DEAR DOCTOR K: My son suffers from occasional nosebleeds. What’s the best way to stop a nosebleed?


Most nosebleeds occur when a blood vessel in the nose’s soft cartilage leaks. If your son is like most people, his nosebleeds probably stop quickly. Sometimes, though, if the nosebleed is more severe, he may need medical attention.



My colleague Dr. Mary Pickett at Harvard Medical School has reviewed medical studies of nosebleed treatments. She tells me that a low-tech option — a good, strong pinch in the right place — will often do the trick. Specifically, she recommends the following technique to treat a nosebleed at home:


• Place your thumb on one side of your nose and your forefinger on the other side, up near the bridge. Slowly slide them down to the sudden “drop-off” where the bones give way to cartilage.

• Pinch your thumb and forefinger together, and hold.





One final thought, prompted by a patient I saw not long ago. The patient was in his mid-40s and had never had nosebleeds in the past. But he had suffered from three of them in the past week, and they didn’t always stop with the technique I’ve just recommended. I diagnosed a blood condition (low platelets) that, fortunately, was treated and cured. This is rare, and blood tests are rarely necessary in people with nosebleeds. But even common problems can sometimes have more serious causes.
