How Are Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treated At Home
A bleeding hemorrhoid is usually a sign of irritation or damage to the wall of the hemorrhoid. This should resolve on its own over time, but there are several things you can do at home to speed up the process and soothe any discomfort.
However, if theres no clear source of bleeding or if the bleeding doesnt go away within a week, see your doctor.
Experts note that hemorrhoids are often self-diagnosed, which can be dangerous. Many medical conditions, including cancer and inflammatory bowel disease , can have similar symptoms. For this reason, its important to receive a proper diagnosis from your doctor.
If you have been diagnosed with a hemorrhoid thats itchy or painful, start by gently cleaning the area and reducing inflammation. These strategies can help:
Next, try to soften your stools to keep your digestive system in good working order and reduce your risk of further irritation or damage to a bleeding hemorrhoid. Here are some tips:
If youre still noticing blood or a lot of discomfort after a week of home treatments, you may need to revisit your doctor for additional treatment.
If home treatments arent providing any relief, there are several surgical treatments that can help. Many of them can be done in the office and dont require general anesthesia.
These include:
If your bleeding hemorrhoids are larger or more severe, your doctor may recommend more advanced treatment, such as more extensive surgery.
The Best Home Remedies For Hemorrhoids
While they are usually not serious, hemorrhoids can be uncomfortable enough to make it hard to focus throughout the day.
Remedies range from home treatments and over-the-counter creams to medications and, in severe cases, surgery.
In this article, Ill first discuss common home remedies and then OTC and medical treatments for hemorrhoids.
Ill also explain how to prevent hemorrhoids, what they are, and when to seek medical attention.
What Are The Treatments For Hemorrhoids
If at-home treatments for hemorrhoids donât help you, you may need a medical procedure. There are several different procedures that your provider can do in the office. These procedures use different techniques to cause scar tissue to form in the hemorrhoids. This cuts off the blood supply, which usually shrinks the hemorrhoids. In severe cases, you may need surgery.
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Vicks Vapor Rub For Hemorrhoids
Normally used as a cough suppressant, Vicks Vapor Rub has been reported to temporarily relieve symptoms caused by hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoid pain and itchiness can be minimized by applying a generous dab of Vicks directly to the problem area. For many patients, this easy-to-find, at-home treatment makes it possible for them to get through the day with reduced pain and itchiness.
Warm Bath With Epsom Salt
Warm baths can help soothe irritation from hemorrhoids. Try using a sitz bath a small plastic tub that fits over a toilet seat so you can just immerse the affected area or take a bath in a tub, if you can.
Try a warm bath or a sitz bath for 20 minutes after each bowel movement. Adding Epsom salt to the bath can provide further relief by reducing pain.
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Why Is Turmeric Beneficial For Hemorrhoids
Turmeric is beneficial for hemorrhoids in many ways. First of all, the anti-inflammatory ability of the curcumin compound present in turmeric can be consider helpful for this. Indeed, the anti-inflammatory effect can relieve inflammation and pain.
Anti-itch activity is also found in the extracts of the curcumin compound present in turmeric. This may reduce itching.
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When Should I See My Doctor
Hemorrhoids are typically easy to treat and clear up on their own. In very rare cases, a hemorrhoid can cause complications.
Chronic blood loss from a hemorrhoid can cause anemia, a shortage of red blood cells. Internal hemorrhoids can also have their blood supply cut off, resulting in strangulated hemorrhoids that can cause extreme pain.
See a doctor if home treatments havent been effective after more than 2 weeks. Your primary care physician can diagnose and treat hemorrhoids. They can write prescriptions for medicated creams, ointments, and suppositories.
If these treatments dont work, a doctor may recommend treatments like rubber band ligation or surgery to remove the hemorrhoids.
Make an appointment to see a doctor right away if you notice rectal bleeding for the first time or if your rectal bleeding increases.
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Dont Make Things Worse
Bump up the fiber. It softens your stools and makes them move through your body more easily. Youâll find it in beans, whole-grain breads and cereals, and fresh fruits and veggies. You may also want to try a supplement if you canât get enough from foods. Add fiber slowly to help avoid gas and bloating.
Drink lots of fluids. Stay well hydrated to keep stools soft so theyâre easier to pass. Water is the best choice. Drink plenty throughout the day. Prune juice is a natural laxative and can help you go.
Exercise regularly. Even brisk walking 20-30 minutes every day can help keep you from getting stopped up.
Breathe! Keep the air moving in and out when youâre working hard. Itâs common to hold your breath as youâre pushing, pulling, or making an effort â and that can lead to hemorrhoid pain and bleeding.
Use a pillow. Sit on a cushion instead of a hard surface. It will ease swelling for any hemorrhoids you have. It may also help prevent new ones from forming.
Take breaks. If you must sit for a long time, get up every hour and move around for at least 5 minutes.
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What Are The Treatment Options
Small hemorrhoids often clear up without treatment or with home treatment and lifestyle changes. If youve continued problems or complications, such as bleeding, you should see your doctor.
