Such a popular disease as hemorrhoids requires complex treatment, including not only medication, but also a number of special procedures aimed at improving the health of the body. One of these procedures is a therapeutic and prophylactic bath. For many years, the admissibility of this procedure for exacerbation of hemorrhoids was in question, but in recent years its tangible benefits and effectiveness in the fight against hemorrhoids have been proven. A bath can help the body relieve tension in the rectal area, eliminate irritation and redness, itching and other negative symptoms, thereby promoting a speedy recovery. However, in order for it to be beneficial and not harmful, you need to know the intricacies of the procedure.
Baths for hemorrhoids
Traditional medicine offers many ways to cure hemorrhoidal disease without taking strong antibiotics. Bathing procedures are one of the effective methods of preventing and treating hemorrhoids. With proper preparation and following the strict recommendations of proctologists, such a procedure can quickly relieve pain, tension, tension and itching, and if carried out regularly, it can completely overcome hemorrhoids.
The method of taking a bath, the chosen recipe and the temperature of the water will completely depend on the form and severity of the disease; it is worth considering that in case of aggravated and bleeding hemorrhoids, it is forbidden to do hot bath procedures.
When carrying out a preventive herbal bath 2-3 times a week, you can achieve a noticeable improvement in well-being, relieve irritation, heaviness, enhance the outflow of hemorrhoids and the emptying process itself. The temperature of the procedures should be selected individually, taking into account the characteristics of the patient’s body, age and type of disease.
The benefits and harms of baths for hemorrhoids
Not all baths for hemorrhoids are beneficial. In order for this procedure to really act as a relieving medicine, you need to know the intricacies of its preparation. Warm and cool baths for hemorrhoidal disease have the best effect on a weakened body and help:
- reduce pain in the anus;
- reduce itching, irritation, burning;
- disinfect affected areas;
- reduce the risk of inflammation and infection;
- reduce hemorrhoids in size;
- moisturize, soften affected skin, heal cracks;
- make defecation easier.
A hot bath in this case is contraindicated, especially with bleeding hemorrhoids, since it gives the exact opposite effect and promotes the active growth of nodes.
Cold water treatments
Is it possible to lie in a bath with cold water with hemorrhoids? Cold sitz baths help with swelling, pain, burning and itching. They quickly bring relief, reduce protruding hemorrhoids, constrict blood vessels and improve lymph flow.
You can add decoctions of medicinal herbs to cold water for hemorrhoids : chamomile, yarrow, sage, mint, calendula, wormwood, birch and bay leaves, oak and willow bark, horse chestnut seeds.
Shilajit, potassium permanganate, soda, sea or table salt will also bring benefits.
Washing with cool water helps with itching and irritation. Very cold baths that last no more than 3 minutes will help to quickly relieve severe pain at home. You can lower the temperature of the water by adding ice cubes to the basin.
Treatment of hemorrhoids with cold water is contraindicated if:
- acute inflammation;
- high temperature, chills, convulsions;
- allergic reaction to cold;
- rectal bleeding;
- open festering wounds and fistulas;
- prolapsed nodes prone to pinching;
- thrombosis and predisposition to them;
- anemia;
- reduced immunity;
- malignant neoplasms of the anorectal region;
- prostatitis and proctitis.
Before taking a course of cold baths for hemorrhoids, it is recommended to consult with your doctor. If the proctologist does not approve such therapy, it is not worth the risk. Careless handling of ice can cause shock, pinching of prolapsed nodes, or a sharp drop in blood pressure.
Hemorrhoids and cold water do not go together; if you carry out procedures alone, there should be an assistant nearby who can quickly come to the rescue in case of dizziness, fainting or other complications.
For hemorrhoids, cold treatment is based not only on cool baths. There is also a minimally invasive technique for removing hemorrhoidal cones with liquid nitrogen, and it is called cryotherapy.
