Anorectal disorders include conditions such as simple hemorrhoids to more serious conditions such as malignancy. The most common anorectal disorders, including hemorrhoids, anal fissures, fecal incontinence, excessive perineal descent, and pruritus ani [Severe itching in anus] need comprehensive evaluation and management.
Hemorrhoids are commonly called as Piles & affect a major percentage of population and goes unreported due to a person’s hesitancy to address it by seeing a doctor. This negligence contributes to its further development in to a serious painful condition. If addressed at the right time in the initial stages itself they can be controlled and corrected.
A person compromises and shapes his / her lifestyle, day-to-day activities, food habits etc between work and family thus giving rise to many ano-rectal diseases. Desk jobs where sitting in one place for hours together, occupations like Driving etc where our body gets gradual damage on a daily basis has a great impact in this disease increasing.
Ayurveda also defines digestion as the central function of good health. Good digestion leads to efficient metabolism and overall good health. Eating healthy, fresh, and wholesome food will ease the stress on the digestive system. When habits and foods that are aggravating the causative Dosha are continued it aggravates the disease and hence should be avoided. So in Ayurveda approach is correction of both Food & Lifestyles.
As pressure on the rectum and the anus increases, it causes more pressure on the veins. When the veins become inflamed they may cause rectal bleeding. This is a painful condition that may flare up causing severe infection. A hard lump may be felt, which may be painful, bleeds after bowel movement, presents itch around the anus, area around the anus may become inflamed.
Following are some of the reasons which may lead to piles:
- The straining action done to evacuate bowels when having constipation is main reason for the haemorrhoids formation or piles.
- Pregnancy
- Obesity
- Lifting heavy weights over a long period
- Sitting or standing for a long time
- A habit of suppressing the urge to defecate
- Inherited tendency to develop Piles.
- Sedentary life style
- Untreated gastric conditions
Treatment
The first principle of managing piles is the patient made to avoid the causes for the piles formation based on his diet & lifestyle.
Specifically the patient must avoid the wrong food habit and life style. First principle of managing piles is to suggest the patient to avoid the causes of piles. Ayurvedic treatment for Piles can broadly be classified into medicinal treatment and surgical treatment.
The medicinal treatment includes classical ayurvedic medicines. It involves partake of herbal decoctions, tablets and electuaries which work to correct the anomalies present in a person.
The surgical treatment includes Shastra karma (operation by sharp instruments), Agni karma, Kshara karma, Rakta Mokshana (blood letting) etc. All the surgical treatments include preoperative management, main operation and the post operative management.
Different medicinal formulations for management and local applications, soothing therapy, fumigation, and anal baths with the herbs are some of the modes of treatment prescribed to relieve the local inflammation, bleeding and maintain the peri-anal hygiene to control the disease.
Diet Instuctions and restrictions:
- Consume fiber-rich foods in the diet
- Drink plenty of water
- Exercise daily for about 30-45 minutes
- Avoid long periods of sitting
- Decrease or avoid the amount of high spicy, chilly, salty, oily, sweet food.
- Decrease the intake of excess tea, coffee, cold drinks, soft drinks, and other carbonated beverages.