What are Hemorrhoids

Conservative/ non invasive hemorrhoid treatments include

• Change of diet
• Plenty of fluids
• Creams with either local anaesthetics/ corticosteroids or both
• Controlled use of Laxatives

There are a great many home treatments for haemorrhoids which you can find on the internet some proven others not. If you are shy and have found it difficult to consult your doctor the internet and information can be a mine field for you. First and foremost I would urge you to visit your doctor to exclude any other type of condition. Secondly be reassured that often people who have had one incident of haemorrhoids don’t always go on to develop long term problems.  There are positive steps you can take at home to help yourself.

Haemorrhoids and diet

• Foods which are rich in fibre such as vegetables, fruit and wholemeal products like bread and pasta, bran, brown rice. In consultation with your doctor you may be advised to take a bulk-forming laxative not a bowel stimulating  one like senna but one with ispaghula husk or similar to help with your bowel movements and the affect it has on your haemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids and Exercise

• 20-30 minutes exercise everyday will keep you fit and strong which helps to maintain a healthy digestive system. Always consult your doctor prior to embarking on a regular activity which you have not undertaken before, begin gently and work up to a regular routine.

Hemorrhoids and Weight loss

• If you are overweight the pressure you will be unnecessarily exerting on the blood supply around you anus will be increased, therefore by lowering you weight that pressure will decrease.

Hemorrhoids and Fluids

• One of the fundamental things to help yourself is to drink more fluids ideally that should be water, however if you drink milk or juice or Squash just by increasing those fluids will help with your digestive system. Your body needs fluids approximately two litres a day, and if it doesn’t have enough fluids it removes it from the food travelling through your intestines (gut) thus making your stools (faeces /poo) hard and lumpy.  If you drink more your stools will be soft and more easily expelled more like toothpaste consistency.
• One cautionary word about alcohol and caffeine. These  drinks are counterproductive they act as a diuretic making you urinate(wee) more often this causes your intestines to loose fluid and again the stools become hard and difficult to pass. If you drink lots of tea or coffee during the day try switching to decaffeinated.

Hemorrhoids and Personal Hygiene

• It is important to keep your bottom clean; this will help prevent rashes and irritation. You can carry small packets of baby wipes or moisten toilet paper to use after you have had a bowel motion. This will ensure no stool motion remains on the skin surface to cause irritation. Do not use perfumes soaps to wash with as these can irritate the skin and  do not use talcum powder to dry the area or to prevent moisture build up it does not work and can make the itching worse. Pat your bottom dry with clean toilet paper.  If you have a constant problem with leakage you will need to visit your doctor for advice but in the meantime you can use a small amount of nappy cream which will protect your skin and sanitary pad can be used effectively to absorb fluid.

Medicines and creams for Haemorrhoids

• There are a huge amount of products out there to help you with your problem some of which make outrageous cure claims. As stated before piles cannot be cured they CAN be relieved and treated but there is not sure way any one can tell you that if a haemorrhoid is reduced and not causing a problem that it won’t rear its ugly head again or that another won’t occur.
• Many creams will be wonderful and soothing and some will contain a local anaesthetic which will numb the affected area for a period of time. Other creams have corticosteroids in them which are used to reduce inflammation. There are precautions which you will need to be aware of prior to using any of these products so always read the information supplied with the medication. Make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Burning stinging and itching are some of the side-effects but these symptoms should pass. These products should notbe used for more that 7 days at a time due to further irritation from over use. If your problem continues after this you will need to consult your doctor. Always wash you hands after using any of these preparations

Pain relief for Haemorrhoids

• If you are in discomfort with your haemorrhoids you can take regular pain relief tablets which you can obtain from your local chemist or supermarket. Usually the pain is short lived just when you are passing stools (faeces /poo) and the creams with local anaesthetic can help with this. You should follow the instructions on the packaging when using creams but they usually say to be used after each bowel movement or morning and night
• If you have other ailments which are causing you pain please be aware that some pain relief medications can contain codeine i.e co-codamol. This is known to cause constipation and exacerbate your symptoms. Consult your doctor to perhaps look for alternative pain relief.

Hemorrhoids and Toilet Habits

• It is both unhygienic and ill advised to sit and read either the newspaper or books whilst sitting on the toilet. This is something which should be avoided as it increases the pressure exerted on the blood vessels supplying the anus causing them to engorge. You should aim at spending only a couple of minutes evacuating your bowels  and always respond to your body when you feel you need to empty your bowels – do not wait until later as the stool will  become dry making it more difficult to pass. If you are unable to open your bowels as soon as you sit on the toilet get up and walk around until the urge to go again happens then try again. Sitting straining will make mattes worse.

Hemorrhoids and Constipation

• If you are having problems with constipation you can improve your digestive system by combining the main elements of health. Eat fibre enriched food drink plenty of fluids and become more active. If you are still having problems after you have improved your life style it may be time to speak to your doctor regarding laxatives. It is very important that you have the correct one as products like senna cause contractions in the bowel which may give you further problems. Stools softeners,  bulk forming laxatives or lactulose will be far better as they improve the stool making the passage through the bowel easier.

Hemorrhoids and  Cold compresses

• If you want some cooling soothing relief from you haemorrhoids you can use cold compresses. I am concerned about the amount of advice that I have read especially on the web that says to use ice for this as there doesn’t seem to be any warning or acknowledgement that using ice straight onto the skin surface can itself cause damage.  Cold water compresses are just as effective however, if you do use ice it should be wrapped up in a flannel and used for only short periods at a time.  It can be counter productive due to the nature of the body wanting to warm the skin surface after it has been chilled to such an extreme.