Is Constipation the Only Cause of Piles? + It's Symptoms

Piles, which are also called hemorrhoids, refer to the swelling of the veins near the anus and rectum, which get irritated during bowel movements, causing pain and bleeding during stool motions. The veins near the rectum or the anus may rupture during strained bowel movements and thus, cause the blood to come out with the stool. This can be very painful for the patient and has a very disruptive effect on their lives.

Causes of Piles

There may be many causes for piles or hemorrhoids and the cause may vary from patient to patient. Let's have a look at a few of them.

Straining when passing a stool - This is by far the most common reason for piles and this is what causes the irritation on the veins or causes them to rupture

Chronic Constipation: People suffering from chronic constipation due to gastrointestinal problems may also suffer from piles due to putting pressure constantly to relieve themselves.

Lifting a heavy weight or doing strenuous work: This can also put physical stress on the anus or rectum and cause swollen veins, which may then rupture during the passage of stool.

Pregnancy - Pregnancy causes many hormonal changes in the body and the strain may also result in piles.

Symptoms of Piles

Some of the symptoms of piles or hemorrhoids are:

- Painful bowel movements, which hurt the rectum or the anus, accompanied by general tenderness within the region
- Bleeding or seeping of a bright red color blood onto the stool on the toilet or even on toilet paper
- Itching in the anal areas, which may be continuous or intermittent
- A swelling or lump near the anus, which is painful
- A mucus-like discharge from the anus

There may be one or more factors present in particular cases and if there is a pain in the rectal area, it is best to get it checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.

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Is Constipation the Only Cause of Piles? + It's Symptoms

Rarely do people ascribe Erectile Dysfunction to Hemorrhoids. Yet the correlation between the two is not far-fetched. Research has suggested that men who have suffered from Hemorrhoids in the last year are at an increased risk of developing Erectile Dysfunction. These two conditions are apparently incongruous. For someone suffering from Erectile Dysfunction, there is a lack of blood flow to the penis. For someone suffering from Hemorrhoids, there is swelling of veins inside the rectum. 

Younger people are more at risk unlike most diseases like High blood pressure, Alzheimer s diseases etc which are progressively more likely to occur in older men, this problem is more likely in younger than in older men. The study found that about 24.9% men under 40 years, who had been diagnosed with hemorrhoids in the last year, had suffered from Erectile Dysfunction. So the correlation is more prevalent in younger men than older men. According to the findings of the study, men aged 30 or less are more likely to experience Erectile Dysfunction after being diagnosed with Hemorrhoids in the last year. Moreover, men between the ages of 30-39 are twice more likely to suffer from Erectile Dysfunction if diagnosed with Hemorrhoids in the last year.

The correlation between age and likelihood of occurrence of Erectile Dysfunction due to Hemorrhoids is quite clear from these findings. The Apparent reason according to researchers in the study, localized swelling of varicose veins in the deep anus region may be responsible for some local irritation which can give rise to Erectile Dysfunction. Manage the Pain First Young men, who are suffering from Erectile Dysfunction, ostensibly arising out of the presence or history of Hemorrhoids in the past year, need to first manage the pain due to Hemorrhoids. Pain arising out of Hemorrhoids can be very difficult to put up with. A decrease in hemorrhoids pain can reduce the discomfort to some extent. Bleeding during bowel movement, intense pain during and after sitting, a feeling of itchiness or irritation near the anus etc are all indicators of hemorrhoids. If one has to habitually push hard during a bowel movement, he/she is more likely to suffer from Hemorrhoids, since the varicose veins can swell up during such hard pushing. 

The solution to alleviate pain, one can use various topical solutions containing Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera. These are anti-inflammatory herbs. Most of the anti-hemorrhoid creams contain either of these two. Apart from using topical solutions, one needs to change his dietary habits. One should abstain from foods that upset the stomach and adopt foods that soften the stool. This can help one avoid straining while moving bowels and spare the varicose veins from being inflamed. One can also benefit by practicing anal breathing which exercises the PC muscles and the anal sphincter. This could benefit both Hemorrhoids and Erectile Dysfunction.

