Bleeding Hemorrhoid/Hemroid Relief

Symptoms, Causes, Types and Treatment

SYMPTOMS OF BLEEDING HEMORRHOIDS

As a health condition, hemorrhoids strike over 10 million people each and every year.

One of the most common hemorrhoidal symptoms is bleeding, which can carry all kinds of consequences not least of which is anxiety.

Shame and embarrassment at clothing bleedthrough and pain are also symptoms of hemorrhoidal hemorrhaging. For these reasons, effective treatment of bleeding hemorrhoids at the earliest possible time is an important health concern.

Hemorrhoids come in two basic classifications, internal and external. Internal hemorrhoids start above the dentate line that marks the transition point between internal mucus membrane and external skin, while external hemorrhoids originate below it. Both internal and external hemorrhoids can occur simultaneously, which is commonly referred to as mixed hemorrhoids, and both internal and external hemorrhoids can bleed.

Because of the particular nerve structures surrounding the anal sphincter, external hemorrhoids usually hurt a lot more as they lie near or on the dense, sensitive nerve band controlling said sphincter.

Internal hemorrhoids, on the other hand, originate inside the body where there isn't a high nerve density, so they don't usually cause nearly as much pain and discomfort, at least in the beginning.

Therefore, while people usually find out about their external hemorrhoids quickly due to extreme pain and discomfort, bright red blood on in the toilet bowl, on the toilet paper or on stools is many people's first indication of internal hemorrhoids.

If you ever think you might be suffering from bleeding hemorrhoids, remember that anal bleeding may be a symptom of several diseases, some of them quite serious. Therefore, it's important to see a doctor right away.

The health disorders that present with anal bleeding as a symptom include anal fissures, anal fistulas, anal abscesses, and even colorectal cancer in addition to hemorrhoids.

TREATMENT FOR BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL BLEEDING HEMORRHOIDS

Bleeding hemorrhoid treatment starts with the same diet and lifestyle changes as any effective hemorrhoid treatment.

You must consume at least twenty to thirty grams of fiber every day either through diet or supplement.

In addition, your doctor may recommend a temporary fiber increase of close to a hundred grams a day while hemorrhoids are present, because straining during defecation is believed to both aggravate existing hemorrhoids, start or increase hemorrhoid bleeding, and even contribute to the development of new hemorrhoids.

 The most readily available sources of dietary fiber are fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains. If you are new to these foods, add them one by one slowly to your diet and allow yourself several days to get used to each new addition. If you try to add them all at once, they will detoxify your intestinal tract so quickly that you'll be absolutely miserable.

If you just cannot get sufficient fiber in your diet, there are a multitude of fiber supplements on the market today made from such things as psyllium husks or powdered flax seeds. Fiber supplements are not laxatives, in fact they have no chemical effect on your body whatsoever. Instead they work mechanically by adding roughage to your diet which retains water and forms soft, bulky, easy to pass stools.

Do not ever take laxatives on a regular basis without a doctor's supervision. They are rarely considered a long term solution for anything and are no kind of solution at all for hemorrhoidal bleeding. Laxatives cause your body to excrete the contents of the large intestine before you're done getting everything out of the digested matter, which means you could be losing a large amount of water and vitamins. In addition, because laxative induced bowel movements tend to be watery, they may increase the risk of infection for currently bleeding hemorrhoids.

Whenever adding fiber to your diet, do remember to drink enough water. Constipation is frequently caused by slight dehydration that causes your large intestine to siphon water away whenever possible. This will turn your stools into painful, difficult to pass concrete. By keeping hydrated, you prevent all kinds of health problems, so do remember to get your eight glasses of water per day.
If you have a problem drinking that much water, try adding slices of lemon or orange to it as this helps with bloating. In addition, it provides a minute amount of dietary benefit and a large dose of the bioflavonoids that help hemorrhoids.

Once hemorrhoidal bleeding has started, any straining at all can keep bleeding wounds open and may even make the problem worse.

