounds amazingly simple!  How long do you leave the bag on?
Posted on: Today at 08:43:25 AMPosted by: mishy 

I leave the tea bag on till it cools down and then heat and repeat for about twenty minutes.

[LilyEilis]

Thanks for the info!

[ShabbyChic]

Hey I'm Shabby Chic and (although I've been reading at this site for a while) this is my first post...  My 2 year old stays covered in bruises.  So do I.  Is there a reason we bruise easily and the bruises linger?  He looks like he's been beaten, and it is so embarrassing sometimes. 

We don't eat a lot of meat, and I know I've tested anemic in the past, but we take Shaklee multivitamins with iron.  Anyone else experiencing/experienced this?  We eat a ton of iron rich foods (spinach, red kidney beans, etc) but we're also very active so we get fairly banged up playing every day.

thanks

[bendeleboysmama]

I don't know if this is a medical opinion or not, but I have a friend who is giving birth at home and she looked into what all the "post birth" ops are...Eye ointment, PKU testing, VIt K shot, and she said that the VIT K shot is because some babies have problems with bruising because they lack the VIT K.  Has anyone else heard of this?  I also bruise very easy and my legs are always battle scarred-I have two boys that love to wrestle-My husband has gone to calling me a peach...hee-hee...I haven't looked it up or researched it yet, but could this be a lead?  If anyone has info....ALSO Shabbychic
About your baby, I had a little one, (still do) that was just like that.  At 3 months old, I was nursing him ALL night long...I would get MAYBE 3 hours of sleep a night.  He wanted that comfort and STILL DOES....difference now is he's 15 months old.  (I'm not nursing him anymore...thank-goodness...)  I stopped a little while after he was 3 months old because I couldn't get enough rest to take care of the rest of my family and do it joyfully.  Just a few things that made our transition easier....We started at about 5 months too...

A stuffed animal that he ALWAYS has...
Giving him water instead of milk when he woke up at night...
At first we were giving him milk and just decreasing the ounces when he woke up, but like your son, mine was about 20 pounds at 5 months, he was fine to sleep through the night without getting all those extra milk calories.  We gave him the water and that helped TONS.  He still felt like he was getting a drink(1 oz or so) but after awhile(1 month?) It wasn't worth it for him to wake up to only get WATER...so he gave it up.  He was sleeping pretty good through the night by about 6 months.  (then teething came...)  But even then, it was about 1 or 2 times a night and just a pat on the back to get him to sleep again.  Isn't it funny how different babies are?  My first was sleeping through the night at 2 months!  I really thought I'd dropped the ball or missed something with my second.  Just hang in there...The thought that helped me along was, "well, he won't be doing this when he's 18!"  It made me smile and helped me get through just one more night of crying, or a fussy night of teething, or even now with potty training....hee-hee...They are only little for a bit....Good luck...

[4myhoonie]

hi! my kids and i have this bruising too.  i find mine seems to worsen as i get older.  don't even know where they come from.  my kids are always running around and wrestling, so theirs are earned, but i think it's hereditery.  my mom and grandma have/had it too.  i've been wondering if it's related with anything else, as my dear grandma died from Lou Gherigs disease.  hope someone knows why.    

[ShabbyChic]

thanks, y'all.  I will check into the Vitamin K--- that has not been something I have heard.  I thought maybe because he is so fair skinned (Dad is a red-head and our son got recessive genes) they may be more visible on him, but I am Semitic and they are also very visible on my olive complexion, so there goes that one...

Maybe it is hereditary, too, because my mom and sister are the same way.  Although my son gets the bruises from being rough and tough and we're more, uh, klutzy.

[mishy]

I read on this site that homogenized milk makes for your skin to be easily bruised. 
For when a bump happens, a friend told me she applies aloe and then there is NO bruise. 

