A new treatment for chronic hemorrhoids is NOT your father’s hemorrhoid solution

The hands-down best treatment for that pain in your butt

I know this an uncomfortable topic (literally!), but we’re all adults here. So the word “hemorrhoids” shouldn’t cause too much blushing or snickering.

And that’s especially true now. Because it looks like hemorrhoid problems are on a meteoric rise.

Recently, some clearly bored researchers found that the number of online searches with the word “hemorrhoids” has more than doubled over the past five years.

That means a LOT of people are feeling the itching, the burning, the nagging pain — along with the shock of seeing bright red blood in the toilet bowl.

If any of this hits too close to home, no need to run to Google. I can fill you in on a new treatment that is NOT your father’s hemorrhoid solution.

An invaluable service

Whether you knew it or not, we all have hemorrhoids. It’s the flare-up that’s the real problem.

Hemorrhoids are cushions under the skin of the anal canal. And they provide an invaluable service. They sense the presence of a solid, liquid, or a gas, then send that information to the brain.

Life would be much more uncomfortable without that helpful cue.

Hemorrhoids become a problem when they’re engorged with blood. This is typically caused by straining.

Hard bouts of sneezing or coughing also prompt hemorrhoid flare-ups. Heavy lifting, obesity, a low-fiber diet, and long periods of sitting will set them off, too.

Mild hemorrhoid flare-ups can be soothed with witch hazel. Over-the-counter gels and suppositories help relive itching and inflammation. Advanced cases may require surgery.

But for millions of patients who land in between those extremes, a treatment called “bipolar coagulation” might solve chronic problems.

In this minimally invasive procedure, a small tube called an anoscope is placed in the rectum. Okay, that doesn’t SOUND minimal, but it’s only in there a few seconds — less than a minute.

A burst of thermal energy (about 135 degrees Fahrenheit) cauterizes blood vessels. That cuts off the blood supply in the hemorrhoids. Swelling subsides quickly in most cases.

According to one doctor, the sensation is uncomfortable, but not painful. (Yeah, easy for him to say, right?) But in one study, patients were offered Tylenol or pain Rx, as needed, and none of them requested the pain meds.

Bipolar coagulation is FDA approved. That phrase usually means, “Watch your back — the fix is in.” But in this case it’s useful. It looks like agency approval paved the way for insurance coverage in most plans.

Sources:
“Americans’ interest in hemorrhoids has skyrocketed” Bahar Gholipour, LiveScience, 10/11/13, livescience.com

“Hemorrhoids Breakthrough: Relief at Last — In-Depth Doctor’s Interview” Ivanhoe Insider, 8/2/13, ivanhoe.com