To really solve bleeding hemorrhoids, you must begin a regimen of light exercise if you haven't already done so. Hemorrhoids are often symptomatic of a larger systemic problem, and these days that larger systemic problem is inadequate lifestyle. While hemorrhoids also occur due to other health conditions such as pregnancy or Crohn's disease, if no outside source is known a lifestyle change that includes a healthy diet and light exercise is frequently the first line of cure and defense. However, while hemorrhoids are an ongoing problem, avoid heavy lifting.

Fortunately, there are a variety of methods to provide bleeding hemorrhoid relief and treatment for both internal and external hemorrhoids while a long term cure is being effected.

Plain, warm water sitz baths taken for twenty minutes at a time, two to four times per day is a time tested home remedy for hemorrhoidal bleeding, and in fact for many hemorrhoid problems. The warmth of the sitz bath dilates veins, improving circulation and allowing the blood to cleans inflammatory toxins. In addition, this vein dilation decreases the pressure on your hemorrhoids that creates active bleeding, and it may even allow the hemorrhoid time to begin healing. Do not put additives of any kind into your sitz baths, and avoid harsh soaps, cleansers, dyes, and perfumes. Any of these will only irritate the hemorrhoid and increase the bleeding.

Instead, gently clean the area with mild, unscented soap on a regular basis. Never scrub at, scratch, or roughly wipe any hemorrhoid for any reason, as this only makes the problem worse.

Ibuprofen offers a good, reliable over the counter anti-inflammatory you may find helpful for your hemorrhoids.

INTERNAL HEMORRHOIDS TREATMENT FOR BLEEDING

Our next section offers multiple methods of home care for bleeding external hemorrhoids. However, the recommendations outlined above are the only medically approved home care methods for bleeding from internal hemorrhoids.

There are currently no over the counter hemroid creams that are approved for internal bleeding hemroids use whatsoever.

There are no current over the counter hemorrhoid creams that are approved for use on internal hemorrhoids at all. In addition, only a doctor can prescribe creams or ointments for internal hemorrhoids.

Why is this, you ask? Internal hemorrhoids originate from and are made out of internal mucus membrane, which pull medication into the bloodstream at an exponentially higher rate and in much higher amounts than external skin. If you put a cream formulated for skin on mucus membrane, you could give yourself a medication overdose. Therefore, for safety reasons, you cannot apply a cream made for external hemorrhoids to an internal hemorrhoid. For more information on how this works, just click the link.

No hemorrhoid creams or solutions have passed the FDA tests as safe for over the counter application to internal hemorrhoids, which is why a doctor needs to prescribe it and oversee the application, so he or she can carefully monitor your drug/blood levels and ensure your health.

Look here for more information in DIY at your own risk treatments for bleeding internal hemorrhoids.

TREATMENT FOR BLEEDING EXTERNAL HEMORRHOIDS

Topical hemorrhoid remedies that are effective for bleeding contain one or more active ingredients such as anesthetics, analgesics, astringents and vasoconstrictors in a carrier base such as cocoa butter, aluminum hydroxide gel, glycerin, kaolin, mineral oil, lanolin, zinc oxide, calamine, starch, white petroleum, or cod liver oil.

Prior to applying any cream or ointment, carefully cleanse the area with a moistened tissue or pad. You can use either plain water, witch hazel solution or aloe vera extract. Witch hazel and aloe vera are both excellent herbal hemorrhoid remedies in and of themselves, which makes them particularly good for hemorrhoid hygiene. When cleaning the area, always pat or dab gently instead of scrubbing.

Just because the base ingredients of the cream are listed as inactive ingredients, this doesn't make them unimportant. Glycerin, cod liver oil and cocoa butter are all good base ingredients, as they all offer gentle moisturizing and lubrication to the inflamed area. However, different ingredients work for different people, so feel free to explore your options and decide which one fits your needs the best. Your local pharmacist can tell you which medications have which ingredients.

