An Overview Of Hemorrhoids
If you have ever experienced bleeding after your business in the toilet or felt itchy, painful or irritated down there, chances are high that you are suffering from hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids may or may not be painful, but they are persistent, embarrassing, irritating and can interfere with normal life in many ways. In some cases, they may even indicate larger problems like cancer. That is why it is important to treat hemorrhoids as early as possible.
What are hemorrhoids (hemroids)?
The anal canal, as you know, is a large tube-like structure containing lots of veins. In some people, these veins become enlarged, leading to hemorrhoids or ‘piles’.
Hemorrhoids are of two types:
- Internal hemorrhoids (when the enlarged veins occur inside and cannot be seen or felt outside the body until they start bleeding)
- External hemorrhoids (when the enlarged veins occur in and around the anal opening and slip outside the anus to form a soft pouch)
Now that you know what hemorrhoids are, how do you know if you have them?
Common hemorrhoids symptoms are bleeding, streaks of blood or mucus on the toilet paper, itching or pain in the rectum. Externally, you might find a soft or hard lump that refuses to go away, feels tender and bleeds when you pass your stools or even when you sit down for long periods of time.
Internal hemorrhoids are insidious because you won’t know of their presence until you happen to see blood in the toilet bowl or red streaks on the surface of the stool.
What are the causes of hemorrhoids?
Anything that puts pressure on the rectum and anus can cause hemorrhoids. So, standing up for long periods of time, lifting weights, constipation, diarrhea, obesity and poor bowel habits can directly lead to hemorrhoids. In women, pregnancy is one of the leading causes of hemorrhoids. Even medical conditions like prolonged heart or liver diseases may lead to the enlargement of veins in the anal area. That said, some patients develop hemorrhoids even in the absence of any of these contributory factors. Heredity plays an important role.
What are the complications associated with hemorrhoids?
Discomfort and inconvenience caused by pain, itching, irritation and bleeding are the biggest problems. In acute cases, blood clots lead to thrombosis and pain. Rarely, patients may lose so much blood that they experience weakness or dizziness, in which case they must go to the hospital immediately.
What treatments are available for hemorrhoids?
Mild symptoms may disappear with simple diet changes.
In pregnant women, symptoms may disappear a little after the birth.
However, in cases where bleeding occurs, hemorrhoids are usually treated by a doctor. Topical creams and hot tub baths (Sitz bath) may reduce pain and speed up healing. Common fixative treatments include rubber band ligation, laser and heat treatments.
In severe cases, patients undergo surgery to remove the hemorrhoids. Of course, this is expensive and painful, and requires long recovery time.
Conventional treatment methods like the above treat the hemorrhoids, which are an external symptom, but they do not deal with the factors that lead to hemorrhoids. That is why most people who undergo conventional treatment find their hemorrhoids returning after a while.
Fortunately, a special type of Chinese herbs helps patients boost their digestion and achieve relief from hemorrhoids, instantly. Combined with a healthy lifestyle and proper food habits, this treatment method has given thousands of people freedom from gels, pills, ointments and hot baths almost instantly. Even those on the brink of surgery benefit greatly from this effective treatment method.
If you have been struggling with hemorrhoids, don’t lose hope. You too can free yourself from the pain, discomfort and embarrassment of hemorrhoids and live a full, healthy, stress-free life.
