Hemorrhoids are swollen, painful veins in the lower part of the anal canal.
Veins can swell inside the anal canal to form internal hemorrhoids. Or they can swell near the opening of the anus to form external hemorrhoids. It is possible to have both types at the same time. The symptoms and treatment depend on which type you have.

Symptoms
The symptoms of hemorrhoids include:
• Anal itching and irritation
• Anal ache or pain, especially uncomfortable while sitting
• Bright red blood on toilet tissue, stool, or in the toilet bowl
• Pain during bowel movements, especially while straining, or while cleaning the anal area
• One or more hard tender lumps near the anus

What Do Hemorrhoids Look Like? Can I see them?

Internal hemorrhoids
Internal hemorrhoids occur at the beginning of the rectum, just inside the anus. You may see bright red streaks of blood on toilet paper or bright red blood in the toilet bowl after having a bowel movement. You may see blood on the surface of the stool. Internal hemorrhoids are small, swollen veins in the wall of the anal canal. But they can be large, sagging veins that bulge out of the anus continually. They can be quite painful if they bulge out, and are subsequently squeezed by the anal muscles. If the blood supply to the hemorrhoid is cut off, and your hemorrhoids bulge out, you also may see mucus on the toilet paper or stool.

External hemorrhoids
External hemorrhoids can bleed, and then the blood pools, causing a hard painful lump. This is called a thrombosed, which means a clotted hemorrhoid.

What Causes Hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids can be caused by extended sitting; for instance, many truck drivers deal with this condition. They may also be caused by straining while making a bowel movement. Constipation often causes increased pressure on the veins in the anal canal, resulting in the swelling and stretching of this tissue, hence, hemorrhoids. It is quite common for hemorrhoids to occur during pregnancy and after childbirth. Everyday stress is also a significant contributor to hemorrhoids. Stressed individuals may not pay proper attention to diet, hydration, exercise, or simple relaxation techniques integrated into one’s lifestyle. Individuals who have stress management issues often have digestion issues, and muscle tension, which transfer directly and indirectly to hemorrhoids.

What Can I Do About My Hemorrhoids?
There are many treatments available, ranging from over-the-counter corticosteroid creams, which can reduce pain and swelling. Hemorrhoid creams with lidocaine can reduce pain. A simple cleansing routine, such as using warm water, and soap, followed by application of witch hazel, upon drying the area, (applied with cotton swabs) can also soothe and reduce itching. Other steps for anal itching include:

• Wear cotton undergarments. Make sure the area is allowed plenty of air.
• Avoid toilet tissue with perfumes or dyes.
• Try not to scratch the area, or to aggressively wipe or clean the area.

Sitz baths can help tremendously. Simply purchase the container to use for your hemorrhoids and sitz baths, found at your local drugstore, which is a sort of plastic tub that fits perfectly over the seat of your toilet. Fill this tub with warm water and another component as well, usually salt or baking soda, and soak the anal area in it for about 15-20 minutes. It works by cleaning the infected and swollen area, while simultaneously increasing the blood flow to the pelvic region. Sit in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Stool softeners help reduce straining and constipation.

Reduce Stress
This may seem like an unrelated measure, but reduced stress will benefit most of all. Combine this with a diet high in fiber, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Drink plenty of fluids. At least eight glasses of water a day. This is the best type of prevention.

There are sometimes cases that don’t respond to home treatments. A surgeon or gastroenterologist can apply heat treatment, called infrared coagulation, which basically shrinks internal hemorrhoids. There is surgery that may be done to treat hemorrhoids, which includes rubber band ligation or surgical hemorrhoidectomy. These procedures are for patients with severe pain or bleeding who have tried every other alternative.

Hemorrhoids are not uncommon, and even simple to prevent, when a healthy lifestyle is given priority.
Lastly, A day or two of bed rest may indeed be necessary to take the pressure off of irritated and inflamed veins. Women who are 3-6 months pregnant may want to sleep on their side, or experiment with using a pillow to help reduce pressure on the hips. (although avoid using a ‘ring or doughnut’ cushion, as they will restrict blood flow.) Try to avoid long periods of sitting or standing when your hemorrhoids are most irritated. Slowly introduce more fiber and exercise into your diet.

Hemorrhoids do not have to be a part of your pleasurable and productive life!

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Arthritis – arthritis can be either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Many people with hip pain are given a diagnosis of osteoarthritis (wear and tear on the joint, usually seen on an x-ray) and assume that they will be dealing with pain and anti-inflammatory medication for the rest of their lives. In many cases when pain is attributed to osteoarthritis the real cause is something entirely different. Yes, you may show some moderate wear in your hip joint, but the pain may in fact be caused by tension myositis syndrome (TMS).

Bursitis – a bursa is a structure that protects underlying bone in areas of high pressure. Bursitis can affect the shoulder (subacromial bursitis,) or the hip, (trochanteric bursitis.) But in many patients bursitis is a misdiagnosis and the real cause is TMS related tendonitis.

