Piles Treatment
Before discussing the best treatment for Piles; it is better to have an idea about Piles as a disease. In layman’s language, all the diseases related to the anorectal region are termed Piles/ Hemorrhoids but actually, it is not so; as there are many diseases affecting this region and Piles is one among these.
Definition of Piles
Hemorrhoids are the cushions made up of blood vessels, connective tissue, and muscles located in the anal canal. In that sense, everybody is having hemorrhoids. These help in maintaining fecal continence and ensure no liquid content leaks from the anal opening.
The problem comes when these become enlarged due to stagnation of blood and give symptoms that range from bleeding while passing stool to mass protruding out from the anal opening.
These prominent hemorrhoidal plexuses are located at 3, 7 & 11 o’clock positions. Therefore Piles are more common at these positions.
Earlier Piles/ Hemorrhoids used to be more common in the ages of 45 and 65. But with changed lifestyles (sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise) and dietary habits (lack of fiber in diet) nowadays; we see cases of Piles at a young age also. As per different surveys, about 50% of adults experience symptoms related to Piles by the age of 50 years.
Why Ayurvedic/ Ksharsutra treatment is the Best Treatment for Piles
Best treatment for any health problem is one which assure treatment without any complication and with minimal chances of recurrence. Both of these features are there in Ayurvedic treatment for Piles. Besides this there are certain other reasons which make Ayurvedic/ Ksharsutra Treatment; the best treatment for Piles:
- Ayurved is best to correct Diet and lifestyle
- Treatment without Surgery
- Faster Recovery
- Predictable ZERO recurrence
- No complications
- No Hospitalization or Bed Rest
- Daily routine not affected
- Cost effective
With all these observations; one can conclude that Ayurvedic treatment/ Ksharsutra Treatment is the best treatment for Piles.
What is Ayurvedic Treatment for Piles?
Ayurved recommends Piles treatment according to the stage of Piles. In 1st and 2nd stages of internal Piles, Kshar Karma is advised while in 3rd and 4th stages of internal piles as well as in external Piles; Ksharsutra ligation at the root of Pile mass is the treatment of choice.
Kshar karma for Piles
This treatment involves the application of Kshar – a specialized Ayurvedic medicine in the anal passage at the location of internal Piles. As a result of Kshar application; bleeding ceases and Pile mass shrinks.
Ksharsutra treatment for Piles
In this treatment; Ksharsutra – a specialized medicated thread is ligated at the root of the Pile mass. It stops the blood supply to the Pile mass as a result it sheds off in a week or 10-day time period.
Causes of Piles:
- Straining: usually Piles are a result of applying too much pressure to lower rectum which generally happens when a person strain too much for a bowel movement.
- Long sitting on the toilet: As a result of long sitting; the anus relaxes resulting in the accumulation of blood in blood vessels of this region which later on gives rise to Piles.
- Constipation: hard stool puts pressure on the rectal blood vessels and one needs to strain and sit for a long time on the toilet thus resulting in Piles.
- Other factors: being overweight, standing for long time period, heavy weight lifting and other factors which increase pressure in lower abdomen may cause hemorrhoids..
- Pregnancy: Pregnant women are more prone to hemorrhoids because of the pressure exerted by the weight of the baby, constipation, and hormonal changes during this period. Around 25 to 35 percent of pregnant women are affected by Piles in the third trimester or after delivery.
Symptoms of Piles:
Symptoms of Piles depend on the type and stage of Piles problem. Accordingly; a patient may experience painless bleeding/ something coming out of the anal opening during defecation or some extra swelling around the anal opening which may be painful.
Types of Piles:
Broadly speaking Piles are of two types:
External Piles: As the name suggests these are located externally under the skin around the anus. These results from too much straining while passing stool/ long driving or long sitting. As a result of these activities, some of the blood vessels near the anal region get ruptured and the accumulated blood gives rise to external Piles. These are very painful.
Internal Piles: These piles have their origin deep inside the anal passage. According to the severity of the problem; there are four stages of internal Piles:
Painless bleeding is the prime symptom of 1st stage internal piles. The bleeding is bright red. The patient is not aware of the bleeding unless he looks down in the toilet pot. In this stage; the patient does not complain of any pile mass in or near the anal opening.
