The most common disease in today’s world is hemorrhoids because it almost affects everyone at some point in their life and those who are over their 50s are likely to be affected by hemorrhoids. So, the swollen veins that occur in the lower part of the rectum or near the anus are called hemorrhoids or piles. Thus, hemorrhoids can occur either externally or internally. It appears to be swollen bumps of reddish or purple color. Hemorrhoids are caused by pregnancy, being overweight, sitting inside the toilet for long periods, excessive exercise, and lifting heavy objects. Pain, bleeding, discomfort, irritation, and burning in the anus are the symptoms of hemorrhoids.
People usually leave hemorrhoids untreated and yes, you can leave mild hemorrhoids untreated because they usually tend to go away within 1 to 2 weeks but you should not leave severe hemorrhoids untreated because they can also be a sign of cancer such as anal or colon cancer. So, here are some of the best ways to get rid of hemorrhoids
Things to do to prevent hemorrhoids
- Stop sitting inside the toilet for a long time
- Drink a lot of water
- Consume food with high fiber
- Stop doing heavy workout
- Do not lift heavy objects
- Stop delaying the bowel movements
- Loss of some weight, if needed.
You can also treat hemorrhoids at home to ease your pain and discomfort and this works the best in treating mild hemorrhoids. The following are some of the best home remedies use in treating mild hemorrhoids:
- You can soak your bottom in a warm bath before and after every stool passing for 10 to 15 minutes as this help in reducing pain, burning, uncomfortable, and irritation from hemorrhoids. For this, you can use your regular bathtub or sitz bath, a small bathtub use mainly for soaking your bottom and fits perfectly over the toilet seat. You can buy sitz bathtub from any pharmacy.
- You can also take witch hazel, a medicine that is used to reduce the swelling, pain, itchiness, and inflammation caused by hemorrhoids. It is mainly used in treating external hemorrhoids.
- You can also use pure aloe vera gel as it helps in reducing irritation. But, this may not be suitable for people with aloe vera allergies.
- After pooping, clean your bottom with some wet cotton cloths or soothing wipes that contain no alcohol or any harsh chemical as it helps in reducing irritation and burning caused by using dry toilet paper.
- Applying ice to your hemorrhoids for 5 to 10 minutes helps to reduce pain and swelling caused by hemorrhoids. Make sure to cover the ice with some clothes while applying.
- You can also take over-the-counter medicines to ease your pain.
Non-surgical treatment for hemorrhoids
Since the home remedies do not work in treating severe hemorrhoids. So in that case, a non-surgical or surgical method is used to treat severe hemorrhoids. Some of the most effective and widely used non-surgical treatments are as follows:
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Laser treatment or Laser hemorrhoidoplasty:
This procedure is done by a coloproctologist or colorectal surgeon. The surgeon will give you anesthesia before the procedure. The energy emitted from the intense light which is generated by the laser machine is used to seal off the blood flow. This makes the hemorrhoids shrink without damaging the tissues and anal sphincter around them.
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Rubber-band ligation:
This method is used in treating external hemorrhoids. In this, a special rubber band is used to tie the base of the hemorrhoids. This stops the blood flow making the hemorrhoids shrink away.
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Sclerotherapy:
This method is used in treating people with internal hemorrhoids. In this, a liquid is injected into the hemorrhoids that form scar tissue. This scar tissue helps to stop the blood flow making the hemorrhoids shrink.
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Infrared photocoagulation:
This method is also used in treating people with internal hemorrhoids. In this, a special device is used to send infrared light to the hemorrhoids that form scar tissue. This scar tissue helps to stop the blood flow making the hemorrhoids shrink.
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Electrocoagulation:
This method is used in treating people with internal hemorrhoids. In this, a special device is used that sends electric current to the hemorrhoids forming scar tissue. This scar tissue helps to stop the blood flow making the hemorrhoids shrink.
Surgical Treatment for Hemorrhoids
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Excisional Hemorrhoidectomy:
This process is used in treating people with either internal or external hemorrhoids. In this, the surgeon cuts and remove the tissue forming the hemorrhoids and may either use the open technique that leaves the wound open or the close technique that stitches the wound but most of them prefer to use the close technique. This process is quite painful and may last about 2 to 4 weeks to completely heal. You may take a pain reliever to ease your pain.
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Stapled Hemorrhoidopexy:
This process is used in treating people with external hemorrhoids but may not be suitable for treating large external hemorrhoids. In this, the surgeon cuts and remove some part of the tissue forming the hemorrhoids while the remaining part is lifted upward the anal canal and stapled with the stapled device. This process is less painful and takes lesser time to recover.