So what are hemorrhoids and how do you get rid of them?
I'm going to tell you all of this and more in this week's video now believe it or not hemorrhoids
are actually an important structure that sit in the anus and prevent leakage so
in their normal state we all have them hemorrhoids as a condition though are
very common and it's suspected that over 80% of people have suffered from them
now the symptoms do vary from patient to patient the most common symptom is fresh
bright red blood past after a bowel motion and itchiness around the anus
caused by mucous from the hemorrhoid the third symptom is where the hemorrhoid
prolapses so it gets larger and can fall out of the anus and it looks like a
bunch of cherries now after a bowel motion it may go in by itself or the
patient may have to push it back in background done now let's move on to
prevention and treatment now the long-term results of getting rid of
hemorrhoids is heavily dependent on preventative factors so you will have to
make lifestyle changes to prevent it from coming back
so hemorrhoids are mainly caused by a lack of fiber and as we get older we
need more of it if you're not getting the fiber in your diet your stools are
going to be harder they're not going to retain more fluid so you're gonna be
pushing and straining more to get them out now this pushing and straining may
cause inflammation of the blood vessels in and around the anus which is known as
hemorrhoids so your next question is how do you increase your fibre? Well it's
quite simple eat foods that are rich in fibre so for example eat more vegetables
eat whole grain rice whole wheat bread whole wheat pasta even baked beans
they're massively high in fiber what I will also do is I'll leave a full list
in the description below for you to check out and read for more information
now the other preventative factors that you can modify include drinking more
water so six to eight glasses a day drinking less caffeine and alcohol when
you've got the urge to go to the toilet go to the toilet don't wait just go lose
weight and exercise more often now I'll leave more information on all of these plus
more in the description below for you as well now there are some factors that you
can't change for example genetics pregnancy but making changes to the
factors that you can will help reduce the risk of you developing hemorrhoids
in the first place and also it'll help reduce the risk of them coming back now
let's talk a little about treatment now there's various different creams
ointments suppositories that are all available from your pharmacy without a
prescription and it can help to reduce the swelling and
helped reduce discomfort now generally speaking there's always two things I
look out for in these preparations a local anaesthetic which is going to help
numb the area so you don't feel as much pain for example lidocaine and also a
steroid which is going to help reduce the swelling like hydrocortisone for
example but always make sure you speak to your pharmacist first before you
purchase any of these so they can make sure it's suitable and safe for you to
use they can also give you some really helpful tips that you might not be aware
of it's also important to remember these treatments should only be used for five
to seven days and also when you use it make sure you apply it after you've
emptied your bowels that way you'll stay in the right area for longer and it'll
have a better effect now treatment should be combined with
the lifestyle changes we mentioned earlier if you're still in pain however
speak to your pharmacist about taking paracetamol in addition to these and
also I would advise everyone not to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like
ibuprofen as this can actually make the bleeding worse now constipation can make
the pain worse and some medicines can actually cause constipation which is
going to make your pain worse so for example codeine codeine causes
constipation so I wouldn't advise you taking it the hemorrhoid pain if you
still need something to help loosen the stools laxatives are an option and I did
make a video not long ago about constipation and laxatives I'll leave a
link up here and in the description below for you and as always with all
medication always read the information leaflet and speak to your pharmacist to make
sure that you're safe and suitable to take it I really hope my tips help you in this
video but please remember if your hemorrhoids don't go away after five to seven days
you're in a lot of pain they keep reoccurring or you're pregnant then you
will need to speak to your doctor I've also left more useful information about
hemorrhoids that I'd recommend everyone to read in the description below see you
next week mainly caused by a lack of fibre and as we get older we need more fibre
if you're not having enough fibre I've said fibre like five times now fibre fibre fibre (LAUGHTER)
six to eight glasses a day cutting down your caffeine and
alcohol intake I can't remember the rest this is a really big list (LAUGHTER) I'm gonna struggle
with this drink more water cut down your caffeine and alcohol intake
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