Don't hem 'n haw about hemorrhoids

By Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D. on Jun 19, 2024

Many world leaders have contended with hemorrhoids, including U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. But we don't hear about the millions of other Americans who have to deal with the itching, bleeding, swelling and pain that hemorrhoids can cause. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, about half of folks have them by age 50.

If that's you, don't suffer in silence. Adopt smart self-care and talk to your doctor about how you can quiet the inflammation of the blood vessels around your rectum.

Self-care: To ease current symptoms and prevent future hemorrhoids, eat plenty of insoluble and soluble fiber found in beans, 100% whole grains, nuts and whole fruits and vegetables.

Tip: Make sure you drink water with every meal to help the passage of the indigestible insoluble fiber through your intestines. Then it can do its job, nurturing your gut microbes and keeping your digestive tract moving along.

Also consider a fiber supplement such as psyllium to make sure you have three or more healthy bowel movements a week. For more info, check out iHerb.com's blogs: "4 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Skip Your Fiber Supplement" and "The Top 20 High-Fiber Foods to Add to Your Diet."

Other modifiable lifestyle risk factors include obesity, spending too much time sitting on the toilet, not walking enough, and heavy lifting.

Medical care: Recommended treatments range from cold ice packs to medications and, now, a painless surgery thanks to an invention that Drs. Roizen and Oz worked on that's property of Medtronic; ask about this option it to shrink or remove hemorrhoids.

Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.