Tendonitis – is a group of disorders attributed to a painful tendon inflamed due to overuse. In certain clinics, it has been found that tendonitis is caused not by overuse, but by a subconscious pain creating mechanism of our own minds called tension myositis syndrome (TMS).

TMS, or tension myositis syndrome, is a painful condition caused by our subconscious mind. It is mistakenly diagnosed by doctors as many other conditions, including; bursitis, osteoarthritis, tendonitis, pinched nerves, eczema, and ruptured discs, just to name a few. The pain caused by TMS is real, but the reason for the pain is not due to a physical abnormality and therefore can be easily healed. TMS is used by our subconscious to distract us from the even more painful emotions of anger and resentment.

Since it is unacceptable in most cultures to express anger and resentment we learn to hold it in. The amount of energy associated with negative emotions is quite great and your mind’s way of dealing with this repressed negative energy is to ‘put’ it somewhere in your body, such as your hip, shoulder, low back, or neck. Your subconscious mind then creates a painful condition, such as tendonitis, by restricting the oxygen and blood flow to the area.

TMS is little known in most medical circles, so asking your doctor about it will most likely do you little good. For more information about TMS and to see whether it might be affecting you, look for Dr. John E. Sarno’s book Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection. In it, he describes in great detail how TMS manifests. I have used and perfected a number of mindbody healing techniques to heal myself from chronic neck, back, and hip pain and you can too.

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If you are drinking a lot of alcohol daily, and not also drinking a lot of water, you are running a very high risk of early mortality from a variety of degenerative diseases. These diseases would include: Crone’s, Lupus, MS, Cancer, heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and dementia. Any illness or disease, though, will be made worse with the use of alcohol and its associated dehydration.

If you want to kick your addiction to alcohol one of the most natural ways to do it (which may also lead to a spiritual awakening for you) is to switch cold turkey to a raw foods diet. Within a couple weeks of switching to eating only raw, vegan food your body will tell you to stop drinking, and for the first time you will not only listen, you will be able to agree and comply with your body’s request. The raw foods diet detoxifies the body better than any other diet. It will rebuild you from the inside out because you will finally be feeding it the high nutrition that it has been begging for. Interestingly, alcoholism is actually a sugar addiction. When you balance your body chemistry out with the use of raw foods, especially a lot of dark, leafy greens, your cravings for sugar (and alcohol) will start to go away. It happens pretty quickly too.

This is not a diet that you go on to just lose weight; this is for the rest of your life. When you experience the profound affects that eating raw food have on you, and you stick with it for more than a few months, you won’t want to go back.

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I don’t have health insurance. Health insurance is a misnomer – it ought to be called ‘Disease Treatment Reimbursement’ because it does nothing to ensure my health. If you want real health insurance start looking carefully at what you put into your body. Look at everything you drink, everything you eat, all the medications that you take, and even the air that your breathe. This is your health insurance.

The Bible says that we are supposed to live into the hundreds. Now I don’t know if the Bible is right or not, but I have heard the same thing from many experts on health. Our bodies are programmed to be vibrant and healthy up until the time that we die at a ripe, old age. Our bodies are not supposed to break down to disease over time. They are programmed to heal from illness by using the amazing immune system. The problem comes into play when you don’t feed your body the proper nutrition. When you create an imbalance in your body due to malnutrition (if you aren’t eating right, you are malnourished) your body will develop some sort of degenerative disease. Our immune systems were not designed to heal us from disease caused by nutritional deficiencies. Only proper nutrition can do that.
One of the most reliable, holistic therapies for healing from most diseases is a raw vegan diet.* Add to that a healthy dose of positive attitude, and the ability to forgive and let go, and it will lead to healing just about every time. There are more and more great books on the market on raw foods.

*What do raw vegans eat? Any fruit, vegetable, nut, seed, or grain that has not been heated above about 115 degrees. Raw foodists sometimes will dehydrate their foods, but mostly, they eat lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, smoothies, and soaked and sprouted nuts and seeds. Raw foodists typically do not eat any animal products, that means no cheese, eggs, milk, or any kind of meat. For more free information about a raw diet, google ‘raws foods diet’ or ‘raw foods lifestyle’.

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Like all  illnesses, the common cold virus can only survive in a weakened environment. When your body does not get the nutrition that it needs to build a strong immune defense, it will become a target of many illnesses – progressing from colds and flus, to eventually more serious diseases, such as cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, MS, etc.

During a cold, you weaken your body further if you ingest more toxins in the form of over-the-counter cold medications, antibiotics, and cooked or processed foods. The first day that you feel any symptoms, get into bed with a gallon of water next to you, and rest and drink all that water and eat nothing else. Avoid coffee, tea, sugar, processed foods, and meat, as these all aid the virus in reproduction by suppressing the immune system.

