Do you believe in the power of water to heal? If water does have the power to heal, would you try it?

This kind of bath use dates back from the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations with Hippocrates prescribing bathing in spring water as treatment for illnesses.

This is a European tradition for both wellness and relaxation. People have been wise to see the power of water to heal.

The word ‘sitz’ was derived from the German verb ‘sitzen’, meaning to sit. It is a form of hydrotherapy that makes use of water to soothe pain, swelling and treat different kinds of diseases. It is also called a hip bath because only the hips and buttocks are soaked in water or saline solution.

It comes in two forms – warm and cold baths. Yes, some like it hot, some like it cold! Warm and cold baths have different therapeutic effects. To reduce swelling and promote blood circulation, a warm bath is done.

A warm bath is one of the easiest and most popular treatments to relieve pain and swelling caused by hemorrhoids. This is usually advised by doctors for mild to moderate cases of hemorrhoids as a relief measure at home.

The logic behind its ability to relieve pain and swelling is that heat promotes blood circulation. Blood circulation promotes oxygenation of tissues, thereby relieving pain. Swelling is reduced when the trapped blood is mobilized by heat, therefore promoting blood circulation.

When doing a sitz bath at home, fill the tub with warm water to a height just enough to immerse your hips down while on sitting position. Check first the water temperature before sitting in the tub. You may add Epsom salt to your bath to hasten healing.

Now sit in the tub and do this for about 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to refill the tub with a fresh batch of warm water to maintain the right temperature of the water until the 20 minutes is complete.

If 20 minutes is up, stand up slowly to avoid falling down due to dizziness. Do not forget to pat dry the rectal area. Use a soft cotton towel to dry the rectal area and use gentle patting strokes when drying to avoid irritating the affected skin.

When doing this kind of bath, do not forget to apply safety measures to avoid accidents and complications. Here are some safety measures you must can note:

• use a bath mat beside the tub to avoid slipping when going in and out of the tub;
• do not soak for more than 30 minutes per day;
• make sure you are hydrated before the bath.

Although using sitz bath for hemorrhoid treatment is usually effective, it is not the only means to an end – meaning in order to treat your mild to moderate case of hemorrhoid, sitz bath alone cannot do this. If you want to heal faster, you also have to incorporate conservative management such as lifestyle modifications and practice basic prevention.

Read more about hemorrhoid prevention

The most important thing to remember and do is to avoid straining. This is just about the best way to get rid of hemorrhoids and shrink them.

Remember, a warm sitz bath can help to ease your hemorrhoid symptoms and fairly rapidly too. It really is very easy to do and costs nothing.

Want to be more proactive? Read my personal review of Venapro

Medicines can help relieve the symptoms of hemorrhoids. You might want to try one or more of the following medications…

To reduce inflammation and bleeding, you have the option to choose from a wide variety of ointments with or without hydrocortisone that are out in the market, or salicylate containing suppositories for internal hemorrhoids to lubricate the anal canal during bowel movements.

Hydrocortisone, a type or steroid, can also relieve itching. However, this should not be used for more than two weeks because hydrocortisone can thin out the skin.

There are also ointments that protect the skin such as zinc oxide or petroleum jelly. Ointments also can prevent further injury and reduce itching by forming a barrier over hemorrhoids.

For the pain, take non-prescription pain relievers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs such as naproxen and ibuprofen can help with the pain and the swelling.

Surgery is rarely needed in hemorrhoid treatment. Surgery may be an option for you if other treatments, including home treatments, have failed. You can also consider surgery if your hemorrhoid creates a medical emergency, such as uncontrolled bleeding and pus at the anus along with severe rectal pain.

The most common surgical procedure done is called hemorrhoidectomy. This is done for severe cases of piles such as those that are large and or prolapsed. Basically, this is done under general or spinal anesthesia. Then hemorrhoid removal is possible.

Usually, the wounds heal up within a week or two. In most cases, one can resume normal activities after a few days and be fit for work. The first bowel motion usually happens on the second day and should not cause any great discomfort.

Other surgical procedures include:

• injection sclerotherapy
• infrared coagulation
• photocoagulation
• diathermy
• electrotherapy
• hemorrhoidal artery ligation

Aside from surgery, there are nonsurgical procedures called fixative procedures to choose from to treat your haemorrhoid. The goal of fixative procedures is to reduce the blood supply to the hemorrhoid so it shrinks or goes away. A scar tissue is left in place. Consequently, this scar tissue helps support the anal tissue and helps prevent more hemorrhoids from developing. Fixative procedures include:

• rubber band ligation
• heat
• lasers
• electric current

All the above procedures help to create beneficial scar tissue.

In most cases, external hemorrhoids are usually not removed via surgery except if they are very large and uncomfortable or if you are having surgery on the anal area for another reason such as internal hemorrhoids or a tear. While for internal hemorrhoids that are small, surgery is the last resort, but for large ones, it is considered the most successful way to treat them. This is especially true for those that are still a problem after fixative procedures have been tried but failed.

Hemorrhoid treatment need not be daunting. As you can see, there are many options and solutions.