Your doctor can rule out other causes of bleeding during bowel movements, such as colon or . If your symptoms become severe, your doctor may recommend medical procedures to remove or shrink the hemorrhoids.
Your doctor may recommend a minimally invasive outpatient treatment. Outpatient treatments are treatments that your doctor performs in their office. Some treatments include the following:
- Rubber band ligation is the most common nonsurgical treatment, and it involves your doctor tying a tight band around the base of the hemorrhoid to cut off the blood supply. Eighty percent of people who receive treatment for hemorrhoids have this type of treatment.
- During coagulation, your doctor uses infrared light, heat, or extreme cold to shrink the hemorrhoid.
- During sclerotherapy, your doctor injects a chemical to shrink the hemorrhoid.
If you have severe hemorrhoids or hemorrhoids that dont respond to in-office medical treatments, you may need a doctor to surgically extract them. This has been shown to provide symptom relief and reduce future outbreaks.
study in 2004 compared the rate of recurrence of hemorrhoids in 231 people.
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Future Perspectives In The Treatment Of Hemorrhoids
To date, it is obvious that, apart from oral flavonoids-based phlebotonic drugs, currently available medication for hemorrhoids has no or limited beneficial effects on bleeding and prolapsing. Since emerging evidence has suggested that perivascular inflammation, dysregulation of the vascular tone and vascular hyperplasia could play an important role in the development of hemorrhoids, the microcirculatory system of hemorrhoid tissue could be a potential and robust target for medical treatment. The combinations of vasoconstrictive and venoconstrictive agents, with or without anti-inflammatory drugs, might be a new pharmacological approach for hemorrhoids.
If an intervention, either office-based procedure or surgery is indicated, evidence-based approaches must be exercised. Day-case operation or ambulatory surgery should be fully developed together with an effective program for peri-operative care. Despite advances in office-based procedures and better surgical approaches, post-procedural pain and disease recurrence remain the most challenging problems in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Consequently, future researches and novel management of hemorrhoids may focus on how to minimize pain following a procedure and how to prevent recurrent hemorrhoids. Meanwhile, long-term results of newly or recently developed interventions are definitely required.
How Do Doctors Treat Hemorrhoids
Doctors treat hemorrhoids with procedures during an office visit or in an outpatient center or a hospital.
Office treatments include the following:
- Rubber band ligation. Rubber band ligation is a procedure that doctors use to treat bleeding or prolapsing internal hemorrhoids. A doctor places a special rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoid. The band cuts off the blood supply. The banded part of the hemorrhoid shrivels and falls off, most often within a week. Scar tissue forms in the remaining part of the hemorrhoid, often shrinking the hemorrhoid. Only a doctor should perform this procedureyou should never try this treatment yourself.
- Sclerotherapy. A doctor injects a solution into an internal hemorrhoid, which causes scar tissue to form. The scar tissue cuts off the blood supply, often shrinking the hemorrhoid.
- Infrared photocoagulation. A doctor uses a tool that directs infrared light at an internal hemorrhoid. Heat created by the infrared light causes scar tissue to form, which cuts off the blood supply, often shrinking the hemorrhoid.
- Electrocoagulation. A doctor uses a tool that sends an electric current into an internal hemorrhoid. The electric current causes scar tissue to form, which cuts off the blood supply, often shrinking the hemorrhoid.
Outpatient center or hospital treatments include the following:
Sometimes complications of hemorrhoids also require treatment.
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Improving Your Diet And Lifestyle
Stop Piles From Bleeding With Doctors Office Treatments
If your bleeding piles dont respond to home remedies, you may seek out a hemorrhoids doctor in your area for further treatment. There are a number of procedures that can be performed in a doctors office in a matter of minutes, the most-recommended being rubber band ligation. With ligation, a small rubber band is gently placed at the base of the affected piles, cutting off circulation and eventually, the tissue itself. Its virtually painless and minimally invasive. You might also seek out IRC, or infrared coagulation, from a doctor. This procedure uses a laser-like light to burn the bleeding piles. Also relatively painless, IRC has been shown to require more treatments and have a higher recurrence rate than does rubber band ligation.
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Work Wonders With Witch Hazel
A dab of witch hazel applied to the rectum with a cotton ball is one of the very best remedies available for external hemorrhoids, especially if theres bleeding, says Marvin Schuster, MD. Witch hazel causes the blood vessels to shrink and contract. While anything cold, even water, can help kill the pain of hemorrhoids, icy cold witch hazel provides even more relief. Chill a bottle of witch hazel in an ice bucket or the refrigerator. Then take a cotton ball, soak it in the witch hazel, and apply it against your hemorrhoids until its no longer cold, then repeat, suggests Schuster.
Enlarged Hemorrhoids: What Surgical Procedures Are Used To Treat Hemorrhoids
Sometimes the symptoms of enlarged hemorrhoids are so bad that treating the symptoms alone is no longer enough. Then there are various procedures that can be done to remove the tissue that is causing problems.
Sclerotherapy and rubber band ligation are generally carried out as day procedures, without an anesthetic. If someone has grade 3 or grade 4 hemorrhoids, doctors often recommend surgery. A general or local anesthetic is usually needed for this. You then have to stay in the hospital for a few days, and stay off work for some time too.
