: Hemorrhoids are a varicose vein disease. More than 10 million people in the United States suffer from hemorrhoids. Three out of four people will develop hemorrhoids at some time in their lives. Although they can be extremely unpleasant and painful sometimes, they can be easily treated with non-surgical therapy and they are preventable. Moreover, if patients don’t take preventive measures, it is possible to relapse after hemorrhoid care, especially in advanced hemorrhoids.
There are many ways to prevent hemorrhoids for patients in Minnesota.
1. One of the best things you can do to prevent hemorrhoids is to make important dietary changes to keep your stools soft and prevent constipation. Why is fiber so very important? People in Minnesota who do not get enough fiber in their diet tend to have constipation with hard stool and strain when going to the bathroom. In turn, this pressure constitutes one of the greatest risk factors to those who are vulnerable to developing hemorrhoids. Constipation with hard stool and straining often causes the rupture of hemorrhoidal veins and anal skin tearing.
Eating a diet that is high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains is recommended. Taking a fiber supplement every day, such as Citrucel or Metamucil, can help keep bowel movements regular. Drinking enough fluids is equally as important so that these bulking agents work better (6-8 glasses of water daily).
Frequent diarrhea does not help, either. Straining related to diarrhea also can rapidly increase the pressure in the abdomen and hemorrhoid venous complex, too.
2. Daily exercise is also great to help the bowel move through your digestive system and prevent you from becoming constipated. Moderate activity of at least 30 minutes 3-4 times per week is recommended.
3. Obese patients are 2-4 times more likely to develop hemorrhoids than the average patient, so weight loss may help to reduce the recurrence.
4. Individuals who are prone to developing hemorrhoids should also avoid standing for extended periods of time and constant heavy lifting.
5. You should have a good toilet habit. The toilet time should not be too long; you should avoid the bad habit of reading newspapers or surfing on the Internet on the toilet. Scheduling time each day for a bowel movement and keeping it a daily routine may help. Take your time and do not strain when having a bowel movement, because it is the straining that causes hemorrhoids. Straining and holding your breath when trying to pass a stool creates greater pressure in the veins in the lower rectum. Lastly, once you feel the urge, it is important to go because if you wait to pass a bowel movement, the urge goes away and your stool could become dry and harder to pass.
6. You may program your bowel movement in the way that you always try to have bowel movements right before your regular shower. For example, if you are a morning person, you go to the toilet first before you take a shower, so the anus is always clean without residual feces. Residual feces are irritable to the skin around anus. If you starting having recurrent symptoms, then a daily Sitz bath helps a lot to relieve the symptoms.
