Piles (Haemorrhoids) - Symptoms, Treatment, Causes, Home Remedies & More

Lifestyle Changes

Effective treatment of piles can involve some fairly simple lifestyle changes. These include:

• Drinking plenty of fluids.
• A diet rich in fiber.
• Wearing loose-fitting, breathable cotton underwear & pants.
• Never forcing bowel movements.
• Engaging in a bathroom schedule.
• Taking a squatting position while having a bowel movement to make it easier.

Things to avoid when treating Piles

Commercial baby wipes or perfumed toilet papers - common in many households – are best avoided. Hemorrhoids are highly sensitive. Perfumes, deodorants & other chemicals may make piles symptoms worse.

Your doctor or pharmacist might suggest:

• Piles cream, lotion, spray or to ease pain, itching & swelling.
• Treatment to help constipation & soften stools.
• Cold packs to ease discomfort.

Hospital treatment for Piles

If you see & feel little improvement to the piles after treatment at home, hospital treatment may be recommended.

Talk to Medcare about the best treatment for you. While treatment does not always prevent piles coming back, we will ascertain the best course of action to get the piles treated as quickly & unobtrusively as possible.

Piles Treatment without Surgery

Common hospital treatments include:

• Rubber Band Ligation: A band is placed around the piles, making them drop off.
• Sclerotherapy: Injecting a liquid into the piles to shrink them.
• Electrotherapy: A gentle electric current is applied to piles shrinking them.
• Infrared Coagulation: An infrared light is used to cut the blood supply to piles to shrink them.

If these outpatient treatments do not work, you might need surgery.

Surgery for Piles

Surgical treatments include:

• Haemorrhoidectomy: the piles are cut out.
• Stapled Haemorrhoidopexy: A procedure where piles are stapled back inside your anus.
• Hemorrhoidal Artery Ligation: stitches are used to cut blood supply to piles, making them shrink.

Home Remedies for Piles

Piles treatment at home & over-the-counter treatment options come in many forms. Many treatments offer gentle relief from the pain & itching until they resolve on their own. Try the following treatments to help relieve the discomfort of hemorrhoids:

Warm Baths

A warm bath filled just enough to cover the legs may help to ease the swelling & reduce irritation caused by hemorrhoids. You can add other ingredients to the bath to help reduce piles symptoms, such as Epsom salts.

Witch Hazel

Be cautious about what is put on or near piles, as they can easily become more irritated. Some people have found applying witch hazel directly to external hemorrhoids brings relief.

Coconut Oil 

Coconut oil, a natural moisturizer, may help with hemorrhoids. Applying coconut oil may reduce the irritation & swelling, & can also reduce the urge to scratch.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body & might provide relief from piles.

Ice packs

Placing towel-wrapped ice or a cold pack against piles when seated is a natural way to soothe the discomfort.

Risk Factors of Piles

While bowel movement problems – such as constipation - are the most common causes of hemorrhoids, certain lifestyle factors increase the risk of piles, both directly & indirectly, including:

• Poor hydration: Drinking less than eight glasses of water a day can lead to dehydration & constipation.
• Low-Fiber Diet: Fiber in the diet is essential to digestive health. Many of us simply don't get enough. A low fiber diet is one with less than 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day.
• Food Choices: What you eat can significantly increase the risk of constipation, which can lead to piles, so avoid unhealthy foods.
• Lack of Exercise: Being physically inactive can cause a general loss of muscle tone (including the anorectal muscles), and affect bowel movements.

Medical Causes

Hemorrhoids are common in many health conditions, including:

• Anal injuries
• Ascites (a build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity)
• Inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
• Obesity
• Rectal prolapse

As many of these conditions are serious, do not ignore hemorrhoids that are worsening, or failing to improve. While hemorrhoids can sometimes bleed, see your Medcare doctor if the bleeding is persistent & accompanied with abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, bloody stools, or unexplained weight loss. This may be a sign of colon or rectal cancer, which require immediate attention.

Complications of Piles

While complications of hemorrhoids are rare, they may include:

• Strangulation: Arteries feeding fresh blood to the hemorrhoid can become blocked, preventing blood supply, & causing intense pain.
• Anemia: If hemorrhoids bleed too much, they can deprive red blood cells of oxygen, leading to headaches, tiredness, dizziness & shortness of breath, as the blood supply carries less oxygen around the body.
• Prolapse: Prolapsed hemorrhoids can cause pain when sitting or passing stool.
• Blood Clots: Blood clots cause pain & itching.
• Infection: Bacteria can get into bleeding hemorrhoids & infect the tissue. Untreated infections can cause serious complications, such as abscesses & fever.

Prevention of Piles

Piles can arise due to straining. Excessive straining is a result of constipation. Therefore, a change in diet can help keep the stools regular & soft.

What diet should I follow to prevent piles?

Do:

• Drink more fluids, especially water.
• Consume more fiber – at least 30 grams per day.
• Soluble fibre helps keep stool soft & minimize constipation by soaking up water as it passes through your system.
• Insoluble fibre helps keep bowel movements regular & moving through the digestive system.
• Concentrate on eating fruit & vegetables with every meal.
• Switch to high fibre or bran-based breakfast cereals.
• Switch to a plainer diet for a few weeks. Spicy foods hurt when passing, & exacerbate the pain.
• Swap out the white bread for multi-grain or dark rye.
• Lose the white rice & pasta, & try barley, brown & wild rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa or wholemeal pasta.
• Enjoy more lentils, nuts, seeds & beans – kidney beans contain roughly 25 grams of fibre for every 100g. Just 20 almonds contain around 3g of fiber.