Painful Piles – Why You Should Not Ignore Them?
Piles can be really painful and embarrassing but fairly common at the same time. it should not be taken as a social stigma as with awareness and proper treatment, the condition can be managed and treated well. If overlooked then it may lead to many complications which are difficult to manage.
In Ayurveda, a complete cure to hemorrhoids is possible, so seeking medical attention can be of great help to relieve you from this condition. Piles, also known as Hemorrhoids is a condition in which veins at the lower end of rectum get inflamed and enlarged. When pressure on the rectum and anus increases, it causes added pressure to these veins, resulting in formation of hemorrhoids. They may burst and cause rectal bleeding. Hemorrhoids are most commonly found in middle-aged and old people while also in people who suffer from regular constipation.
Type of Piles
Hemorrhoids are of two kinds, internal and external based on their location. Internal hemorrhoids are located in the inner lining of the anal tract. These veins within the rectum are concealed and cannot be felt so they are painless but when ruptured can lead to bleeding. External hemorrhoids are located on the outer surface of the rectum and can be seen, felt and when inflamed become painful. These are the more troubling types of piles.
Causes and Symptoms of Piles
Piles are caused mostly by constipation, but other causes may include untreated gastric conditions such as dysentery, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, genetic constitution and weight of increasing uterus during pregnancy. If you are experiencing bleeding in anal region during defecation without any pain; you are suffering from 1st stage of Piles. If the problem is not treated at this stage; Pile masses start progressing. In starting, Pile mass comes out during passing stool and goes inside by itself (2nd stage). Later on these pile masses need to be reduced manually. If still Piles is not treated; Pile mass comes out again even after manual reduction while coughing, sneezing etc. (3rd stage). While piles may be an embarrassing issue to talk about, it should not be ignored either. It can be easily dealt with in simple ways, and in most cases, all it takes is some lifestyle changes to get rid of the problem.
However, if left untreated, it could lead to severe complications. Some of them have been listed below.
- Bleeding: In patients who have chronic bleeding, it could lead to chronic blood loss. Patients can develop anemia because of this regular bleeding.
- Mass protruding out from anal opening: If Piles are not treated at 1st stage; it can lead to development of pile mass which protrudes out from anal opening while passing stool and go inside. In later stages; this pile mass comes out even on sneezing and coughing. At this stage they are prone to get infected as most of the time Piles are outside the anal opening.
- Hygiene issues: The itching and discharges can lead to the patient having poor hygiene around the anal area. This further can lead to complications like infections. The area around the anus also becomes difficult to clean if the masses are more in number and size.
- Surgical correction may be attempted in severe cases, but this also can lead to complications in some people. These include:
- Excessive bleeding which does not stop after the surgery.
- Postsurgical infection
- Anal fistula, which is a connection between the area of piles and the anal canal.
- Damage to sphincter muscles leads to fecal incontinence, which is a loss of control over passing stool.
Ayurveda Treatment of Piles
Ayurveda has various approaches to the treatment of piles. Piles can be treated by diet, lifestyle, herbal supplements, Ayurvedic medication, and exercise. Ensuring good digestive health helps with piles if constipation is the cause of it.
- Vegetables such as onion, bitter gourd, radish, and turnip are high on roughage and are a must to add to your diet as well.
- Other than the diet you need to introduce specific lifestyle changes such as a colon cleanse every once in a while, and regular exercise.
- Increase water intake, up to 8 glasses per day.
- Keep away from processed foods
- Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables
- Do not sit for more than an hour in one position
- Stick to stool timings and develop good stool habits
- Do not suppress the urge to pass stools for too long and for too often
So, follow the instructions of your Ayurveda doctor to embark on the road to cure.
If these measurements are not successful; kshar karma or Ksharsutra ligation of Pile mass is necessary. In the ligation procedure; Ksharsutra – medicated thread is legated at the root of Pile mass.
Medicine released from Ksharsutra blocks the blood supply to pile mass and Pile mass sheds off in 7 – 10 days. Ksharsutra ligation is a para surgical procedure done under local anesthesia. No hospitalization or bed rest is necessary in Ksharsutra Treatment for Piles. Daily routine activities along with office work can be done during Ksharsutra Treatment. So Piles can be treated completely in all its stages with Ayurvedic treatment. However, this procedure is to be performed only by a surgical specialist of Ayurveda.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult with us & get answers to your questions!
Read about: Piles – Say No To Surgery