10 helpful tips to treat piles

1. Abstain from straining: Visit the toilet only when you feel the urge to defecate. Avoid other unrelated activities like reading newspapers while sitting on the toilet and waiting eagerly for the stool to arrive.

2. Hydrotherapy or sitz bath: Dr Ashwin Mallya, gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary surgeon, suggests that sitz bath can be very effective in proving symptomatic relief for itchy, inflamed and painful piles. Taking a sitz bath is nothing but soaking your anal area in a tub with slightly warm water containing potassium permangante tablets/povidone iodine solution for about 10-15 minutes. The warm water and salt relieves congestion, improves anal circulation and reduces inflammation. If you don’t have a bath tub at home, you can get a sitz bath tub that easily fits over the toilet seat in a medical store.

3. Ice pack/cold compress: Ice is the most effective treatment for inflammation and swelling. If you can’t use an ice pack, crush some ice cubes and wrap it in a plastic bag or sheet. Use a wash cloth to cover the plastic bag. Lie on your back in a comfortable position and apply on the anal opening for about 10 minutes.

4. Eat more fibre-rich foods: Diet plays a very important role in preventing the occurrence of piles as well as reducing hemorrhoidal pain. A diet rich in complex carbohydrates and high in fibre is highly recommended for getting relief from piles. Fibre helps to relieve constipation and avoid straining, which both are major risk factors for developing hemorrhoids. Oatmeal, barley, whole-grain cereals, beans, leafy vegetables like spinach (palak) and fenugreek (methi) and citrus fruits like oranges are a few fibre-rich sources that can be included.

5. Consider fibre supplements: If you cannot have fibre-rich foods, consider taking fibre supplements. Clinical trials have shown that fibre supplements are 50% effective in treating non-prolapsing hemorrhoids (protruding out of the anal opening). Meaning, they lower the risk of persisting symptoms and bleeding piles, but may not be effective in improving pain, itching and prolapsing symptoms.

6. Eat flavonoid rich foods: Flavonoid rich foods like blackberries, blueberries, cherries and citrus fruits increase the strength in the vein structures, thereby improving circulation around the anus. A meta-analysis has shown that flavonoids help to reduce persistent symptoms of piles by about 58 per cent with a fair reduction in the risk of bleeding, persistent pain, itching and recurrence.

7. Apply petroleum jelly: People suffering from hemorrhoids/piles often spend time straining during their bowel movement. A lubricating agent like petroleum jelly can help you to avoid straining if you use it just before passing a bowel movement.

8. Increase water intake: Apart from fibre that helps in moving the digested food smoothly through the intestine, water helps to determine the consistency of your stools. When you drink less water, your intestinal walls absorb water from your stools to make them hard. And, hard stools cause constipation and straining which leads to piles. Hence, you should drink a lot of water so as to maintain stool consistency and preventing constipation and dehydration.

9. Avoid regular use of laxative medications: Laxative medications are generally used for treating constipation. They are drugs that either stimulate bowel movements and/or soften the stool. However, using them regularly can badly affect your bowel movement pattern and further worsen constipation. Instead include foods like bananas (especially boiled ones), figs, prunes, dried fruits which act as natural laxatives.

10. Extra care while pregnancy: Pregnant women should be extra care while using any natural remedy for treating piles. Consult your doctor before taking any laxative medication or cream. Eat healthy, avoid spicy foods and do mild exercise regularly. Do not sit or stand for a long period of time.