HEMORRHOIDS – PILES, FISSURES

HEMORRHOIDS – PILES, FISSURES

Hemorrhoids are swollen and inflamed veins around the anus  or in the lower rectum. The rectum is the last part of the large  intestine leading to the anus. The anus is the opening at the end  of the digestive tract where bowel contents leave the body.

Hemorrhoids are very common, especially during pregnancy and after childbirth. They result from increased pressure in the veins of the anus. The pressure causes the veins to swell, making them painful, particularly when you are sitting. External hemorrhoids are located under the skin around the anus. Internal hemorrhoids develop in the lower rectum. Internal hemorrhoids may protrude, or prolapse, through the anus. Most prolapsed hemorrhoids shrink back inside the rectum on their own. Severely prolapsed hemorrhoids may protrude permanently and require treatment. Hemorrhoids are not dangerous or life threatening. Symptoms usually go away within a few days, and some people with hemorrhoids never have symptoms.

Types of Hemorrhoids:

A. External hemorrhoids –

– occur outside of anal verge (distal end of anal canal)

– sometimes painful.

– Swelling and irritation present.

– Itching present.

– Prone to thrombosis, if the veins rupture a blood clot is formed these are called Thrombosed hemorrhoids. Thrombosed external hemorrhoids cause bleeding, painful swelling, or a hard lump around the anus. When the blood clot dissolves, extra skin is left behind. This skin can become irritated or itch.

B. Internal hemorrhoids –

– Occur inside the rectum.

– Not painful.

– The most common symptom of internal hemorrhoids is bright red blood on stool, on toilet paper, or in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement.

C. Prolapsed hemorrhoids –

– Internal hemorrhoids that are much distended and pushed outside anus. Prolapsed  hemorrhoids often cause pain, discomfort, and anal itching.

D. Strangulated hemorrhoids –

– If anal sphincter muscle goes into spasm and traps a prolapsed hemorrhoid outside the anal opening and supply of blood is cut.                              

Gradation of hemorrhoids– For convenience in describing the severity of internal hemorrhoids, many physicians use a grading system

Grade I – hemorrhoids project into the anal canal and often bleed but do not prolapse.

Grade II – hemorrhoids may protrude beyond the anal verge with straining or defecating but reduce spontaneously when straining ceases.

Grade III – hemorrhoids protrude spontaneously or with straining and require manual reduction.

Grade IV – hemorrhoids chronically prolapsed and cannot be reduced. They usually contain both internal and external components and may present malignancy.

CAUSES

– Straining during bowel movements

– Constipation

– Sitting for long periods of time

– Anal infections

– Certain diseases, such as liver cirrhosis

– Low fibre diet

– Anal sex without proper use of lubricants stresses anus.

– Obesity.

– Sedentary life style.

– Pregnancy causes hypertension and increases strain during bowel movements.

– Increased use of alcohol and caffeine.

– Familial tendency.

– Aging – weakened support structures

Symptoms:

– Anal itching

– Burning

– Anal ache or pain, especially while sitting

– Bright red blood on toilet tissue, stool, or in the toilet bowl

– Pain during bowel movements

– One or more hard tender lumps near the anus

Preventive measure

Proper Cleaning & Wiping Technique Avoid rubbing with toilet paper. This aggravates the hemorrhoids and irritates the skin. Whenever possible, clean the area in a bath or a shower without using soap (soap is an  irritant). Plain water or natural cleansing products are usually OK. Be sure to rinse the area well. Then gently dry the area by blotting it with a towel, or use a blow dryer set to light warm or cool.

Proper Way to Experience a Bowel Movement Use the toilet whenever you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, even if it is several times throughout the day. Try to go as soon as you feel the urge to go; if you delay this urge by more than a few minutes, you might get a reflex constipation and loose the urge to go again for several hours.

Prolonged sitting or excessive straining while on the toilet, allows the hemorrhoidal venous cushions to expand unnecessarily, causing hemorrhoid disease to develop or worsen. Avoid excessive straining with any bowel movement. A gentle pressure or straining of the abdominal and pelvic muscles is OK, but not for more than 30-consecutive seconds.  Limit your time on the toilet from 3-5 minutes for any one sitting; if you have not completed an entire bowel movement, that’s OK; get off the toilet, walk around for a bit, and wait for the urge to have a bowel movement return. Don’t read, watch TV, talk on the phone, or play video games while sitting on the toilet, or else you might extend your time sitting on the toilet by more than a few minutes.

