In The Internet Journal of Gastroenterology™ ISSN: 1528-8323 there was an interesting study trying to find out what cause thrombosed external hemorrhoids (TEH), the paper was titled Etiology of Thrombosed External Hemorrhoids: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study. The study involved a questionnaire given to 148 people, 72 patients who already had an existing TEH and 76 people did not have a TEH but had a different diagnosis for their symptoms such as colon polyps.

Although the authors of this paper did say their sample size was small, they did find some interesting results and refuted some other commonly held beliefs. They found six factors that allowed them to correctly predict TEH correctly in 80% of the patients. Of the six factors that were found, three were found to increase the likelihood of a TEH and three were found to decrease the odds of a TEH. The factors that increased the odds of a TEH are: younger than 46 years old, excessive straining during bowel movement, and using both a dry and a wet cleaning method after bowel movements. The three factors indicating a decreased chance of TEH are: use of a bathtub, use of a shower, and cleaning the genital before bedtime at least once a week.

Factors in this small sample that were found to have no bearing on TEH were anal sex, alcohol consumption, spicy food, and pregnancy. The pregnancy finding is in direct contrast to other studies and doesn’t apply to during the actual vaginal birth where a risk does exist. Intense sports activity was found to actually lead to an increased risk of TEH.

Although this study is very small, there is some good information we can take away from all this to reduce our incidence of thrombosed external hemroids. Since most of us are probably already bathing on a daily basis it’s easy to see where improvement to our daily routine can be made to improve our health. Clearly a better diet to promote softer stools and less straining is a good step and maybe avoiding using both toilet paper and a wet cloth after bowel movement would be beneficial. More research still needs to be done, but this is a start.

People get hemorrhoids from different sources, whether it be straining too hard to have a bowel movement, or frequent bouts of constipation. To rid yourself of hemorrhoid pain, try not to strain when you are trying to have a bowel movement. Don’t push too hard – sit back a bit and let the movement come as it will, without straining. You can also take a stool softener to help you.

Contrary to some wives’ tales, you don’t want to sit on an inflatable donut when you have hemorrhoids. Those actually put more pressure on the veins in the anal area, which can make your hemorrhoids worse.

Increase the amount of fiber you take in, to help with ongoing problems with hemorrhoids. The more fiber and water you take in, the easier your stools will be to pass. The least amount of pressure is your goal here, so that you put less pressure on your anus. Getting rid of hemorrhoids can be difficult, but this can be a big help.

You can use vasoconstrictors to help reduce the inflammation and pain of hemorrhoids – this is what doctors prescribe most commonly. You can’t really “cure” hemorrhoids, but you can make them less painful and easier to deal with. You can also use Preparation H or Rectacaine to relieve the itch and make you more comfortable – this is one of the better known hemorrhoids remedies.

Doctors may sometimes prescribe a local anesthetic to alleviate the pain and itching of hemorrhoids, too. These don’t really help much with the swelling, but they put the nerves in that area to sleep, so that you won’t feel the discomfort. Medicone and Lanacane are a couple of the more common creams to use. But be careful if you have never used them before, since you may have an allergic reaction to them.

Another cream that may help you is wool grease, or lanolin. It’s made from wool-bearing animals, and it’s a natural protectant that you can use on your anal area to reduce the discomfort of hemorrhoids. Be careful with this or any cream, though, and remember to only apply creams to the outside and walls of your anus, and not any further.