[bendeleboysmama]

Thanks Mishy,
I have been hearing ALOT about the homogenized milk thing.  I am looking into buying "REAL" Milk down here where I live.  I would love to get my own, but we are "townies" at the moment.  Still a country girl at heart though.  I'm not much of a milk drinker, (I drink Fat Free b/c of the mucous factor.  I could never really drink anything else, Milk allergy probably, now that I know a bunch of this stuff.  So yeah, My husband was raised on the Raw stuff and is the healthiest person I've ever met in my life.  We have been married 4 years, (3 in the air force, a breeding ground for germs) and he hasn't EVER been sick.  Occasional runny nose in the winter, but not a cold.  Just from the dry and then humid.  I am really amazed at his immunities.  I really want to start my kids on this early.  He claims to be "superman"  and I'm starting to believe him.  I've been sick numerous times, and even kissing can't manage to give him germs...!!!  What a man I have...hee-hee...  So I will look into that and maybe just stop drinking milk for myself and see how the bruising goes....Enjoying all the women on this forum....feels good to have a few new friends:)

[ShabbyChic]

I only know of one raw milk provider, called him, and he is not currently taking on any new folks.  Also, what about listeria and raw milk?  I myself drink about 1 1/2 - 2 gallons a week.  My husband (lactose intolerant) drinks very little rice milk, and my 2 year old and I drink Horizon organic whole.  But it's pasteurized, of course.  I'm worried about the bacteria in the raw milk.  I've read the articles on "real milk" and I'm still concerned that we don't get enough of the good bacteria in our guts to balance out the bad ones in the raw milk.  Am I worrying about nothing?

[atthebeginning]

     As my user name implies, I am at the beginning of using natural means for healthcare. I have had a red bruise on the front of my left shin right above the ankle area for about five weeks now. I'm not quite sure, but I think all I did was lean into a bedframe or something. No serious injury. I had it checked at a quick care clinic today, and the doctor confirmed that it is not infected or dangerous, there is no fever, etc. Because of its position and poor circulation it will just take time to heal. He recommended heat packs and elevation to loosen the dry blood that has collected. He also said that once it has loosened they would be able   to drain it if necessary. I don't know about that; he said it wasn't really necessary.
     
     In addition I have been applying arnica gel for about a week. A nutritionist recommended taking three bromelain capsules three times a day to help clean out the blood. This is what I was able to find concerning bromelain on the wikipedia encyclopedia:

     "Bromelain can be used in a vast array of medical conditions. It was first introduced in this area in 1957, and works by blocking some proinflammatory metabolites that accelerate and worsen the inflammatory process. It is an anti-inflammatory agent, and so can be used for sports injury, trauma, arthritis, and other kinds of swelling. Its main uses are athletic injuries, digestive problems, phlebitis, sinusitis, and aiding healing after surgery. It has also been proposed in the use of arthritis, chronic venous insufficiency, easy bruising, gout, hemorrhoids, menstrual pain, autoimmune disorders, and ulcerative colitis. Studies have shown that bromelain can also be useful in the reduction of platelet clumping and blood clots in the bloodstream, especially in the arteries. It may even be useful in the treatment of AIDS to stop the spread of HIV. Its side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, menorrhagia (excessively heavy menstrual flow) and possible allergic reactions. One study has also associated Bromelain with increased heart rate. Bromelain supplementation up to 460 mg has been shown to have no effect on human heart rate or blood pressure; however, increasing doses up to 1840 mg have been shown to increase the heart rate proportionately."

     So my real question is: Has anyone used bromelain for bruising; was it effective? Does anyone take regular doses of bromelain for other symptoms and notice that they do not bruise so easily? Would it be just as/more effective to take bromelain with another supplement?

Thanks so much!!!
Julie

[tiffanniwi]

Vitamin K is at it's highest level on the 8th day of life.  This is the day that is Biblically commanded for circumcision.  Coincidence?  I think not.

One thing that works well for injuries (muscle, brusing, broken bones, etc) is alternating hot and cold water soaks.  If you can't soak an area, you could do hot compresses and cold compresses.  The hot compress should be as hot as you can stand it and the cold as cold as you can stand it.  It brings blood to the affected area and takes away impurities.  HTH!

[healthybratt]

     So my real question is: Has anyone used bromelain for bruising; was it effective? Does anyone take regular doses of bromelain for other symptoms and notice that they do not bruise so easily? Would it be just as/more effective to take bromelain with another supplement?

Thanks so much!!!
Julie

Bromelain is found naturally in fresh pineapple.  The research I've found says it's most effective if taken in between meals.  I don't know if you need additional supplementation.

