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Got Hemorrhoids? There’s an App for That

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It hasn’t been Apple’s slogan for sometime now, but at the dawn on the smartphone era, Apple proudly coined the phrase, “There’s an app for that” to express just how extensive its app store really was.

But no one in those heady early days could have foreseen just how much bigger the app store would get, nor how many dedicated health apps would be written for iOS, Android, and other platforms.

All of which is prelude to this awe-inspiring article, which highlights five of the best hemorrhoid apps available in Google’s Play Store right now. If you thought you couldn’t treat hemorrhoids with a smartphone, you’re in for a surprise:

This app takes a very technical aspect to hemorrhoids, giving you demonstrations and models of what occurs inside and outside the body when dealing with hemorrhoids. It’s a great guide to help with truly understanding the difference between internal and external hemorrhoids, how they occur and how to treat them.

The apps discussed focus on everything from hemorrhoid comprehension to hemorrhoid avoidance, and include key information about diet, exercise, biology, and behavior. Some of them truly seem to help people, judging by the glowing reviews they receive.

And if you can’t resolve your hemorrhoids in Los Angeles with an app alone? You can use your phone for other things too: call the Proctology Institute today.

What Causes Hemorrhoids?

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As a Los Angeles hemorrhoid doctor, I see many patients each year who are looking for more than just treatment: they’re looking for knowledge. Hemorrhoids rarely present as a one-time problem, so many of the people I talk to are looking for better ways to prevent a relapse after undergoing minimally invasive hemorrhoid treatment in my offices.

So what are the causes of hemorrhoids? Nobody can point to a single cause that covers all cases, but there is broad consensus about the most common culprits.

Hemorrhoids arise when pressure on the blood vessels in the anus and surrounding tissue builds up and creates swelling. This pressure may be due to straining during bowel movements, prolonged sitting on a daily basis, or some secondary effects of bodily changes such as a pregnancy.

The best way to avoid hemorrhoids is to eat food with fiber in it, avoid straining during bowel movements, and to exercise as much as you can. The best way to treat external hemorrhoids when they appear is to rest the area, move around, and consider a sitz bath.

When hemorrhoids grow chronic or severe, including prolapsed hemorrhoids, then it is time to see an LA hemorrhoid specialist. Our treatments include sme of the best known procedures in this field including:

  • removal of hemorrhoids, known as hemorrhoidectomy
  • burning of hemorrhoid tissue with infrared photo, laser, or electrical coagulation
  • sclerotherapy or rubber band ligation to reduce the hemorrhoids

To learn more and get your hemorrhoids treated safely, contact us today.

Do I Have Hemorrhoids?

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Let’s clear up a few things about hemorrhoids. First of all, everyone has them in a sense, because hemorrhoids aren’t precisely a hard diagnosis but a continuum: when pronounced, hemorrhoids are simply swollen versions of common and healthy blood vessels that we all have, in and around the anus.

Hemorrhoids develop when pressure or friction on these blood vessels causes them to swell and become irritated, giving rise to the telltale bulging appearance that is one of the diagnostic criteria for true hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids can appear in the lower rectum, where they are known as internal hemorrhoids, or around the anus, where they are known as external hemorrhoids. Both types are prone to bleeding, which is why bright red blood in the toilet or on your toilet paper after defecating is another of the signature symptoms of hemorrhoids.

Do All Hemorrhoids Itch?

One of the common misconceptions about hemorrhoids is that they are always accompanied by pain or itching. In fact, internal hemorrhoids often are not painful at all, while external hemorrhoids can be excruciatingly painful. In between these extremes, many external hemorrhoids may simply itch if the irritation isn’t too severe.

How To Tell If You Have Hemorrhoids

Look for bright red blood in the stool, and you may be able to feel for swollen blood vessels in the shower or bath. If you have experienced repeated bleeding, itching, or pain, it’s time to visit a hemorrhoid doctor or specialist. The Proctology Institute offers the best hemorrhoid treatment in Los Angeles.

How to Find a Great Hemorrhoid Doctor In Los Angeles

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Are you wondering where to find the best medical treatment for hemorrhoids in Los Angeles? You’re not alone. The Web is good for many things, but ranking doctors clearly is not always its strong suit.

If you’re looking for the best hemorrhoid doctor in Los Angeles, you just need to keep in mind a few criteria as you conduct your search. Consider these factors:

Experience

A number of medical specialties involve treating hemorrhoids, include colorectal surgery, gastroenterology, and proctology. Depending on your comfort level and the preferences of your general practitioner, you could find yourself in any one of these offices. Bear in mind, however, that proctology alone involves deep specialization in this area of the body, which typically includes advanced surgical training in and around the buttocks and anus.

Reputation

A doctor’s reputation can be a tough thing to nail down. Seinfeld famously parodied the tendency for everyone to call their own doctors “the best.” More reliable sources include the rankings you can find on sites such as Yelp and Zocdoc, as well as insider opinions from other doctors in the field.

Training

This is important. When choosing a hemorrhoid doctor, you’ll want to read up on his or her medical training: where they completed their schooling, internships, fellowships, and so on. I am proud to have trained at the world renowned Johns Hopkins school, and followed up with advanced training at the famous Cleveland Clinic. Look for well-regarded schools and admitting hospitals to zero in on a great choice.

Facility

One easy way to check out where you’ll be going is through crowdsourced sites such as Google Maps and Yelp photos. Does the place look nice? Clean? Inviting? Discreet? Does the facility itself have good medical technology on hand, and the ability to treat you in-office? If you can’t find immediate answers to these questions, go ahead and call before you book.

Trust

It’s essential to find a hemorrhoid doctor who puts your mind at ease. Look for someone who respects your autonomy and addresses your concerns gently and clearly. If you don’t feel 100% comfortable, it’s time to look elsewhere.

The Los Angeles and Orange County Proctology Institute offers the region’s best hemorrhoid treatment at our locations in Beverly Hills, Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach. To set up an appointment with the best hemorrhoid doctors in California, please call or email us today.

What’s the Best Treatment for Hemorrhoids in Los Angeles?

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Hemorrhoid treatment in Los Angeles can run the gamut from home remedies all the way up through surgical interventions. Along the way are a number of intermediate options which are more invasive than a sitz bath, but far less invasive than conventional surgery.

The Proctology Institute is widely regarded as the leader in minimally invasive hemorrhoid treatments in LA, which is why we are constantly updating our website and this blog with the very latest news and information.

Case in point: this study, which looked at the comparative risks and benefits of two common hemorrhoid treatments: rubber band ligation, and artery ligation. The results clearly indicated that artery ligation required fewer follow-ups to achieve the same success:

After 19 months of recruitment from 18 UK centres we gathered data on 372 participants. One year post-procedure 30% of haemorrhoidal artery ligation group had evidence of recurrence and 49% after RBL (p=0.001). The main reason for the difference was the number of extra procedures required to achieve improvement/cure. If repeat RBL is not counted as recurrence there was no statistical difference between groups (adjusted odds ratio=1.53, 95% CI 0.96 to 2.44, p=0.071).

But declaring a clear winner gets tricky. It turns out that rubber band ligation offered a number of tangible benefits in the study as well: patients reported far less pain and shorter recovery times. And the procedure was less expensive.

So what’s the takeaway? There is no one-size-fits-all hemorrhoid treatment. But if you require rubber band ligation for hemorrhoids, you may find that the trade-off in time is worth it for the extra comfort and savings you’ll get.