Bloody Noses
Bloody noses are a bloody bother.
Thankfully, that’s only what they are, generally speaking. Rarely are bloody noses an emergency. According to verywellhealth.com and NHSinform, you need to seek medical assistance for a nosebleed when:
Non-stop bleeding for 20 minutes
Significant blood loss
Caused by severe trauma
You have high blood pressure
You can taste blood
You swallow a lot of blood and are vomiting as a result
You're having difficulty breathing
If you take blood thinners or are anemic, or the nosebleed is in a very young child (under 2), those, too might be reason enough to seek professional assistance for a nose bleed.
Some people have chronic bloody noses*. All 3 of my sons have experienced periods of regular bloody noses and homeopathy has been amazingly helpful in dealing with this, especially in the moment.
I have seen nosebleeds stop shockingly quickly with a few of the appropriate little homeopathic pellets.
What are the appropriate remedies?
Dr. Andrew Lockie (1993) recommends using the appropriate homeopathic remedy (he says in a 6c potency) every 2 minutes for up to 10 doses. (In my experience, nosebleeds stop much faster than 10 minutes when using homeopathy. If the bleed hasn’t stopped in a few minutes, try another remedy.)
I present to you here, in alphabetical order, some of my favorites:
Arnica, especially for nosebleeds following an injury. Nosebleeds with a cough or from blowing the nose. Nosebleeds from exertion or from washing your face. (I have never seen this one, but I do know of people for whom nosebleeds occur while in the shower and Arnica just might be their answer.)
Ferrum phos, either as a cell salt (6x) or in potency (6c or 30c). Nosebleeds in children; nosebleeds accompanying a fever; bright red blood.
Hamamelis — with dark and thin blood. Nosebleeds in the morning.
Ipecac — bright blood, clotted or coagulated.
Phosphorus — bright red blood, bloody nose as a result of blowing the nose; in children; noses that bleed easily.
What else can help?
Once upon a time, long before I knew about homeopathy, I read that cayenne pepper (a pinch in a glass of water, then drink it) can help. Well, a visitor, an adult, was experiencing a bloody nose. I got out the cayenne pepper and I was getting the water and the person took a little dab of the cayenne pepper and put it right up their nose. The bleeding stopped immediately and though they had been experiencing regular bloody noses, one didn't return again for many years after that! (Be forewarned, though -- this person had quite a shocking experience with that jolt to the system!)
Another little tip I’ve learned with my boys… paper towels are much more effective than tissues.
I leave you with this joke, simply because I couldn’t resist.
A British man says, “I’ve got a bloody nose!!!”
His friends reply, “yeah, we all do.”
Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath (and re-teller of bad jokes)
#wellnessawaits
classicallypractical.com
* If you or your child suffers from regular nosebleed, it might be worth considering a consult with a homeopath to see if you can get to the bottom of the issue.
Reference list:
Lockie, Dr. A., 1993. The Family Guide to Homeopathy. USA: Simon & Schuster.
NHS Inform, 2019. Nosebleed causes and treatments [online]. Nhsinform.scot.
Perko, S. J., 2008. The homeopathic therapeutic subject reference : a homeopathic practice guidebook for physicians and health care practitioners. San Antonio, Texas.: Benchmark Homeopathic Publications.
Ratera, Dr. M. M., 2016. First Aid with Homeopathy. Kander, Germany: Narayana Verlag.
Upjoke.com, 2022. The 20+ Best Bloody Nose Jokes - ↑UPJOKE↑ [online]. upjoke.com.
Weintraub, S., 1999. Natural healing with cell salts. Pleasant Grove, Ut: Woodland Pub.