[atthebeginning]

It's Julie again. It's been almost a week since I started the bromelain and longer since I started the arnica gel. Also, I've been soaking the leg in hot water every night for at least ten minutes. Starting to see just a tiny bit of an improvement already. Question. It's peeling from the center out. There are a few rings of skin peeling back. Could that be from the gel? I put it on 3-5 times a day. Has anyone else had skin peel from using arnica gel? The skin is not broken so I am continuing to use it, but what's going on? One thing is that I have not been putting lotion on that area so that the arnica gel does not have to go through anything else. So maybe it's just dry, but why peel in rings? 

edit:This turned out to be erythema nodosum,   not a bruise, so the arnica gel was completely ineffective. After I stopped using the gel the peeling stopped, though I'm not sure they were related.

[Beth]

   Just happened to come across this thread in recent topics. Has anyone ever tried emu oil? I have just recently had some tremendous results with it in regards to bruising. You can check out the post at reversals vasectomy & tubal ligations. I don't think I posted since that one but in 3 days a large bruise color of an eggplant was completely normal again. I don't know if you would always have such good results. But I will be using it in the future. Also you can research it at www.lbemuoil.com hope this helps someone as much as it helped us.

[Nickole]

I only know of one raw milk provider, called him, and he is not currently taking on any new folks.  Also, what about listeria and raw milk?  I myself drink about 1 1/2 - 2 gallons a week.  My husband (lactose intolerant) drinks very little rice milk, and my 2 year old and I drink Horizon organic whole.  But it's pasteurized, of course.  I'm worried about the bacteria in the raw milk.  I've read the articles on "real milk" and I'm still concerned that we don't get enough of the good bacteria in our guts to balance out the bad ones in the raw milk.  Am I worrying about nothing?

Check the milk threads.  I am completely certain about my milk - b/c they are pasture-fed, which greatly decreases disease, closed-milk system used, and I know my providers are using the utmost care.  You want to make sure of these things.
Yes, there is enough bacteria in the milk to balance out the bad.  Raw milk is germicidal!  Raw milk drinkers build up resistance to pathogens b/c the milk is constantly populating the gut with healthy bacteria.  I don't believe in the germ theory but rather that disease is caused by a weakened body unable to fight off invaders.  So who knows if we have come in contact with pathogens, but probably b/c they are EVERYWHERE.  So far so good! 
Lactose intolerant people can handle raw milk beautifully b/c it still has the lactic acid, which partially breaks down the lactose for you. 
The Untold Story of milk warns against Horizon and Organic Cow products not just b/c they are grain-fed (like all conventional dairies, which is a totally different milk than grass-fed) but b/c most of their products are ULTRApasteurized which further destroys enzymes and vitamins.  Conventional milk has more nutrients!  But yes, has the growth hormone too....If I were you I would get the pasteurized but not homogenized (homogenization is worse than pasteurizaion) milk in the glass bottles from Whole Foods.  Pretty sure it's organic.  Homogenization is strongly linked to heart disease as well as other things. 
I would highly recommend getting The Untold Story of Milk from interlibrary loan to dispell all your fears.

Nickole     

[Mom in Mo]

Our family remedy for bruising is good old olive oil.  My grandma , my mom and myself have used this for years.  it works the best if you get it on right away and don't be stingey with it.  repeat often for a bad bruise.  i was hit in the eye with a softball and was not able to put olive oil on it until several hours later but it never turned black and blue. 

Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing says that Vit. C helps prevent bruising.  so You may need more C.

[healthybratt]

Camomile (Matricaria recutita).  Aromatherapists, especially in Europe, recommend massaging with camomile preparations to treat skin allergies such as hives and itching.  That sounds reasonable to me.  There are compounds in this herb that have significant anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties.  You can buy camomile essential oil and creams containing camomile at many natural food stores.

If you have hay fever, you should use camomile oil and herbal products cautiously, however.  Camomile is a member of the ragweed family, and in some people, it might trigger allergic reactions.  (Documented cases are extremely rare.) 