Therapeutic baths for hemorrhoids
Proctologists recommend that if hemorrhoidal disease of any form appears, take preventive baths twice or thrice a day. There are many recipes for preparing a therapeutic bath for hemorrhoids, but, despite the list of ingredients and the nature of the procedure, all baths can be divided into the following categories:
- warm;
- cool;
- steam.
Separation occurs depending on the temperature of the water during the procedure. It is worth noting that most baths are universal and are indicated for home treatment for absolutely all patients. The exception is a bath with cool and ice water. This procedure is only indicated in cases of acute bleeding hemorrhoids. It is best that such a procedure is prescribed by the attending physician.
Warm baths
A warm water bath is a universal remedy in traditional medicine. This procedure is suitable for almost everyone and has no strict contraindications. It helps relieve tissue swelling, irritation inside the anus, severe tension and tightness of the sphincter, and also gradually reduces the unfavorable formations themselves. It is recommended that the water for preparing the bath be a couple of degrees higher than the temperature of the human body. You can prepare such a bath using regular boiled water or adding herbal decoctions, sea salt and soda. The holding time should not exceed 15 minutes, otherwise the water will begin to cool. After the procedure, it is recommended to wash with clean water and consolidate the result of treatment with prophylactic ointment for hemorrhoids.
Cool baths
Procedures with cool or ice water are indicated in cases of bleeding hemorrhoidal disease with severe exacerbations, but can also have a beneficial effect at the initial stage of the disease. Cool water helps relieve tension, swelling, redness, burning in the anus, reduce bleeding and pain, and help heal ruptures. A cool bath has a beneficial effect on the anal veins, narrows them and reduces the size of the nodes. This procedure is undesirable for pregnant women and people suffering from other gynecological and proctological diseases.
Steam baths
A steam bath is quite effective, but sometimes risky in the development of hemorrhoidal disease. Steam has a beneficial effect on the course of the disease, negatively affects the nodes, stops their nutrition, reduces swelling, eliminates pain and other unwanted symptoms. The disadvantage of this procedure is the presence of pronounced contraindications and the complexity of the procedure. Steam, like a hot bath for hemorrhoids, is not indicated for everyone and in some cases of a particularly acute form of the disease it can only worsen the situation. In addition, this procedure cannot always be carried out at home. To do this, you need to pour water into a basin, fill it with a decoction of herbs, and cook over low heat. To simplify the procedure, pour the broth into a large bowl. The patient squats over the bowl so that the back point is treated with steam, and covers the top with a towel. You need to hold out in this position for at least 10 minutes.
Cool baths
During periods of exacerbation, cold baths for hemorrhoids will become a lifeline - they can stop bleeding, relieve pain at the site of the lesion, and resist the spread of infection.
The condition for preparing a bath is to use boiled, pre-cooled water. Required for open hemorrhoidal wounds that provoke infection. Bring the water to the boiling point, leave on the fire for a quarter of an hour, cool and mix in medicinal decoctions. The duration of the bath is up to ten minutes. In order to gradually get used to cold water, it is necessary to start using baths from one to two minutes. It is recommended to take cooling baths with the addition of nettle, plantain, celandine, honey product, and sea salt.
At the end of preparation, the tincture is filtered, and part of it is frozen. The decoction, frozen in the form of cubes, is used to cool the water to the desired temperature.
Nettle baths with celandine
Nettle leaves are used as a blood stopper. To prepare the decoction, pour a couple of large spoons of chopped herbs into a glass of boiling water and infuse in a steam bath for an hour and a half.
Separately, a tincture of celandine leaves can be frozen; after taking a seven-minute nettle bath, the damaged area is carefully smeared with ice from the celandine infusion. After drying, soften with ointment.
Hot baths - is it possible for hemorrhoids?
