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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II: Anal Fissures

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Anal Fissures

When it comes to pain, embarrassment and inconvenience, these painful tears in the sensitive skin around your anus are truly a thorn in your (back)side. Fissures are usually caused by trying to pass hard, large stools. Since more fiber in your diet means looser stools, anal fissures are a sharp reminder to eat shredded wheat with newfound gusto. But here's how to fizzle your anal fissures.

Go high on fiber. Maybe oat bran doesn't go down as easy as a thick, juicy steak, but consuming a high-fiber diet is the best way to soften stools. Besides eating more grains, you should also eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, all of which are naturally high in fiber. "Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are the best remedy and preventive measure" for fissures, says J. Byron Gathright, Jr., M.D., chairman of the Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans and president of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

When to See the Doctor

If you've tried self-help measures and still have anal fissures, or if you notice blood in your stool or experience any bleeding while trying to pass your stool, see your doctor as soon as possible. While some bleeding occurs because of hemorrhoids or trying to pass hard stools, rectal bleeding may be a warning sign of colon cancer or another serious problem. But you'll need a doctor's examination to find out the cause.

Drink a lot of water. Drinking six to eight glasses a day adds bulk to your system and softens stools, says Dr. Gathright. In addition, drinking a lot of water may help reduce some of the stomach discomfort you may experience when starting a high-fiber diet.

Maybe a Spray Will Do

As anyone with anal fissures can tell you, wiping with dry tissues is no picnic. To make personal hygiene a little easier on your tender bottom, there's ClenZone. This small cleansing device hooks up to your bathroom faucet; just spray yourself clean with a narrow stream of water aimed at the anal area. There's no need for toilet paper, except to pat yourself dry.

"This is a neat little appliance that offers a real nice way to get clean after a bowel movement," says colon-rectal surgeon John A. Flatley, M.D., clinical instructor of surgery at the University of Missouri/Kansas City School of Medicine. It can be used for both fissures and hemorrhoids. It's available through Hepp Industries, 687 Kildare Crescent, Seaford, NY 11783.

Try over-the-counter vitamin creams. To soothe the pain and help heal fissures, try over-the-counter ointments that contain vitamins A and D, suggests Marvin M. Schuster, M.D., chief of the Department of Digestive Diseases at Francis Scott Key Medical Center in Baltimore. Hydrocortisone creams, available at drugstores, are also helpful, adds Dr. Gathright.

Soothe your sit-upon. You can also protect your anal canal by lubricating it before each bowel movement. A gob of petroleum jelly inserted about 1/2 inch into the rectum may help the stool pass without causing any further damage, advises Edmund Leff, M.D., a proctologist in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Wipe yourself with facial tissue. The best toilet paper isn't toilet paper at all. Facial tissues coated with moisturizing lotion offer the least amount of friction to your fissure-plagued anal area, says Dr. Leff.

Talc yourself up down there. Following each shower or bowel movement, dust yourself with baby powder. This will help keep the area dry, which can help reduce friction throughout the day, says Dr. Schuster.

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