Ice Packs Acutely inflamed hemorrhoids respond well to icing the area. Apply an ice pack to the anal area on and off for 10-15 minutes, 5-times a day. Usually, Ice in a small zip lock bag works well. For the application of ice internally, try freezing some water in commercially available ice-pop molds.

Keep the Anus Dry A moist anal area is prone to irritation and infection of the skin. Sprinkle the anus with cornstarch or baby powder to absorb any moisture. A large cotton fluff, torn from a commercially available “roll of cotton,” should be placed between the buttocks to absorb excessive moisture. A physician should evaluate excessive moisture, especially if it is tinged with blood.

Sitz Bath A “sitz bath” is a bath in which the hips and buttocks are immersed in warm water for the therapeutic effect of moist heat in the perineal and anal regions. It is one of the best treatments a person can use to get relief from hemorrhoids. Nothing should be added to the water while soaking. Fill up your bathtub with warm water and sit in it for 10-15 minutes as often as you want for relief. Hot water is not recommended and may injure the tissues that you want to heal.

Diet

The most important aspect of hemorrhoids preventionis proper diet. The mantra of a good hemorrhoids diet is to include a lot of fibers in your meals. Fibers aid in digestion and in keeping constipation away.

Constipation, as you may know, is one of the biggest causes of hemorrhoids. Having a high fiber diet makes your stool soft and it can pass through the anal passage easily and without strain and force.

When you begin to add fiber to your diet, you should do it slowly and gradually, over a few weeks. It would not be a good idea to make drastic changes in your diet suddenly. You can include some or all of the following:

– Whole-grain foods (such as bran cereals) and breads (made with whole wheat grains).

– Fresh fruits (including the skin and pulp).

– Dried or stewed fruits (such as prunes, raisins or apricots).

– Root vegetables (such as carrots, turnips or potatoes).

– Raw or fresh vegetables, such as cabbage. (Lettuce is actually low in fiber.)

– Vegetables and fruits such as broccoli, spinach, peas, beans, apples, and oranges have a lot of fiber. Bran and cereals are also rich in fiber and they make for excellent breakfast food. These should be included in your hemorrhoids diet.

– Along with a high fiber diet, also have a high fluid diet too. Liquids are natural stool softeners and they will keep your body hydrated. Drink plenty of liquids, including fruit or vegetable juices and water. Drink at least six cups of water or fluid a day.

– Eat slowly. Chew your food thoroughly. This allows the saliva and digestive juices of the stomach, liver, and pancreas to break down food more easily.

– Avoid highly refined foods like white rice, white bread, pastries, cakes, pies.

– Alcohol should also be avoided as it can contribute to small, dry stools.

– Avoid acid forming foods such as sugar, animal protein, dairy, and caffeine-containing food and beverages, as well as all beverages with soda.

– Eat your meals at regular intervals.

Exercise

Apart from a healthy hemorrhoid diet, there are a few other things you need to do to control and fight this condition:

Exercise regularly for 15-20 minutes. Not only will it boost your metabolism, it will also do your hemorrhoids a world of good.

Do not sit or stand for long periods of time. If you have a desk job, get up and walk about every now and then, as this will relieve the strain on your anal canal. Similarly, when sleeping, take care to lie on your side, rather than your back.

If your job or daily routine requires you to lifts heavy weights, pay attention to your breathing technique. Exhale slowly when lifting and inhale deeply when putting it down. Doing this will take the pressure off your hemorrhoids.

Homeopathy symptoms and Treatment

Homeopathic remedies are prescribed on the basis of symptoms rather than conditions, as each case of a particular illness can manifest differently in different people. There are many symptoms which can be effectively treated by homeopathy ­­­­­few symptoms are given below. If your symptoms are matching to any of the symptoms given below, it can be cured mail the disease and symptom number at drraishyam@gmail.com to know your medicine.

1. Protrusion of piles after stools with long lasting pains cannot walk. Piles also protrude independent of stool. Burning and itching in anus which prevents sleep. Piles worse at the times of menses.

2. Painful, blind or protruding piles of purplish color which is very sore with aching, Dryness, burning and itching and a sensation of sticks or splinters in the rectum, rarely bleeding. Hard dry stool passed with difficulty and followed by a feeling of prolapse of rectum. Bleeding gives relief, severe pains in the sacrum and small of the back and fullness in the region of the liver.

3. Piles protrude in a cluster or bunch. Blood passes like water from hydrant, piles protrude like bunch of grapes. Better by cold water, flatus with faeces. Violent itching and burning in anus. Constantly putting finger in anus. Constant bearing down in anus; bleeding, soreness which gets relieved by cold water. Sense of insecurity in rectum when passing flatus. Lumpy, watery, jelly like stool. hemorrhoids protruding, very sore and tender.

