According to doctors, throughout their lives, eight out of ten people will encounter the “silent” ailment known as hemorrhoids. Even Napoleon Bonaparte suffered from this condition—his unbearable pain may have contributed to his army’s defeat at Waterloo.
What is Hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids are essentially a common venous condition associated with modern lifestyles, manifesting as varicose veins and thrombophlebitis, but in a different location: the varicose veins and nodules occur not in the legs, but in the lower rectum. The dilation of local cavernous vessels is the most prevalent disease of this organ. Hemorrhoids can be accompanied by thrombosis, anal fissures, swelling of the anus, abscesses, rectal fistulas, and purulent paraproctitis.
Hemorrhoids: Symptoms
Initially, the swelling of the internal folds of the anal canal is felt as a foreign body sensation in the rectum. Later, heaviness in this area is joined by itching and burning. New symptoms appear when hemorrhoidal nodes protrude: blood and mucus irritate the skin. The next manifestation of a worsening condition is bleeding of varying intensity during bowel movements. Following this, pain and the protrusion of hemorrhoidal nodes from the anus occur. The pain will haunt the patient everywhere: during bathroom visits, while sitting, and even while walking.
Hemorrhoids: Causes
A sedentary lifestyle, heavy lifting, poor diet and overeating, obesity, alcohol abuse, and irregular bowel movements can turn any of us into a proctologist’s patient. Hemorrhoids do not discriminate by gender; both men and women suffer from this condition. Ultimately, the causes of hemorrhoids lie in a person’s careless attitude toward their health.
Preventing Hemorrhoids
To avoid a personal Waterloo in your battle with this ailment, follow these proctologists’ recommendations:
- Avoid lifting heavy objects;
- Prevent constipation (straining during bowel movements and prolonged diarrhea can lead to the dilation of veins in the anal canal);
- Drink plenty of fluids and consume more fiber-rich foods;
- Avoid excessive amounts of coffee, spicy foods, beer, and carbonated drinks;
- Monitor your salt intake: it retains fluid in the bloodstream, which can cause swelling of the veins in the anus;
- Keep an eye on your weight (overweight individuals typically experience more venous issues due to pressure on the lower extremities).
The most reliable prevention of hemorrhoids is paying attention to your own body.
Consequences of Hemorrhoids
Symptoms of external hemorrhoids can periodically flare up due to triggering factors. With adequate treatment, exacerbations can subside within one to two weeks. However, ignoring the causes that lead to the swelling of hemorrhoidal veins can turn the condition chronic. The undesirable consequences of this destructive process often lead patients to regret delaying their examination. A ruptured hemorrhoid can cause shock and hypotension due to excessive blood loss. Neglecting the issue can result in polyps and malignant tumors. Have you heard about colorectal cancer and anal canal oncology? Experts deny a direct transformation of a hemorrhoidal node into a malignant formation, but untreated polyps have a high likelihood of turning into cancer, according to medical professionals (this refers to the so-called diffuse polypoid rectum). This is why it is crucial to start treatment promptly.
The Later You Wait, the More It Costs
It’s important to understand that internal and external nodes do not dissolve on their own. Ointments, suppositories, and folk remedies can help manage the bumps, but the only way to completely eliminate them is through qualified removal. This can be done on an outpatient basis in a proctologist’s office. In the early stages, all proctological diseases can be successfully treated today, and the methods and duration of therapy depend on the severity of the condition and the presence of accompanying diseases. Treating hemorrhoids in the later stages in a day hospital is possible (hemorrhoidal node dearterialization based on suture ligation takes about 40 minutes under local anesthesia), but the surgical outpatient method cannot be considered widely accessible. In typical practice, a patient who undergoes a painful hemorrhoidectomy often has to stay in the hospital for an extended period, losing their ability to work. Therefore, delaying a visit to the proctologist is unwise.
Stages of Hemorrhoid Treatment
In the early stages of hemorrhoid development, patients may be offered a combination of conservative therapy and minimally invasive procedures. Itching, inflammation, swelling, and pain can be alleviated with phlebotropic medications, ointments, and suppositories. Treatment for first-stage hemorrhoids is conducted using sclerotherapy or infrared photocoagulation. The second stage involves minimally invasive treatment through latex ligation, where the doctor uses special instruments to access the hemorrhoidal node and cut off its blood supply by placing a latex ring around it. Within a week, the node with the constricted pedicle will fall off on its own. In the third stage, various minimally invasive techniques are combined: outpatient and painless. In the fourth stage, surgical intervention is the only option to help the patient.
