Hemorrhoids Medicine

There are a number of things you can do that will help relieve hemorrhoids or possibly prevent them recurring. Diet and exercise are very important when it comes to managing this painful condition. If you are overweight, it is vital you get down to a healthy weight for your size. Regular exercise and including enough fiber in your diet are two other things you need to prioritize.

It is crucial that you do not try to diagnose yourself. See a qualified medical practitioner who will verify that you have hemorrhoids so you can manage them in the most appropriate way. Above all, don’t assume you have hemorrhoids just because you have rectal bleeding. It is extremely important that you get this properly checked out if it should be happening to you. Painless (or even painful) rectal bleeding is a symptom of internal hemorrhoids but it can be caused by other conditions although the younger you are the more likely it is that you have hemorrhoidal bleeding.

Once you are properly diagnosed with hemorrhoids, you need to adopt a lifestyle strategy. Avoid prolonged periods of sitting or standing if you are suffering a flare-up. The yoga poses for hemorrhoids involve being upside down and can prove beneficial although, to be honest, I found these of only limited use. Don’t let yourself become constipated so make sure you drink enough water and keep up that fiber intake. Never strain during a bowel movement and don’t lift heavy objects. Avoid standing out in the cold as this causes your abdomen to tense up, leading to (you guessed it!) more pain and suffering through straining. Stay bundled up in the cold and try also not to cough too much.

Stress is, I believe, a big factor in causing and aggravating hemorrhoids. You might like to try limiting your intake of caffeine as this simply adds to stress as well as dehydrating you further. For a similar reason, too much alcohol is not a good idea. Relaxation in a warm bath or sitz bath can provide temporary relief although unfortunately I have never found it to be of lasting benefit. Some people swear by herbs including bayberry and goldenseal but, again, these did nothing for me. There are, of course, all the remedies you can find in the pharmacy and I’ll be discussing these in another post. For now, try my simple self-care methods and I hope they provide some relief.

As everybody knows, piles are painful and inconvenient. Many women get them for the first time when pregnant but they can affect both men and women equally and most often occur between the ages of 45-65. I was only 38 when I got mine and it came as quite a shock. All of a sudden, my life was ruled by this condition that came out of nowhere and there didn’t seem too much I could do about it.

What is amazing is that an estimated 100 million Americans suffer from hemorrhoids and yet there is so little information in newspapers and magazines about it. Like most people, I had to turn to the internet for answers and when I did I found almost too much information. It became really confusing. From what I did discover, there are two main types of hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids are less painful than external hemorrhoids and may not even cause any discomfort at all. The problems start when an internal hemorrhoid becames inflamed and irritated and can even bulge through the anal opening. In this case, it is called ‘prolapsed’ and can sometimes lead to surgery.

External hemorrhoids are almost always painful and can become thrombosed if a blood clot occurs. You can tell when this happens because the lump that is the hemorrhoid becomes hard. I suffered from this type of hemorrhoid and I can tell you it is very painful indeed. Other symptoms of hemorrhoids include bleeding or spotting, itching, pain and discomfort during (or sometimes after) bowel movements. Causes of hemorrhoids include age (more than half of us will get them by the time we’re 50), heredity, straining on the toilet or chronic constipation. Once you have hemorrhoids you are likely to always have them unless, like me, you are lucky enough to find a cure that works.