Tag Archives: stop bleeding

That Aha moment or better yet ~ No Shit!

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Ever had one of those “Aha” moments, which is quickly followed by “no shit, of course!?” Well, I just had one of them while caring for my 86 year old mother, whose health is declining and getting more complicated by the day. Luckily, I have a great team who are investing a lot of time and effort into my Mom’s quality of life during these challenging times.

I am an herbalist but I have always said that I have a deep respect for allopathic medicine and it has an important place in health care. I enjoy working with a diverse set of modalities (more tools available), but sometimes more allopathic or heroic methods are necessary. It is especially rewarding when I can use multiple modalities in concert, but sometimes it is just not possible. Herbs tend to utilize the body’s own abilities and allopathic medicine or procedures more often puts the brakes on them or in some instances remove them all together.

Recently, my Mother had her Aortic valve replaced, as it was no longer opening enough for her body to receive adequate blood supply. Blood carries oxygen throughout the body and when it is severely limited, it leads to a host of complications. Blood flow is very important for our bodies to live and thrive. After a valve is replaced, a major concern is blood clots forming around the new valve, which can lead to stroke; not good. Therefore, she was put on medicine that prevents her body from clotting as well as thins the blood. At this point, I am sure you are thinking, clotting is good or a person will simply bleed out, and that is a bad thing. Well, when a person is in their final stages, there is a balancing act ~ do nothing, palliative care or try something that may be a game changer. My Mom decided to try the new valve as it had lots of potential and she was only going to take the antiplatelet and blood thinners for 6 months.

To complicate matters, my Mom has been avoiding the dermatologist for quite a long time, as she knew her skin was in bad shape and was scared to find out the truth. We decided to see one recently, only to see how bad things were. We thought we were only going for a consultation but before we knew it, even after I told the doctor that my Mom was on antiplatelet and blood thinners, she took a couple biopsies. We were told that it was just the top layer and we shouldn’t worry. WRONG! My Mother continued to ooze (thank goodness, no gushers) for over a day. I tried my two favorite hemostatic remedies ~ Goldenrod (Solidago, spp.) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in a tincture form and applied pressure. The wounds stopped oozing for just an hour or so. I was confused and frustrated. Now here is the Aha moment. The herbs work in concert with my Mom’s ability to clot and enhance it. Well, she was on medicines that blocked her ability to clot ~ ergo nothing to enhance. I called the dermatologist and she kindly came to our house since we were just coming out of a major snowstorm and I really couldn’t take my Mom anywhere. She applied a medicine that forms its own scab and stopped the bleeding ~ WoundSeal. It is specific for people that were on antiplatelet and blood thinners.

Understanding our bodies and how they function is a critical step in supporting our health and helping others. We have a diverse set of tools available and it is so important to learn to work with them all. In addition to the different modalities ~ alternative and allopathic, learning from experience may be the most valuable tool.

Have you had any Aha moments? Please share and I will continue to share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

Yarrow tested first hand

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I do not have luck with manual can openers. They all seem to leave a little connection; never a clean cut around the entire can. I have even shopped around and bought supposedly, “new and improved” can openers, but after awhile they all leave a small frustrating connection.

One day while making supper, I made a mistake. I was in a rush and had very little patience while opening a can. Instead of slowing down, focusing on the little connection and getting a good grip on the can opener or use a proper tool to release the little connection, I attacked the connection with a chopstick. As it popped up my thumb slid into the can with a very sharp edge. It was a bloody mess.

white yarrowI immediately ran cold water over my thumb for a minute or two then quickly grabbed a towel, wrapped my thumb, applied pressure, held my hand above my heart and ran to my garden where I picked and “bruised” several Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) leaves. I slowly opened the towel, wrapped my thumb in the Yarrow leaves with the towel around it, and held my hand above my heart.

Mathew finished making dinner, thank goodness he is much better at opening cans than his mother. After dinner was made and we were waiting for Mike to come home, I looked at my thumb. The bleeding had stopped thanks to Yarrow’s amazing hemostatic abilities. I was very impressed as there was a lot of blood when I first cut it. Since the bleeding had stopped, I took the opportunity to look at the damage. I suspect some people with a similar wound would have gone to the doctor for a couple of stitches, but I decided that it would heal okay on its own. I found a couple more fresh Yarrow leaves, bruised them, wrapped them around my thumb and taped a gauze patch around my thumb. Along with having great hemostatic powers, Yarrow is a powerful antiseptic.

close up yarrow

After dinner, I removed the bandage, no more blood, so I simply put a regular band-aid around my thumb. It was still rather tender but in good shape. The next morning, I was rather impressed at how well the healing process was going.

The day after

The day after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a week, it barely looked like a scratch.

A week after

A week after

I highly recommend that you learn how to identify Yarrow: once you do, you’ll find it is an excellent first aid herb. It can help you in a pinch (or cut, or a slice…). After all, I do have first hand knowledge of it (pun intended).

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.