Treatment of Hemorrhoids
Treatment of hemorrhoids begins by eliminating or limiting the things that make them worse. The preliminary stages of treatment include self care medications like change in diet and use of warm water to various surgical alternatives.
Changing the diet so that stools are softer and limiting straining during bowel movements can be very helpful. Beneficial changes in the diet include adding more roughage and bulk expanders. Equally important is drinking plenty of fluids (eight glasses of water a day). These dietary changes probably also will help with weight loss if excess weight is a contributing factor. If constipation remains a problem, the next step is to determine if any underlying medical problems or drugs may be contributing to the problem. If not, stool softeners and other medications to treat constipation (used sparingly) may help.
In addition, one can treat the hemorrhoids by direct application of warm water by sitting in a bath or by using anti-hemorrhoid medications. This direct approach works best for external hemorrhoids that can be more easily reached.
If these self-care approaches don't work, or even if they do but one is tired of keeping up the treatment, the other option is surgery, and there are many good surgical alternatives.
For many years, injection sclerotherapy, in which the hemorrhoid is injected with a substance that produces scar tissue in the vein, along with rubber band ligation, have been the mainstays of surgical treatment.
Rubber band ligation is really as simple as it sounds. A special rubber band is stretched around a loop of hemorrhoidal vein. The contracted band cuts off the circulation in the affected section of the vein and, over a few days, it clots and dies off. This treatment can only be done on hemorrhoidal veins that are both greatly distended and reachable. Liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide can be used to "freeze" the hemorrhoidal tissue. The procedure is virtually painless but not as precise as other procedures, and the dead tissue may bleed for some time after the procedure.
Other recent hemorrhoid treatments include infrared photocoagulation, electrocoagulation and stapling. The more invasive surgery, called hemorrhoidectomy, may be a better approach in a small number of severe cases. Laser surgery is a newer approach with a high success rate.
But it must be noted that hemorrhoid surgery is elective. One should have information on risks and benefits as they relate specifically to the patient, based on the experience of the professional that would perform the surgery. But the bottom-line is that the patients should not in any way hesitate to ask questions and expect and require straightforward answers. With so many alternatives, one should not jump on to any conclusion for the treatment but should adopt a consultative and cautious approach before opting for any specific hemorrhoid treatment.
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