What are Hemorrhoids?

When someone has a hemorrhoid problem, they are going to be very uncomfortable and will have to do something in order to take care of this annoyance.  Having hemorrhoids means that a person has a condition in which the veins around the anus or lower rectum are swollen and inflamed.  This may result in the straining to move bowels.  The most common people to get hemorrhoids are pregnant women, people that are aging, chronic constipation or diarrhea and anal intercourse.

Hemorrhoids are either inside the anus or under the skin around the anus.  This means that they are usually internal or external.  There are creams and medications for the external problems; however, the internal hemorrhoids may result in surgery or other procedures to remove them.

Many of these hemorrhoid problems will mean that any person with them will have pain or itching in that area.  Hemorrhoids are usually not dangerous or life threatening.  In most cases, the symptoms will go away in a few days.  Although many people with them will not experience any symptoms at all.  The most common symptom of internal hemorrhoids is bright red blood covering the stool, on toilet paper, or in the toilet itself.

An internal hemorrhoid may protrude through the anus outside the body and this is what will become painful.  This is called non other than a protruding hemorrhoid.   Symptoms of the external hemorrhoids may be painful as well.  This will also include swelling or a hard surface around the anus that results when a blot clot forms.

It is normal to have a hemorrhoid problem.  They are very common in both men and women.  So many pregnant women have to deal with the pain of hemorrhoids along with everything else that they have to go through while pregnant.  Others will have hemorrhoids by the age of fifty.

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There are many treatments of hemorrhoids and the symptoms that they cause.  Sitting in a warm bath a few times a day will help to relive pain.  There are also a lot of creams available both over the counter and by prescription that can help to heal and ease the pain of the hemorrhoids.

In extreme cases, it may be determined by a doctor that a person must have surgery to remove the hemorrhoids.  This is to help those that have severe bleeding or anemia and cannot take the loss of blood.  This will eliminate the problems of the hemorrhoids so that the person can live a happier and healthier lifestyle.

 

 

To prevent hemorrhoids, many people with constipation should relive the pressure of straining.  You should have lots of fiber and fruits in your diet and drink plenty of water.  This will help to soften the stool and will not cause so much strain.  A stool softener may also be necessary to fix this type of problem.


Hemorrhoid Facts And Treatments

In the medical world a hemorrhoid is described as an enlarged or swollen vein. Hemorrhoids are somewhat similar to varicose veins that develop in the legs, except that hemorrhoids are veins located in the anus. These veins cushion and protect the anal canal. Pain and problems occur when these veins are stretched and tear under pressure.

Hemorrhoids are a very common medical problem seen in both men and women, usually over the age of 30, with most suffering from hemorrhoids between the ages of 45 and 65 years old. It is estimated that more than a half million people seek treatment for symptomatic hemorrhoids each year in the United States. Of this half million hemorrhoid suffers, 10 to 20 percent will need surgical treatment.

Most medical professionals blame the formation of hemorrhoids on prolonged sitting on the toilet and chronic straining due to constipation. Hemorrhoids are also very common during pregnancy, due to the strain from carrying the excess weight of the baby.

You may suffer from internal or external hemorrhoids. Generally internal hemorrhoids, which are located higher up in the anus are not painful, but you will notice bleeding. Hemorrhoids will bleed bright red blood due to their abundance of arterial blood, which is different from the dark blood in your venous system. At times a hemorrhoid will protrude from the anal canal. Usually these hemorrhoids, which are called prolapsed, can be gently pushed back inside. If not, a consultation with a specialist is necessary.

External hemorrhoids are those that are itchy and painful and really uncomfortable. If you experience external hemorrhoids you will see bright red blood on the toilet paper, or in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement.

There are ways to relieve the discomfort of hemorrhoids. A sitz bath can help to relieve the discomfort of hemorrhoids. It is suggested that you sit in a tub of warm water for fifteen minutes several times a day. When you wipe, instead of toilet paper use pads soaked with witch hazel. You can buy these pads at any drug store. Application of any of the numerous over-the-counter hemorrhoid preparations will help to relieve the discomfort and itching.

Prolonged periods of either standing, or sitting can aggravate hemorrhoids. Straining when you have a bowel movement is one of the chief causes of them, and will definitely make them worse and much more painful. Don't do it. The cause of constipation may be not enough fiber in your diet. Take a fiber supplement.

Any rectal bleeding of any kind should be checked by your physician.


Baby Hemorrhoids

Baby hemorrhoids are a common thing and one of the many uncomfortable symptoms of pregnancy. These are not hemorrhoids on the baby, but hemorrhoids that the mother to be gets during the 10 months of pregnancy. Even the woman who has never gotten hemorrhoids in the past can experience them during pregnancy, so it's best to be forewarned.

Why do hemorrhoids occur so frequently in pregnant women? Hemorrhoids are caused by undue pressure on the veins in your rectum and intestines below the level of your uterus. When you are pregnant, the growing baby increases the pressure on those veins and arteries. This can cause hemorrhoids and clotting as well as varicose vein and other pressure related problems.

Constipation is another problem common to pregnancy and also a leading cause of hemorrhoids. Should hemorrhoids be caused by the pressure of the baby in the uterus, then constipation can aggravate the situation, inflaming hemorrhoids and possibly causing them to rupture and bleed. It is the straining during constipation that causes the anal canal to push out hemorrhoids instead of the bowel movement – or both.

