When you see any blood on your stools or in the bowl after using the bathroom, it’s natural to be concerned, any bleeding during bowel movements should be a cause of concern, but it is also a very common symptom of hemorrhoids. The first thing you need to do if you experience any anal bleeding is to schedule an appointment with a doctor. Your doctor will need to examine you in order to eliminate some diseases that have similar symptoms to hemorrhoids like colon cancer. A lot of people don’t want to bother with going to the doctor, preferring to treat their symptoms themselves, but this is a step that shouldn’t be skipped. No one likes the idea of an exam, but your doctor has seen it all before. You doctor will probably give a quick look to the area and then may even recommend a colonoscopy. Only a doctor will be able to diagnose your condition correctly. When you weigh a long healthy life against a little short term embarrassment, it’s definitely worth it.
Ok, now since I hope I’ve convinced you to get an exam, I can get on to the business of preventing hemorrhoids. Although it’s not 100% known exactly why some people get hemorrhoids and some people don’t, certain factors do seem to play a part in forming hemorrhoids. These factors are family history, age, pregnancy, strained bowel movements, and obesity. We can’t control all these factors such as age or genetics and others such as pregnancy we don’t want to control. But, we can certainly control both weight and straining during bowel movements. Of these two factors, without a doubt straining is a major factor in the formation of hemorrhoids, so this is the best place to start in trying to reduce hemroid formation and control current symptoms. The vast majority of people in the USA have horrible diets, too much processed foods and not enough fiber rich raw foods. Fiber works to make bowel movements easier so it will help to minimize any current hemroid symptoms you may have, plus also reduce further flare ups.
So, get to a doctor and add more fiber to your diet and you will be well on your way to managing your hemorrhoids.