Hopefully, someone on the World Wide Web will read my first post and will be inclined to revisit my page. The word of the day is Hemorrhoids, aka Piles.

What are Hemorrhoids?

Swollen and inflamed veins in the rectum and anus that cause discomfort and bleeding. Hemorrhoids are usually caused by straining during bowel movements, obesity, or pregnancy.
Discomfort is a common symptom, especially during bowel movements or when sitting. Other symptoms include itching and bleeding.

Hemorrhoids are common, affecting between 20 and 50% of the population and resulting in four million office and emergency visits annually. 

What do I think caused my hemorrhoids? I think it is crucial to find the root cause of an issue. It will likely happen again if you don’t know the root cause.

• Constipation

I remember the first time I was constipated. I was a teenager. I cried tears because I could not use the bathroom. Unfortunately, I’ve had countless other episodes of constipation throughout the years. Constipation = straining, straining = Hemorrhoids. In the future, I will share some of my remedies for constipation; they aren’t guaranteed and won’t work for everyone. This Blog will only help some, but if I help some, it’s enough.

• Sitting on the toilet for long periods

The shape of the toilet seat puts extra pressure on the rectum and anus. Sitting for a long time can cause veins to become swollen.
Before the cell phone age, we had magazines, and I would sit on the toilet flipping through pages while I awaited my poop; fast forward to more recent times, I replaced the magazine with a cell phone. BIG MISTAKE!!! When you feel the urge to go, you sit. Once the urge is gone, get your ASS UP! Come back when the urge is back if you do not think you have emptied your bowels. Nowadays, if I have a bowel movement and do not feel wholly done, I stand up for a few minutes and then sit when I feel the urge again. 

• Diarrhea 

Diarrhea is probably the least contributing for me, but I think I can add it to why I have hemorrhoids; to cure my constipation, I used laxatives to go to the bathroom. The more time you spend on the toilet, diarrhea or constipation can lead to hemorrhoids. 

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The long periods of straining and sitting down associated with diarrhea can also contribute to the formation of hemorrhoids.

• Pregnancy 

I am sure I developed hemorrhoids during my pregnancies; in addition to hormones, prenatal vitamins caused constipation. Remember, constipation causes straining, which equals to Hemorrhoids.

Although hemorrhoids can appear anytime, most moms-to-be get them in the third trimester, starting around week 28. Increased blood flow to the pelvic area and pressure from the enlarging uterus and growing baby can cause the veins that run through the anus to swell.

I have tried several things to fix my hemorrhoids: creams, suppositories, banding, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). More to come on this, until next time.