Hemorrhage

Description

A hemorrhage refers to abnormal and excessive bleeding either internally or externally. The seriousness of the hemorrhage depends on the amount of blood lost, and the site of the injury.

Rapid loss of up to 20% of total blood volume from an external laceration may pose no serious health threat while relatively small amounts of blood lost through a cerebral or cardiac hemorrhage are extremely dangerous.

Causes

Trauma
Atherosclerosis
Extending, erosive cancer
Hypertension
Blood platelet deficiency
Lack of any one of the blood clot factors
Peptic ulcer

Signs & Symptoms

Ease of bruising
Excessive bleeding of minor scratches
Nosebleed
Pallor

Nutritional Supplements

Structure & Function: Circulatory Support

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General Supplements
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	Adult	Child/Adolescent
Calcium	400 - 800 mg	200 - 400 mg
Acidophilus	2 - 3 tsp	1 - 2 tsp
Rutin*
Vitamin E	100 - 400 IU	50 - 200 IU
Vitamin K	1 - 5 mg	.5 - 2 mg

* Please refer to the respective topic for specific nutrient amounts.

Note: All amounts are in addition to those supplements having a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). Due to individual needs, one must always be aware of a possible undetermined effect when taking nutritional supplements. If any disturbances from the use of a particular supplement should occur, stop its use immediately and seek the care of a qualified health care professional.

Dietary Considerations

The clotting time of blood and the fragility of blood vessels determine how much hemorrhage results from trauma or illness. Decreased blood clotting time can be due to vitamin K deficiency. This can be remedied through vitamin K supplements or by increasing the dietary intake of the following items in a Dietary Goals Diet:

Dark green leafy vegetables	Beef Liver
Cauliflower	Egg yolk
Green peas	Milk
Cereals

Vitamin A toxicity may also decrease the blood clotting time. Toxicity is associated with vitamin A doses greater than 50,000 IU per day.

Capillary fragility can be an indication of calcium deficiency. The integrity of blood vessels can be improved with calcium supplementation or by eating calcium-rich foods. Vitamin C deficiency can also cause capillary fragility. It is manifested by a tendency to bruise, bleeding of the joints and gums, and petechial or pinpoint hemorrhages. Scurvy is the clinical condition for vitamin C deficiency in its extreme form. Scurvy is rare in the United States. Vitamin C supplementation or the addition of vitamin-rich foods to the diet will reverse the symptoms of vitamin C deficiency.

Anticoagulant properties of coumarins are increased if it is used in conjunction with salicylates such as aspirin or acidic sulfonamides. A tendency to bleed will occur.

Gastric bleeding may be due to the usage of steroids. This medication should be taken with meals or, perhaps with antacids.

Homeopathic Remedy

Uterine

Hamamelis virginica - 6X to 15C

Bleeding (Hemorrhage)

1.** Crotalus horridus - 6C to 15C or higher, depending on severity
2.* Phosphorus ruber - 15C or higher
3.* Lachesis mutus tinct. - 30C once per day and 2X per per week for one month
4.** Ipecacuanha - 30C
5.*** Ficus religiosa - 3X
6.*** Cinnamomum - 3X to 15C probably the best, single remedy. Do not use with aconite

Treatment Schedule

Doses cited are to be administered on a 3X daily schedule, unless otherwise indicated. Dose usually continued for 2 weeks. Liquid preparations usually use 8-10 drops per dose. Solid preps are usually 3 pellets per dose. Children use 1/2 dose.

Legend

X = 1 to 10 dilution - weak (triturition)
C = 1 to 100 dilution - weak (potency)
M = 1 to 1 million dilution (very strong)
X or C underlined means it is most useful potency
Asterisk (*) = Primary remedy. Means most necessary remedy. There may be more than one remedy - if so, use all of them.

References
Boericke, D.E., 1988. Homeopathic Materia Medica.

Coulter, C.R., 1986. Portraits of Homeopathic Medicines.