Hemorrhoids - How It Increase Risk Of Erectile Dysfunction?

Many women experience a temporary encounter with hemorrhoids when they are pregnant. Quite surprisingly, most people tend to experience this in their daily lives. By the age 50, majority of people have encountered one or more symptoms of this ailment, including rectal pain, bleeding, itching and may be prolapse where the hemorrhoids protrude out of the anal canal. Though this ailment can be rarely detrimental, it can be a painful intrusion. But thankfully, there are a lot of things we can do about them.

How may this be diagnosed?
Hemorrhoids are usually diagnosed from a plain medical history and health exam. External hemorrhoids, more commonly known as piles, are normally apparent, particularly if a blood clot is formed. Your physician shall perform a digital rectal test to detect blood in the stool. Then the physician may also inspect the anal tube with the aid of an anoscope, which is a short plastic channel interjected into the rectum with illumination. If he finds any evidence of microscopic blood or rectal bleeding in the stool, then there may be a need to perform colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy to determine the probable causes of bleeding like cancer or colorectal polyps, specifically in women aged over 50.

Is it possible to treat hemorrhoids at home?
Most of the common symptoms of piles can improve drastically with simple in-home measures. If you are suffering from occasional flare-ups, you may try the following:

    Eat a lot of fibre: It is recommended to add fibre in the diet; may be a fibre supplement like Citrucel, Fibre con, etc. When you drink a lot of water along with loads of fibre, stools get softened making them effortless to pass, which will reduce the pressure on the swollen veins. Eating broccoli, wheat, oats, beans, fresh fruits every day will help in decreasing bleeding caused due to piles. It also reduces swelling and inflammation. If you feel digestive issues with a sudden splurge of fibre in your diet, you may start slowly and gradually increase the amounts.
    Take a sitz bath: A sitz bath is a lukewarm water bath for the lower back portion of the body, which can help in relieving irritation, itching as well as spasms occurring in the sphincter muscle. You can either get small plastic tubs for a sitz bath or sit in a normal bath tub. Most physicians suggest a half an hour sitz bath after every bowel movement. Then tenderly dry the area and avoid wiping it hard.

There are several invasive treatments that can be opted if these conservative treatments are not able to help your condition. In such an instance, it is always wise to seek advice of a medical practitioner. 

How to Deal with Hemorrhoids?

Piles or haemorrhoids refer to a condition when the veins of the rectum or the anus get abnormally enlarged and causing significant bleeding and inflammation. Generally, there are two types of piles that are found in the human body. One is internal haemorrhoid which is generally painless and occurs in the inner layer of the anal region. The other is external haemorrhoid which occurs in the external layers of the rectum making it easily visible and extremely painful.

The causes of Haemorrhoids are obesity, a desk-bound lifestyle, untreated chronic gastric conditions like dysentery, diarrhoea, constipation, hereditary factors, pelvic tumours and significant increase in the weight of the uterus at the time of pregnancy.

The symptoms of piles include severe pain in the anal region followed by blood discharge with the faecal materials along with extreme irritability in the particular region and abnormal enlargement around the anal region.
In Ayurvedic treatments, piles are referred to as Arsha Shoola which means extreme painful conditions that resemble needle piercing. However, this intense sensation of pain can be eradicated by Ayurvedic treatments as it concentrates on the elimination of the symptoms. 

Some essential Ayurvedic remedies for piles are as follows:

Haemorrhoid is a medical condition that largely occurs due to a bad digestive system. A prescribed dosage of haritaki and jimikand might help in the overall improvement of your digestive system.
According to the Ayurvedic scriptures, piles can be treated, if you can maintain a healthy dietary regime that should include amalaki, papaya and jamrul, but not excessive starch-containing foods like potato and pumpkin.
A mixture containing radish and milk can be applied in the entrance of the anus twice a day to cure piles.
A juicy extract of mint leaves and ginger along with a pinch of lemon juice and honey can be consumed twice a day to get rid of piles.
If the bleeding is continuous a prescribed dosage of the herb nagakesara might provide adequate relief.

