One ounce of prevention weighs more than one pound of cure. This is an old saying coming from the traditional Chinese medicine. Nothing is more true than for hemorrhoids, since their prevention is almost easier done than said.
No. 1 rule in hemorrhoid prevention is a sufficient fluid intake during the day. Sufficient defines itself by the individual’s daily activities, if he or she has lots of physical activity with increased sweating or working in an air-conditioned office with far less amounts of perspiration. The best fluid in this context is plain water, since sugar-containing drinks, like soft-drinks, increase the osmotic pressure on the blood vessel and thus withdraw water from the surrounding tissue and also from the colon, which results in a firmer stool than expected and needed. Eating dietary fibers, which we can find in fruits, vegetables, high-fiber cereals etc. help also to keep the stool soft. On top of that, it is discussed that high-fiber diets help prevent colon cancer, since those fibers provide nutrients for certain strains of bacteria, which populate the large intestines. These bacteria are responsible for absorption of different nutrients and vitamins and keep a hemostatic status in their area, which ultimately leads to a decreased chance for the development of colon cancer.
If fluids are emitted, coming from the rectum, these fluids may be able to irritate predisposed areas of the hemorrhoid. The consequence of such additional irritation will be an aggravation of the situation and build up of even more or larger hemorrhoids. In this case it is advisable to wash the anus with cool, soapy water, in order to reduce swelling, which leads to a better blood supply and therefore better healing.
Squatting instead of sitting during bowel movement is also considered to have a positive influence on the development of hemorrhoids, since a study in 1987 found out that squatting prevents and reduces hemorrhoids. Yet this study was conducted with only 20 patients, a number not big enough to be able to claim to have scientific value. But physicians assume since then that squatting helps prevent and reduce hemorrhoids.
But there can be something done to achieve some relief from symptoms. Hydrotherapy or sitz baths in warm water cause the vessels around the rectal and anal region to dilate, providing a better blood supply. In case of pain, topical and/or systemic analgesics can be applied. Corticosteroids, vasoconstrictors, moisturizers, astringent etc. are means of choice.
In more persistent cases, the patient has no choice but undergo surgical treatment. The surgeon has a multitude of different techniques for the removal of hemorrhoids. Rubber band ligation, hemorrhoidolysis, sclerotherapy, cryosurgery, hemorrhoidectomy, Transanal Hemorrhoidal Dearterialization (THD-HP), stapled hemorrhoidectomy, Doppler guided Hemorrhoidal artery ligation, just to name a few. (Scary stuff)
However, hemorrhoids natural cure has recently become very possible with this program.