Most of us are familiar with the word haemorrhoids, but few know what it is and even less how to treat it. Haemorrhoids are very common, but still an embarrassing problem, in spite of the fact that over 50% of the population after 50 will sometime in their life experience haemorrhoids.
Haemorrhoids are hard to examine and to spot your self. There are internal and external haemorrhoids. Easy said, haemorrhoids are enlarged veins in the colon and anus that are painful when touched.
The cause of haemorrhoids
The tissues in the lower part of the colon is called rectum, and it ends with the anus. Both the rectum and anus have many shallow blood vessels.
Haemorrhoids are created when the blood circulation is halted in one of the many vessels and gets inflamed. The blood vessel swells, becomes red and inflamed and starts to bleed.
In the rectum we have mucous membranes, muscles and blood vessels, which all work to control what wants to come out. The walls of the colon are covered in mucous, the same way as the mouth.
The rectum isn’t straight, and when we sit on the toilet it builds a pressure on one part of the colon wall and abrasion is the results. When the stool is collected inside the anus and wants to pass through, it happens that the stool cuts a small hole in the tissue, that fills with blood and swells, the same thing happens when you bite your cheek.
These “internal wounds” get inflamed and swell. When it happens a few times, it will create small piles of excess skin and vessels. These skin piles grows every time they get inflamed and after awhile it becomes what we call haemorrhoids.
When the stool wants to come out and the haemorrhoid is swollen, it starts to pull the haemorrhoid piles towards the anal opening and the haemorrhoid becomes a bigger and longer skin pile.
Internal and external haemorrhoids
Internal haemorrhoids are swollen veins inside the rectum that bleed and are usually not big enough to extend out through the anus.
When an internal haemorrhoid swells, it irritates the body and the sphincter. The sphincter tries to close the opening, but is stopped by a haemorrhoid. This haemorrhoid creates an unpleasant feeling, irritation and pain in and around the anus.
External haemorrhoids are swollen, often painful, blood vessels or lumps that are located on or outside the anus (sphincter). The actually are perineal hernia from the anus or the colon itself
When they swell with blood, it can cause pain when touched, itchiness and bleeding.
When experiencing external haemorrhoids, you will feel a hard lump in the size of a pea or bigger, that creates unpleasantness and irritation, especially when you wear tight clothes, are sitting down or riding a bike.
The 4 different phases of haemorrhoids
- It starts with small swollen internal haemorrhoids that from time to time swell and perhaps bleed a little.
- They grow to and become small piles inside the body. These piles get squeezed in the sphincter and can pop out through the anus. The sphincters constant pressure makes it cumbersome and painful and they are hard to push back without help.
- The haemorrhoid piles pops out of the anus when they swells and are covered in mucous.
- Haemorrhoid piles having been outside the body for so long that the skin has hardened.
A normal haemorrhoid cycle lasts for 10-14 days and persons with haemorrhoids suffer 4-5 times a year. Hemor*Rite can be used for a 6 months period and the patient can thus avoid unnecessary return visits to the doctor.
The sphincters function and its effect
The rectal channel should be able to keep shut and is therefore armed with two closing muscles; where one of them can be controlled. There is also a seal mechanism in the mucous membranes with shallow veins that add to the sealing. When hard stool wants to leave the body and the sphincter tightens, it damages the mucous membranes and the veins swells. During long toilet sessions, the muscles work extra hard and it tears on the body and the rectum region, both internal and external.
The situation for pregnant women
During the third trimester, the body collects extra blood in the basin to feed the baby and prepare for the birth. Increased blood flow can lead to weaker vessel walls in the anus and rectum, which may again result in the creation of haemorrhoids.
And finally, constipation during pregnancy and strained toilet visits are perfect for the development of swollen haemorrhoids in the rectum and anus.
Hemor*Rite is an anatomically designed so that the sphincter in the anus, as natural as possible, will be able to squeeze the internal haemorrhoids against the ice cold Hemor*Rite unit.
