Hemorrhoid Help: What Works?
How can anyone looking for hemorrhoid relief tell the difference between an alternative medication that might actually help and a total waste of time, money, and suffering?
The oldest and probably most efficacious form of alternative medicine is herbal treatment. Most of the prescription medications we use today have their roots in plants. In fact, plants are such a good source of new medications that there is an entire branch of pharmaceutical education and research devoted to it, called pharmocognosy.
Herbal remedies effective for hemorrhoid relief include witch hazel cream, ointment or extract, aloe vera gel or cream, horse chestnut tea, butcher’s broom tea, and Japanese Pagoda Tree extract.
Be aware that herbs are just another form of medication. Some of these, horse chestnut and butcher’s broom in particular, affect the entire circulatory system and may interact with your current health conditions or any current medication regime.
In addition, find a reputable supplier for any herbal medications. Herbal supplements are not governed or tested under the same rules and supervision as medications, so checking for quality becomes much more important. A board-certified herbalist will be able to recommend GMP herbs, and herbal formulas.
Herbs grown under sub-standard conditions, such as next to a road or with polluted water, can actually do more harm as they carry detrimental chemicals into your body.
Acupuncture, surprisingly enough, has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the treatment of several diseases, including pain relief. Several rigorously controlled studies have been performed on the pain-treatment capacity of acupuncture, particularly for such chronic conditions as migraines. These tests have shown acupuncture to have a measurable effect. If you feel that the research that has been done is validation enough for acupuncture’s use, do find an acupuncturist accredited by the appropriate medical association for your country.
Above credited to Yug.com
In my opinion, (Chris’) there are several OTC (over the counter) medications that are effective at relieving the discomfort of hemorrhoids. One of the old standbys is Preparation H, which contains shark oil. This ingredient reduces inflammation and another use for it is for under eye puffiness. Just make sure you use two different tubes.
Witch Hazel helps because it works as an antibacterial and antiviral agent as well as to soothe irritated tissues.
If you have hemorrhoids, make sure you cleanse yourself with soap and water after every bowel movement, then apply the remedy of your choice to decrease discomfort.
By the way, acupuncture does help to reduce hemorrhoids – I’ve personally have had a number of patients report on its efficacy.
Herbal medicine can make a difference if you are taking the correct formula for your health problem.
Tags: Acupuncture, hemorrhoids, Herbal Medicine, Herbal Medicine, otc hemorrhoid help
Hi, I'm Christine Hasinger, DOM. I’m an Oriental Medicine Practitioner of which a large part is utilizing natural herbal medicine. You see, we're Master Herbalists as well as Acupuncturists. A large part of our extensive training focuses on the preparation, making, use and prescribing of herbs and herbal formulas for a wide variety of health disorders and problems.