We don't like to talk about it.......piles

We may not like to talk about some conditions but we shouldn't ignore them.  Over the next few weeks I will talk about them (I'm from Lancashire, UK and call a spade, a spade) and hopefully help you. 

Around half of us will get piles at some point in our lives.  For me that was after my youngest daughter was born as so often happens because of the extra weight being carried.  

So what exactly are piles and what causes them? Piles are swollen veins in the anal canal which can bleed when you go to the loo which can be really frightening.  Like me, you may even get frightened of 'going' which only makes the problem worse. If you have bleeding from the back passage, you must have it checked by a doctor to rule out any more sinister cause before trying to sort out the problem.  They can be caused by being overweight or pregnant as in my case - even so they are more common in men.  This may be the case because many men tend to have jobs that involve heavy lifting.  

The other main cause of piles is being constipated.  This may be caused by either having insufficient fibre in your diet or having enough fibre in your diet and not drinking enough to swell the fibre.  Golden rule of wellbeing according to Janet - ''never let the sun go down without 'going''.  Apart from increasing your risk of piles, it means toxins are building up in your bowel that can lead to all sorts of 'nasties'.

So if you have piles how can you get rid of them?  The 'cure' for me was serendipity.  It so happened that at the same time as I had piles, I got what people used to call a 'spring rash' - a rash that can occur as a result of change of diet and temperatures in spring.  Mum told me to take some sulphur tablets (which were like sweets) to 'clear my blood'.  Now we always listen to our mums don't we???!!! Amazingly in only a couple of days my piles were healed.  Now before you rush out to buy some, I don't think they are made any more but don't worry you can still heal your piles naturally.  

Firstly, if you are overweight, you could try to lose a few pounds (I know it's hard, especially since it's still winter).  See my tips to help in other blog posts below.  

Try and avoid lifting if you can or at least always lift safely bending your knees.  

Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains for fibre and never strain. Drink plenty.  You might also want to take psyllium capsules or powder to increase your fibre.  Follow the instructions  - they have to be taken with lots of water.   

The other thing you can do is to wash the affected area with either apple cider vinegar or witch hazel.  Soak a cotton pad and apply several times a day if you can.  

Exercise helps too.  Walking 'massages' your bowels easing constipation or you can massage your bowls with your hand.  Circle round up the right side where the ascending colon is located then down the left where the descending colon is located.   Yoga too can help especially squats, twists and poses that work with the downward flow of energy.  Please see 'Apana vayu' - http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/apana-vayu-httpflexiladiesblogspotcouk.html 

Next week I will show you a short yoga sequence to help with constipation.

And if you are still keen to try sulphur, homeopathic sulphur is a gentle remedy for piles. 

Horse chestnut (aesculus hippocastanum) standardized extract is a herb that can help shrink piles but consult your doctor before taking especially if you are on any medication as it can interact with some medicines.

Please also see my other blog posts in this series:-
'What's stopping you reaching your healthy weight-Part 1-Stress'
'What's stopping you reaching your healthy weight-Part 2-Lack of sleep'
'What's stopping you reaching your healthy weight-Part 3 - Hungry/craving...or just thirsty'
'What's stopping you reaching your healthy weight- Part 4- Inflammation'
'What's stopping you reaching your healthy weight- Part 5- Unhealthy gut'

also 

You might want to read the articles below alongside this article.
'The vegan diet and weight gain'
'The vegan diet and weight gain Part 2'
'The vegan diet and weight gain-Part 3'

Stay well, stay happy,