Has hemorrhoidal pain, itching and burning made you feel uncomfortable? Here are 12 tips that are sure to bring you quick and safe relief. Best of all, you can take care of your symptoms at home.
- Hygiene helps: To rinse away debris that can cause itching and pain, cleanse the anus thoroughly with mild soap and lukewarm running water.
- Put It On Ice: To relieve painful swelling, apply an ice pack or cold gel pack directly to the anal area.
- Soak your sit bones: For lasting pain relief, sit with your knees elevated in a tub of three to four inches of warm water. Doctors recommend sitting for no more than fifteen minutes at a time, but you can take the sitz bath several times a day. Most doctors do not recommend adding any ingredients to bath water. However, a warm Epsom salt bath, effective for relieving severe bruises and sprains, may also have some benefit for hemorrhoids. Adding a quarter to a half cup of salt to the bath will not harm your hemorrhoids and may provide some relief.
- Tea Tree Decree: Vitamin E oil or even petroleum jelly mixed with a drop or two of tea tree oil soothes the itching and burning of hemorrhoids. Apply with a clean cotton applicator or a gloved finger. Tea tree oil gives a pleasant sensation of warmth without burning or stinging. Its antiseptic properties can also help keep irritated hemorrhoids clean and promote faster healing.
- Cushy Tushy: To minimize compression on hemorrhoidal veins while sitting, make a temporary donut cushion out of rolled up towels or blankets.
- Going Commando: Get rid of the underpants. Wear loose pants to maximize comfort and circulation.
- Find some fiber: To relieve constipation that can aggravate hemorrhoids, take a stool softener that contains psyllium husks or ground flaxseed. Start with a teaspoon every night followed by a full glass of water. Water is important to avoid choking and/or further constipation from fiber. With adequate water intake, fiber will swell, making your next bowel movement larger but smoother. No fiber stool softener in the house? Eat fruits with skin: pears, apples, grapes.
- Drink some water: To stay constipated and help heal your hemorrhoids, take sips of clear liquids throughout the day.
- Just say no: avoid narcotics like codeine, percocet, and oxycodone. Although they relieve pain quite effectively, they are known to cause constipation. Taking narcotics for hemorrhoid pain will end up making your symptoms even more miserable. Therefore, if your doctor prescribes narcotics for hemorrhoid pain, be sure to ask his or her advice on what to drink or take to relieve the resulting constipation.
- Prudent pain relief: Use plain ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) to relieve hemorrhoidal pain. Caution: Ibuprofen thins the blood, which can make blood thicker on toilet paper during bowel movements.
- Effort Affirmation: Avoid strenuous abdominal exercise during flare-ups. These also create abdominal pressure that often aggravates hemorrhoids. Ask a personal trainer or doctor for alternative exercises to keep your abs tight. If you must lift something heavy, ask for help. Remember: don’t hold your breath as you lift, exhale! Exhaling into the “elevator” prevents you from creating excess pressure in your abdominal cavity that can cause your hemorrhoids to bulge and worsen.
- Avoid running: avoid diarrhea during a hemorrhoid flare-up: don’t take laxatives or too many fiber supplements. Bananas, rice, tea, and potatoes are foods that help stop diarrhea.