So what are hemorrhoids and how do you
get rid of them?
I'm going to tell you all of this and more in this week's
video now believe it or not hemorrhoids
are actually an important structure that
sit in the anus and prevent leakage so
in their normal state we all have them
hemorrhoids as a condition though are
very common and it's suspected that over
80% of people have suffered from them
now the symptoms do vary from patient to
patient the most common symptom is fresh
bright red blood past after a bowel
motion and itchiness around the anus
caused by mucous from the hemorrhoid the
third symptom is where the hemorrhoid
prolapses so it gets larger and can fall
out of the anus and it looks like a
bunch of cherries now after a bowel
motion it may go in by itself or the
patient may have to push it back in
background done now let's move on to
prevention and treatment now the
long-term results of getting rid of
hemorrhoids is heavily dependent on
preventative factors so you will have to
make lifestyle changes to prevent it
from coming back
so hemorrhoids are mainly caused by a
lack of fiber and as we get older we
need more of it if you're not getting
the fiber in your diet your stools are
going to be harder they're not going to
retain more fluid so you're gonna be
pushing and straining more to get them
out now this pushing and straining may
cause inflammation of the blood vessels
in and around the anus which is known as
hemorrhoids so your next question is how
do you increase your fibre? Well it's
quite simple eat foods that are rich in
fibre so for example eat more vegetables
eat whole grain rice whole wheat bread
whole wheat pasta even baked beans
they're massively high in fiber what I
will also do is I'll leave a full list
in the description below for you to
check out and read for more information
now the other preventative factors that
you can modify include drinking more
water so six to eight glasses a day
drinking less caffeine and alcohol when
you've got the urge to go to the toilet
go to the toilet don't wait just go lose
weight and exercise more often now I'll leave
more information on all of these plus
more in the description below for you as
well now there are some factors that you
can't change for example genetics
pregnancy but making changes to the
factors that you can will help reduce
the risk of you developing hemorrhoids
in the first place and also it'll help
reduce the risk of them coming back now
let's talk a little about treatment now
there's various different creams
ointments suppositories that are all
available from your pharmacy without a
prescription and it can help to reduce
the swelling and
helped reduce discomfort now generally
speaking there's always two things I
look out for in these preparations a
local anaesthetic which is going to help
numb the area so you don't feel as much
pain for example lidocaine and also a
steroid which is going to help reduce
the swelling like hydrocortisone for
example but always make sure you speak
to your pharmacist first before you
purchase any of these so they can make
sure it's suitable and safe for you to
use they can also give you some really
helpful tips that you might not be aware
of it's also important to remember these
treatments should only be used for five
to seven days and also when you use it
make sure you apply it after you've
emptied your bowels that way you'll stay
in the right area for longer and it'll
have a better effect
now treatment should be combined with
the lifestyle changes we mentioned
earlier if you're still in pain however
speak to your pharmacist about taking
paracetamol in addition to these and
also I would advise everyone not to take
non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like
ibuprofen as this can actually make the
bleeding worse now constipation can make
the pain worse and some medicines can
actually cause constipation which is
going to make your pain worse so for
example codeine codeine causes
constipation so I wouldn't advise you
taking it the hemorrhoid pain if you
still need something to help loosen the
stools laxatives are an option and I did
make a video not long ago about
constipation and laxatives I'll leave a
link up here and in the description
below for you and as always with all
medication always read the information
leaflet and speak to your pharmacist to make
sure that you're safe and suitable to take it
I really hope my tips help you in this
video but please remember if your hemorrhoids don't go away after five to seven days
you're in a lot of pain they keep
reoccurring or you're pregnant then you
will need to speak to your doctor I've
also left more useful information about
hemorrhoids that I'd recommend everyone
to read in the description below see you
next week mainly caused by a lack of fibre 
and as we get older we need more fibre
if you're not having enough fibre I've
said fibre like five times now fibre fibre fibre (LAUGHTER)
six to eight glasses a
day cutting down your caffeine and
alcohol intake I can't remember the rest
this is a really big list (LAUGHTER) I'm gonna struggle
with this drink more water cut down your
caffeine and alcohol intake
hey guys thanks for watching this week's video make sure to click that like follow or subscribe
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