Bowel movements are crucial to our health.  To facilitate the passing of stool, the anal passage is “padded” by veins which are called hemorrhoids or piles.  We normally do not even know these varicosities of veins are even there.   Hemorrhoids are grouped into two categories: internal and external.  Internal hemorrhoids are inside the anal passage and we are unable to see them or feel them, in their normal state.  External hemorrhoids line the anal opening, and also not normally apparent to us unless a pathology develops.  Both internal and external hemorrhoids help us in the daily process of defecating or passing stool.

Anything that impedes regular bowel movements will affect our health negatively, such as a hemorrhoidal pathology.  Our diet, and some other conditions, may cause problems with our digestion, and culminate in constipation or diarrhea.   These effects are the most common reason for irritated or swollen hemorrhoids, and for the resulting painful, and even injuring, passing of stool.  The symptoms of irritated hemorrhoids include itching, sensitivity, swelling in to lumps, and pain.  Untreated hemorrhoids lead to more serious symptoms, including bleeding, thrombosis, and blood clots, and should be properly diagnosed by a doctor.  Hemorrhoids are sometimes misdiagnosed due to the similarities in symptoms with fistulae, abscesses, fissures, rectal varices, polyps, tumors, and even cancer.

Hemorrhoids, like other veins, serve to transport blood and nutrients, but have fragile vascular walls.  When hemorrhoids become enflamed, the fragility increases, and hemorrhoids can both ruptured by themselves or be torn by passing stool during a bowel movement.  This will result in bleeding from the rectum or anus, which will be painless if the bleeding takes place in the anal cavity where there are no pain receptors, or painful if the ruptured hemorrhoid protrudes near or outside the anal opening.

Both men and women may suffer from inflamed hemorrhoids.  Some of the most common causes include digestive problems resulting in diarrhea or constipation, often caused by insufficient fiber in the diet, increased pressure on those veins such as from sitting for extended periods of time or from pregnancy, genetic factors, and aging.

The treatment of hemorrhoids ranges from lifestyle changes, particularly referring to diet, to surgery, only in those cases where dietary changes, home remedies, and topical creams are unsuccessful.

If you detect swelling or itching of the anal area, do not ignore it.  These may be signs that you are suffering from an external or prolapsed hemorrhoid pathology.  During the initial stages, treatment is simple and effective.  If you leave your symptoms untreated, they will only worsen and require more complex remedies.

A hemorrhoidal pathology can develop if your bowel movements are irregular, either because of constipation or diarrhea.  Symptoms such as swollen lumps around your anus and itching, are clear signs of inflamed external hemorrhoids.  In fact, if this is so, you may already have inflamed internal hemorrhoids, but you probably did not know this.  You would not feel any symptoms, because there are no pain receptors in the anal passage.  You would not see any signs if you only had mildly inflamed internal hemorrhoids.  Only bleeding during the passage of stool might alert you to a more advanced and serious internal hemorrhoidal pathology.   In more advanced stages, protruding internal hemorrhoids, called prolapsed hemorrhoids, would be visible outside the anal opening, pushed out by the passing stool during a bowel movement.

The immediate response is to treat the hemorrhoid symptoms with medication and gentle hygiene.  You must also make changes in your diet, to improve your digestion and the regularity of your bowel movements.  All irritants should be removed from your diet, including peppers, spices, caffeine, and alcohol.   Increase your intake of water as much as you can, both if you have diarrhea or constipation.  The former will dehydrate you.  The latter, constipation, is caused by hardened stool due to insufficient hydration, among other reasons.  Drinking more water will soften your stool.  If drinking more water does not help you solve an existing constipation situation, use a stool softener in either oral or suppository form.  To facility passing the stool, preventively and gently apply vaseline to the anal opening.

Lifestyle changes make a major difference in the recurrence of symptoms of hemorrhoid sufferers.  Activities to avoid include sitting for very extended periods while, for example, driving a vehicle or riding a bicycle.  Dietary changes which will help include increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and beans, and incrementing the water you drink to at least 8 glasses per day.

Some of the best natural remedies for hemorrhoids are quite simple.  Drinking much more water than you usually drink and increasing your intake of fiber are the two most long-term lifestyle changes you should consider.  If you maintain the regularity of your bowel movements, fending off constipation, you are well on your way to avoiding future hemorrhoid flare ups.

Flaxseed is often used to improve regularity, as are probiotics, in yoghurt and other milk products.  Psyllium husks and other fiber supplements which are dissolved in water help many people add consistency to their stool, particularly if the rest of their diet includes little, if any, fiber.  A well balanced, fiber-rich diet must include ample vegetables and fruits, and whole grains.

Once you are suffering inflamed hemorrhoid symptoms, you can get very fast relief by soaking in a shallow bath of cold or warm water.  If the bathtub is not convenient, there are sitz bath set which use less water and are portable.  Sitz baths refer to seated soaking of the lower pelvic region, for relief of hemorrhoids.  When you use cold water, this cools irritation and reduces swelling.  When the water used is warm, it helps relax the sphincter muscle, to take off the pressure on the veins around it.

Drinking herb teas promotes good digestion, both because you consume more water, and warm water at that, and also because many herbs can assist in the digestion process.  The most common herb teas include chamomile, lemongrass, and mint.  You can, additionally, make infusions with cinnamon, ginger, and other spices, if you wish to add more flavor.  Oregano infused in hot water is particularly good to help digestion.  Stay away from salt and very hot spices, as well as from other irritants like coffee, black tea and alcohol, and the frequency of your hemorrhoid flare ups will surely decrease.