Another reason why pregnant women often end up with hemorrhoids is the same reason why they exhibit wild mood swings and nausea – hormones. The increased progesterone during pregnancy causes a breakdown in the protection mechanism in veins that usually slow or stop swelling. The walls relax and there's nothing to stop the swelling. Progesterone also contributes to constipation, which as shown above, causes hemorrhoids and makes existing hemorrhoids even worse.

Hemorrhoids during pregnancy are par for the course. There is no need to call your doctor unless you are bleeding. Do check in before using steroid treatments and over the counter medications. Try a sitz bath instead or a poultice.


Are Hemorrhoids Treatable?

Hemorrhoids are described as a condition in which an itching or painful mass of dilated veins in swollen anal tissue occurs. Hemorrhoids or piles are the medical terms used for the condition of varicosity or swelling and inflammation of veins in the rectum and anus.

External hemorrhoids and internal hemorrhoids are the two most common types of hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids Treatment

Hemorrhoids are very much treatable. They can be treated by natural ways and medical treatment. Severe hemorrhoids can only be treated by surgery.

The following are some tips to get temporary or instant hemorrhoid relief.

• A warm sitz bath using a bidet, extendable showerhead, cold compress, or topical analgesic like Preparation H, can provide temporary hemorrhoid relief.

• A sufferer should keep the area clean and dry using hemorrhoids creams or suppositories.

Hemorrhoids Treatment through Natural Ways

The following are some natural ways of hemorrhoids treatment:

• Controlling constipation and diarrhea.
• Drinking large amounts of water and eating fiber-rich bulking agents such as plantain and psyllium to help create a soft stool that is easy to pass to lessen the irritation of existing hemorrhoids.
• Taking herbs and dietary supplements such as butcher's broom, horse chestnut, bromelain, and Japanese pagoda tree extracts to strengthen rectal vein walls. Recent studies have supported natural botanicals such as Butchers Broom, Horse Chestnut, and bioflavonoids as an effective hemorrhoid treatment.
• Topical application of natural astringents and soothing agents, such as Witch Hazel (astringent), Cranesbill and Aloe Vera.
• Reducing rectal pressure and improving postures; using the squatting position for bowel movements.

Medical Hemorrhoid Treatments

Chronic or severe cases require medical hemorrhoids treatments. The following are some standard medical hemorrhoids treatments.

• Hemorrhoidolysis/Galvanic Electrotherapy is a painless and highly effective hemorrhoids treatment. It includes the desiccation of the hemorrhoid by electrical current.
• Dilation is the treatment comprising of stretching of the anal sphincter muscle, but has side effects.
• In Rubber band ligation therapy, elastic bands are applied onto an internal hemorrhoid to cut off its blood supply. Within several weeks, the withered hemorrhoid is sloughed off during normal bowel movement.
• In Sclerotherapy or injection therapy, sclerosant or hardening agent is injected into hemorrhoids. It causes the vein walls to collapse and the hemorrhoids to shrivel up.
• In Cryosurgery treatment, a frozen tip of a cryoprobe is used to destroy hemorrhoidal tissues.
• In Laser, infared or BICAP coagulation treatment, laser, infrared beam, or electricity is used to cauterize the affected tissues.
• Hemorrhoidectomy is a surgical procedure to excise and remove hemorrhoids.

Surgery is the only treatment option for very severe cases, like prolapsed, thrombosed, or strangulated hemorrhoids.


Basic Causes of Hemorrhoids

Typically, most cases of hemorrhoids start with poor diet. In particular, lack of dietary fiber can easily cause unnecessary straining during bowel movements. If you have a tendency to be constipated, you will be well served by avoiding foods that cause this problem. This includes foods high in acid content, as well as processed foods. You should also make it a point to use fiber supplements in order to improve stool size.


Many people that develop chronic hemroids lead sedentary lives. There is no question that a lack of exercise weakens abdominal muscles, as well as intestinal ones. Under these circumstances, you will always wind up straining when you try to move your bowels.


Unfortunately, many women that are pregnant have an increased risk. As the baby grows, pressure will continue to build up on the intestines and rectum. Once the baby is born, the piles tend to go away. That said, if you do develop hemroids during pregnancy, you should be careful about your diet and exercise levels in order to make sure the veins heal completely.


Interestingly enough, piles can run in families. As with other medical conditions, you are more likely to develop hemroids if close relatives have them. Without a question, if your siblings get hemroids, you should make it a point to change your diet, and do everything possible to make sure that genetic predispositions don't create the same problems for you.


What are the symptoms of hemorrhoids?

Under normal conditions, veins in the rectum act like pillows that prevent diarrhea or gas from exiting the rectum involuntarily. If the veins become swollen or infected, they are often referred to as piles. When the veins get too large, they can obstruct feces, as well as cause a great deal of pain. In many cases, chronic constipation is the leading cause.

Many people notice bright red rectal bleeding after a bowel movement. In some cases, they may also feel the hemroid shift in position from inside the rectum to an external site. Other people notice an unpleasant level of pressure, as well as rectal secretions that stain the underwear.


The normal physiological expansion that occurs in the rectum is approximately 3-4 cm. Unfortunately, hemroids tend to become more common as musculoskeletal tissue and elastic fibers degenerate with age. In many cases, people experience their first bout of hemorhoids while in their 30's. As piles continue to develop, they will eventually erode the rectal surface. It is important to realize that internal hemroids can shift and move to block the rectal opening. Once piles shift in this way, or prolapse, they will usually require surgical repair.