Guest Author - Carolyn Chambers Clark, ARNP, EdD

What causes hemorrhoids?

Poor circulation, insufficient fluids, not enough exercise, poor diet, and more can lead to hemorrhoids.

What self-care measures can you take to reduce or prevent hemorrhoids?
A. Eat plenty of high fiber foods every day (nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

B. Elevate your feet on a slant board or facsimile twice a day (at least 2 hours after eating). Start with a few minutes and work up to 15-30 minutes a day. Check with your health care practitioner prior to doing this, to ask if there is any reason why you shouldn't. Warning: avoid slant-boarding if you have had retinal detachments, glaucoma, or other conditions where increased pressure in your head is dangerous, or if you have an irritated hiatal hernia.

C. Avoid wearing tight clothes, and don't sit or stand in one position too long. Walk around for a minute or two at least every hour, and do some stretches: reach for the ceiling with your right hand, and for the floor with your left, keeping your body straight. Separating your fingers and gently stretching them, stretching some more until you feel a tingle in your fingers.

D. Squeeze the juice of ¼ of a lemon in a glass of warm water and drink it first thing in the morning or if you are constipated and can't move your bowels.

E. Oil your anus with olive or castor oil prior to having a bowel movement to protect it from pain and bleeding. Never strain. Breathe deep in your abdomen while you are sitting on the toilet. Never sit on the toilet to do your reading. Focus on staying calm and breathing. See "D" above. Elevate your feet on two or three bricks when you sit on the toilet to reduce abdominal pressure. After a bowel movement, gently dry with cotton balls soaked in castor oil, and apply vitamin E to your anus (to help heal and reduce pain), alternating with witch hazel (to shrink the hemorrhoid and reduce itching.)

F. Take 2 ounces of aloe vera juice after each meal. Caution: Do not use the juice from an aloe vera plant. Purchase aloe vera juice from a health food store.

G. Massage your feet, lower legs and hands daily. Use olive or castor oil. Check with your health care practitioner to make sure it is okay to massage each area. If it's okay, place your hand on your belly button. If you have constipation, massage clockwise out in larger and larger circles and then massage in until you reach your umbilicus again. Counterclockwise if you have diarrhea. If you have neither, first massage clockwise and then counterclockwise to maintain a healthy colon. Massage along your Achilles tendon gently. Massage your feet, especially the middle of the bottom of your feet. Massage on the inside of your palm in a line down from the area between your thumb and index finger.

H. Use gentle acupressure. Put three fingers (index, middle and fourth) on your hemorrhoid and the same three fingers of your other hand on the middle of your calf of the corresponding leg. (Note: this will work whether of not you're wearing clothes.) Hold both points until you feel a gentle, open and strong pulse in all three fingers of both hands, then relax and focus on breathing in your abdomen. (This could take a while if there are energy blockages. At first you may not feel anything, then a pulse may begin, but it may come and go in one or more fingers. You may also feel some bursts of pulsation in one or more fingers until the pulse evens out and balances in a smooth, even flow in all three fingers.)

I. Between two of your meals, put l teaspoon of psyllium husks (available from health food store) in a glass of water or juice, stir quickly and drink before it thickens. If this stabilizes your bowel movements and reduces pressure in your hemorrhoid, continue, otherwise stop.

J. Sleep with a small soft pillow between your knees to take the pressure off your hemorrhoid.

K. To improve vein elasticity and strength, take vitamin C (l,000 mg 2-3 times a day with a full glass of water each time), vitamin E (400-800 mg/day), and zinc (up to 30 mgm/day). Take bioflavonoids or vitamin C with added bioflavonoids. Also try horse chestnut capsules (health food store).

L. Get plenty of exercise, especially walking. Even walking l0,000 steps a day can reduce blood pressure that may be causing your hemorrhoids or varicose veins, according to a study in Hypertension Research.

M. Lie on your back on a soft carpet or your bed. Bring your knees to your abdomen, then stretch them out straight (so you are lying flat), then bring your legs back up to your abdomen. Repeat, working up to 20 times/day. Remember to breathe with each cycle.

N. Take milk thistle capsules (follow directions on bottle) to cleanse your liver.

O. Avoid ingesting lubricants like castor oil and mineral oil are sold under the brand names of Fleet Flavored Castor Oil, Purge, Neoloid, Neo-Cuetol and Milkinol. Large doses of any of these produces can cause discomfort, leakage from the anus, irritation, hemorrhoids and itching. They also make it difficult for you to absorb needed nutrients, including Vitamins A, D and E.

For more information on circulation and hemorrhoids, go to the source of this information,

CCClark, The American Holistic Nurses' Association Guide to Common Chronic Conditions: Self-Care Information to Complement Your Doctor's Advice, John Wiley, 2003. Ask your librarian to order it, or buy it by clicking on the title below.



This article is for information only. For treatment, consult your health care provider.