Traditional baths with foam and hot water, to which most are so accustomed, will have to be abandoned if hemorrhoidal disease develops. Hot water is unacceptable for this disease of initial or acute progressive form, since it has a detrimental effect on tricky formations. Hot water dilates the capillaries and walls of the anal vessels and leads to excessively rapid growth of cones. In case of a bleeding disease, this procedure also increases bleeding and can lead to severe weakening of the body. Even at an early stage of the disease, a hot bath can worsen your well-being and provoke rapid progression of the disease. Therefore, a bath with high-temperature water, as well as a sauna and steam bath, are strictly prohibited.
Types of baths
Different types of baths are used to treat hemorrhoids. The therapeutic effect of the procedure depends on the type and concentration of the solution used, as well as its temperature. Solutions are prepared from components that have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, wound-healing and venotonic effects. Baths are made with potassium permanganate, sea salt, with decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs. Onions and garlic are added to them.
Hot baths
Hot baths are done at the early stage of hemorrhoids, when the patient feels slight pain during bowel movements. They are also effective during remission of the disease. Hot water increases blood flow to the rectal area and reduces the symptoms of hemorrhoids. You should not take hot baths if there is severe inflammation, thrombosis, bleeding or pinched nodes. Pregnancy is a contraindication.
You should not take hot baths if you have thrombosis.
Before the procedure, the medicinal solution is heated to a temperature that exceeds body temperature by 2-3 degrees. It is impossible to heat the liquid above 40 degrees, so as not to cause a burn. The duration of the procedure ranges from 15-20 minutes. As the solution cools, hot water is added to it. The patient should not experience any discomfort.
Methods of taking baths
Therapeutic and prophylactic bath procedures can be divided not only depending on the ingredients used and the temperature of the water, but also on the method of their administration. Based on the position in which a bath is taken, the following types are distinguished:
- sedentary - prepared in a bathtub or in a deep basin into which the fifth point is lowered, can be kept longer than the traditional method, an excellent alternative if it is not possible to take a full bath;
- lying down - a traditional option for taking a bath, a full or half-full bath is taken, the patient is immersed in it with his whole body, it is better to keep the knees bent, it is not recommended for people with a weak heart and acute form of hemorrhoids.
Since proctologists strongly recommend at least 2 baths a day, it is not always possible to take a full lying bath. That is why a local bath with partial immersion in water is most often used for preventive purposes.
Sea salt baths
Treatment of hemorrhoids by swimming in the sea gives quick positive results. An alternative is the use of sea salt, which contains useful substances that can disinfect damaged tissue, affect thrombosis, and relieve pain.
The salt is dissolved in warm water in advance and mixed into the prepared water. The procedure lasts up to ten minutes; upon completion, be sure to wash with fresh boiled water. The skin dries on its own. Finally, anoint the damaged surface with ointment containing aloe extract and honey product.
Useful recipes for treatment and prevention
In order to obtain the maximum therapeutic effect, it is necessary to combine the use of preventive, soothing baths with the use of complex medications to reduce hemorrhoidal formations. To prepare baths, herbal decoctions, infusions of flowers and pharmaceutical plants, natural products, essential oils, and salts are often used.
Here are popular recipes for preparing medicinal anti-hemorrhoid baths:
Chamomile bath
Preparation : prepared on the basis of dried chamomile flowers, take 3 tbsp. spoons of flowers, pour 1 liter of boiled water, boil over low heat for 10 minutes, cool the broth, strain and pour into a deep basin or bath; take a bath for 10-15 minutes.
Oak bark
Preparation : 4-5 tbsp. Pour a tablespoon of dry oak bark powder into a bowl, add a liter of boiled water and place in a water bath, simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes, leave to infuse for a couple of hours, then use instead of water in the bath; The exposure time of the back point in the bath is from 20 minutes.
Sea salt
Preparation : use coarse sea salt, table salt and others, take 250-300 grams. salt, dilute in 1-2 liters of warm boiled water, stir until completely dissolved, leave to infuse for 20-30 minutes, then use for a bath; holding time – 15 minutes.
