Are my symptoms due to piles/haemorrhoids?

Piles can cause the following symptoms:

• Severe pain while passing stool
• Lump or a protrusion near the anus
• Rectal bleeding during or after passing stool. Blood is usually not mixed with stool.
• Redness and soreness around the anus, along with an urge to itch ever too frequently.
• Pain and discomfort in the anal region while sitting for long durations

If ignored for long, piles can lead to anal infection, faecal incontinence, development of fistulas and even anaemia, owing to the excessive bleeding. It might seem a little embarrassing for you to discuss this condition with your doctor, but piles are a very common condition, and hence there is no need for you to suffer in silence. The sooner you seek treatment for this condition, the higher are your chances of full recovery without surgery. If they are at the early stages, they usually go away in a few days after diet correction and treating the cause. Here are a few simple home tips and ayurveda remedies to treat piles.

The ayurvedic approach to treating piles

Generally piles may be either internal or external and this can be confirmed by your physician after a physical examination and also using an instrument called the proctoscope. Ayurveda indicates that there are five types of piles or the arsh roga.

1. Born out of vitiation of vata dosha [air body humor]
2. Born out of vitiation of pitta dosha [fire body humor]
3. Born out of vitiation of kapha dosha [phlegm body humor]
4. Born out of vitiation of any two doshas
5. Born out of vitiation of all the three doshas—vata, pitta and kapha.

Home remedies and ayurveda advice for managing piles

According to ayurveda, the use of certain herbs, along with a combination of diet and lifestyle modifications can provide relief from the problem.

• Soak 1 tsp each of fennel and cumin seeds in 1 litre lukewarm water for 2 hours, strain and consume this water 2 – 3 times a day.
• Aim to drink one glass water per hour and at least 8 glasses per day. This would reverse any dehydration or constipation you could be suffering from, thus making your bowel movement smooth and comfortable.
• Make a detox drink by adding 1 tsp chopped ginger, handful of mint leaves, lemon wedges and 1 tbsp honey to 500ml water. Sip on this during the day to help flush out toxins.
• Eat green leafy vegetables, ghee and buttermilk daily.
• Consume foods that are high on fibre such as apples, papaya, oranges, sweet lime and cucumber to relieve the problem of constipation and hard stool.
• Dried, soaked figs are also known to be effective stool softeners.
• Including some raw garlic in daily diet helps prevent the bleeding associated with piles.
• Carrots are also known to reduce rectal bleeding. You can have fresh carrot juice or well-cooked carrot.
• You need to include some mild laxative in your diet like Triphala [Herbs combination of harad, baheda and amla], Gulkand [sweet jelly made from the rose flowers] and fennel or saunf.
• Fresh juice of amla taken on an empty stomach proves useful.
• If blood oozes out of the swollen piles, have ½ tsp sesame seeds mixed with some butter.
• Warm fomentation of the affected area with a warm poultice using the Haridra [Turmeric] helps.
• Sesame seeds paste may be applied on the piles for relief.

Most people with this condition swear by Sitz bath to give them relief. In this you sit in a tub of warm water for about 15 – 20 minutes. Soaking the anal region in warm water helps to relax the area and this should especially be done after passing stool. Do this at least twice a day.

Simple home hacks

• Massaging your abdomen area using tea tree oil or rosemary oil may help relieve the pain.
• Avoid using soap containing harsh chemicals around the anal region. After stools, gently wash it with clean hands using lukewarm water.
• Make sure to avoid using alcohol based wet wipes around the anal region. It only worsens the problem. You may try using a soft, moist cloth if you wish to.
• Taking oral pain killers or applying a local anesthetic cream can help relieve the pain to some extent, but only temporarily.
• In case, prolapsed piles becomes a permanent feature, surgery may be needed.

What to avoid

For someone who is suffering from the distressing condition of piles, soft and bland foods are usually recommended. Avoid chillies, hot and spicy foods, processed foods and caffeinated drinks. Also avoid foods that are high on starch, such as potatoes, and bakery items.

