What Can Stop Nosebleeds?
School-age children get more nosebleeds than anybody. I’m not talking about the child who comes home with a bloody nose having come out second best in a fist fight. I am talking about the nosebleed that starts without warning, often in the middle of the night or after just blowing the nose. The medical term is “epistaxis,” meaning to drop or trickle. Most nosebleeds can be stopped easily simply by packing them with a wad of cotton soaked in decongestant nose drops and squeezing the nostrils shut for a few minutes. If you cannot stop it by yourself, your child obviously needs medical attention. Call your doctor if your child has frequent nosebleeds, especially if they come from both sides of the nose. Dr. Alvin Eden is chairman of the department of pediatrics at Wyckoff Heights Hospital in Brooklyn and associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Cornell University Medical Center. Dr.