Bath with potassium permanganate
Preparation : boil water for a bath in advance, cool, pour into a deep basin, add a couple of drops of manganese, stir well, after the water turns pink, you can take a bath; holding time - from 10 to 20 minutes.
Herbal baths
Herbal baths for hemorrhoids are highly effective due to the beneficial properties of medicinal plants.
Chamomile
Chamomile baths for hemorrhoids can have an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.
There are many ways to prepare them; here we will consider only two of them.
- Pour a glass of boiling water over 2 tablespoons of the plant, boil for 5 minutes and let it brew until the broth becomes warm. Then you can begin the procedure. Its duration should be within 15–20 minutes.
- This method of preparing a bath for hemorrhoids at home is even simpler. Simply pour two handfuls of chamomile into a container for the procedure and pour half a liter of boiling water. After cooling, the bath is ready for use.
Burdock
Burdock root is also used in the fight against hemorrhoids. It needs to be crushed, poured with water and boiled until a dark brown color appears. You need to take warm baths for hemorrhoids twice a day. They relieve itching and burning, help reduce knots and relieve pain.
Onion
To prepare a bath against hemorrhoids you will need onion peels. It needs to be poured with boiling water and allowed to brew a little. You need to start the procedure when the broth becomes warm and wait until it cools completely.
Snake Highlander
For treatment at home, you can prepare a bath against hemorrhoids from the dry grass of snakeweed (or kidneyweed). To do this, pour half a liter of water into 2 teaspoons of the plant, put it on low heat and boil for 30 minutes. Next, you need to wrap the solution in a blanket and let it brew for another 2 hours. Only after this is the product ready for use. It perfectly relieves inflammation, relieves constipation and reduces hemorrhoids.
Garlic
To prepare such a bath, you need to pour 5 liters of hot water over a chopped head of garlic. The duration of the procedure should be at least 15 minutes.
Bay leaf
Baths for hemorrhoids with bay leaves strengthen the walls of blood vessels, relieve pain and swelling in the anus. To prepare them, you need to grind 10 g of leaves, pour a glass of boiling water and let it brew.
Common mullein
The plant can relieve pain, remove spasms, relieve swelling, and stop bleeding. To prepare the decoction, you need to pour a small amount of mullein with water, boil and let it brew. It can be used both as sitz baths and simply added to water during hygiene procedures.
Herbal collection
In the process of preparing such an infusion for a bath, you need to take three dessert spoons of chestnut seed, chamomile and sage flowers, 5 spoons of oak bark and pour three glasses of boiling water. The mixture must be made in a thermos so that it has the opportunity to remain hot for two hours for full brewing. The patient should sit in the prepared bath for at least 15 minutes.
Birch tar
The product has a hemostatic, antimicrobial and healing effect. Baths with birch tar can be taken either warm or in steam form.
Both of these types have equally high efficiency and speed of action. Positive results can be achieved after just a few days.
How to take a bath with hemorrhoids
Taking a bath to relieve hemorrhoidal disease is not particularly difficult. That is why you can carry out several procedures a day without much difficulty.
A bath is taken as follows:
- Prepare a medicinal herbal decoction or saline solution.
- Cool the solution, pour into a deep basin.
- Squat over your pelvis, lower your back point into the water.
- Maintain the allowable time in this position.
- Stand up and rinse your backside with clean water.
- Pat your buttocks dry.
After this procedure, it is recommended to stay warm, especially if you prepared a preventive bath with warm water or herbal decoctions. It is best to stay in bed for some time after the procedure; if this is not possible, place a pillow or a warm jacket under your buttocks.
How to use warm baths
Warm baths are most often prescribed during the rehabilitation period after surgical removal of a hemorrhoid, but can also be used before surgery. This method of treatment has virtually no contraindications, and it is quite effective.
If you react to the pathology in time and start using warm baths at the first stage of the disease, you can completely overcome it. The probability of a favorable outcome is about 70%. At the second stage of the disease, warm baths must be included in the treatment regimen.
