People who are afraid to undergo surgical treatment will prefer natural or herbal remedies to their hemorrhoid problem. Aside from proper diet, a doctor can also prescribe to the patient fiber supplements to help mitigate the symptoms of hemorrhoids. One popular supplement that can be used is psyllium supplement.

Psyllium fiber is also referred to as ispaghula. It is derived from the husks of the seeds of Plantago ovata. Since this product contains high level of soluble dietary fiber it becomes a major ingredient of most bulk laxatives. According to Medline plus, an authoritative source for medical information, Psyllium has been studied as a “non-systemic” cholesterol-lowering agent, with generally modest effects seen on total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels. Several psyllium-containing cereals have appeared in the U.S. marketplace during the last 15 years and have been touted for their potential lipid-lowering and “heart health promoting” effects.

Psyllium products can be in many forms. It could be marketed as a psyllium husk, psyllium seed, psyllium husk powder or as a natural vegetable laxative. It is also commonly found in most cereals.

The fiber is not only helpful to people suffering from hemorrhoids since there other medical conditions that can be treated with this supplement. Its most significant effect is lowering of cholesterol level. It is also used to treat constipation and as well as diarrhea.

Bulk laxatives usually contain psyllium to increase stool weight and help increase in bowel movement per day. Doctors may prescribe psyllium to patient suffering from diarrhea because of its stool bulking effects. Other studies show that psyllium is effective in alleviating the effects of Orlistat therapy by decreasing gastrointestinal effects like diarrhea and oily discharge. Orlistat is a weight-loss product.

Psyllium fiber is also effective in preventing anal fissures. Tears or cracks in the anus which are commonly caused by constipation, diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, or irritable bowel syndrome can be relieved by taking psyllium supplements.

Psyllium supplements are used on patient undergoing a colonoscopy. Patients experiencing constipation or frequent bleeding as a result of hemorrhoids require the use of both fiber supplements and diagnostic colonoscopy. Although psyllium-based fiber supplementation is not advised to be initiated in the few days prior to endoscopy using a polyethylene glycol preparation if the patient is not constipated. The intake of psyllium should be under a medical supervision. Psyllium supplements were also reported to help relieve and prevent other symptoms of hemorrhoids.

Treating hemorrhoids is not a complicated task for a medical practitioner. The only question is if he or she is qualified to do the procedure. Just like in any other medical treatment, complications usually arise due to improper procedures conducted by the doctor. Another reason is the specialization of the medical practitioner. There are some cases where the doctor does not have the required skills to conduct the operation and no accreditation from their medical organizations.

Sclerotherapy is not a new procedure in treating hemroids but there are some reported cases of complications. Bleeding and pain may be experienced when undergoing a hemorrhoids treatment but too much pain and profuse bleeding is a sign that there is something wrong with the treatment. Based on statistical data, complications occur in approximately 0.02% or 1 in 5,000 sclerotherapy injections which were mostly due to improper technique.

Bleeding can be caused by puncturing an artery but this can be stopped by exerting pressure on the area. Delayed bleeding, on the other hand, can be due to too much solution injected to the affected area and incorrect injection to the mucusa layer instead of beneath it. Ulceration could develop and the patient could still experience bleeding after 7 or 14 days after the injection.

Too much pain is usually caused by improper selection of the injection site. When the injection is done below the dentate line or the sclerosant spread beyond that area and to sensitive tissues, the patient will definitely experience real pain.

Another possible complication of sclerotherapy is injection into the anal vein. This will be noticed if the injected solution is easily absorbed and the patient experiences pain in the liver area or unpleasant taste in the mouth. Although there is no harmful side effects on this case but the treatment for hemorrhoids will become a failure.

Accidental injection to the prostate is also possible. The extent of complications depends on the volume of solution injected to the area or the depth of penetration of the needle. Side effects could be minor or serious and may require the patient for hospitalization. When the needle is injected into the prostate area, the patient may experience difficulty in urinating. It may require temporary insertion of a catheter tube to help the patient urinate. Infertility may also happen if the sclerosant solution was injected to the seminal vessel which may spread to the testicles and surrounding tissues.

Prostitis or the inflammation of the prostate glands could also happen. The most alarming part of this situation is it may last for weeks, months or even years. There is no direct treatment for this complication but antibiotics may help alleviate the symptoms. If the patient suffers from prostitis, symptoms may include pain, partial incontinence, burning sensation during urination, frequent urination, blood or pus in the urine.

The accidental injection to the prostate can also lead to abscess formation which may require another surgery. Blood clotting could also occur due to improper diagnosis of the doctor. Large second-degree or third-degree hemorrhoid should not be treated with sclerotherapy. If this situation happens, an anal dilation or surgery is required.

In the United States alone, it is estimated that there are at least 10 million Americans who suffers from hemorrhoids. Additional studies revealed that half of the population who will reach the age of 50 will likely experience the symptoms of hemorrhoids. But people must not worry since a lot of treatment and medications are available to handle this health condition. People who are afraid of surgery may opt to choose traditional medicine and non surgical procedures which may include sclerotherapy and use of herbal preparations.

Another method of treating hemorrhoids is thru Hemorrhoid Treatment System (HTS). The procedure is still new but according to doctors this method returns good results to the patient. The Hemorrhoid Treatment System is also known as the Doppler guided hemorrhoid arterial ligation. It is a minimally-invasive, relatively painless, FDA-approved surgical method for the treatment of hemorrhoids. The method uses ultrasound tones to find the rectal arteries and then stops blood flow to hemorrhoidal tissue. It will now cause the hemorrhoid to shrink and disappear.

The Doppler guided hemorrhoid arterial ligation was discovered by a Japanese surgeon, Kazumasa Morinaga, in 1995. Dr Morinaga identified the hemorrhoidal arteries by means of a Doppler (ultrasound) technique. The special instrument designed by him contains a Doppler transducer and a window. With this procedure, a doctor can now identify and ligate the hemorrhoidal arteries by placing a suture around them. The procedure can immediately resolve some of the common symptoms of hemorrhoids which are bleeding and protrusion.

Early studies on this method showed an impressive statistics. A study conducted on 1,415 patients, 93.2% of the cases were successful while only 6.8% showed recurrence of the symptoms in a follow up of up to 24 months. The Doppler guided hemorrhoid arterial ligation is already adopted by several countries like Japan, Australia, Europe and SouthEast Asia. In the United States, Florida Hospital was the first to use this method. According to a colorectal surgeon, Dr. Mathew Albert, the Hemorrhoid Treatment System (HTS) is successful in treating all symptomatic hemorrhoid. “HTS procedures are fast, easy to perform and there is immediate evidence of having successfully located and treated the condition during the procedure. It’s minimally invasive and our patients experience less pain postoperatively, allowing them to return to work much sooner,” said Dr. Albert on their website. The

The Doppler guided hemorrhoid arterial ligation is also preferred by some doctors and as well as patients because of its benefits. Most patients can immediately go back to work within 24 to 48 hours. The procedure can be done on an out-patient basis and the procedure does not cause too much bleeding and in some cases, no bleeding at all. More than 90% of the patients who underwent this method were able to work within 3 days.

HTS or the Doppler method is becoming an alternative to hemorrhoidectomy because it is a less invasive surgical treatment for hemorrhoids. The method is also used if the rubber band ligation has been unsuccessful. Patients who might asking for the cost of this procedure should not worry since most of the medical insurance companies covers the Doppler guided hemorrhoid arterial ligation.