by Nora Carver

Created on: January 19, 2010

A painful and often embarrassing condition, hemorrhoids, also referred to as “piles” is a common ailment among the general population. One of those rarely talked about but often suffered conditions, hemorrhoids is caused by the swelling of the blood vessels located in the rectum area. It is a common symptom during pregnancy as well as in people that suffer severe constipation or diarrhea due to straining of the muscles while attempting to evacuate the bowels and is often suffered by those of middle age or older due to weakness of the muscles in the area due to age.  Other conditions which may result in the onset of hemorrhoids include obesity, anal intercourse and sometimes, hereditary tendency to have the condition.

Symptoms of hemorrhoids include painless bleeding while passing stools, itchiness, irritation and discomfort in the anal region, pain when passing stools and protrusion of the hemorrhoids from the anus or a swelling of a painful, sensitive lump in the anal area.

Hemorrhoids can be treated quite effectively at home several ways. For immediate relief, the most common home cure for hemorrhoids is to apply witch hazel on the affected area to relieve swelling and pain. Witch hazel can be found at just about any pharmacy over the counter and costs very little.

Other home remedies used to treat the symptoms of hemorrhoids include drinking buttermilk mixed with a tsp. of ginger and a pinch of rock salt. This concoction is touted for relieving digestive problems which lead to constipation and result in hemorrhoids. Eating figs after soaking them in water over night is another often used cure. The figs help promote the flow of bile in the digestive tract and ease constipation as well as diarrhea.

A less widely used but still effective treatments for the relief of hemorrhoids include crushing black mustard into a bowl of yogurt and consuming, followed by a glass of buttermilk.  Yogurt contains cultures which help promote good digestive health and the black mustard is an old home remedy for diarrhea. Butter milk also contains cultures that are good for the digestive tract.

Of course, all remedies should be followed by a change in diet and lifestyle. People that suffer from chronic hemorrhoids are recommended to change their diet to include more rough foliage, fiber and fresh fruits such as grapes, grapefruit and prunes. Getting regular exercise is good for overall health promotion as well and is recommended by physicians to help with avoiding hemorrhoids along with a healthy diet and drinking water regularly to promote good digestion.  Avoiding fried foods, excessive salt and refined sugars is also recommended.

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