Repeated and extensive strain on the lower pelvic area will often result in uneven blood flow to the vascular system there, including the hemorrhoid veins, both inside and outside the anus.  To regularize the blood flow, avoid such activities as sitting in the same position for very extensive periods of time, as does a long distance truck driver or biker, or lifting heavy weights using your lower pelvic muscles.

Many hemorrhoid sufferers do not get enough exercise, and, not surprisingly, many are over weight.  Losing weight will help prevent hemorrhoids.  The excess weight will no longer place so much pressure on the pelvic area.  Similarly, may women develop hemorrhoid problems during a pregnancy, again because the pelvic area is strained.  Once the excess weight is gone, either as a result of a diet or after the baby is born, the vascular irrigation to the pelvic area will regain its normal flow, and the muscles in the pelvic area will suffer less from the gravitational pull of heavy stomach fat.

Among the patterns which might need to be changed in order to prevent hemorrhoids, you should avoid sitting on the toilet for a long time, and, in fact, you should avoid being sedentary.  Even a short walk will help activate your digestive system and promote a bowel movement.  After a meal, sitting down is problematic.  Consider a stroll outdoors.  This will increase your metabolism, oxygenate your brain, and even raise your spirits.  The more passive and sedantary a person becomes, the slower all of the bodily functions run their natural cycle.

Another pattern to avoid is eating late at night, and eating large, heavy meals in one sitting.  This generates a large mass of stool which is hard for the body to process.  Try eating small meals many times a day, with a glass of water or herb tea by your side at all times.  Be warned that not all liquids hydrate.  Among the drink options which actually dehydrate and cause stool to harden, making bowel movements more difficult and painful, are caffeinated drinks such as coffee, black tea, power drinks and cola’s, as well as all alcoholic beverages.

Though medical research has not been conclusive, many people with nervous disorders report suffering from hemorrhoids.  What may explain this is the stress suffered by the sphincter muscles when a person is suffering from bouts of extreme nervousness.

Medical treatments for hemorrhoids are readily available in pharmacies.  These generally take the form of an ointment, often made with witch hazel as the active ingredient.  The ointment comes with an applicator, which is long and thin, and designed to apply the ointment to both the inside of the anal passage and the anus.  Follow the instructions carefully, and always apply medicated ointments to a clean and dry anal area.

The best way to clean the anal area after a bowel movement is to shower and wash the area with a hypoallergenic soap.  When a shower or bath is unavailable, clean the area gently with a medicated pad or wipe.  Avoid using dry toilet paper or a wash cloth.  This is particularly true if you have bleeding hemorrhoids or protruding or prolapsed hemorrhoids.  A popular home remedy to stop hemorrhoidal bleeding is to apply apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball by patting it onto the external anal area.  Even though you will feel a stinging sensation as you apply the vinegar, this will quickly subside.

Before your next bowel movement, make sure to reduce the possible damage and pain by applying vaseline or aloe vera gel to the anus and the anal passage.  This will help you pass stool more easily.  Try to keep the anal area protected with vaseline, aloe, or another soothing balm at all times.  Dryness will only extend the healing time.

Now that you have addressed the symptoms and taken precautions, you must make sure to regularize your digestion and soften your stool so your condition does not worsen.  If you fail to overcome a state of constipation, you risk passing hard stool very painfully, and probably rupturing your inflamed hemorrhoids, which will result in bleeding.  A common additional effect results in prolapsed hemorrhoids: internal hemorrhoids are pushed out through the anus by passing stool, exposing them and possibly causing them to bleed as well.  In some cases, prolapsed hemorrhoids can be reinserted manually into the anal passage, where they will cause less pain, but not in all cases.  A doctor should be consulted when any anal bleeding occurs.

In all cases, hemorrhoid pathologies should not be left untreated, and you should correct your dietary habits to avoid future inflammations.

The most common topical treatments used for hemorrhoids are creams, ointments, and gels which help reduce the swelling and soothe the itching sensation.   These come in the form of ointments, medicated pads and suppositories.  Some ointment tubes come with applicators which permit introducing the ointment into the anal cavity, to help treat and reduce the swelling and damage to internal hemorrhoids.  When using any of these products, make sure the anal area is clean and dry.  You can do this by washing carefully with water and neutral soap which has no perfumes or additives, and by patting the area dry with soft tissue or cotton wool.  Alternatively, use medicated wipes designed to be used for hemorrhoidal symptoms, or non-medicated wipes designed for intimate cleansing which do not contain perfumes but which do contain aloe or other soothing elements.  Baby wipes may be a good option.

Simple home remedies in the form of home-made topical creams have been used by many people in many cultures, for hundreds of years.  These recipes include ingredients such as aloe, vaseline, witch hazel, shea butter, aquaphor, and zinc oxide.

These balms and creams are normally applied to the protruding hemorrhoids as well as the internal hemorrhoids after every bowel movement, once the anal area is clean.  You may additionally help the healing process by applying vaseline inside and around the anal opening before a bowel movement.

The simplest home remedy for hemorrhoids involves soaking the anal area in water, several times a day.   This is called a sitz bath, implying a sitting bath, from the German ‘Sitzbad’.  You may use your tub for this purpose, with a shallow amount of cold or warm water, or you can use a portable, plastic sitz bath set, which fits conveniently over the toilet bowl.  There are variations of these products including inflatable models and disposable ones.

Try some of these simple home remedies for hemorrhoids because, in most cases, they solve the problem without you having to face admitting this problem to others.