Hemorrhoids are dilated or swollen veins (low pressure blood vessels that return blood to the heart) under the rectum around the anal opening. They can be classified into internal and external hemorrhoids.
There is a dentate line in the anal canal, which separates two types of anal skin. While the skin above the dentate line is not sensitive to pain, the skin below this line is quite sensitive to pain. Internal hemorrhoids occur above the dentate line and are, therefore, usually painless. They can cause bleeding or they may push out of (prolapsed) the anal opening when they become quite large.
External hemorrhoids occur below the dentate line and are generally painful. External hemorrhoids can become very distressing when the blood in the hemorrhoid clots and inflammation irritates the nearby pain-sensitive skin.
Symptoms include: Rectal bleeding, pain and/or itching, painful bowel movements— especially with straining, a lump that can be felt in the anus, and sometimes—mucous discharge after a bowel movement.
Piles are common and most people have some bleeding from them once in a while.
Though disturbing and discomforting, hemorrhoids are never a serious health problem.
Still the reasons to seek medical treatment for hemorrhoids include: the presence of a painful blood clot in the hemorrhoid, excessive blood loss, infection and the need to rule cancer of the rectum or colon.
Self-Help Guidelines & Ayurvedic Remedies
• Drink plenty of water and other fluids—at least 10 glasses a day. Eat foods, which are good sources of fiber, such as whole grain or bran, cereals and breads, fresh vegetables and fruits, and, if necessary, add bran to your foods (about three to four tablespoonfuls per day). This will make the passing of stools easy.
• Pass the bowel as soon as you feel the urge. Don’t strain yourself to have a bowel movement.
• Lose weight if you are over-weight.
• Exercise regularly.
• Keep the anal area clean. Use a ‘sitz-bath’ with hot water.
• Take warm baths.
• Don’t sit too much on a hard surface because it can restrict blood flow around the anal area.
• With a cotton swab apply on your anus, any one of the following preparations before going to bed:
1. Half-a-teaspoonful mustard powder with a tablespoonful of honey.
2. Half a teaspoonful of turmeric with a tablespoonful of mustard oil, papaya juice, aloe vera gel or juice.
• Kaaseesaadi taila, when applied externally, shrinks the piles and cures itching in the anal region.
• Peel a clove of garlic and insert it in the rectum. Put in a fresh clove at bedtime, pushing it up high, to make sure it stays in overnight.
• The hot poultice of dry radish is very good in non-bleeding piles.
• For painful and protruding piles, you can use the ointment prepared out of turmeric, the leaves of Indian hemp and onion with hot sesame oil.
• Cooked carrots eaten with whey checks bleeding from piles.
• An oral mixture containing 10 grams of pulp of ripe bael fruit, 3 grams of sugar, powder of 7 black peppers and 3 cardamoms is very efficacious in checking bleeding from piles.
• To stop bleeding from piles, you can take naagakesar and black sesame seeds, powdered and mixed with fresh ghee or butter.
• Burn the outer covering of the seeds of reetha, and take it orally with honey.
• Abhayaarishta, a liquid preparation, should be taken in the dose of 30 ml in equal quantity of lukewarm water before going to bed to control constipation and piles. Nityodit Ras 250 mg and Arsha kuthaar ras 250 mg along with honey thrice daily are also effective.