Hemorrhoids

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Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids may be one of the most joked about medical problems, but they’re also among the most common. At this very moment, nearly half of the men, women and children in the United States have hemorrhoids.

Rest assured none of them is laughing about it.

Hemorrhoids are varicose veins that form inside your rectum or around the opening of your anus. They’re caused by increased pressure on the veins from sitting, being constipated or straining too hard to defecate. Hemorrhoids can be extremely painful or itchy and can rupture and bleed when they’re irritated. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with the approval of your doctor—may help relieve the symptoms of hemorrhoids and prevent their recurrence, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... You notice bleeding from your rectum.

Aromatherapy

Soothe painful hemorrhoids with a good soak, suggests Greenwich, Connecticut, aromatherapist Judith Jackson, author of Scentual Touch: A Personal Guide to Aromatherapy. She says to add 20 drops each of lavender and juniper essential oils to a hot, shallow bath, mixing the bathwater with your hand to make sure the oils are well-dispersed. Then soak for ten minutes, she says.

You can also treat hemorrhoids with a topical ointment after each bath or bowel movement, adds Jackson. She suggests trying two drops of lavender and one drop of geranium essential oils blended with one ounce of carrier oil. Carrier oils are available in most health food stores.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Ayurveda

To relieve the itching and reduce the swelling from external hemorrhoids, Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, suggests applying a mixture of ½ teaspoon of turmeric and 1 teaspoon of ghee, or clarified butter, at bedtime for three nights in a row. (See “How to Make Ghee” on page 26 for a recipe.) Then stop for two nights, resume for three nights and continue with this pattern until the external hemorrhoids are cured, says Dr. Lad. Since turmeric can stain, be sure to wear a pair of old underwear to bed; any skin discoloration should wash off in about two weeks, he adds.

Food Therapy

A high-fiber diet is the key to preventing or treating hemorrhoids, says Michael A. Klaper, M.D., a nutritional medicine specialist in Pompano Beach, Florida, and director of the Institute of Nutritional Education and Research, an organization based in Manhattan Beach, California, that teaches doctors about nutrition and its relationship to disease. Hard, constipated stool means you need to push harder to defecate, he explains, and when you push hard, your hemorrhoidal veins bulge and can become varicose, which is what hemorrhoids are—varicose veins. Fiber makes your stool soft, putting less pressure on the veins. Dr. Klaper suggests trying to consume at least 30 grams of fiber each day by eating at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables and more whole grains, beans and bran products.

Herbal Therapy

Saint-John’s-wort can help relieve the itching and burning of hemmorhoids, says Barre, Vermont, herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, author of Herbal Healing for Women and several other books about herbs. Most health food stores carry salves made with this herb; Gladstar says to follow the directions on the label of the product you choose.

Witch hazel, usually distilled in alcohol, helps, too, according to Gladstar. She says to moisten cotton cloths with witch hazel extract and apply the cloths as compresses, leaving them on for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day. Keep both the salve and the witch hazel extract in the refrigerator, Gladstar suggests; they’ll retain their freshness and feel cool and soothing when you use them.

Homeopathy

Take a 10- to 15-minute sitz bath in warm water twice a day, then apply Aesculus and Hamamelis ointment after each bath, says Maesimund Panos, M.D., a homeopathic physician in Tipp City, Ohio, and co-author with Jane Heimlich of Homeopathic Medicine at Home. (For instructions on using a sitz bath, see “Hydrotherapy at Home” on page 78.) Dr. Panos says that this ointment helps relieve pain and swelling and can speed healing. Taking two tablets of Aesculus 6X three or four times daily may also be helpful in speeding healing, she says.

These remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

A compress soaked in strong, cold black tea is very soothing to hemorrhoids, says Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co- director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Ala bama. She suggests holding the compress against the hemorrhoids for several minutes.

Imagery

In his book Healing Visualizations, New York City psychiatrist Gerald Epstein, M.D., suggests you close your eyes, breathe out three times and imagine that your hemorrhoids are puckering up like an old purse. Picture them shriveling and disappearing as the walls of the anus become pink and smooth. Dr. Epstein says to practice this imagery for one to two minutes of every waking hour, for up to 21 days, until the hemorrhoids fade.

Juice Therapy

Besides adding fiber to the diet, which softens the stool, a number of fruit juices contain substances that may help ease hemorrhoids, says Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington, and co-author of Juicing for Life. Dark-colored berries such as cherries, blackberries and blueberries contain anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, pigments that, according to Calbom, tone and strengthen the walls of hemorrhoidal veins, which can minimize pain and swelling.

To maximize the therapeutic benefits of these pigments, Calbom suggests drinking four ounces of dark berry juice diluted with four ounces of apple juice at least once a day.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

Pay special attention to the diaphragm, adrenal gland, rectum, sigmoid colon and lower spine reflexes in both feet, suggests St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology. To help you locate these points, consult the foot reflex chart on page 592. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.