What are Hemorrhoids?

Few topics are harder to talk about than hemorrhoids; the painful swelling of veins inside or around the anus.  Hemorrhoids are sometimes also called piles.  Most people would rather not even mention this condition to their doctor, yet around half of all adults will suffer from symptoms of hemorrhoidal swelling by the age of 50.  The most common symptoms are itching, sensitivity, one or more swollen lumps around the anal opening, and, in the more advanced cases, bleeding. We all have hemorrhoid veins lining the inside the anal canal and around the opening of the anus,...

External and Prolapsed Hemorrhoids

We all have two kinds of hemorrhoidal veins: internal, inside the anal passage, and external, on and around the anus.  When inflamed internal hemorrhoids end up protruding outside the anal opening, usually because they are pushed out by passing stool, during a bowel movement, they are called prolapsed hemorrhoids.  These cause even more discomfort than external hemorrhoids, unlike internal hemorrhoids, which are painless because there are no pain receptors inside the anal passage. External hemorrhoids are the ones which are right at the anal opening or around the anus,...