Piles - 5 Ways Ayurveda Can Treat It!

How to Manage Piles at Home and with Medication

Piles or hemorrhoids can be a debilitating disorder of the rectum and anus where passing stool becomes painful. It is the swelling of the veins in the anus and the rectum, which may then be bruised by hard stool passing through it or due to excessive pressure being put on it. This can be a very painful and embarrassing condition for many people to go through.

Remedies for piles at home

There are many remedies that you can try at home to reduce the pain and swelling and even reduce the hemorrhoids themselves over time. Let's look at a few of the options.

Radish for treatment: In this treatment, a radish should be crushed and mixed with appropriate amounts of milk to form a thick paste, which is to be applied on the anus twice daily, and washed off after 15 minutes. This should relieve the symptoms in a few days.

Cumin seeds paste: You can take a tablespoon of cumin seed powder, make it into a paste after adding water and then put it on the affected area. After leaving it for 15 minutes or so, it should be washed away with water. Repeating this twice daily will help with the symptoms and reduce pain.

Diet: Lack of a balanced diet can be problematic for those with piles, and thus, it is recommended that enough roughage such as green leafy vegetables and fruits are included in the diet as well.

Figs: Dried figs are also another great weapon against piles. Soaking some dried figs in warm water overnight and then having them in the morning is known to be good for smooth bowel movements, thus, relieving pressure on the rectal veins.

Some Ayurvedic Medications that May Prove Effective with Piles:

Some of the specific ayurvedic medication that are known to be helpful in treating piles are:

Hareetaki: This is the fruit peel of Harad and if taken with 1 cupful of jaggery, it can reduce the symptoms of constipation as reported by many patients.

Castor oil: Mixing a small teaspoon of castor oil with a glass of milk can also help soften the stool and reduce the stress on the rectal walls.

Nagakesara: This is also an ayurvedic medicine, which is usually prescribed as oral medication three times daily and has proven its effectiveness many times over.

Abhayarishta: 30 ml of this ayurvedic herb is also given to patients after food with equal parts water and has been known to be very effective.

Kasiaditaila: This is an oil, which should be applied externally and it can help reduce the inflammation and itching caused by piles.

10 Best Home Remedies to Treat Piles  - Natural Treatment

5 Foods to eat if you suffer from Piles

Piles, commonly known as hemorrhoid is a condition that leads to pain, discomfort and irritation while passing stool. It is caused due to inflammation of the veins in the lower rectum area. Piles is of two types: internal and external, one can suffer from both simultaneously. The damage in the lower rectum area is a result of aging, chronic constipation, pregnancy, diarrhea and consuming processed food on a daily basis. Piles also lead to bleeding not just while passing the stool but anytime. It is recommended to monitor one's diet and construct a plan that helps to diminish the problem. Here are certain types of foods which can help you deal with Piles better.

Whole grains

People suffering from piles are recommended to include a lot of healthy whole grains into their diet like bran cereal, brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta. These fiber rich foods soften the stool and help reduce the pain.

Leafy green vegetables

Green vegetables are packed with antioxidants and nutrients that help with digestion. Strengthening the digestive system is important while treating piles. Broccoli, sprouts, carrots, brussels, cabbage, tomato, asparagus, cauliflower, onions, cucumber are some of the vegetables that one should consume while battling piles.

Fruits

Fruits are high in nutrients, fiber, minerals and vitamins that help to regulate the bowel movement. Fruits that can be eaten with their skin on like apples, prunes, raisins, grapes, berries are full of fiber and are very beneficial. The ones that have to be eaten without the skin are good too, for example, papaya, banana, oranges.

Beans

Beans are high in fiber content and should be included in regular meals of a piles patient. Kidney, black, lima, navy beans, black-eyed peas, legumes are some good options.

Water

Although it is not a food, water is an important ingredient when it comes to treating piles. It is advisable to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water daily which helps with the smooth functioning of the bowel movement.

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5 Foods Items You Should Eat In Piles Problem

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