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Chapter List For: Prevention's Healing with Vitamins: 1. Beta-Carotene
2. Biotin 3. Calcium
4. Drugs Can Sabotage Your Nutrition 5. Folic Acid
6. Iron 7. Magnesium
8. Niacin 9. Pantothenic Acid
10. Phosphorus 11. Potassium
12. Riboflavin 13. Selenium
14. Sodium 15. Sulfur
16. Thiamin 17. Trace Minerals
18. Vitamin A 19. Vitamin B12
20. Vitamin B6 21. Vitamin C
22. Vitamin D 23. Vitamin E
24. Vitamin K 25. Zinc
26. Age Spots 27. Aging
28. Alcoholism 29. Allergies
30. Alzheimers Disease 31. Anemia
32. Angina 33. Asthma
34. Bedsores 35. Beriberi
36. Birth Defects 37. Bladder Infections
38. Bruises 39. Burns
40. Cancer 41. Canker Sores
42. Cardiomyopathy 43. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
44. Cataracts 45. Celiac Disease
46. Cervical Dysplasia 47. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
48. Colds 49. Cold Sores
50. Cystic Fibrosis 51. Depression
52. Dermatitis 53. Diabetes
54. Diarrhea 55. Eating Disorders
56. Endometriosis 57. Epilepsy
58. Fatigue 59. Fibrocystic Breasts
60. Fingernail Problems 61. Gallstones
62. Genital Herpes 63. Gingivitis
64. Glaucoma 65. Gout
66. Hair Loss 67. Heart Arrhythmia
68. Heart Disease 69. High Blood Pressure
70. High Cholesterol 71. HIV
72. Immunity 73. Infertility
74. Insomnia 75. Intermittent Claudication
76. Kidney Stones 77. Leg Cramps
78. Lou Gehrigs Disease 79. Lupus
80. Macular Degeneration 81. Memory Loss
82. Ménière’s Disease 83. Menopausal Problems
84. Menstrual Problems 85. Migraines
86. Mitral Valve Prolapse 87. Morning Sickness
88. Multiple Sclerosis 89. Night Blindness
90. Osteoarthritis 91. Osteoporosis
92. Overweight 93. Parkinsons Disease
94. Pellagra 95. Phlebitis
96. Premenstrual Syndrome 97. Prostate Problems
98. Psoriasis 99. Raynaud's Disease
100. Restless Legs Syndrome 101. Rheumatoid Arthritis
102. Rickets 103. Scleroderma
104. Scurvy 105. Shingles
106. Smog Exposure 107. Smoking
108. Sunburn 109. Surgery
110. Taste and Smell Problems 111. Tinnitus
112. Varicose Veins 113. Water Retention
114. Wilson's Disease 115. Wrinkles
116. Yeast Infections Library Home > All Books > Prevention's Healing with Vitamins > Bruises From the Rodale book, Prevention's Healing with Vitamins: Edit id 1173
Bruises ======= ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Fading Out the Black and Blue Trip over a crumpled rug, and you've got one. Bump into the bedpost, and you've got one. Forget you left that bottom drawer open, run right into it as you hurry to answer the phone and--ouch!--you've got a really bad one. We've all had our share of bruises. It takes just one good, swift blow, and the blood vessels beneath your skin rupture, spilling blood into the surrounding tissues and creating the colorful palette of blacks, blues, purples, yellows and greens we know as a bruise. For the bruise to heal, the body must reabsorb all of that spilled blood, which, depending on the extent of the damage, could take days or even weeks.
Though bruising is no more than a minor, albeit uncomfortable, inconvenience for most of us, for others, particularly the elderly, it can be a Technicolor nightmare. As skin ages, it becomes thinner and more fragile, a condition that is exacerbated by years of sun exposure. As a result, the underlying blood vessels are more vulnerable to damage. For this reason, older people frequently develop what is known as purpura senilis--bruises on their hands, arms and sometimes legs that occur from the slightest contact and that take months to heal. "Virtually everybody in their seventies and eighties develops this problem to some extent," says Melvin L. Elson, M.D., medical director of the Dermatology Center in Nashville, co-author of The Good Look Book and editor of Evaluation and Treatment of the Aging Face.
If you're prone to bruising, basic first-aid treatment can help you heal. Apply an ice pack, wrapped in a towel, on and off for the first 24 hours, followed by warm compresses the next day. If you really want to give bruises the old heave-ho and make yourself less "bruisable" in the future, however, the mineral zinc and a dollop of cream fortified with vitamin C or Vitamin K are the way to go, say many experts. For extra protection, they advise boosting your dietary intake of these nutrients as well. Food Factors
When it comes to bruising, vitamins C and K seem to be getting the lion's share of attention. Some researchers, however, believe that bioflavonoids--chemical compounds related to vitamin C and found in fruits and vegetables--may deserve a second look. Say okay to citrus. Eating plenty of oranges and other citrus fruits can boost your level of rutin, a bioflavonoid that was singled out by researchers in the 1950s as one that could help strengthen fragile capillaries and minimize the bruising that often accompanies this condition.
