Introduction

Are you tired of hard, painful bowels? Not able to pass stools with ease? It could be piles. Hemorrhoids or piles, are the commonest disorders that affect around half of the population, before the age of 50 years. 1

Piles is a condition affecting the veins in your anal canal. Due to excess pressure, blood stagnates inside the veins, causing swelling. The typical presentation of piles is bleeding and pain while passing motion. Most people with piles find discomfort while standing, walking, and sitting.

Although the general management of piles is surgery, homeopathic treatment, with diet and lifestyle modification, can give excellent results within months.

Role of homeopathic medicine in piles

Homeopathic medicines give excellent results in the management of piles since they relieve symptoms associated with piles, such as pain, bleeding, itching, and discomfort. The best part is that homeopathic remedies cure piles with absolute gentleness and without the need for painful surgery.

Moreover, these sweet pills work at the root level and alter genetic tendencies. Thus homeopathic treatment lowers the risk of relapse significantly.

However, starting homeopathic treatment in the early stage can have better results.

Top five homeopathic medicines for piles

Nux vomica (Nux-v.)

Common name: Poison nut

Nux vomica is the best homeopathic remedy for piles with constipation. This remedy is indicated in those with an ineffective urge to pass stool.

People who pass stools several times daily to completely clear their bowels find relief with this medicine.

Nux vomica is indicated for piles due to constriction of the rectum. There is pain and itching in the anus. Piles that are non-bleeding, itching, blind hemorrhoids, and very painful are managed well by Nux.

Nux vomica helps in piles that are caused by excess alcohol intake, abuse of purgatives, and a sedentary lifestyle. It is also the best choice of homeopathic remedy for piles in those who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Aloe socotrina (Aloe.)

Common name: Socotrine aloes

Aloe socotrina is a very good homeopathic remedy for protruding piles. The patient feels constant bearing down in the rectum, with sore bleeding piles. This remedy works well for those who have weak anal sphincters. Aloe treats piles that are hot, sore, tender, bluish in color, look like grapes, painful, and relieved by cold water application. It helps in cases of burning in the anus and rectum.

Sense of uncertainty in the rectum while passing flatus, not sure if gas or stool will come, is the keynote symptom of Aloe. It is indicated when stool passes without effort. This remedy suits people with lumpy, watery, jelly-like stools with soreness in the rectum after stool. Other symptoms include pressure in the lower abdomen, beer diarrhea, and mucus after stool.

Nitricum acidum (Nit-ac.)

Common name: Nitric acid

This homeopathic remedy treats bleeding piles that protrude while passing stool. Nitricum acidum is indicated for piles due to constipation with dry, hard stool. The person has to strain, and the rectum feels like it is torn, yet passes very little stool.

This medicine is indicated for piles that bleed easily during bowels. Bleeding is profuse and bright. Nitric acid relieves piles pains that are violent, tearing, cutting in nature, and last for hours.

Nitricum acidum is a homeopathic medicine for piles with pricking, sharp, stitching, cutting type, or burning pains.  Other indications of this remedy include feeling irritable, exhausted after stools, and anal prolapse.

Hamamelis virginiana (Ham.)

Common name: Witch hazel

Hamamelis virginiana is a homeopathic medicine used to treat internal piles. This medicine controls internal piles that bleed profusely with soreness. It has action on coats of the veins, causing relaxation and relief in vein engorgement.

This medicine is the best prescription for internal piles due to venous congestion. Painless bleeding piles are the keynote of this remedy. Other indications include dysentery and pulsations in the rectum. There is a bruised, sore feeling in the rectum.

Ratanhia Peruvian (Rat.)

Common name: Krameria, Mapato

Ratanhia Peruvian is one of the excellent homeopathic medicines for painful piles. When it comes to curing aches and burns in the anus due to piles, Ratanhia Peruvian is the right homeopathic remedy. There is pain and aches as if the rectum is full of broken glass. Often anal pain and burning last for hours after stool. Sometimes the pain feels like a knife is thrust or like sudden stitches.

