Help For Hemorrhoids

What’s the best way to get rid of hemorrhoids? If you're a devout Catholic, you can try calling on St. Fiacre, the patron saint of hemorrhoids.

Fiacre was a hermit known for his miraculous cures and strong distaste for women. How he became associated with hemorrhoids is unknown but it might have originated from the fact that the French word for that disorder is “fie” which means a small tumor. But if heaven turns a deaf ear on your pleas, you can always try these time-tested measures.

Begin with a sitz bath. This is where you soak your rear end in a tub of warm water. Doing so for 30 to 45 minutes twice a day is soothing and can relieve the pain and itching caused by hemorrhoids.

In addition to this, here are more suggestions from “The New Medicine Show”, a book published by the Consumers Union of America:

You might find it helpful to add fiber or roughage to your diet in the form of fruits, vegetables, breads, and whole-grain cereals. Fiber resists digestion and reaches the large intestine virtually unchanged. There, it speeds the passage of feces through the intestine, lessening the strain of a bowel movement

Fiber also retains water and adds to the bulk, softness, and weight of stool – all factors in easing strain. Good sources of fiber include apples, bananas, baked beans, cooked broccoli, cabbage and carrots, canned com, fresh peaches, cooked peas, pears, strawberries, and cereals.

Exercise may direct one's thoughts from work or household worries, conferring a sense of relaxation that facilitates bowel movement.

The value of drinking large quantities of water to prevent constipation has been highly overrated. Nevertheless, there's no harm in drinking six to eight glasses of water daily. This will contribute to the softening of stools.

Keep the skin around the anus clean and dry. Residual fecal matter keeps the area moist and can irritate the skin. But vigorous wiping with dry toilet paper may make things worse. Instead swab the area after each bowel movement using toilet paper moistened with warm water. Then gently pat the area dry.

Soap residues can irritate, so always rinse off completely after showering or bathing. If soaps do cause irritation, clean the anal area with a perianal cleansing lotion.

Since perspiration can irritate the anal area, avoid tight undergarments and pantyhose. Loose cotton underwear is best. A light sprinkling of talcum powder in the area can help absorb moisture.

Do hemorrhoid creams work? Do they have any side effects? Find out in the fourth part of this series.

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