Q. I am heavily pregnant, and hemorrhoids have been causing me excruciating pain as well as terrible itching that has kept me awake all night.
I was so pleased to find the remedy of applying a damp green tea bag to the area. This helped me almost immediately and is SO much better than the creams I got from the pharmacy. Thank you a billion times. Because of your information, I can sleep better at night and enjoy my day without having to stay home.
A. A visitor to our website shared the following: “I woke in the middle of the night tormented with rectal itching from a hemorrhoid. I had read that a soaked tea bag could relieve inflammation so I soaked a green tea bag in hot water for two minutes, squeezed it out and applied it to the site. The relief was almost immediate.
“I held it in place until the tea bag was no longer warm, about 10 minutes. The itch was gone and did not return.”
We discussed what causes hemorrhoids and how to manage them with Dr. Nicholas Shaheen, gastroenterologist and Director of the Center of Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can listen to his explanation here.
Another hemorrhoid remedy that readers have found helpful is blackstrap molasses. Many report that two teaspoons a day can ease the discomfort within a few days.
