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.
Showing posts with label causes of hemeroid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label causes of hemeroid. Show all posts

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

Treatment For Hemeroids

Sunday, March 15, 2009

treatment for hemeroids picTreatments for hemeroids are mostly very effective. If your hemeroids still a problem after one to two weeks talk to your doctor for possible treatment for hemeroids.

For many, hemeroids are an enormous embarrassment. But they really needn't be. Hemeroids are among the most common of all health ailments, striking an estimated eight out of ten of us throughout our lifetimes. Even Napolean suffered hemeroids. It is said that the distracting pain of the emperor's hemeroids contributed to his crushing defeat at Waterloo. But hemeroids don't have to be your Waterloo. Much like varicose veins, these swollen veins in the anus are partially hereditary, but they can also be caused by—and be remedied by—such things as diet and toilet habits.

Hemeroids are lumps or masses of tissue in the anus, which contain enlarged blood vessels. Hemeroids may be inside the anal canal (internal hemeroids), where they primarily cause the symptom of intermittent bleeding, usually with bowel movements. They may also lie just outside the anal canal (external hemeroids), where they primarily cause symptoms of swelling and sometimes discomfort. Swelling and discomfort may occur intermittently, when the hemeroids become especially irritated.

Listed below are some of suggestions while your treating your hemeroids.
  • Strive for soft and easy bowel movements. The most effective strategy against hemeroids is to go right to the source of the problem. More often than not, on top of every rear end with hemeroids sits a person grunting and groaning. If it's news to you that passing one's stools is not supposed to be a long and arduous affair, you've likely got hemeroids. Huffing and puffing on the toilet provides just the kind of strain needed to engorge and swell the veins in your rectum. Hard stools then make matters worse by scraping the already troubled area. Solution? Drink lots of fluids, eat lots of fiber, and refer often to the following hemeroid remedies.
  • Oil your inner workings. Once you've increased the fiber and fluids in your diet, your stool should become softer and pass with less effort. You may help your bowels to move even more smoothly by lubricating your anus with a dab of petroleum jelly. Using a cotton swab or your finger, apply the jelly about 1/2 inch into the rectum thus avoiding your hemeroids for further irritation.
  • Clean yourself tenderly. Your responsibility to your hemeroids shouldn't end when you're through moving your bowels. It's extremely important to clean yourself properly and gently. Toilet paper can be scratchy, and some types contain chemical irritants. Purchase only nonperfumed, noncolored (white) toilet paper, and dampen it under the faucet before each wipe.
  • Elect a kinder, gentler toilet paper. If you've never heard of lubricated toilet paper, that's because it isn't sold yet. But you can find facial tissues coated with moisturizing cream—and these offer the most hemeroid-friendly backside wipe on the market.
  • Don't scratch. Hemeroids can itch, and scratching can make them feel better. But don't give in to the urge to scratch. "You can damage the walls of these delicate veins," and make matters much worse for yourself.
  • Don't lift heavy objects. Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise can act much like straining on the toilet. If you're prone to hemeroids, get a friend to help or hire someone to help you move heavy object thus avoiding too much pressure while lifting.
  • Go soak yourself. The sitz bath—sitting with your knees raised in 3 or 4 inches of warm water in a bathtub—is a remedy that still tops the list of most experts as a way to deal with hemeroids. The warm water helps to kill the pain while increasing the flow of blood to the area, which can help shrink the swollen veins.
  • Apply a hemeroid medication. There are many hemeroid creams and suppositories on the market, and while they generally will not make your problem disappear (contrary to what the ads may say), most are designed as local painkillers and can relieve some of the discomfort brought by your hemeroids.
  • Choose a cream. Choose a hemeroid cream over a suppository. Suppositories are "absolutely useless," for external hemeroids, and even for internal hemeroids, suppositories tend to float too far up the rectum to do much good. So prefer hemeroid cream as treatment for hemeroids for better result.