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Symptoms of piles

• Pain and bleeding while passing stools and feeling of irritation after passing stools.
• The patient cannot sit comfortably due to itching, discomfort, and pain in the rectal region.

Symptoms of grading

Piles vary in intensity.

First-degree piles bleed; second-degree piles prolapse but retract spontaneously. Third-degree piles are those, which require manual replacement after prolapsing.

• Bright red rectal bleeding occurs after defecation.
• Other symptoms include pain, pruritus ani [itching around the anus] and mucus discharge.

Symptoms of a fissure

Most common cause for a fissure is a tear in the anal mucosa caused by the passage of hard stools. Severe pain occurs on defecation and there may be minor bleeding, mucus discharge and pruritus.

Preventive measures

The most important contributory factor for the development of piles and fissures is constipation. Avoiding constipation not only prevents the development of piles and fissures, but also halts further progression of the disease.

Here’s how you can avoid constipation:

• Drink sufficient water.
• Have plenty of fruits especially figs and bananas with milk daily in the morning.
• Soak a handful of dried figs in warm water overnight. Next morning, take the figs along with the water on an empty stomach.
• Include lots of fibre in your foods as it helps in loosening and softening the stools. Oat bran and other whole grains bran are also very effective in curing constipation.
• Take caster oil with milk [one tsp castor oil to one glass of warm milk] at bedtime.
• One tsp of isabgol husk with warm milk will help in softening the stool and cause easy and painless passage thereof.
• Take one tsp of triphala with a glass of warm water at bedtime.

To prevent piles, it is also important that you empty your bowels as soon the urge occurs; keep the anal area dry and avoid irritating the rectum. To prevent anal fissures in infants, change their diapers frequently.

Simple remedies

Given below are some easy solutions to treat piles. Most of the essentials are readily available to us at home.

• If bleeding and pain persists, use Krishna til [black sesame]. Take one tsp of black sesame seed paste, add it to one tsp of jaggery and ginger and consume it at bedtime regularly
• Lack of exercise, junk food and sedentary lifestyle favour development of constipation, piles and eventually fissure. Eat healthy, exercise regularly and avoid spicy foods. Follow a regular diet pattern
• To cure bleeding piles, boil one tsp of pomegranate bark in a glass of water till it is reduced to half. Drink this decoction once a day
• Include a salad of radishes, turnips and other fibrous root vegetables in your diet.
• Avoid long rides, hard seats and sitting for long hours.
• Apply a thick coating of petroleum jelly/oil inside the anus [at least half an inch upwards the rectum]. This must be done before each bowel movement. This practice causes soft bowel movement, is soothing to the anal canal, and avoids unnecessary straining and bleeding.
• Apply neem seed oil locally as it has a laxative as well as emollient effect.
• Apply paste of sesame seeds, neem leaves and castor leaves to relieve pain in both piles and fissures.
• To improve local circulation, a sitz bath/tub bath would be suitable. Boil water with Panchavalkala Kvatha Churna or Triphala Churna [both are readily available in ayurvedic medical stores]. Use this medicated decoction for tub bath. It is an effective pain reliever and healer. Sitz bath/tub bath with decoction of liquorice and milk is very effective in controlling bleeding and acts as anti-inflammatory.
• Look for risk factors which contribute to the development of piles and fissures. Pregnancy, chronic cough and other conditions, which lead to undue pressure on the abdomen and pelvic blood vessels hampering venous outflow will definitely cause haemorrhoids.
• Take triphala powder added to buttermilk [one tsp to one glass of buttermilk] with a few drops of ginger juice is highly effective in relieving pain, discomfort and even constipation associated with piles and fissures.
• Add a tsp of butter with equal quantity of sesame seed powder and have it regularly at bedtime if you have bleeding piles / fissures.? Include tubers like amorphophallus [commonly called elephant foot or suran] in your diet, and dishes prepared from barley, horse gram [kulthi], snake gourd [chichinda], garlic, onion, pepper, Indian gooseberry [amla], ghee, cumin seeds, winter radish, and pumpkin.

Last updated on 21^st September 2019

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