The word Hemorrhoids originated from Greek (Unani) “haima” meaning “blood” and “haimorrhoides phlebes” meaning “bleeding”. Hemorrhoids is a term generally used to describe swelling, bulging, and/or bleeding of veins in the final section of the large intestine terminating at the anus. It is also sometimes called Piles.
Types of hemorrhoids: Internal (exist only inside the rectum), External (generally visible and can be felt outside the anus), Prolapsed (leaves the rectum and protrudes outside the body), and Thrombosed (prolapses and forms a blood clot).
Symptoms
Itching/irritation/pain in the anal region, lump/lumps (sometimes a cluster) or swelling in the region, lose sphincter muscles leading to bowel leakage, pain during bowel movement, blood in the anal region (blood in stool, blood drops or blood spray – often before and after stool passage).
Causes
Quite often it is genetic. Life style choices may also play an important role. Key among these is the diet (specially certain meats, raw vegetables, pulses and lentils, and dairy products). Next common cause is the side effect of non Unani medications (in case of women, especially the ones taking medication during pregnancy). Constipation (often due to diet and medications), excessive alcohol consumption, and sitting for long hours (as is the case for people with desk jobs) may also lead to hemorrhoids.
Management and Treatment
My (Hakeem Syed Muhammad Rehan Alam’s) family has been successfully treating all kinds of hemorrhoid disorders for more than 88 years. It is one of our family’s signature treatments and our expertise in this field is well known. We have a proprietary way of approaching diagnosis and treatment. Patient history, pulse analysis, and Qaroora (urine inspection) help the Tabib narrow down the root cause (such as trauma, infection, heredity, and relevant humor imbalances). Whenever necessary, we do make use of modern lab tests in arriving at and confirming diagnosis and in monitoring of treatment progress. Our treatment plan is very simple. Patient is immediately put on a strict dietary plan coupled with Unani drug regimen (that may take anywhere from 4-6 weeks) consisting of various processed and unprocessed herbs etc. The dietary plan predominantly involves avoiding excessive consumption of certain meats (including organs)/raw vegetables/and seafood, certain dairy products, eggs & poultry, and yeast.
Note
Contrary to popular belief, excessive use of spices does NOT negatively affect hemorrhoid patients. Our dietary plan is key to treating hemorrhoids. So much so that sometimes the patient can manage this disorder very well just by sticking to the dietary plan. We do not recommend surgical intervention as generally it does not cure the disorder and it often comes back just like nail regrowth. Furthermore, people suffering from hemorrhoids often end up developing indirect complications such as anxiety and depression, sexual weakness, and in some cases, even cardiovascular problems.
