Pain in your backside?

Woman with back pain.

By  SONA PARMAR

What you need to know:

  • Haemorrhoids normally come about when you strain too hard when you’re having a bowel movement.

  • The veins around the anus become enlarged, and what initially starts off as a little pain, may end up as bleeding every time you have a bowel movement.

“I heard you have piles”. This is how a friend of mine opened a conversation with me while I was pregnant.

As it happened, I didn’t have piles (also known as haemorrhoids), but my husband had inadvertently announced it at a social event. My friend and I had a good laugh about it, but it made me wonder why this was a condition that people don’t talk about. After all, no one keeps ulcers or asthma or even something like diabetes under wraps. I guess some people just don’t like talking about poo.

Haemorrhoids normally come about when you strain too hard when you’re having a bowel movement. The veins around the anus become enlarged, and what initially starts off as a little pain, may end up as bleeding every time you have a bowel movement.

Also Read

However, the good news is that there is plenty that you can do to remedy the situation. I normally ask patients to follow five steps:

1. More dietary fibre

Nope, it’s not the high-fibre, bran-based breakfast cereals you want here. This kind of fibre is actually quite scratchy and may actually irritate the delicate lining of the gut. Rather you want the fibre found in oats, fresh fruit and vegetables. Aim at eating at least five servings of fruit or vegetables a day.

2. Use natural bulking agents

Having one or two tablespoonfuls of ground linseeds with water every day, can really help to improve bowel regularity. You can also sprinkle them on your salad.

3. Drink more water

Fibre aside, the other key ingredient for bowel regularity is fluid. However, steer clear of alcohol and caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, and cola) which can dehydrate the body and therefore worsen constipation. Stick to water – six to eight glasses are more than enough.

4. Exercise

Try 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (e.g. brisk walking, light jogging, cycling, rowing, aerobics, etc.,) at least three to four times a week.

5. Always respond to the call of nature

This is something we all do: hanging onto our bowel movement when you can’t find a nice bathroom. It might not feel like a big deal but, in the long-term, it will make your situation much, much worse.

www.nutritionbysona.com

In the headlines