Wound Healing with Food Remedies and Beyond

When it comes to surface or external wound healing, Vitamin E may be your best bet.  As a topical I myself have witnessed surprising and remarkable acceleration of healing a skin wound with Vitamin E.  So for surface stuff or cosmetic wounds, absolutely, grab a Vitamin E capsule, pierce it with a lance, and ooze out the oil onto the wound and watch the magic happen over the next few days.  I've also seen remarkable recovery of a viral skin wound on an 89 year old woman who used a Barry Sears' Zone Diet product called cellular serum.  The key ingredient in that is Hydrophobic GLA.  So in my immediate experience I have seen both of these products accomplish impressive results. 

But what about internal injuries, the kind we hear about from sports or accidents?  Well, we either rely on doctor prescribed medicine or food remedies.  And perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to repairing internal tissue is time, er, ah, timing.  You cannot wait.  But nor should you or do you rush into things.  Remember, this is a primarily a blog on food remedies.  So the non-professional recommendation here is to begin internal wound healing with the right foods.  If you wait and hem and haw, what you're doing is transferring the healing of your body over completely to your body to heal itself.  And certainly it will. Your body is remarkable in that it thrives on healing.  But will the body's own healing mechanism restore full function to a specific muscle, joint, or organ?  Ah, there in lies the rub.  So when treating an internal wound, you need to get on it as soon possible.  By which I mean you start on the nutritional regimen immediately.

Abbey Housefield asks:

   . . . is there anything you can do nutritionally during this “waiting period” to help decrease healing time and get back on the run?

 YES! Your body is built to heal from the inside out and nutrition plays a dynamic role in the healing of injuries. If you provide the right foods and nutrients to your body during the time of healing the duration of an injury can be shortened.  

 Okay, so we know that the "right foods" play a role in accelerating wound healing.  But what are those right foods?

George Mateljan writes:

Virtually all vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and macronutrients like protein, fiber, and essential fatty acids are going to help with the healing process.

That statement is general enough that I cannot disagree with it.

A low quality diet that has few whole, natural foods is going to work against healing, and a nutrient-dense diet filled with whole, natural foods is going to be supportive.  

Okay, this I can get on board with as well.  Food provides comprehensive options for getting all of the nutrients you need for wound healing.

Some nutrients have taken center stage in the animal research on healing, and these nutrients include vitamin C, flavonoids, vitamin A, protein, and zinc. Rich sources of vitamin C and flavonoids include fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, and berries. 

So far so good.

When it comes to vitamin A, some of these same foods will also be very helpful since they will provide you with rich amounts of beta-carotene, a "pro-vitamin A" nutrient that can be partially converted into fully active vitamin A. Other foods that can provide you with preformed, fully active vitamin A include dairy products and eggs, and calf's liver, which will also provide you with the protein important for healing. Zinc is especially concentrated in red meats as well as nuts and seeds. 

Did you read that?  ". . . dairy products and eggs, and calf's liver . . ." are those "right foods."  Those along with grassfed butter, chicken liver, cod liver oil, cold water fish.  These are the right foods.  Animal sources are the healing foods.  I would not rely exclusively on a vegetarian diet to heal internal wounds.  You need animal fats.  Mateljan's  subordinating position of the meat source of Vitamin A, Retinol A, to the vegetable source, beta carotene, was disheartening.  Yes, you can get water soluble Vitamin A, or beta carotene, from the reliable vegetables sources like carrots, bell peppers, and others.  But Retinol A from cheese, eggs, chicken liver and, yes, calf liver, is by far more readily absorbed than foods containing beta carotene which your body has to convert to Retinol A.

And then the author adds the silly recommendation to be sure and get the very leanest cuts of meat.  This is just not helpful.  It's proven that that beef stock and tallow are great sources to build collagen.

(If you're increasing red meat to support the healing process, however, make sure that you stick with the very leanest cuts of red meat such as top round, bottom round, eye of round, or ground beef made from them as high intake of total fat and saturated fat are not going to help your healing process, and you'll be at risk in these areas unless you stick with very lean meats.)  

His recommendation for fiber is excellent:

While less directly connected to the specifics of healing, fiber is one additional nutrient that deserves special attention in healing. When healing from a surgery or wound, it's especially important to have food flow healthily through the digestive tract, allowing for optimal digestion and absorption of nutrients. A healthy digestive tract can be one of the secrets for optimal healing. Dietary fiber plays a key role here, and should not be overlooked. In addition to the fruits and vegetables already discussed, legumes and beans and whole grains will often be essential in getting your fiber intake up to a level that can promote optimal healing.  

 Okay, so we know what we need to heal wounds:  Retinol A from eggs, chicken and beef liver and fish.  Not convinced?  Check out the Weston A. Price Foundation's recommendations on the importance of fat in the diet. Remember, fats are stored energy.  So when you begin consuming fish oils, cod liver oil, eggs, grass-fed spring butter, olive oil, beef, and fish, you will be getting adequate fat into your diet.

I do like Mateljan's emphasis on zinc:

Some nutrients have taken center stage in the animal research on healing, and these nutrients include vitamin C, flavonoids, vitamin A, protein, and zinc. Rich sources of vitamin C and flavonoids include fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, and berries. When it comes to vitamin A, some of these same foods will also be very helpful since they will provide you with rich amounts of beta-carotene, a "pro-vitamin A" nutrient that can be partially converted into fully active vitamin A. Other foods that can provide you with preformed, fully active vitamin A include dairy products and eggs, and calf's liver, which will also provide you with the protein important for healing. Zinc is especially concentrated in red meats as well as nuts and seeds. (If you're increasing red meat to support the healing process, however, make sure that you stick with the very leanest cuts of red meat such as top round, bottom round, eye of round, or ground beef made from them as high intake of total fat and saturated fat are not going to help your healing process, and you'll be at risk in these areas unless you stick with very lean meats.)  

Another source explains the value of zinc:

Zinc helps the body synthesize proteins and develop collagen, so it is an important mineral for wound healing. As long as you are taking in sufficient amounts of protein from meats, you should be getting enough zinc in your diet

Follow the prescriptions laid out by the Weston A. Price Foundation for wound healing here.