  • Work wonders with witch hazel. A dab of witch hazel applied to the rectum with a cotton ball is one of the very best treatment for hemeroids available for external hemeroids, especially if there's bleeding, "Barbers use witch hazel when they cut you—because it causes the blood vessels to shrink down and contract," so as to your hemeroids. While anything cold, even water, can help kill the pain of hemeroids, give your hemeroids a special treat by putting a bottle of witch hazel into a bucket of ice, just as you would a champagne bottle. Then take a cotton ball, soak it in the witch hazel and apply it against your hemeroids until it's no longer cold, then repeat such procedure.
  • Watch your weight. Because they have more pressure on the lower extremities, overweight people tend to have more problems with hemeroids just as they do with varicose veins so better watch your weight to avoid such formation of hemeroids.
  • Control your salt intake. Sure, you like your french fries covered with salt, but it can make your hemeroids worse. Excess salt retains fluids in the circulatory system that can cause bulging of the veins in the anus and elsewhere so try to control your salt intake while your on your process of treating your hemeroids.
  • Avoid certain foods and drinks. Some foods, while they won't make your hemeroids worse, can contribute to your anal misery by creating further itching as they pass through the bowels. Watch out for excessive coffee, strong spices, beer, and cola.
  • Pregnant? Take the pressure off. Pregnant women are particularly prone to hemeroids, in part because the uterus sits directly on the blood vessels that drain the hemeroidal veins. A special hemeroid remedy if you are pregnant is to lie on your left side for about 20 minutes every 4 to 6 hours, says Dr. Townsend. By doing so, you decrease pressure on the main vein draining the lower half of the body.
  • Give it a little shove. Sometimes the word hemeroid refers not to a swollen vein but to a downward displacement of the anal canal lining. If you have such a protruding hemeroid, try shoving it back into the anal canal. Hemeroids left hanging are prime candidates to develop into clots.
  • Sit on a doughnut. We're talking about a doughnut-shaped cushion, here. They are available in pharmacies and medical supply stores and can be useful to hemeroid sufferers who do a lot of sitting.
  • Try the ClenZone. This can also be use as one way of treatment for hemeroids. This little appliance attaches to your toilet seat and squirts a thin stream of water into your rectum after every bowel movement. It gets you superclean and serves as a soothing mini-sitz bath at the same time.
Although in many cases treatment for hemeroids involves steps that you can take on your own. But sometimes medications or surgical procedures are necessary. To illustrate more, cited below are some treatment for hemeroids you can choose if above hemeroid suggestion fail to give you relief. Also if a blood clot has formed within an external hemeroid, your doctor can easily remove the clot with a simple incision, which may provide prompt hemeroid relief. But for persistent bleeding or painful hemeroids, your doctor may recommend treatment for hemeroids as follows:
  • Banding hemeroids. Your doctor places one or two tiny rubber bands around the base of an internal hemeroid to cut off its circulation and the hemeroid falls off. This simple procedure — called rubber band ligation — is done in the doctor's office and is effective for many people as their treatment for hemeroids.
  • Sclerotherapy. A chemical solution is injected around the blood vessel to shrink the hemeroid.
  • Infrared light. A 1- or 2-second burst of infrared light can cut off circulation to small, bleeding, internal hemeroids.
  • Surgery. If other treatment for hemeroids haven't been successful or if you already have large hemeroids, your doctor can remove tissue in a procedure called hemeroidectomy. The surgery is done with either local anesthetic combined with sedation, a spinal anesthetic, or general anesthetic. It's usually done as an outpatient or overnight hospital stay. While you may experience discomfort after the hemeroid surgical procedure, medications can be used to relieve your pain. Soaking in a warm bath can also ease your discomfort. While some newer surgical techniques may decrease the amount of pain that some people experience.
So stop worrying, sit yourself down on a comfortable pillow, and try the above treatment for hemeroids suggestions which best suited for your condition.