4. Burning pain and restlessness relieved by hot application. Hemorrhoids burn like fire and skin around the anus gets excoriated. Painful spasmodic protrusion of rectum with severe tenesmus.Great exhaustion from least exertion with burning pains. Night aggravation of complains with restlessness and fear and fright.

5. Hemorrhoids with backache and obstinate constipation. Prolapse of rectum. Piles bleeding or blind and protruding. There may be obstinate constipation and diarrhea. Pregnant women who suffer from piles, and pruritus. Sensation of sticks in the rectum,

6. Protruding piles, blue, even suppurating, offensive, swelling, burning in the rectum, oozing of fluid from rectum, flatulence; Itching, gnawing and burning in rectum. Soreness, moisture around anus at night. Discharge of blood with stool. Bluish burning piles and paining after stool.

7. Obese person having hemorrhoids as their skins tend to erupt due to the pressure imposed by their weights on their piles with burning sensations in their piles as a result of the inflammation, itching or broken skin. Constipation, knotty stools united by mucus threads, burning hemorrhoids with soreness, itching and anal fissures

8. Painless bleeding followed by prostration which is out of all proportion to the blood lost. The blood is of dark color, anal area experiences throbbing pains. There is anemia, breathlessness and weakness notwithstanding good appetite. Bruised soreness of affected parts.

9. Piles painful, burning like fire and bleed copiously. Great distension and swelling inside. Fistula of the anus. Burning temporarily relieved by sitting in cold water or by cold application.

10. Piles like bunch of grapes which look purple and burn when touched. Piles in children; protruding; reddish blue. Tendency to involuntary evacuation while passing urine .hemorrhoids most sensitive to all touches, even sheet of toilet paper is painful. Anal itching and prolapsus ani while urinating. Hemorrhoids during pregnancy, bluish, hot, with violent stitches.

11. Constipation with intense straining when there is with little or no bowel evacuation and for violent cutting pains after stool passage which continues for hours.

12. Bleeding or non- bleeding piles with burning pain and constipation with ineffectual desire. Itching hemorrhoids keeping the sufferer awake at night, relieved by cold water, or bleeding piles with constant urging to stool, and a feeling as if the bowel would not empty itself are further indications. Patient is usually impatient, tense, and irritable, and often has a tendency toward heavy use of stimulants, strong foods, and alcohol or drugs, sedentary habits.

13. Hemorrhoids with ulceration, the anus and surrounding parts are purple and covered with crusts, ulcers within the anus are very painful. The whole mucus membrane studded with ulcers and cracks. Biting, itching in anus that provokes scratching. Anal orifice swollen and burning in anus after stool then internal chilliness. Fistula ani with painful ulcers. Purple hemorrhoids covered with crusts and severe atrocious pains with and after each stool.

14. Hemorrhoids that itch, with sharp sticking pains. The hemorrhoids typically protrude, and improve after lying down. Warmth often aggravates the symptoms. Hemorrhoids during pregnancy or around the menstrual period.

15. Bleeding hemorrhoids and great weakness after stool. Hard stool with discharge of blood from rectum each time with and after stool. Painless copious debilitating stools with very fetid stool as well as flatus. Green mucus with long, narrow, hard stool like a dog’s. Seems as if anus is open at all times. Blood from hemorrhoids is bright red in color and great debility co-exists.

16. Aching in rectum as if full of broken glass. Anus burns for hours after stool and feels constricted. Dry heat at anus with sudden knife like stitches. Stools must be forced with great effort and thus hemorrhoids too protrude out. Fissures of anus with great constriction and burning like fire. hemorrhoids too burn and get relieved by cold water.

17. Hemorrhoids, resulting from piles which have stopped bleeding, and as a result fullness in the head and uneasiness in the liver; constipation is present; a desire for stool and itching of the anus. Itching and burning of anus and piles dependent upon abdominal plethora. Frequent unsuccessful desire to go to closet. Stool hard, knotty and insufficient. Redness around anus with hemorrhoids oozing and belching.  feel worse from warmth and bathing, and may have flatulence with a strong offensive odor.

18. Piles swollen and painful while sitting with burning pains in anus. Anus is fissured and painful to touch with many painful warts. Constipation with violent rectal pains causing stool to recede. Distended, indurations in abdomen and chronic diarrhea.

19. Hemorrhoids are worse by straining or lifting weight

20. Pain while coughing or involuntary movements can cause the sufferer stabbing and throbbing pains.

21.  Bleeding hemorrhoids and stool as well as urine is bloody. Blood is bright red in color.