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Causes of Piles and Treatment Options H: Lis Speight, Host
A: Dr Christian Jessen, Health Expert B: Elaine Regan, a patient with personal experience
of the problem
H: What are the main causes of piles, why do you get them?
A: Well I would say, top of the list probably for most people is diet. Lack of fibre in
the diet which means you’re a bit constipated, your having to push when your going to the
loo or like most men on a Sunday you sit on the loo for too long you get through all the
Sunday newspapers, all the colour supplements. It’s just that sitting there that actually
can cause those veins to gradually descend; so yes, poor diet. Lack of water as well,
drinking plenty of water can help keep your bowel more regular. Becoming constipated,
pregnancy is a big one, a lot of women will nod their head and think, yes I got them when
I was pregnant. Again, this is because of the increased pressure of your tummy that
pushes these veins out. Carrying a bit too much weight around the middle is another very
common cause. Lack of exercise is another very common thing and occupations involving
stretching and heavy lifting also cause the veins to descend and come out. Those are very
common causes of piles. There is a slight, we think, genetic component.
H: I was just about to ask if they are hereditary or not?
A: Well we’re not absolutely 100% sure but chances are if several members of your family
have them, then you may be a bit more predisposed to getting them. So you could do a little
bit more to avoid getting them. H: So let’s bring Elaine in here at this
point. B: Well I know what caused it, I went on this
mad diet; I felt like I need to lose a few pounds. My daughter just announced her engagement
and I just wanted to look nice. I just put myself on this crazy diet. No fibre, no fruit,
no vegetables, a ridiculous diet, and I obviously got very constipated and I was desperately
trying to go to the toilet and I’m sitting there like the Sunday paper job and nothing
was happening. I’ve always been a very regular person and then until this thing my body didn’t
like what I was doing and it said ‘right, you’re going to pay for this cause you don’t
really need to go on a diet.’ H: You don’t, you look lovely! Ok, so you
mentioned there are some creams, Christian what sort of different treatments are on offer.
A: Actually most of the best treatments are available over the counter from your pharmacist
and they consist of creams, ointments or suppositories. So if you have external piles, the ones you
can feel when you wipe, those bumpy things, then actually creams or ointments are perfect
for that. If they are a bit higher up inside you might be able to feel them by putting
a finger inside or they can bleed a bit, then actually suppositories are a great way of
relieving the symptoms. They melt up inside the bottom and they remove the itchiness,
improve the pain and it helps shrink the piles down.
H: Well Christian and Elaine thanks for coming in at talking to us about this. Thanks for
watching, we’ll see you next time. Bye bye.