Hemorrhoids, more formally spelled hemorrhoids and commonly known as piles plague people world wide.
Much research has been done on the subject, especially on ways to treat hemorrhoids.
Unfortunately, not much can be done according to 'formal medicine' short of surgery.
However, alternative techniques have become more and more popular of late, apparently able to provide much needed relief.
Two kinds of hemorrhoids exist, internal and external.
Basically, hemorrhoids are veinous tissue within the anal canal that provide a cushion to aid in the passing of a stool.
When the stools are hard (usually causing constipation) and/or too much pressure is exerted, these tissues become inflamed and swell.
That causes the veinous tissue to turn into hard 'bulbs'.
Internal hemorrhoids can cause bleeding but rarely cause pain.
External hemorrhoids can cause bleeding and a great deal of itching and pain.
Often people suffer from other ailments that they mistake for hemorrhoids.
One is a 'fissure' or tear in the side of the anal canal.
Fissures are tears that generally extend from the dentate line to the anal opening.
Fissures feel a lot like hemorrhoids.
They can hurt quite a bit.
Another ailment that is commonly mistaken for hemorrhoids is an abcess.
Abcesses are collections of pus, caused by harmful bacteria in the anal canal.
They too can hurt quite a bit.
The third ailment that can be mistaken for a hemorrhoid is a fistula.
Fistulas are advanced forms of abcesses where the bacteria have actually created tunnels within the veinous tissue inside the anal canal.
Fistulas are dangerous and can cause blood poisoning, which can cause death.
Hemorrhoids in and of themselves, though very uncomfortable are not fatally harmful.
The best way to be free of the discomfort of hemorrhoids is to simply prevent them.
A healthy diet, including lots of fiber can help a great deal.
Fiber helps keep the colon and anal canal clean.
A healthy diet can also help prevent constipation, which is a cause of hemorrhoids.
Patience during bowel movements also goes a long way toward preventing problems within the anal canal.
Too much pressure pushes the veinous tissues into a 'bunch' which can then become a painful hemorrhoid.
You can find various different remedies to help alleviate the discomfort of hemorrhoids.
Most of them help little or not at all.
Most of the over the counter products use witch hazel to try to alleviate the discomfort by simply numbing it.
They unfortunately don't work very well.
Of late, a few homeopathic products have shown up.
Testimonies indicate that they work a great deal better than the remedies provided by traditional medicine (short of surgery).
A specific set of ingredients seems to repeatedly appear in the products that people are saying work for them.
If you suffer from hemorrhoids you might want to look into homeopathic products for a solution to your problem.
The information written in this article is not intended to replace or be a substitute for consultation with a health care professional and is in no way to be construed as medical advice.
As with all health related issues, be sure to consult with your health care professional before embarking on any health related program.