Bruising
Updated Jul. 14th, 2023
Bruises occur when the small capillaries of the skin are broken and blood goes out into the surrounding tissue. The bruise changes colour as the escaped blood is broken down and removed by the body. Normal bruising occurs after trauma to the body. People who are more prone to bruising may be deficient in nutrients that support the small vessels.
They may also suffer from bleeding gums and wounds that are slow to heal. Repeated or severe bruising can be a sign of more serious health problems.
For example broken bones, blood disorders like anemia or hemophilia, allergies, obesity, liver dysfunction or cancer may lead to bruising. The following conventional treatments might disrupt blood clotting and result in easy bruising: penicillin, anticoagulants, antihistamines, aspirin, antidepressants and cortisone.
To minimize the appearance of bruising following an injury, ensure that the area is elevated above your heart. Cold packs can be applied to the area as well and can be used every few hours for two days. Ensure that you use a cold pack because the cold acts by tightening the vessels surrounding the injury whereas a hot pack with actually increase the amount of bruising. Some other methods for decreasing bruising are to apply witch hazel or raw, shredded potato to the injured area.
A diet high in raw fruits and vegetables provides a good source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Eat foods that are high in vitamin K, vitamin C and zinc for blood clotting and vessel healing. Examples of such foods are green leafy vegetables, buckwheat, chicken, eggs, soybean and wheat germ.
I had tried everything, oral supplements are just a preventative.
For years now, I use Arnicare gel by Boiron. It's easy to apply, clean, dries fast and no smells. Applying it as fast as possible after the hit/incident is the secret. The bruise won't last more than 2-3 days and wont go through all the weird yellow/purple sensitive stages at all. It's also the same product I use for muscle and joint pain.
Finally I now know why I bruise so darn easily. I have had all the tests and doctors couldn't figure it out. I guess I just have fragile blood vessels. Maybe that also explains why no one can get blood from me. I too use Arnicare by Boiron and love it. I have started taking a vitamin b complex so I'll see how that goes. I'm going to try and eat more green leafy veggies too, 'cause that can't hurt.
Notice that your parents and siblings bruise easily, too? Sometimes a tendency to bruise runs in families, and women tend to bruise more easily than men. Fair skin can also make bruises more obvious. For most people in this situation who don't have any other symptoms, bruising easily isn’t problematic or tied to any serious health issues.
Hello Paul,
Bruising can run in your family; therefore you may bruise like a peach if someone in your family does too. Thank you for your comments and for enjoying our articles, happy to see you're enjoying learning about natural health!
Have you checked out our recipes too?
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/healthy-recipes/
I am pretty vulnerable to bruises and always wondered why. I'm happy that I came across this article as it does elaborate a bit about what bruises are, how they come to be and what could possibly help. I also really appreciate the chart outlining what can be taken to help heal the bruises and help with recovery time. Arnica is great it really does help and I was happy to learn that it does help by decreasing bruising and speeds tissue healing.
Hello Rose with Thorns,
We're glad our article has helped you understand more about what could be causing your easy bruising and natural ways that could help! Thank you for sharing. If you want to learn more about the supplements recommended in this article, check out our supplements articles here:
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/supplements/
Have a healthy day!
I've read this article and have tried some of the suggested remedies with good success. Specifically, I found arnica to be very helpful and the suggestions for the specific vitamins and supplements all did help. I have been having trouble with inexplicable bruising, so will be pursuing this with my doctor, as well, but I did appreciate these suggestions for natural products to try. Thank you for your help with this matter.
Hello, Kathy,
Thank you for sharing, we hope some of these suggestions help you and we are happy you enjoyed learning about this health concern. If you'd like to learn more about natural health, check out our Youtube channel too:
https://www.youtube.com/@NTLnutrition
Have a healthy day!