Clinically known as thrombocytopenia, a low platelet count is a body condition where the amount of platelets in your blood circulation is lower than normal. A normal platelet count in blood ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter in a healthy person. It is considered a low platelet count if this count falls below 150,000 per microlitre.
Platelets help to clot blood by forming plugs in the holes of the blood vessels. On average, platelets can survive for 5-9 days.
There are three common causes of thrombocytopenia or low platelet count:
1. The accumulation of platelets in the spleen due to serious liver disease or cancer. It leads to a decrease in the number of circulating platelets.
2. Reduced platelet production due to leukemia (blood cancer), viral infections, certain types of anemia, drugs for chemotherapy, exposure to toxic chemicals, vitamin B12 deficiency, and heavy alcohol consumption.
3. Increased platelet breakdown due to autoimmune diseases, drug reactions, blood-borne bacterial infections, childbirth, and other body conditions such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Easy or excessive bruising, spontaneous bleeding from the gums or nose, prolonged bleeding from cuts, skin rashes due to superficial bleeding, and blood in urine or stools are some of the telltale signs of a low platelet count. Women can experience heavy menstrual flows. People with low platelet numbers may also complain of pain, exhaustion, and general weakness.
You can quickly increase your platelet count and live a healthy life with certain lifestyle changes and some easy-to-follow home remedies. Continue any of these remedies until normalization of your platelet count. Consult your doctor if thrombocytopenia is severe, i.e., platelet count below 50,000.
Here are the top 10 natural home remedies to increase a low platelet count within days to weeks.
Papaya
Within just a few days, both the papaya fruit and its leaves can help to increase a low platelet count. Researchers and scientists at the Asian Institute of Science and Technology (Malaysia) found that papaya leaf juice could increase the number of platelets in people diagnosed with dengue fever.
• You can eat fresh, ripe papaya or drink a glass of papaya juice mixed with lemon 2 to 3 times a day.
• You can also use a pestle and mortar to extract the juice by pounding a few papaya leaves without the stalk.