3 At-Home Piles Treatment Options to Put the Discomfort Behind You

Here’s a fact: it’s possible for you to develop piles and not even know. More often than not, it can be attributed to your inability to see or feel the symptoms. Luckily, various at-home piles treatment options are available.

Piles refer to enlarged blood vessels in and around the rectum and anus. It can be broken down into three categories:  

• External piles: Formation of swollen veins underneath the skin around the anus. These can be itchy and painful and will occasionally bleed. They can also accumulate with clotted blood which causes pain and swelling. 
• Internal piles: Formation of swollen veins inside the rectum – a component of the digestive system that connects the colon to the anus. The veins may bleed but aren’t usually painful. 

• Prolapsed piles: Stretched and bulging external and internal piles outside the anus. These can be painful and provoke bleeding. 

Read on to discover the reasons behind the development of piles symptoms and ways to address them holistically.

The Common Causes of Piles Onset  

The condition may develop if you push too hard to encourage bowel movement when constipated or when you strain to lift weights or heavy objects.

Straining increases the pressure exerted on the stomach or lower extremities – hip, ankle, and knee joints, and the bones of the thigh, feet, and legs. Subsequently, it’ll provoke swelling and inflammation of the anal and rectal veins and result in piles onset.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) relates the development of piles to Damp-Heat, Qi (vital life force) Deficiency, and Blood Stasis body constitutions.

“Symptoms of piles due to these pathogenic factors are bleeding, bloating, sticky stools, and a burning sensation in the anus. Qi Deficiency happens due to old age, long-term illnesses, or when you overthink or overexert your body. Consequently, you may suffer symptoms like prolapses during defecation and irregular bleeding. Blood Stasis is the by-product of pregnancy, chronic constipation, prolonged sitting on the toilet, or a sedentary lifestyle. It’ll obstruct the blood vessels around the anus and cause pain and swelling at the tip of the anus,” explains Physician Lee.

Holistic At-Home Piles Treatment Options for Holistic Recovery 

Taking steps to prevent hard stools or constipation may help keep the condition at bay. These include:  

• Keeping active 
• Eating high-fibre foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains (at least 20 to 35 grams of daily fibre intake) 
• Drinking enough water daily (a minimum of eight glasses is recommended) 
• Avoiding delayed bowel movements 

A combination of diet therapy and sitz baths can alleviate piles symptoms and thwart a recurrence of the condition.

Sit your bottom down!  

A sitz bath is a warm water bath that you can sit in to relieve pain, itching, and irritation in the perineal region and encourage healing. These benefits are attributed to the relaxation of the anal sphincter, which increases blood flow through the anal tissues.

If you don’t have access to a sitz bath basin, you may also use a tub filled with warm water. Healthcare experts recommend sitting in a sitz bath for 20 minutes, two to three times daily.

Eat your way to piles symptom relief 

Stop eating spicy or stimulating foods, such as chillies and peppers. Instead, add more fruits, vegetables, and high-fibre foods to your diet. 

A healthy absorption of fibre can effectively address piles symptoms. It may help ease bleeding, inflammation, and enlargement. The nutrient also helps calm skin irritation from stool bits trapped around the blood vessels.

Broccoli, wheat, oat bran, beans, whole grains, and fresh fruits are abundant sources of fibre. Likewise, psyllium husk and black sesame seeds (hei shi ma, 黑芝麻) are dietary supplements that help increase fibre intake and soften stools.

Be mindful of how much fibre you add to your diet, though. A rapid and forced digestion of the nutrient may lead to flatulence or stomach cramping. Be sure to drink plenty of water if you take this supplement.

You may accelerate recovery by drinking warm lemon juice mixed with honey. Astragalus (huang qi, 黄芪) can also suppress piles symptoms by uplifting qi. Bu Qi Jian Zhong pills (补气健中丸) that are formulated from multiple herbal ingredients may be ingested to stimulate healthy digestion and lower your risk of piles.

Correct internal imbalances with acupuncture treatment 

Healing piles symptoms holistically requires regulation of body constitution imbalances. One way to do so is to undergo acupuncture treatment, which will activate the cheng shan (BL57, 承山) and bai hui (GV20, 百会) points.

Clinical and traditional piles treatment options will holistically remedy the condition and lower the recurrence risk. However, you should only use the latter set of remedies after obtaining a diagnosis from a licensed TCM professional.