When the piles problem is not treated in the first stage it progresses to 2nd stage and the patient experiences that something is coming out when he tries to pass stool which goes inside immediately after he stands up from the toilet seat. Bleeding may or may not be there.
When the piles problem progresses to 3rd stage; the tissue coming out during defecation needs to be pushed back inside rectum manually. It will come out again during passing stool only.
In this stage; pile mass comes out again after pushing it back inside the rectum. Even coughing, sneezing, walking, or squatting cause pile mass to come out. So most of the time; pile mass remains outside the anal opening which makes it prone to get infected and gives rise to further complications.
Best Treatments for Piles:
Piles treatment is given according to the stage of Piles problem.
Treatment for External Piles without surgery:
- Correction of dietary habits and lifestyle
- Ayurvedic stool softeners if required
- Hot water tub bath – Sitz bath
-
Local Application of Ayurvedic ointments
If not treated by these measures - Ksharsutra ligation at the root of Pile mass and excision of Pile mass
Treatment for Internal Piles without surgery:
Ayurvedic Treatment for 1st and 2nd stage Piles:
- Correction of dietary habits and lifestyle
- Ayurvedic stool softeners if required
- Kshar Karma and Local Application of Ayurvedic ointments if required
- Ashwini Mudra/ Mula Bandha exercise for Hemorrhoids/ Piles
Ksharsutra Treatment for 3rd and 4th stage Piles:
- Correction of dietary habits and lifestyle
- Ayurvedic stool softeners if required
- Kshar Karma and Local Application of Ayurvedic ointments
- Ksharsutra ligation at the root of Pile mass and excision of Pile mass if required.
Home remedies for Piles:
- Avoid constipation: As constipation is the main causative factor for Piles.
- Increase Fiber intake: Your diet should be rich in fibers like fruits, green leafy vegetables, salads etc.
- Increase fluid intake: Take plenty of liquids specially butter milk.
- Physical exercise: Do regular exercise like walking, running, yoga etc.
- Active lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle is another causative factor for constipation so you should try to be active as much as possible for the whole day.
- Take some stool softener: If required you may take some stool softening supplement like Haritaki powder/ Triphala powder etc.
FAQs about Hemorrhoids/ Piles
Piles are the engorged blood vessels in the anus.
There are many reasons for engorgement of these blood vessels. The main reasons are constipation, straining while passing stool, sitting for a long time on the toilet seat while passing stool, increased abdominal pressure like in pregnancy or heavy weight lifting, etc.
Piles used to be a disease of old age a few years back because of the laxity of muscles and blood vessels in old age. But nowadays; due to unhealthy dietary habits and lifestyle; Piles is affecting every age group. So if you have unhealthy dietary habits and lifestyle as mentioned in the previous answer; you can also suffer from Piles at 20 years of age.
The location of Piles in the anus is described as the position of a clock hand in a clock. Piles can happen anywhere all around the anus but usually, it happens at three positions i.e. 3 o’clock, 7 o’clock, and 11 o’clock.
The severity of the Piles problem has nothing to do with their location in anus. This classification is just simply to locate the Piles nothing else.
YES as well as NO. Piles treatment is given according to the stage of the Piles problem. In 1st and early 2nd-stage Piles; sclerotherapy (injection of some sclerosing agent) is advised while in the late 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stage Piles; sclerotherapy has no role as a treatment.
Yes; Piles can be completely treated without surgery in all its four stages by Ayurvedic treatment. In the 1st and 2nd stages of Piles; Kshar Karma is advised while in the 3rd and 4th stages Ksharsutra ligation of Pile mass is the treatment of choice.
Kshar Karma is a specialized Ayurvedic treatment for Piles in its 1st and early 2nd stages. In this treatment; special Ayurvedic medicine namely Kshar is applied at the Piles location. This medicine helps in relieving the congestion of blood from respective positions.
This is a specialized Ayurvedic treatment for Piles advised in its 3rd and 4th stages. In this treatment; a specialized medicated thread namely Ksharsutra is ligated at the root of the Pile mass. Medicine released from the Ksharsutra blocks the blood supply of Pile mass. As a result, it sheds off from its root in a week or 10-day time period.
In Ayurvedic Surgery there is minimal or no cutting to healthy tissue e.g. in Ksharsutra treatment for Piles; a medicated thread is ligated at the root of the Pile mass which stops the blood supply of the Pile mass. As a result, Pile mass sheds off from its roots without any damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
