Hemeroids develop due to uncontrolled growth of varicose veins. A person having hemeroids suffers from physical discomforts like bleeding, anal itching, pain and even mental distress because of social embarrassment. Although hemeroids do not cause serious health problems, ignorance towards its existence can produce severe health complications.

Causes of hemeroids includes dietary irritants, mental stress, straining, sitting and standing for long hours, irregular and unhygienic bowel movement, obesity and even working in high temperature conditions.

The most common symptoms of hemeroids includes blood in the stool, a burning and itching sensation in the rectum, additional pressure required in passing stool, rectal pain and irritation.

Test/Diagnosis for Hemeroids: Most likely the doctor may just examine your rectum with a gloved finger or he may use a short, lighted scope to look inside the rectum to know if you have hemeroids.

Treating Hemeroids

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

treating hemeroids picTreating hemeroids is the main objective to be achieve by sufferers of hemeroids especially at early stage of hemeroid formation because if left untreated and once they already have hemeroids, they’re likely to always have them -- this is because swelling weakens the vein walls and thus makes them prone to future swelling.


Everyone can get hemeroids. In fact, more than half of the population develops hemeroids by the age of 50. And these hemeroids are likely caused by straining on the toilet. Other causes include heredity, aging, chronic constipation, bouts of diarrhea, anal sex or spending too much time reading on the toilet.

But before treating your hemeroids, be sure also that what your are suffering is really a hemeroid problem. Because the presence of blood in the stool can be indicative of other digestive disorders, including colorectal cancer other than hemeroid so thorough evaluation and proper diagnosis is very important. Diagnosing hemeroids may include:

• physical examination - to examine the anus and rectum and look for swollen blood vessels that indicate hemeroid
• digital rectum examination (DRE) - the physical inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to check for abnormalities causing hemeroids.
• anoscopy - a hollow, lighted tube useful for viewing internal hemeroids is inserted into the anus.
• proctoscopy - a lighted tube, which allows the physician to completely examine the entire rectum, is inserted into the anus.
• sigmoidoscopy - a diagnostic procedure that allows the physician to examine the inside of a portion of the large intestine, and is helpful in identifying the causes of diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation, abnormal growths, and bleeding. A short, flexible, lighted tube, called a sigmoidoscope, is inserted into the intestine through the rectum. The scope blows air into the intestine to inflate it and make viewing the inside easier.
• colonoscopy - a procedure that allows the physician to view the entire length of the large intestine, and can often help identify abnormal growths, inflamed tissue, ulcers, and bleeding. It involves inserting a colonoscope, a long, flexible, lighted tube, in through the rectum up into the colon. The colonoscope allows the physician to see the lining of the colon, remove tissue for further examination, and possibly treat some problems that are discovered aside from the formation of hemeroids.

But if you are lucky enough not to have hemeroids, there are some things you can do to prevent hemeroids.. And even if you already have hemeroids, it is possible to prevent future flare-ups. Here are a few things you can do:

Here are some self-care tips you can consider in treating hemeroids:
  • If hemeroids extend outside the anal canal, ice compresses may ease the swelling.
  • Sitting in warm water (sitz baths) for approximately 15min at a time can ease the symptoms of hemeroid. While adding Epsom Salt to the water helps relieve the inflammation.
  • Avoid foods and drinks that may make hemeroids worse, including spicy foods, nuts, coffee and alcohol.
  • Do not use dry toilet paper. Use moist towelettes or wet toilet paper after a bowel movement instead to avoid hemeroid irritation.
  • Keep the anal area clean by gently cleansing with warm water. Soap is not necessary and may aggravate your hemeroid problem.
  • Push back a prolapse hemeroid. If a hemeroid has prolapsed, try pushing it back gently into the anal canal.
Fortunately, for most people, hemeroid "flare-ups" heal on their own within a couple of days but there are also some things you can also do to speed up treating hemeroids process and spare yourself from suffering. For chronic hemeroid sufferers, the following are some ways in treating hemeroids quickly and may also help reduce the symptoms:
  • Take a bath: Soaking in a tub of warm water for about 10 minutes to 15 minutes can help reduce swelling and decrease hemeroid pain.
  • Ice it: A cold compress to the affected area can help reduce the swelling of your hemeroids.
  • Apply creams: Over-the-counter hemeroid creams and wipes containing witch hazel, hydrocortisone or other anti-inflammatory agents can help reduce swelling and alleviate pain. Wiping with moist wipes can also prevent continued irritation of your hemeroid.
  • Eat more fiber: Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help make stool bulkier and easier to pass thus avoiding hemeroid pain.
  • Drink lots of water and fluids: This makes stool softer, which reduces straining.
  • Go when "nature calls": Otherwise, your stool can dry and harden, making it more difficult to pass thus it is considered as most common causes of formation of hemeroid.
  • Exercise: Keeping an active, healthy lifestyle can help reduce pressure on veins and keep you from getting constipated.
  • Don't sit or stand for too long: Both standing and sitting can add pressure to your veins. If you have a desk job, taking periodic breaks to move around can help reduce the risk of developing hemeroids.
However, reserved for extreme cases of hemeroids, treating hemeroids through surgical procedures are required if above suggestion fails to alleviate your hemeroid condition.

Ligation: One way of treating hemeroids is making used of rubber bands. A rubber band is wrapped around hemeroids to cut off blood circulation to them. The hemeroids and the band will shrivel and fall off within days, but it may take a couple of weeks for the area to completely heal. This procedure however, is usually painful and may cause bleeding.

Sclerotherapy: A chemical solution is injected into the vein to shrink the hemeroids.

Coagulation: A laser is used to burn off or shrivel the hemeroid tissue.

Hemeroidectomy: Usually reserved for permanently prolapsed or protruding hemeroids, these are anal surgeries that are carried out under anesthesia and may require hospitalization afterward.

In conclusion, treating hemeroids is not just as easy as it is expected. In needs time and patience but if you are persistent enough treating hemeroids will not take too long to heal.
herb

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