Add this to the growing list of why pork is so amazing: It can stop nosebleeds.
We’re actually serious. A study published in the Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology found that stuffing someone’s nostrils with strips of cured salt pork (also called white bacon) can successfully treat those who suffer from Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia, or chronic nosebleeds.
In the study, doctors presented the case of a four-year-old girl who suffers from chronic nosebleeds. They found that sticking “nasal tampons” of the meat into her nose stopped the hemorrhaging during two separate life-threatening nosebleeds. The team said it may have something to do with the fat and other tissue factors in the pork that help stop the bleeding.
But next time you find yourself with a bloody nose, hold the bacon. Although various media outlets have reported the delicious breakfast food as being the cure-all to nosebleeds, bacon and white bacon are not created equal; the salt pork contains more fat and is not smoked. So whether it’s stuffed up your nose or frying in the pan, enjoy the smell of bacon all you want—that may be all it’s good for.
To read the study, click here.
