Home Remedies for Hemorrhoids

Home remedies for hemorrhoids have become increasingly popular over the last decade. Instead of spending money on expensive medication with unpleasant side effects, many hemorrhoid sufferers have turned to natural treatments they can easily and cheaply apply at home.

Change Your Diet

Straining on the toilet aggravates hemorrhoids. To soften your stool and make it easier to pass, eat 25 to 35 g of fiber and drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day (a glass equals 8 ounces).

Wipe Gently

Regular toilet paper can irritate hemorrhoids. Use white, unscented toilet paper dampened by water, or use unscented toilet wipes. Alternately, you can shower your anal area after each bowel movement.

Use a Donut Cushion

Since a regular chair adds pressure to the anal area, you can avoid the pinched feeling that aggravates your hemorrhoids by sitting on a donut cushion, which has no middle. These cushions are useful if you sit a lot, and they can be found in medical supply and drugstores.

Take a Sitz Bath

Fill the bathtub with 4 inches of warm water and sit in the water, with your knees raised to allow the water access. This eases the pain and increases blood flow to the hemorrhoids, which can shrink the veins.

Apply Witch Hazel

Witch hazel soothes hemorrhoids and shrinks swollen veins. Witch hazel comes in convenient and affordable pads sold in drugstores. Or put witch hazel on a clean cotton ball and press it against your hemorrhoids 3 times a day.

Cure the Itch with Baking Soda

Doctors discourage scratching hemorrhoids, because scratching can cause damage to the walls. If the itching is too much for you, place a small amount of baking soda on the hemorrhoids. Use baking soda wet (as a paste or in a sitz bath) or dry.