Hemorrhoids are also known as piles, and they’re simply swollen and inflammed veins in your anus and rectum. There are two types of hemorrhoids: Internal and External.

Hemorrhoids are a common problem for many American adults. In fact, many sources say at least 50% of adults have experienced hemorrhoids by the time they reach the age of 50. Hemorrhoids have many causes, some of which include pregnancy, weight gain and obesity, anal sex, and chronic constipation or diarrhea.

Many pregnant women develop hemorrhoids due to the extra weight of the fetus putting pressure on the lower rectal muscles. Childbirth itself enhances this problem, but most women’s hemorrhoids caused by pregnancy clear up after the baby is born.

People who are overweight or obese also get hemorrhoids for the same reasons though, that extra body weight adds pressure to the rectal muscles, and this can cause the veins to swell and become inflammed.

Anyone who sits and stands for very long periods of time can also develop hemorrhoids though, so changing your position frequently is one way to prevent them.

Internal hemorrhoids can’t be seen, and often people have these without knowing it. When these get bad however, they can cause blood to show in your stools, or appear in the toilet and on the paper when you wipe.

External hemorrhoids are visible to the eye, and can be touched. These tend to be protrusions gathered around the anus opening, and often they burn, itch, or cause pain.

One of the biggest causes of internal and external hemorrhoids is constipation, and the accompanying strain involved with having a bowel movement. Because of this, the most common natural and home remedies for hemorrhoids involve solving the constipation problems.

Constipation is often caused by a lack of fiber or water in the diet. Sometimes both. Fiber is not able to be used by our body in any nutritive ways, so it passes into the colon unchanged. Once there however, it works as a broom, or cleanser, to help move the waste materials through the colon and out of our body. The bulk of the fiber is what makes it so useful.

Water however, also plays an extremely important role in relieving or preventing constipation. Without enough water in our system, the waste material gets dry and hard because the colon extracts what little water there is for use in other areas of our body. When the waste material becomes dry and hard, it is very difficult for our bodies to pass easily, and it scratches, scrapes and injures our tissue as it trys to pass through.

Statements made in this article may not be approved by the FDA, and should not be taken as professional medical advice.