Ratanhia cures protrusion of hemorrhoids where stools must be expelled with great effort. Fissures in the anus that burn like fire are temporarily relieved by cold water. Other symptoms indicative of this remedy include fetid thin diarrhea, burning pain before and after stools, itching, and oozing from the anus.

Take Homeopathy Treatment for Your Health Conditions

Causes of piles

Piles are swollen veins of the rectum and anus. The prime cause is increased abdominal pressure. Due to any condition, when pressure increases, these veins swell up and are engorged with blood, causing piles.

The conditions contributing to the increase in pressure include:

  • Constipation

When you are constipated, you will strain more while passing stool. This results in increased intra-abdominal pressure, leading to excess rectal venous pressure.2

  • Hard stools

If your diet lacks fiber, you might have hard stools for which you must strain, causing increased pressure.3

  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Conditions like IBS can increase the intra-abdominal pressure, resulting in piles.4

  • Sitting for hours together

If you are in a job that requires sitting for hours, like in the IT sector or corporate sector, it can contribute to increased intra-abdominal pressure.5

  • Lack of physical activities

Lack of exercise alters smooth rhythmical peristaltic movements of your gut. This can add to constipation and piles.6

  • Obesity

Weight gain or obesity plays a significant role in increasing pressure over the venous areas of your anus.7

  • Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be a contributing factor to increasing intra-abdominal pressure, leading to piles.8

  • Chronic diarrhea

This can also increase the chances of developing piles.9 Gastric acid or bile is often present in diarrhea, thus passing the watery stool might irritate the rectum causing piles. Hemorrhoids can develop due to prolonged periods of straining and sitting during diarrhea.

Symptoms of piles

Symptoms of piles differ depending on their types. There are two types of piles.

External piles present as external swelling outside the anus. There can be irritation and itching in these kinds of piles. External piles can be painful but usually don’t bleed.

Internal piles are asymptomatic. People will only know they have them when they see blood in their stool or toilet pot. Internal piles are not painful, but these bleed while passing stools.

The common symptoms of piles are:

  • Bleeding

When the hard stool is passed, it rips the fragile, thin vein in the rectum and anal region, which results in bleeding piles.

  • Pain during and after stool

Often, the pain is not due to swollen veins, as no pain fibers are attached to it. The muscle spasm around the veins initiates pain, significantly when piles protrude out.

  • Anal itching

The swollen and inflamed veins leak mucus that can cause inflammation of the surrounding skin of the anus. This results in itching and burning.

Treatment of piles

Piles are treated based on type, symptoms, grade, and severity. Some common treatments include:

  • Rubber band ligation

This procedure stops blood flow to the vein by ligating a short rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoid.

  • Electrocoagulation

The hemorrhoid is treated using infrared coagulation.

  • Sclerotherapy

A chemical is injected into an enlarged vein to shrink the vein.

Surgical procedures for piles comprise of:

  • Hemorrhoidectomy

This operation removes prolapsed internal hemorrhoids or big external hemorrhoids.

  • Stapling of hemorrhoid

A stapling tool is used to remove the internal piles. Sometimes it is used to pull back a prolapsed internal hemorrhoid inside the anus.

Diet and lifestyle changes for piles

Most patients with piles see sustainable results with a healthy diet and lifestyle modification like:

  • Drinking enough water to hydrate your body and soften your stools
  • Incorporating a fiber-rich diet to prevent constipation
  • Avoiding consumption of junk, spicy, and non-vegetarian foods
  • Avoiding too much straining while passing motions
  • Regular exercising to help enhance gut motility and strengthen the muscles

Conclusion

Piles is a common condition affecting 75% of the global population.10 Pain, bleeding, and itching can affect your routine life. Left untreated, it can have serious complications.

Often, people believe surgery is the only option for piles. However, that’s not true. Homeopathy can treat its root cause and give you relief without any surgery.

References

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  2. Lohsiriwat V. Hemorrhoids: From basic pathophysiology to clinical management. World J Gastroenterol [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2023 Aug 19];18(17):2009. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v18.i17.2009
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