How To Get Rid Of Hemorrhoids

Hello, I'm Dr Gemma Numan and I'm a GP and broadcaster and today I would like to help you with a few top tips to improve your health. I'd like to talk to you today about how to get rid of haemorrhoids. Now, not a very nice subject but believe it or not, almost half of us will suffer from haemorrhoids or piles at some stage in our lives.

So briefly, what are piles or haemorrhoids? Well, they are fleshy outgrowths from the anal passage. They are much more common when you have increased pressure in the abdomen so for example if you're prone to constipation. Also, if you're pregnant, again then there is an increased pressure in the tummy and also your hormones can make it more likely for those fleshy outgrowths to form.

Ageing is another important factor because this can cause weakness of the anal area and also of the vessels around the piles. Another thing is family history. Unfortunately, if you have a family history of piles, you are more prone to them.

Now, because these fleshy outgrowths have a very rich blood supply they are also much more prone to bleeding, and in fact that is one of the most common symptoms of piles. Other symptoms that you want to look for, apart from bleeding after you've been for a poo is mucus, pain, an itch around the back passage or lumps that you can feel around the anus. Now, if you have any of these symptoms it's really best to go and see your doctor for a definitive diagnosis, especially if you have any bleeding.

As soon as you know what the cause of your symptoms are haemorrhoids, what can we do about them? The first thing I would advise is to avoid constipation. Constipation puts increased pressure on your intra-abdominal muscles and it pushes those soft outgrowths out through the anus so make sure you have lots and lots of water in your diet. Water is really good because it does not need to be metabolized through the kidneys and your body can draw it straight into the bowel to relieve constipation.

Other things that you might want to look at are your fibre intake. It's a really good idea to have a high fibre intake to improve your intestinal transit and to reduce any constipation that you have, so lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and also, prunes are very useful indeed. What else can you do to ease those piles? Well, fibre supplements can help and you can buy those over the counter or at a pharmacy and those can be mixed in with water and swallowed and they're also in a laxative form so it's worth looking at that as well if your diet is not controlling your constipation.

So, what else can you do? Toileting is important generally, I'd say don't hold in a poo when you need to go, just do it, no matter where you are. I know it's embarrassing but it's much more important than holding it in and causing subsequent constipation or straining. If you are in a lot of pain with your piles, it will be important to take some pain relief, however I would avoid codine based pain relief.

The reason for that is that codeine can sometimes make constipation worse. So, what if you're not constipated and you've tried everything else? Well the important thing really is to make sure that your pain is under control so you can try a soothing ointment or a soothing moisturiser around the back passage to improve those symptoms, especially of itch or pain. If that's not quite doing the trick you could do an anaesthetic based cream that you can buy over the counter or you can get from your doctor.

Anaesthetic based cream should only really be used in the short term, maximum use would be for around a week because this can irritate or sensitize the skin around your anus. What else can you try? If there is a significant swelling with the pain, then a steroid cream or ointment may also help you, but again you have to go to your doctor for this and it's only a short term remedy. If you're really stuck then I would suggest going to your doctor for a more permanent cure.

Now, this can