The way to avoid the common cold if you are in contact with people who have it is to immediately increase the amount of raw, plant-based foods that you eat, particularly organic dark, leafy greens. If your children are getting a lot of colds, this is a sign of toxicity and deficiency in their little bodies. Young human bodies are not designed to filter all the harsh chemicals we use to clean our homes and our bodies. In younger children, some symptoms of toxicity and deficiency are puffy eyes, congestion, cranky behavior, and excessive crying. You can see toxicity in teenagers in the form of acne, mood changes, difficulty waking up in the morning, and aggressive behavior.

To boost your immune system, increase the amount of plants that you eat raw. Eat more vegetables, especially greens, such as spinach, lettuces, collard, kale, and chard. Eat very sweet fruits such as bananas, oranges, and raisins in moderation.

If you put your greens into a smoothie with some fruit, you will not even know they are there.

Here is a great way to enjoy an immune-boosting smoothie with greens:

- Juice of 2 oranges
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 mango
- 1 avocado
- 1″ fresh ginger root
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1 large handful dark green leaves

Blend until very smooth.

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Your diet, or more specifically, the nutritional value of the food that you eat at each and every meal, literally determines the quality your body. The shape and fitness of your body, and how you feel physically, are the result of the quality of the food that you eat. Period. If you want to be a world-class athlete but focus only on your physical fitness, you are missing out on the best edge you can give yourself- proper nutrition.

Every seven years or so your body has rebuilt itself entirely. Each cell in your body, including the cells that make up your bones and your brain, are replaced on a schedule that runs anywhere from daily to every several years. This is great news for people who want to recreate themselves into something new and better because it is actually possible to have a brand new body, one that operates better, looks better, and feels better simply by learning about and applying some basic nutritional rules.

I always tell my clients that changing your life (or your diet) is less about discipline and more about education. It is very hard to force yourself to do something that feels like a sacrifice unless you can justify it on a logical level. So, before you embark on a new, permanent diet (because there is no reason for a temporary change…the results will also only be temporary) be sure to educate yourself as much as you possibly can about nutrition. My absolute favorite book on nutrition is the Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford. If you haven’t educated yourself recently, pick this one up.

Just to warn you, there are as many opinions out there about proper diet as there are people interested in talking about diet, so use your common sense and intuition, keep an open mind, and read as many sources as possible while investigating how to bring your body into an optimum state with nutrition.

One of the first things I would recommend to anyone who is interested in improving their health is to research the acid/alkaline balance in the human body and how food affects this balance. Our body is supposed to be slightly alkaline with a pH of between 7.35 and 7.45. pH is a scale with 7 being neutral, anything below being on the acid side and anything above being alkaline. Every type of food that we eat either has an acidifying affect on our body or an alkalizing affect. As we eat more foods of an acid nature (meat, dairy, alcohol, grains such as wheat, corn, etc) our body becomes more acid. An acidic body is in a state of crisis, and is much more prone to degenerative diseases and parasitic invasions, such as worms, bacteria, and viruses.

The state of the dietary habits of Americans, in particular, is predominantly focused on foods that are acidifying, hence our collective state of declining health. Foods that are alkalizing are most vegetables and most fruits. Here is a great list of acid/alkaline foods. http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

I found that as I changed my diet slowly through the years to one that is predominantly raw/vegan that my level of pain slowly faded away. I had suffered for years from an undiagnosed chronic neck pain. I now rarely have neck pain, and only when I am under a lot of stress. If you suffer from chronic pain, don’t expect a miracle cure unless you are willing to change your diet. I can guarantee you that if you have chronic pain, your diet is sub-optimal. Most Americans are malnourished, especially those who are over weight or obese. This sounds counter-intuitive, “How can I be malnourished? I obviously haven’t been missing any meals!” Well, just think about it. Ok, well, don’t think about it, because maybe you don’t know that there is almost no nutritional value in hamburgers, french fries, pizza, bagels, potato chips, boxed cereal, canned vegetables, etc. So, so yourself a favor and educate yourself about nutrition.

When your doctor cannot find the reason for your pain symptoms, you must look at your diet. If your doctor says that they cannot help you, what this really means is, “You aren’t sick enough yet. Go home and continue to eat the poor quality food that you have been eating, and when you come down with something that I can make some real money off of like cancer, heart disease, stroke, or diabetes, give me another call.”

Overcoming chronic pain requires you to take responsibility for your life and your body. Changing your diet is step one. After that, you can put into place some new practices that will help clear out the remaining stress-based pain. See my eBook Free From Chronic Pain for a program that will help anyone overcome chronic pain quickly and easily without the use of physical exercise. Anyone can do it. I also have eBooks specifically for buttock pain, low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, tendonitis pain, hip pain, bursitis pain, and sciatica pain.

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