Bowel Habits and Hemorrhoids

Cause and Cure

by Thomas Gail Haws

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

I am a reasonably healthy and trim, but lately sedentary, father and engineer. I have suffered occasional hemorrhoids since the early 1980's (my teen years). My first hemorrhoids were surgically removed. Since then I have learned the cause and therefore the means of promptly correcting my hemorrhoidal problems. The purpose of this essay is to share my experience and success.

DESCRIPTION

Hemorrhoids are swollen (varicose) blood vessels that form at the end of my large intestine, or colon, and sometimes protrude externally where I can feel them as a lump while cleaning after a bowel movement. My hemorrhoids are sometimes painful enough to disturb my daily routine of sitting, standing, and activity. My hemorrhoids sometimes bleed and sometimes develop blood clots.

My hemorrhoids form due to excessive or prolonged pressure on the area of the end of my large intestine, usually as a result of (surprise!) poor health habits. Immediate correction of the conditions responsible for the excessive or prolonged pressure invariably begins to alleviate my hemorrhoids within several days. Alleviation is indicated first by relief of any bleeding and pain, second by retraction of the lump(s) into the colon, and third by the absence of any sensation of the presence of lumps in the colon.

CAUSES AND CORRECTIVE MEASURES

The conditions responsible for my hemorrhoids are discussed in the list below along with the corrective measures I take:

• Posture. If I become sloppy in my posture, failing to suck in my gut, and letting my abdominal muscles perpetually relax, I place myself perpetually in a posture semi-prepared for a bowel movement, which encourages hemorrhoids. An immediate corrective measure I take when I am correcting a hemorrhoid or am concerned about a recurrence of hemorrhoids is to suck in my gut and evaluate my daily posture. After a bowel movement do I use my muscles to pull myself back together? Do I have enough muscle tone and control that coughs and sneezes do not stress my colon? Is there anything about my daily activities that I could do in a way that would improve my muscle tone?
• Daily bowel movement time and procedure. The most common factor in my hemorrhoids is too much daily time spent in bowel movements. Under ideal and normal conditions, it is most healthy to spend less than 30 seconds daily in the posture of combined regional relaxation and pressure required for a bowel movement. When I can remember, I try to retract before the count of ten. But habits linger from my childhood, when cleaning with tissue often produced additional bowel movement urges, and I commonly made repeated attempts to evacuate every last gram from my colon. Lately, bathroom reading material supplied by others contributes to lengthy bowel movement time. And I sometimes fall into the habit of making several daily bowel movements, which multiplies the offending time. The first corrective action I take is to reduce my daily time in number two business to one hasty visit. Here is my recommended procedure:
  1. I prepare my cleaning tissue in advance.
  2. I rest my chest on/between my knees, my belly on/between my thighs, and my hands on my ankles or the tops of my feet, staring at my heels and toes (see Nathaniel Hawthorne Bronner, Jr., Quick Fasting: How to BM).
  3. I push gently while I count (hopefully to ten).
  4. I immediately and forcefully retract my bowel muscles after just seconds of pushing.
  5. I clean gently while continuing to retract (using my bowel control muscles to bring my colon back into normal posture) repeatedly with all the strength I can muster, gently pushing the hemorrhoid inward by hand if necessary. "Wow! That was (oof!) fast. I'll be (wince!) better in no time."
• Diet. If my diet has been poor, it is sometimes difficult to limit bowel pressure time to 30 seconds daily. If my stools don't cooperate with good bowel habits, my first corrective measures are 1) to check that I am hydrating well by seeing that my urine is very light in color and heavy in flow and 2) to eat some psyllium husk (what Metamucil is made of). I then remind myself to cut back on processed food like white flour. In my case, as often as not, my diet is excessively bulky, with lots of whole grain bread and oatmeal, which ironically sometimes leads to hemorrhoids by encouraging too much daily bowel activity and continual bowel pressure. So I have to strike a happy medium between constipation (due to dehydration or poor intake) and overactivity. In the case of overactivity, I have to discipline my bowel muscles to retain my stool for dewatering until my daily business.
• Clothing. If I wear pants that are too tight around the waist and lower abdomen, I become accustomed to pressure in the lower abdomen. I relax my abdominal muscles, letting my body settle into my pants. This relaxation and pressure contributes to my hemorrhoids. Therefore, one of the corrective actions when I suffer hemorrhoids is to change into a loose-fitting pair of pants, possibly with suspenders, and re-train my muscles to do their job sucking in my gut.

I hope to hear your feedback if you can refine this information or if it proves helpful to you.

Home