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Home Remedies for Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids is an issue that a lot of people simply want to avoid talking about, although the hard fact is that it affects an incredibly high number of individuals. While no official studies have been conducted about the exact number of people are affected by the problem, some sources have indicated that over ten million people in the United States alone suffer with it.

woman with hemorrhoids

Furthermore, it’s thought that while the symptoms may not always be obvious, over 50% of people in the world will at some point in their life’s experience hemorrhoids.

Bearing the above the mind, one should not be surprised to see that there is a huge market for people looking for a cure for hemorrhoids. There are countless commercial solutions available in the industry, yet there are some people who wish to avoid such a route and would rather devise their own home-based strategies.

Fortunately, there are various methods available that can not only relieve the symptoms of hemorrhoids, but also help prevent the issue from occurring frequently in the future.

Tips to ease and prevent hemorrhoids

Due to the fact that this article is concentrating on how to treat hemorrhoids from your home, it is worth mentioning several tips that don’t involve any use of medication.

By adhering to the following information, you will not only relax the symptoms of your existing condition, but you could also prevent hemorrhoids occurring again in the future.

Try to prevent any straining on the toilet

One of the big causes of hemorrhoids is straining on the toilet. This increases the pressure in the rectum area to intolerable levels and thus causes the condition to form. Therefore, you should do everything in your power to reduce any straining on the toilet. Tips include performing relaxation exercises during the day, as well as visiting the toilet in the morning which should hopefully result in your body working more efficiently.

Keep your rectum free from bacteria

While most people will utilise standard toilet paper, it is suggested to make use of more advanced cleaning equipment if hemorrhoids is an issue that affects you. An example is a scent-free moist toilet wipe, which will clean and moisten the area and therefore make it less prone to the issue occurring.

Keep your stools as soft as possible

If you are passing hard stools, there is an increased chance of hemorrhoids. Therefore, do everything in your power to keep your stools soft. This means drinking lots of water and keeping hydrated, but mainly taking in lots of fibre. If the problem is severe, laxatives are sometimes recommended which make it easier to pass stools and therefore reduce your time spent on the toilet.

Reduce inflammation in the area

With inflammation and swelling being another cause of hemorrhoids, it can also be advisable to perform steps to reduce these issues occurring in the rectal region. Such steps can involve ice packs being placed on the area for several minutes – with this working in exactly the same way as how a general sports injury would be treated. On the other side of the coin, some people prefer to use warm water to treat their pain, with this being applied via a sitz bath.

Treat hemorrhoids via home medicine

Some people will have attempted to perform the above tips on countless occasions, only to see their hemorrhoids coming back bigger and stronger than ever. These are usually the people that have been suffering from the condition for a long period of time and need expert medical care to at least relieve the symptoms.

home remedies for hemorrhoids

It is also possible to utilise various home medicine remedies when this occurs and while research is still quite limited as to what treatment methods in this category work, there are still some suggestions out there which could help you.

Witch hazel

This is arguably one of the most popular home medicine forms and it is documented as being successful in countless sources. Originating in North America, a lot of people have been used to using witch hazel as a facial cleansing treatment and because of this, one should probably not be too surprised to see that it can help in the treatment of hemorrhoids.

witch hazel can treat hemorrhoids

Anybody interested in the scientifics behind witch hazel should note that the leaves in the shrub have various properties which are all suited in treating the problems of hemorrhoids. For example, they are known to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant characteristics, which deal superbly with the problems that the issue presents.

To use witch hazel as a home medicine, one should apply it to toilet paper. This will allow the above properties to come into action and help aid the problems that hemorrhoids brings. Unfortunately, it is still not known whether or not it will be successful for everyone, but the fact that medical experts have ranked it as a ‘C’ grade for its effectiveness with hemorrhoids shows that it may just work for you.

Petroleum Jelly

There is evidence to suggest that petroleum jelly could be another form of home treatment. Due to the fact that this is something that is readily available in most stores and is utilised for so many other problems, there are few risks associated with it.

cure

The process in applying it is very straightforward as well. It’s advisable to use a cotton ball or something similar to aid with application, with this merely being rubbed onto the rectum area.

Psyllium Seeds

It has been mentioned earlier how fibre is one of the most important parts of the diet for those people who suffer from hemorrhoids, as this component can help loosen the stools which prompts them to pass through the body more easily. Therefore, with psyllium seeds containing a large amount of fibre, they are one of the most ideal home ingredients you can take to ease your hemorrhoids suffering.

Of course, while fibre is desirable, too much of the substance can result in stools becoming too loose which can bring a whole host of other problems.

psyllium-seeds for treating hemorrhoids

Therefore, if you decide to take psyllium seeds, try to limit them to just one teaspoon when you first start. As the weeks progress, increase your intake, with the general rule being one additional amount of the treatment by the week. These increments will come to a halt by the third week and it should also be mentioned that no other fibre supplements should be taken at this stage, for the exact reason as outlined previously.

Adjusting your diet to prevail against hemorrhoids

As well as creating your own medication via the home options outlined above, it can also be worthwhile to adapt your diet so that it is suitable to combat the threat of hemorrhoids.

adjusting diet to prevent piles

Many sufferers of the condition have cited that an appropriate diet is one of the best defences against it and therefore, as well as considering home treatment options, you should perhaps consider consuming some of the following foods to aid you. As you may expect, a lot of these foods are merely high in fibre, yet there are other advantages which can be useful in the fight against hemorrhoids.

Pears

With an average pear containing 5.5g of fibre, it really is no surprise to see this food recommended. It’s worth mentioning that if you do not like pears, you could at least try and consume the skin which contains the most fibre out of all of the fruit.

Avocado

This contains even more fibre, with the average avocado holding no fewer than 10g of it. However, it’s also beneficial for other reasons, with avocados containing polyunsaturated fats which help lower the chances of heart disease.

Brown and whole-wheat foods

There has been a big push in the last few years to convert people from standard, white products, to brown and whole-wheat ones. Foods such as pasta, rice and bread are examples that fall into this category and if you can consume the brown or whole-wheat variety your fibre intake will be boosted tremendously.

Peas

For those that like vegetables, peas can be an even better source of fibre. Incredibly, your body can extract over 16g of it through one pack, meaning that it should definitely be a food you take advantage of if you can.

Oatmeal

Like several other foods listed here, oatmeal benefits you with far more than the standard fibre. It contains glucan, which is not only associated with lower cholesterol, but also with providing a boost towards your immune system.

Raspberries

This is another food that has multiple benefits. As well as the fibre, which equates to a whole day’s worth of supply, raspberries contain various anti-oxidants which will improve your general health.

Popcorn

Last but not least, is popcorn. While most of the foods might be of the very healthy variety, there is at least one you can rely on to get the taste buds going. Popcorn is regarded as a fantastic source and with it also containing relatively few calories, this could be a nice addition to your diet to take more fibre into your body.

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About George Allen

George Allen – Author – An AFPA Certified holistic and preventative nutrition professional. George is a well known exercise physiology and sports nutrition expert, the co-founder of MensAnswer.com.
Syracuse University graduate: bachelor’s degree in nutrition/dietetics (B.S.) and a master’s degree in nutrition science with a concentration in counseling (M.A.)
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