If you have any allergy to wool, no matter how mild, avoid lanolin. I discovered this while breastfeeding my first child. I have a very slight, usually unnoticable allergy to wool, but when I used ultra purified lanolin as a breastfeeding aid to help with chapping, I failed to make the mental connection between lanolin and wool until I had large scabs in unfortunate places.

Calamine and zinc oxide, which are ingredients in other over the counter medications such as poison ivy medication, sunblock and diaper rash ointment, are both especially helpful to bleeding hemorhroids. Both of these common ingredients are also astringent medications in and of themselves that can slow bleeding and allow your hemorrhoids to start healing. Use them only in hemorrhoid formulations, not in their other incarnations meant for other health conditions. However, in an emergency, diaper ointment is made for the same area of the body and can help temporarily stop bleeding and get you through your day until you can get to a pharmacy.

Creams targeted at bleeding hemorrhoids also often include lidocaine, which is a local anesthetic which dulls pain fast. Other local anesthetics you may find in a hemorrhoid cream are benzyl alcohol, dibucain, pramoxine, dyclonine, tetracaine and benzocaine. This list is of the generic names of the ingredients, and you won't usually find them in the brand name emblazoned on the box. There should be an "active ingredient" chart on the side of the box listing the active ingredients and percentages of each. These active pharmaceutical ingredients will frequently be found in conjunction with other medications meant for more long term treatment and relief.

Out of all of them, lidocaine is the most common and frequently reported as the most effective for quick pain relief.

Ingredients for hemorrhoidal bleeding creams can include herbal extracts such as the astringent witch hazel, which helps with bleeding and general inflammation. Astringents work by causing protein clumping in the skin, leading to dryer skin and significant relief from burning, itching, pain and bleeding. A home astringent that may work for you in an emergency is clean vinegar applied with a sterile cotton ball.

 Out of all of the natural astringents, witch hazel extract, whether in cream or medicated pad form, is the most frequently recommended by doctors.

Whenever you apply a topical cream or ointment, always pat it on whether you're using an applicator, pad or toilet paper. Never, ever scrub or wipe harshly, as that can only make the injury and bleeding worse.

Applying clean vinegar with a sterile cotton ball is a home astringent that some have found to be effective, especially for bleeding hemroids. 

Vasoconstrictors are the most powerful class of pharmaceutical ingredients targeted at bleeding hemorrhoids. These medications mimic the action of epinephine, a natural neurochemical that shrinks blood vessels, immediately reducing both inflammation and bleeding.

Oral vasoconstrictors are powerful prescription medications, and carry potential adverse effects such as high blood pressure, nervousness, tremors, insomnia and deleterious interactions with diabetes, hyperthyroidism, cardiovascular problems, and antidepressant medication. While the incidence of these is much lower when in topical cream form, you should still be on the lookout for them.

Ephedrine sulfate, epinephrine and phenylephrine are the most commonly used vasoconstrictors in hemorrhoid creams. Your local pharmacist can help you pick out a vasoconstrictor cream that's right for you, but you'll need to see your doctor if you feel that your hemorrhoids warrant the more powerful pill version.

If any of these treatments don't help your hemorrhoids within a week, or if at any point your symptoms get worse or you get new ones, you need to see your doctor immediately. In addition, if a prolapsed hemorrhoid will not go or stay back in, you also need to see a doctor immediately as the hemorrhoid could have its blood supply cut off, get infected and become necrotic or gangrenous.

Prolapsed hemorrhoids are the most likely to bleed profusely. If a prolapsed hemorrhoid is bleeding, you still need to treat is as an internal hemorrhoid even though it's outside the body, because is it still created from internal tissue.

While bleeding hemorrhoids are a common health condition, there's no reason to suffer from them when there are so many effective therapies. No matter what stage of hemorrhoid you may suffer from, there are things out there to help.

First write by L.Ice and resultant writes by D.S.Urquhart.