I was surprised to recently find out that we all have hemorrhoids and that they are a normal healthy part of the human body. It’s only when the hemorrhoids go “bad” that they are considered a disease or a medical condition. How do you know when the hemorrhoids are “bad”?
Well that’s easy enough to identify, they start to exhibit symptoms or what is known in medical speak as they become symptomatic. Most people know the usual hemorrhoid symptoms of pain and itching but another more frightening symptom is bleeding. Although bleeding is not unusual with hemorrhoids, it is a symptom that needs to be addressed with a doctor. Anal bleeding is also a symptom of other medical diseases like cancer, so a doctor’s exam is a necessary part of hemorrhoid diagnosing. Don’t ignore your symptoms or hope they clear up on their own, because although hemorrhoids aren’t a serious health concern, these other health issues are potentially deadly but if caught early enough are highly treatable.
When the hemorrhoids are functioning normally, they fill and constrict with blood and help the anal canal remove waste painlessly from the body, they work like cushions, protecting the canal. When the hemorrhoids become symptomatic they’re still doing the work they were designed for, but when they become overly stressed, they bulge out and become potentially painful. In most people, hemorrhoids, even when symptomatic, are usually not much of a health concern, but for a few unfortunate people the hemorrhoids can become extremely painful and will need medical intervention with prescription medication and possibly may even require hemroid surgery.
As with most conditions, it’s always best to work on prevention before treatment becomes a necessity. Although there is no hemorrhoid cure, a diet rich in fiber can help with overall colon health and can help your hemorrhoids healthy and functioning as needed, so don’t wait until you have symptoms, the time to start improving your colon health is right now.