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Misconceptions About Hemorrhoidal Disease Treatments
1. Stool softeners and stimulants wont fix the problem.
Polyethylene glycol/Miralax, an osmotic bowel stimulant, is also a commonly used medication for constipation. It can cause diarrhea, which is one of the irritants and causes of symptomatic internal hemorrhoids. Miralax is best prescribed when the patient has attempted a fiber supplement and needs an additional bowel stimulant with it. It should be used primarily with colonic inertia .
2. Removing a hemorrhoid isnt always the best option.
3. A hemorrhoidal skin tag may not need to be removed.
Precautions On How To Get Rid Of Hemorrhoids
A common concern is that hemorrhoids increase the risk of colorectal cancer, but thats not true. However, the two conditions do cause similar symptoms. This is why its important to mention your hemorrhoids to your health care provider. Even when a hemorrhoid is healed completely, a colonoscopy may be done to rule out other causes of rectal bleeding. According to the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons , every person age 50 and older should undergo a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer.
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Can You Use Home Remedies To Treat Hemorrhoids Without A Doctor
There are few effective home remedies for hemorrhoids to help you get relief from pain and discomfort. While its possible to get relief from hemorrhoids with these home remedies, it’s also important to remember to see your doctor if you have bleeding during bowel movements or your hemorrhoids dont improve after a week of home care.1 Some other conditions can cause rectal bleeding, so it’s vital to check with your doctor if that’s the case. If your condition worsens or you experience large amounts of bleeding, light headedness or dizziness, seek emergency care.1
Why Are Hemorrhoids More Prevalent During Pregnancy
Although hemorrhoids can arise at any moment during pregnancy, they are most common in the third trimester, about week 28.
Additionally, constipation can cause hemorrhoids. Bowels slow down during pregnancy due to pregnancy hormones. When your stool is firm, the extra straining to get rid of it might put pressure on your rectal veins, causing them to swell and become irritated.
You’re more likely to get hemorrhoids during pregnancy if you had them before. Postpartum hemorrhoids can develop as a result of pressing during childbirth.
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Final Thoughts On How To Get Rid Of Hemorrhoids
- Hemorrhoids are a very common anorectal condition that affects millions of people around the world.
- Enlarged hemorrhoids are often associated with symptoms such as itching, mucus discharge or bleeding. Bleeding happens when hard stool damages the thin walls of the blood vessels in hemorrhoids.
- Avoidance of constipation is key when trying to get rid of hemorrhoids. Its important that you dont strain while using the bathroom, dont sit for an excessive period of time and clean yourself thoroughly when finished.
- Foods and herbal supplements that help relieve constipation can alleviate the symptoms of hemorrhoids. A high-fiber diet and drinking plenty of fluids are the most helpful dietary changes that you can make when it comes to how to get rid of hemorrhoids.
- If non-medical treatments dont work, there are relatively painless procedures that can be done to treat hemorrhoids. For extreme cases, an outpatient surgery called a hemorrhoidectomy may be required.
What Causes Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are similar to varicose veins. Varicose veins happen when the vein walls become weak and the valves that control blood flow dont work properly. This pools blood making the vein bulge.
Hemorrhoids can happen for many reasons. The exact cause may not be known. They may be caused by pressure due to straining during bowel movements. This can happen if you suffer from long-term constipation. Sitting too much is also thought to increase your risk. Some women develop hemorrhoids during pregnancy or right after giving birth.
35 percent of women have hemorrhoids during pregnancy. This may be due to hormonal changes and raised blood pressure during pregnancy. Hemorrhoids are more likely during the third trimester of pregnancy, when women are carrying more weight from the growing baby.
Some women develop hemorrhoids shortly after giving birth. This is more common in a vaginal delivery because of the immense pressure on the veins in the abdomen and pelvic area.
In most cases, hemorrhoids that happen during pregnancy or delivery heal on their own shortly after giving birth.
Hemorrhoids will not affect the baby during pregnancy or birth.
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Ease Pain And Itching
Take warm baths. Soak in a bathtub filled with a few inches of warm water for about 15 minutes at a time. Do it two or three times a day and after every bowel movement. If you want to wash the area, too, use unscented soap and don’t scrub.
Pat gently afterward to dry. You can even use a blow dryer on a cool setting if that feels better.
There are also special “sitz baths” you can put directly on your toilet seat to make soaking easier.
Rub on relief. Over-the-counter wipes or creams with witch hazel can soothe pain and itch with no side effects. Don’t use one with hydrocortisone for more than a week unless your doctor says it’s OK.
Ice it. Put a small cold pack on the trouble spot several times a day. It can dull pain and bring down the swelling for a little while.
Consider painkillers. An over-the-counter medicine, like acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, could help with soreness.
Don’t scratch. You could damage the skin and make the irritation — and the itching — worse.
Choose cotton. Wear loose, soft underwear. It keeps the area aired out and stops moisture from building up, which can bother your hemorrhoids.