Hemorrhoids are a bathroom nightmare and one of the most bothering and intimate pains. They are so cunning, that they may sneak up on you at virtually any age. You may be a farmer, lawyer, president, or even a doctor. It does not care for race or gender, hemorrhoids will come looking for you too. Sadly, you will be reading this when you’re already in pain. However, fear not, keep on reading and find out how to avoid complications.

We will spare you the anatomical and physiological part in this article and move on to the preventative tips that you should take to avoid hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are so common nowadays that it started to affect children. They can result as a symptom of a poor diet and are linked to constipation. It is important to take care of our alimentary habits and our children’s before it is too late.

The first man to write on this subject was, surprisingly not, Hippocrates, who is the father of medicine. He lived more than 2,000 years ago and passed along his methods to cure, which, intriguingly, were not too different from today’s medicine. We are not going to cover that in this article because that is the easy part. The part where you see a doctor and get your issues resolved. No, we are going to talk about our lifestyle and the reasons we developed hemorrhoids in the first place. Changing our lifestyle and health habits can be the hard part. You may get rid of hemorrhoids, but if you don’t change the underlying condition(s), they are most likely to reappear. Although it is important to see a doctor for a correct diagnosis and treatment, we have outlined some daily activities and tips to reduce their unpleasantness to a minimum.

1. Dietary Fibers–If there is one tip for prevention you should take to heart, that is to increase your fiber intake. There are two kinds of fibers–soluble and insoluble. The ones that actually help your bowel movements are the insoluble fibers. That’s the stuff you find in most fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Meat, you ask? Close to none. I wouldn’t count on it. Some very easy changes to make involve switching from white bread to whole grain bread, white rice to brown rice, cereals to whole grain cereals, etc. Then, move on to incorporate at least some fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet (five servings a day is recommended).

2. Exercise–Yes, same old cliché, but you have to take in consideration that we are mammals, mainly built for movement, and health is promoted in the most active of us. You do not have to run a marathon daily, but just walk for a half an hour a day and it will boost your metabolism significantly.

3. Water–Yet again, another cliché, but this one you cannot dodge because the fibers require enough water to be properly metabolized. How much? At least 8 glasses of water throughout the day are recommended.

4. Routine–Every time you feel the urge to go to the bathroom, please do so. Don’t delay, as it can worsen the situation. It would be so much easier to help your body create a daily routine. Just sit on the toilet every morning and it will send the message. Soon enough, you will have no reason to read newspapers in an awkward little room.

5. Warm Soaks–It could help to sit for 15 minutes in warm water, 2-3 times daily, as you will relax the sphincter muscles and provide more room for the hemorrhoids to retreat.

However, do not be fooled, it can be a mixed bag of changes. Some of the changes can be easy to adopt while others could be a challenge. However, health is but a series of right choices, so choose carefully.

Blog by Sebastian Andro

Photo Courtesy of Marcus Walker – Flickr License