Rare...indeed.   I'm such a freak.  I tried the chamomile tea bag remedy for bruises recommended earlier in this  thread around 10pm last evening and woke up around 4am (thus my posting at 5am) with hives.  Yeehaw.  I would strongly urge that if you are allergic to antihistimines (I am) or ragweed (not sure) to take this remedy in very small doses (or not at all) until you're sure it's well tolerated.  I used the ginger bathing mentioned in my earlier post and that seemed to help alleviate the symptoms somewhat, but it seems the most effective remedy for me is to wait  until the stuff is out of my system which probably means no more sleep for me this morning *itch* *itch* *scratch* *scratch*.

[sojournermom]

I don't know if this thread is the proper place for this, but here goes. 

I have a large bruise on my forearm that is very old...months.  (I was determined to learn to shoot my recurve bow properly!)  I am just wandering if any one knows how to get rid of this. 

Another old bruise in our family would be my two-year old who fell on her forehead over a year ago.  It is now more of a bump that and bruise, but I still see some discolouration. 

Will these just take time to heal...or is there a natural remedy to speed up the process?!

[morningglory]

Just bumping this very old topic, because my husband will be back from paintballing soon.  He had at least two horrible bright red spots on his chest when I left, and he's probably gotten more by now.  They were so bad, you couldn't tell from a glance that they weren't bleeding .  The last time he got a bruise from a paintball, it took SIX MONTHS to heal .  Whatever we do to help will have to wait a while, because our health food stores are close until Monday.  Is there something I could buy from good old Wal-Mart that would help?  These bruises will be about half a day old by the time I can treat them.

[herbalmom]

Just bumping this very old topic, because my husband will be back from paintballing soon.  He had at least two horrible bright red spots on his chest when I left, and he's probably gotten more by now.  They were so bad, you couldn't tell from a glance that they weren't bleeding .  The last time he got a bruise from a paintball, it took SIX MONTHS to heal .  Whatever we do to help will have to wait a while, because our health food stores are close until Monday.  Is there something I could buy from good old Wal-Mart that would help?  These bruises will be about half a day old by the time I can treat them.

Onion is excellent for bruising. Either cut an onion in half & hold to the bruise- squeeze the onion every few minutes to get fresh juice to the surface or finely chop onion & use it as a poultice. Either way, since these will be bad bruises, keep on for as long as possible & change them if it dries out too much. You can do multiple treatments if necessary.

This thread has a lot of info on treating bruises:

Major Car Accident! Need herbal advise please!

HTH Blessings ~herbalmom 

[Mom2four]

We use arnica montana.  It is a homeopathic remedy that you can get in the little sugar pellets or in a lotion/rub.  The rub is especially good for the bruises like you mentioned from the paint ball.

Someone else mentioned emu oil.  I use a lot of emu oil for mosquito bites, scrapes, etc....I had no idea I could use it on a bruise.  Thanks so much for that.

[Whiterock]

My 3 month old ds has learned to roll over. Sadly he was on the couch when he did it for the first time.

He spit up, so I laid him down next to where I was sitting and turned to grab a burp pad from the arm of the couch. I turned back just in time to see him go over the edge. His bouncer was on the floor next to the couch and it kept him from hitting the floor full-force, but his head hit the battery case (it's a vibrating bouncer).

In the time it took me to pick him up and comfort him, a big purple knot had risen on his forehead.

I grabbed a pot, added a little water and a big pinch of comfrey, and let it come to a boil. I dropped a few ice cubes into the "tea" to cool it down enough to use right away. Then I grabbed a piece of aloe and rubbed the goo on the bump, threw a thin baby washcloth into the tea, put some of the wet herb in the cloth, folded it, squeezed some of the tea out, and put it on the bump with a knit cap on top of that to hold it on.

We were both emotionally exhausted by that time and so we took a nap together.When we woke up, I took the cap and poultice off and the ugly purple knot was gone and all that was left was a faint discoloration. I was amazed at how well it had worked!

The next morning I applied another poultice, and that afternoon came the real test ... We went to my mothers house for a family get-together. My mom held the precious grandbaby for hours before she even noticed that he had the faintest shadow of a bruise!

WR

[PreachersWife]

We also used the Arnica Montana pellets internally, and a Bumps and Bruises cream (containing Arnica Montana) externally when the skin was not broken.  But I am REALLY excited to hear about WR's experience with the comfrey and aloe.  I don't have a problem using the homeopathic remedies, but I would actually prefer a "naturopathic" or herbal remedy if available.  They just seem even more, well, natural!