bruising & scarring easily?

[didan]

There have been so many wonderful improvements in my overall health and well-being since I started the raw food diet a couple of years ago. One thing, though, that seems a little off is that I bruise and scar easily. Which is odd. I'm in my early 30s and all my life haven't scarred or bruised easily. It started about a year ago. What nutrients am I lacking? Any ideas as to what the problem could be?

[Traceyraw]

It could be calcium. Low calcium causes bruises. Try some broccoli and oranges that should help boost your calcium levels. Also vitamin D.

[streetsurfer]

Greens which are a good source of calcium are also a good source of vitamin K-important for your blood's clotting factor. Are you getting lots of green, kale, collards, mustard greens, broccoli(as mentioned)? When you do bruise, the enzymes in fresh pineapple are good at clearing up the bruises.

[EscapeArtist]

I thought that anemia causes easy bruising. Anemia can be caused by low iron but I believe it's more commonly caused by low B12. Maybe check these levels through a blood test and ask for the results (blood tests often don't tell you if you're a little bit deficient, only if you're majorly deficient). Or if you're not supplementing with B12, start (I recommend the sublinguals, higher chance of absorption)

[didan]

Thanks for your input. I'm looking into getting more calcium and b12 in my diet. I eat tons of leafy greens; so that part shocks me. Hmm. I'm eating far more fruits and veggies than I have at any other time of my life. Maybe I should get a blood test to look into this further. Thanks again.

[therawmichelle]

Hey there!

I've looked a bit into the problem and it would appear that nutrient deficiency can be a cause for easy subcutaneous bruising. Vitamin C is required by the body for collagen production, while antioxidants in general are thought o be protective of bodily tissues and help with wound recovery. Deficiencies in vitamins B-9 and B-12 can also cause a susceptibility to bruising, according to some articles I've read. They lead to damage in the walls of blood vessels and can impair DNA repair. Low iron has also been associated with easy bruising, so it is really hard to tell what is causing your problem, but i believe it is best that you have your blood-work done so you can see exactly what's going on.

Best of luck!