For the procedure to be effective, you need to know exactly what rules to follow:
- the bath is prepared strictly according to the recipe;
- regularity is the main condition for recovery;
- before use it is necessary to do an enema;
- the water temperature should correspond to body temperature;
- the course is usually up to 2 weeks.
To prepare a warm solution, you can use the following recipes:
- Chamomile baths. You will need 2 tbsp. dry herbs and 200 ml of water. Take a bath until the liquid cools completely. After the procedure, the anus is lubricated with sea buckthorn oil.
- Garlic based. The head of the vegetable is finely chopped and mixed with milk (0.5 l). After infusion (about an hour), the composition is heated to a comfortable temperature.
- Treatment of hemorrhoids with potassium permanganate is a very popular method. The substance is diluted in water to a pale pink color. Such baths are done several times a day, then their effectiveness will be higher. You can also wash yourself after each bowel movement. If discomfort appears during or after the procedure, it is better not to use the recipe. Manganese baths are contraindicated if the skin is hypersensitive.
The duration of the procedures will depend on the stage of the disease and the body’s reaction.
Recommendations from proctologists
In order to experience the maximum effect of bath procedures for hemorrhoidal cones, proctologists recommend adhering to the following rules:
- be sure to cleanse the intestines before the procedure (enema or natural way);
- do not take a bath longer than 15-20 minutes;
- take baths in combination with drug treatment;
- carry out baths at any stage of the disease, as well as for prevention after recovery;
- It is best to start using cool water baths with the permission of your doctor;
- the combination of warm baths with natural cuts gives a more lasting and pronounced effect;
- After the bath, be sure to rinse the anus with clean water, do not allow the broth to remain on the affected area, as this will lead to irritation.
In the case of internal hemorrhoids, such procedures do not bring much effect. In addition, it is worth considering that medicinal baths are not a magic remedy, but only an auxiliary method of prevention and it will bring the most pronounced effect in combination with traditional methods of treatment.
Rules for the procedure
To make a hot, warm or cold bath, it is advisable to purchase a universal bath basin that fits on the toilet. Instead of a universal basin, you can use a large utility basin. The container should be washed with soap and doused with boiling water.
The prepared medicinal solution (1-2 liters) is poured into the bath device. Before starting the procedure, be sure to measure the temperature of the liquid so as not to accidentally burn the skin. If you don’t have a thermometer, immerse your elbow in the solution. The liquid should have a temperature that is comfortable for the skin of the hand. The medicinal solution is brought to a boil before use.
For internal hemorrhoids, the procedure should be done with your knees bent. In this position, the muscles of the perineum are as relaxed as possible, so the liquid easily penetrates into the rectum.
To make a hot, warm or cold bath, it is advisable to purchase a universal bath basin that fits on the toilet.
To make steam and smoke baths for hemorrhoids, you need to purchase a bucket with a volume of 5-10 liters. The bucket is filled with a medicinal solution to 1/3 or 1/2 of its height. Then a board with a hole 5 cm in diameter is placed on the container. The patient sits on the board, placing the anus area above the steam. Before the procedure, you need to check the steam temperature. It should not burn the skin. When steam stops being released, the procedure is completed.
To treat hemorrhoids at home using a smoke bath, you need to heat a brick or large cobblestone on a gas burner. The hot item is placed in a bucket, and finely chopped medicinal herbs, garlic or onions are poured on top. A board with a hole is placed on the bucket. The patient sits on the board, placing the anus over the hot object. The procedure is completed when the heat stops emanating from the red-hot brick. After this, the anus is treated with Vaseline.
Hot, warm, steam and smoke baths for hemorrhoids are best done before bed to prevent hypothermia in the heated perineal area. Cold baths are done immediately after bowel movements.
The duration of the course of therapy is 10 days. If necessary, treatment is continued after a break of 3-4 days. Before using the baths, you should consult a coloproctologist.
The duration of the course of therapy is 10 days. If necessary, treatment is continued after a break of 3-4 days.
