Using laxitives for hemorrhoids

One of the most common underlying causes for hemorrhoids is constipation (some of the other common hemorrhoids causes are pregnancy, childbirth, obesity and heavy lifting).  This being the case, many people believe using laxitives is the best solution for their hemorrhoids.
Wrong!  Laxitives, if anything, make hemorrhoids worse.  Using laxitives for hemorrhoids is a bad combination.  This is because while the laxitives make stools much softer, they also make the muscles of the bowel contract and strain more.  Often, it is the straining, not the constipation itself that causes the hemorrhoids – which is why hemorrhoids are often a common side effect for women of the birthing process.

However, this extra strain that worsens hemorrhoids is a result only of the types of laxitives that chemically stimulate the body to pass more bowel motions (e.g. herbal laxitives such as senna and liquorice).  Using laxitives such as extra fibre, figs and prunes for hemorrhoids, on the other hand, may have a beneficial effect and can be used as part of a hemorrhoids treatement.

This is because these high-fibre foods (and laxitives) help prevent the constipation that causes the hemorrhoids.  Increasing the amount of fibre in the diet is a common piece of advice given by doctors and others for treating and/or preventing hemorrhoids.  If this is what you mean, then using laxitives for hemorrhoids is a very good idea.

Some hemorrhoids remedies that are similar to laxitives are the stool softeners.  These make it easier to pass bowel motions, thus reducing the straining, and because stools are softer, they do not irritate the hemorrhoids as much.  Some herbal stool softeners used to help treat hemorrhoids include psyllium seeds and plantain.