Cure For Hemeroids

Friday, March 13, 2009

cure for hemeroids picFinding an effective cure for hemeroids has been the quest of health professionals, both medical practitioners and alternative treatment experts. Both categories of healers have worked out hemeroid cures to provide hemeroid patients relief from painful symptoms of hemeroids. Topical medications manufactured by pharmacies relieve hemeroids symptoms temporarily while surgery is performed as a long-term cure for hemeroids, particularly in severe cases of hemeroids. Alternative cure for hemeroid, on the other hand, work by using natural products for keeping control of condition. This approach does not carry the health risks associated with surgery or adverse effects of prescribed medicines. However, natural cures for hemeroids are more of an on-going strategy than instant relief from hemeroids. A natural cure for hemeroid is commendable on account of its health benefits and also because it is mostly painless and free of serious side effects.

Hemeroid are a swelling of blood vessels in the rectal area that rarely go away without any cure for hemeroid. This condition can affect their activities so it is imperative that those suffering from this condition look for a cure for hemeroid. Statistics suggest that as many as half the population has hemeroid. Some of these people get hemeroid because they sit for long periods of time. Some of these people cannot avoid this because they have to sit to get their job done. Other people sit to watch television. These people might be able to get a cure for hemeroid by getting up and doing some exercise. The people at work might try to get up whenever possible. Straining can produce hemeroid so for people with this habit, they might have a cure for hemeroid by changing the way they go to the bathroom.

Painful hemorrhoid flare-ups can be a persistent problem, especially if you suffer from repeated episodes of constipation. Flare-ups are usually brief, and most symptoms disappear within a few days. In pregnant women, hemeroid are often a temporary problem that either improves dramatically or disappears after childbirth.

People troubled by hemeroid should discuss this condition with the pharmacist if they want to get a cure for hemeroid that they can administer themselves. There are some hemorrhoid treatments available without a prescription from a medical doctor. Some of these cures for hemeroid are still medicines so people should discuss these with the pharmacists to make sure that the given cure for hemeroid is best suited for their condition. And take note that the size of the hemeroid could make a difference in the effectiveness of the treatments. Pharmacists mostly know their customers who give them good and bad feedback on different hemorrhoid treatments. So better discuss with them so as they can give you exact and appropriate cure for hemeroid. These can be the followings:

Home Remedies

Admit it or not, home remedies for hemeroids have been found a useful hemeroid cure by a large number of people. Some of the frequently appreciated remedies for hemeroid relief include the use of Horse Chestnut, Hyssops, Flavonoids, hydroxyethylrutosides, and rutin. These natural herbs are available in usable form at most health stores. Also effective against hemroids of various types are naturally occurring essential oils. More popular of these essential oils include Pelargonium, Cypress oil, Italian cypress, and Niaouli. The extract of Japanese Pagoda tree is also recognized as a promising cure for hemeroids.

Fruits

Fruits are another cure for hemeroid. They are rich in fiber and, along with vegetables, make the healthiest diet for everyone, especially for hemeroid patients. Fruits facilitate the process of digestion, preventing constipation and thus making possible soft bowel movement. This prevents any increase in pressure on the rectal veins – the root cause of hemeroid. Also, the antioxidants in fruits (and vegetables) make the veins strong and resistant to swelling. While all commonly used fruits are health-friendly, hemeroid patients should particularly make use of blackberries, plums, raisins, cherries, red grapes, and prunes. The dark colored varieties of any/all of these fruits are better recommended as cure for hemeroids.

Vitamins

Many vitamins have antioxidant properties and they work as cures for hemeroids by giving strength to the body tissues and blood vessels contained in them. Vitamins that are especially useful against hemeroids include Vitamin C, Vitamin B, and vitamin A. Recommended to be taken two to three times daily, these vitamins may be obtained from vegetables and fruits or they may be obtained from special nutritional supplements available at health stores and supermarkets. It is important, however, to consult one’s physician before using any hemeroid cures in order to get information on the right dosage and other instructions. There is not a single recommended dosage for all patients; rather the dosage varies from person to person.

