Hey mamas,
I had them while I was pregnant and I still have them. of course my diet is worse now that I am not pregnant - I am lucky to eat at all! What are some natural things I can do besides drinking lots of water (I am going to bump up my intake)?
Take Bilberry gelcaps - 1 3x daily. Within 2-to-3 weeks, you WILL see a difference. (It also helps with varicose veins). My h's were the size of grapes-to-walnuts. 3 weeks of Bilberry they are totally gone. I still take the Bilberry twice a day because of my varicose veins. I can wear shorts again!
Good luck.
If you are really suffering you should tell your doc, you can get a prescription foam called 'proctofoam'. My hubby used it and it really helped him. If you don't have any colace (stool softener) get some, it really helps.
I developed constipation with pregnancy and still have it. My kids are 2 and 4 now. The bad constipation gave me bad hemmorroids. Miralax helps. It's a powder that dissolves completely in any liquid. The warmer the liquid the faster it melts away. Take it everyday if your really constipated or every other day to get things moving regularly. If your hemomorroid hurts when you sit then you may need to see your doctor about it. Otherwise push it back in when your in the shower or bath and that will give you some relief. Good Luck.
Grape seed extract! This is important for vein integrity, which is essential in treating bleeding hemorrhoids.
I had an internal hemorrhoid and did a combination of anti-inflammatory suppositories to cut down the inflammation, stool softeners to promote healing, and grape seed extract to strengthen the veins to prevent breakage.
A healthy diet and lots of water is the best way to prevent!
I would suggest don't eat too much meat but fruits instead for more fibre intake. Meat are slow to digest that makes us hard to move bowel. Take a slow pace walk after meal to help a little in the digestion and movement of the bowel. Taking 2 glasses of water upon waking up helps too. Wish you well!
Hemorrhoids are often a sign of stressed adrenals which is obviously not unusual for new mothers (or all mothers really). Vitamin C and B vitamins, in particular B5 are very supportive of the adrenal system. Also, as you note, a better diet can help tremendously - high fiber (i.e., lots of veggies and fruit) and healthy fats, including some meat, eggs, etc. You can buy the fruits and veggies in easy to eat form so there's really no excuse not to eat these foods - e.g., baby carrots, pre-sliced celery, apples, etc. The reason the healthy fats are so important is that cholesterol is also a building block for your body's hormones. You need a healthy level (150-180 or so) to produce adequate levels of hormones such as cortisol.
Hemorrhoids are a version of varicose veins. I got inner and outer hemorrhoids with my boys. I happened to have a friend that was the manager of a health food store and she told me the cayenne pills (which are good for the circulation) and aloe vera juice are good for healing them. You can drink about 4 oz. of the aloe vera juice and take a couple of cayenne pills once a day for about 2 weeks or so and you should notice a big difference. If you are breastfeeding then I would not do this until the baby is weaned.
I use Citracel almost every day. It's like Metamucil but tastes much better and isn't gritty. Just a nice little orange Tang like taste. I eat either Fiber One or Kashi Go Lean cereal every day; check the label and buy the one that has 14 grams of fiber. Drink an extra glass of water after the cereal and after the Citracel because it helps the fiber expand and keep things soft. I eat 1/2 a cup of black beans most days but any bean you like will work. You can buy them canned and rinse them in a colander real well to remove the icky water and sodium. Take a magnesium supplement along with your calcium each day. Lastly, I find that even with all of these measures, I get constipated right before my period every month. So, I found a product at Sprout's by Nature's Way (I think) and it is a capsule with Aloe and Fennel. Take that at night before bed with water. It always works like a charm. Good luck!
Dear Alli:
I had hemorrhoid problems while going through chemotherapy. Drinking lots of water is a good idea. I also found using the hemorrhoid medicine in gel form really helped. It's a little messy, but really brings relief. Also sitting on a foam donut feels a little silly, but really helps. Hang in there, hemorrhoids can take a while to get under control, but it will get better.
L. F., Hemorrhoids and cancer in remission!!