Kent, J.T., 1989. Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica.

Koehler, G., 1989. Handbook of Homeopathy.

Shingale, J.N., 1992. Bedside Prescriber.

Smith, Trevor, 1989. Homeopathic Medicine.

Ullman, Dana, 1991. The One Minute (or so) Healer.

Tissue Salts

Ferr. Phos.
Kali Mur.

May be alternated. Can relieve nosebleeds (epistaxis).

Herbal Approaches

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Herbs
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Blessed thistle
Cayenne
Comfrey
Geranium
Goldenseal
Plantain
Red raspberry plant
Rosemary
Yarrow

Note: The misdirected use of an herb can produce severely adverse effects, especially in combination with prescription drugs. This Herbal information is for educational purposes and is not intended as a replacement for medical advice.

Aromatherapy - Essential Oils

Oils which are recommended for nosebleeds, include:

Lemon Essence,
Terebinth Essence.

Related Health Conditions

Bleeding

Abstracts

References

Bland, Jeffrey. Medical Applications of Clinical Nutrition. New Canaan, Conn.: Keats, 1983.

Chasroff, I.J. & J.W. Ellis. 1983. Family Medical Guide, William Morrow and Company Inc., Pub. 594 pp.

Chiswick, M. et al: Vitamin E Supplementation and Periventricular Hemorrhage in the Newborn. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1991;53:370S-372S.

Eagles, J.A. & M.N. Randall. 1980. Handbook of Normal and Therapeutic Nutrition. Raven Press, New York. 323 pp.

Fish, W. H. et al: Effect of Intramuscular Vitamin E on Mortality and Intracranial Hemorrhage in Neonates of 1000 Grams or Less. Pediatrics, April 1990;85(4):578-584.

Gutcher, G.R. & P.M. Farrell. An Evaluation of Vitamin E Status in Premature Infants. Am J Clin Nutri, 40 (1984).

Guyton, A.C. 1976. Textbook Of Medical Physiology 5th ed. Saunders Pub Co., Philadelphia. 1194 pp.

Hochain P et al., Which patients taking non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs bleed? A case-control study. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 1995 May, 7:5, 419-26.

Howe, P.S. 1981. Basic Nutrition in Health and Disease, 7th ed. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia.

Hui, Y.H. 1983. Human nutrition and diet therapy. Wadsworth, Inc; Belmont, California. 1039 pp.

Hurst, J.W., ed. Medicine For The Practicing Physician. Boston: Butterworth Publishers. 1983.

Lee BY & Thurmon TF: Nutritional disorders in a concentration camp. J Am Coll Nutr, 1997 Aug, 16:4, 366-75.

Pennington, J. 1978. Nutritional Diet Therapy. Bull Publishing Co., Palo Alto, Ca. 106 pp.

Petersdorf, R.G. & R.D. Adams. 1983. Harrison's Principles Of Internal Medicine. 10th ed. McGraw Hill Pub Co., New York. 2212 pp.

Plata-Salam?n CR: Anorexia during acute and chronic disease. Nutrition, 1996 Feb, 12:2, 69-78.

Robbins, S.L. & R.S. Cotran. 1979. Pathologic Basis of Disease. 2nd ed. Saunders Pub Co., Philadelphia. 1598 pp.

Shimada, K. & T. Matsuda. Bleeding Secondary to Vitamin K Deficiency in Patients Receiving Antibiotics. J Antimicrobial Chemo, 14 (1984).

Suttie, J.W. Vitamin K. Handbook Of Vitamins. L. Machlin, ed. Karger, New York: 1984.

Suttie JW: Vitamin K and human nutrition. J Am Diet Assoc, 1992 May, 92:5, 585-90.

Thomas, C.L. 1985. Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Co. Pub., Philadelphia. 2170 pp.

Vortmeyer AO et al., Haemorrhagic thiamine deficient encephalopathy following prolonged parenteral nutrition. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 1992 Sep, 55:9, 826-9.