Fixative procedures

The goal of nonsurgical procedures, called fixative procedures use as cure for hemeroid, is to reduce the blood supply to the hemorrhoid so it shrinks or goes away. The scar tissue left in its place helps support the anal tissue and helps prevent more hemeroid from developing.
Fixative procedures include tying off the hemeroid with a rubber band (rubber band ligation) or injecting chemicals to shrink the tissue (injection sclerotherapy). One other fixative procedure uses heat, laser, or electric current to create scar tissue (coagulation therapy).

Hemeroid Surgery

While different non-surgical treatment options are available for treating the less severe cases of hemeroid, hemeroid surgery is necessarily performed for providing long-term relief from severe hemeroids, particularly those involving a significant degree of prolapse (emergence or hanging of hemeroidal tissue out of the anal canal).

Following are the important types of hemeroid surgery currently available for treating severe hemeroids.

Milligan-Morgan Surgical Method

This technique of hemeroid surgery was developed in Britain in the 1930s by Dr. Milligan and Dr. Morgan and it remains the most popular type of surgery for hemeroids to date. The surgery is performed to excise three main hemeroidal vessels. Three incisions, resembling a pear in their outline, are made and left open, separated from one another by gaps comprising skin and mucous membrane. Milligan-Morgan surgery for external and internal hemroids is considered the standard surgical procedure for treating severe hemeroids.

Ferguson Surgical Method

Named after its originator Dr. Ferguson (1952), this technique is a modified form of the Milligan-Morgan hemeroids surgery, the main difference being that in the Ferguson technique, the surgical incisions are closed (partly or completely) either by suturing or through coagulation by means of a surgical device. One of the main drawbacks of the Ferguson technique is the high rate of suture breakage which prolongs the time required for healing of the surgical wounds.

Procedure for Prolapse and Hemroids (PPH)

A comparatively recent type of hemorrhoid surgery for all hemroids including bleeding hemroids is the procedure for Prolapse and Hemeroids, or PPH. Also known as Stapled Hemeroidictomy, PPH works by reducing the prolapse of hemeroid tissues through the excision of a band of prolapsed tissue while the remaining part of the tissue is stapled. PPH has proven a less painful type of hemeroid surgery and most of the patients resume normal life activities quickly than in cases of other hemeroid surgeries. However, PPH runs a higher risk of causing damage to the rectal wall muscles. Also, PPH has been associated with a higher risk of recurrence and prolapse than other types of hemeroid surgery.

Laser Hemroid Surgery

Lately, laser surgery for hemeroids has been performed with appreciable accuracy. Hemeroid surgery with laser is performed by a skilled laser surgeon who vaporizes or excises the unwanted, diseased hemeroid tissue. Hemeroid surgery with laser has several advantages over other surgical treatments for hemroids. Laser hemeroid surgery takes less time; is less painful; allows quick healing of the surgical wounds; and does not require many healing medications for hemeroid. Laser surgery may be used alone or in combination with other surgical procedures. As with any surgical procedure, plan well in advance, and take the proper steps to recover from hemeroid surgery.

Prevention

But you often can prevent hemeroid by preventing episodes of constipation. Some of the following diet and lifestyle changes may help you to soften your stool, establish a regular schedule for bowel movements and avoid the straining that can lead to hemeroid:

  • Add more fiber to your diet. Set a goal of 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily, from such high fiber foods as beans, broccoli, carrots, bran, whole grains and fresh fruits. To avoid bloating and gas, add these foods gradually over a period of several days. With these, you can avoid possibility of formation of hemeroid.
  • Drink adequate amounts of fluid. For most healthy adults, this is the equivalent of 6 to 8 glasses of water daily.
  • Begin a program of regular exercise. As little as 20 minutes of brisk walking daily can stimulate your bowel to move regularly.
  • Train your digestive tract to have regular bowel movements. Schedule a time to sit on the toilet at approximately the same time each day. The best time to do this is usually right after a meal. Do not sit on the toilet for long periods (it tends to make hemeroid push out and swell up) as this is also one cause of hemeroid.
  • Respond immediately to the urge to have a bowel movement. Do not postpone until the time is more convenient.
Mention above are the most common ways to cure for hemeroids and all you need to do is to choose which cure is best suited for your hemeroid condition.