Pharmacy Arsenal
How can you manage the condition without surgical intervention? Initially, local action medications—rectal suppositories, ointments, and creams—can suffice. For moderate inflammation, analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hemostatics, and venotonics are prescribed. Local steroid medications (glucocorticoids) include Aurobin, while systemic options include Xefocam and Diclofenac. Anticoagulant properties (preventing the formation of clots) are found in heparin ointment, Troxevasin, Troxerutin, Bezornil, and others. Pharmacies offer a wide selection of rectal suppositories: Proctosan, Procto-Glyvenol, Methyluracil, Nigepan, Betiol, Anestezol, and ichthyol candles, among others.
Help Yourself
To reduce swelling from inflammation and dull pain, local cold compresses can be effective: during flare-ups, you can apply a frozen towel or an ice pack for 15 minutes every hour. A cold bath and a warm bath with St. John’s wort, chamomile, sage, or onion peel can relieve itching and burning. A steam bath with a hot herbal decoction is most conveniently taken over a pot. You should eliminate all fatty, spicy, and fried foods from your diet. Sweets, pastries, white bread, canned goods, alcohol, coffee, and foods that complicate bowel movements—such as rice, legumes, potatoes, cabbage, and radishes—are all off-limits.
How to Get Rid of Hemorrhoids at Home?
Since ancient times, hemorrhoids have been treated with celandine juice, and later with ice candles made from chamomile decoction, and rectal suppositories made from crushed garlic and butter. Folk remedies encourage trusting nature in this delicate matter.
For External Use
* Mix 5:1 ratio of pig internal fat (mesh) and bile (available at pharmacies). Do not rub the ointment in; simply apply it to the affected area.
* Pour 3 tablespoons of elecampane root with a glass of water and evaporate it in a water bath until it reaches a sticky consistency. Strain and mix with melted lard in a 1:4 ratio. Apply compresses with this ointment to the problem areas overnight.
* Walnut oil heals fissures associated with hemorrhoids.
Healing Decoctions and Infusions
- For hemorrhoids, brew a mixture of nettle leaves, motherwort, and buckthorn bark in equal parts of 1:1:2 with a glass of boiling water. Let it steep for 10 minutes (in a warm place) and drink half a glass three times a day (treatment course – 14 days).
- For constipation, treatment with nettle will take two weeks. To prepare the decoction, take 3 parts of buckthorn and 1 part each of nettle leaves and yarrow flowers. Pour the mixture with 200 g of boiling water and let it steep for half an hour. Strain and consume half a glass at night.
- To cleanse the vessels, take 1 glass of dill seeds, 2 tablespoons of valerian root powder, and 0.5 liters of natural honey. Place everything in a 2-liter jar and fill it with boiling water. Wrap it for a day, then strain and take 1 tablespoon three times a day half an hour before meals.
- Grind equal parts of chamomile flowers, yarrow, and rue, chestnut fruits or flowers, plantain leaves, white willow bark, raspberry root, flowers, and leaves into a powder. Mix, brew 2 tablespoons of the mixture with 600 ml of boiling water, bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Let it steep overnight. Drink 150 g in the morning and evening. The remainder can be used for a compress overnight.
- Horse chestnut infusion reduces blood clotting and strengthens the walls of capillaries and veins: steep 50 g of chestnut flowers or fruits in 0.5 liters of vodka for 2 weeks. Store in a warm, dark place, shaking daily. Take 30 drops four times a day for a month.
- This homemade remedy effectively tones the veins: pour 15 g of verbena leaves with a glass of boiling water. Take 1 tablespoon every hour for 3 days.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of crushed hazel bark with 500 ml of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, and strain. Drink half a glass four times a day before meals.
- For 1 glass of water, take 2 tablespoons of medicinal verbena and prepare a decoction. Drink 1 tablespoon three times a day.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of May hazel leaves with 0.5 liters of boiling water and let it steep for 2 hours. Drink half a glass four times a day before meals.
- Pour 250 g of crushed peeled garlic with 350 g of liquid honey and let it steep for about 2 weeks. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day half an hour before meals. Treatment course – 2 months.
- Add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of warm boiled water and drink before meals.
- Pour 4 tablespoons of marjoram herb with a glass of boiling water and drink a third of a glass three times a day before meals.
- Prepare a collection: mix 15 g of buckthorn bark and 10 g each of yarrow, lemon balm, and blackthorn flowers. Use 1 tablespoon of the mixture per glass of water for the decoction. Drink a glass in the morning and evening.
- For varicose veins, it is advisable to eat figs as often as possible, which can be used in any form: fresh or boiled in water or milk. Contraindications include inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, diabetes, and gout.