"It's important to remember, however, that though this compound may prevent some bruises from occurring, it isn't good for the treatment of a bruise after it has occurred," says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University School of Pharmacy in West Lafayette, Indiana. Rutin is also found in plentiful supply in buckwheat. So here's a good excuse to enjoy a hearty breakfast of buckwheat pancakes.
Vitamin K to Chase the Blues Away Vitamin K, named for the German word koagulation, has long been used to promote blood clotting and prevent bleeding, particularly in cases of aspirin poisoning or blood-thinner overdose. It's also a favorite among plastic surgeons, who use large doses on their patients to prevent post-surgery bruising.
Now these benefits are accessible to the general public as well. Research shows that applying Vitamin K topically can fade away bruises, even those occurring from purpura senilis. In a study of 12 people with significant bruising, Dr. Elson, a longtime Vitamin K investigator, applied Vitamin K cream to one arm of each patient and an identical cream without Vitamin K to the other. After one month, the arms treated with Vitamin K had significantly fewer bruises than those treated with plain ointment.
"We also had people use Vitamin K cream on one side of a bruise but not on the other and found that the side treated with Vitamin K healed in 5 to 7 days, while the untreated side took 11 to 13 days to heal," says Dr. Elson. Moreover, Vitamin K strengthens blood vessel walls, so it also makes you less prone to bruising, explains Dr. Elson, who has developed a 1 percent Vitamin K cream called Vitamin K Clarifying Cream. "I've had elderly patients tell me that for the first time since they're older, they can go outside with short sleeves on," he says. Vitamin K Clarifying Cream is available only through a physician, so if you'd like to try some "bruise guard," check with your doctor.
The logical question, of course, is: If Vitamin K works when you rub it on, can you also ward off bruises by eating more Vitamin K-rich foods such as green, leafy vegetables, fruits, seeds and dairy products? "There's no absolute proof, but studies seem to indicate that you can," says Dr. Elson. Even though getting plenty of Vitamin K--the Daily Value is 80 micrograms--may be helpful, when you have a bruise or an area prone to bruising, you want large doses of Vitamin K right where you need them, and the best way to get them there is topically, says Dr. Elson.
Prescriptions for Healing Some experts agree that certain vitamins and minerals can not only heal bruises but also prevent them. Though these nutrients work best at clearing up bruises when applied as topical creams, oral supplements may be helpful in warding off bruising as well. Here's what some doctors recommend.
Nutrient Daily Amount/Application ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Oral ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Vitamin C 500-1,000 milligrams Vitamin K 80 micrograms
Zinc 15 milligrams Topical
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Vitamin C 10% lotion (Cellex-C)
Vitamin K 1% cream (Vitamin K Clarifying Cream) ---------------------------------------------------------------------
MEDICAL ALERT: Frequent inexplicable bruising, although rare, may be a sign of a clotting disorder or an immune problem or a side effect of some medication. If you find yourself bruising easily and frequently, you should see your doctor. Vitamin C Can Help
Vitamin C, the scurvy-fighting nutrient that's abundant in citrus fruits and broccoli, may also help strengthen the collagen (skin tissue) around your blood vessels and help battle bruises. "Although studies still need to be done, there is some evidence that supplemental vitamin C at the level of 500 to 1,000 milligrams per day is quite useful against the bruising of old age," says Sheldon Pinnell, M.D., chief of dermatology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
"The medical literature indicates that beginning at age 55 or 65, people can become vitamin C-depleted," says Dr. Pinnell. "It's not clear whether this depletion is caused by a lack of intake or a problem with absorption, but it appears that supplemental vitamin C can take care of it." For even better results, try a topical form of vitamin C, says Dr. Pinnell, who, along with his colleagues, has developed a 10 percent vitamin C lotion called Cellex-C. During tests where they applied the lotion to one side of the faces of people with some discolored spots but not to the other, the preparation produced a "dramatic diminution" of bruising injury, says Dr. Pinnell. "By using the lotion, you get 20 to 40 times the level of vitamin C that you could achieve by ingesting the vitamin."
The lotion may be especially useful for the elderly, says Dr. Pinnell, as they are at particular risk for vitamin C deficiency and for the skin problems such as bruising that occur as a result. Cellex-C is available without a prescription from dermatologists, plastic surgeons and licensed aestheticians (full-service beauty salon operators) and by mail order from Caleel-Hayden, L.L.C., 518 17th Street, Suite 1700, Denver, CO 80202 (1-800-235-5392). Zinc Lends a Helping Hand
Although its role in bruise healing is not as well-researched or well- defined as those of vitamins C and K, the mineral zinc is known to lend a hand in wound healing and may help with bruises as well. "Zinc is important in wound healing and skin repair, but it's probably more important for older people," says Lorraine Meisner, Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison.
You can get your Daily Value of zinc (15 milligrams) by filling your plate with shellfish and other seafood as well as with whole grains and lean meats. In fact, just one steamed oyster contains a whopping 12.7 milligrams of zinc. Note: Frequent inexplicable bruising, although rare, may be a sign of a clotting disorder or an immune problem or a side effect of some medication. If you find yourself bruising easily and frequently, see your doctor.
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