Next to Kidney stones and childbirth, anal fissures are one of the most dreadful pains a person must face daily.
A rip or tear of the anal canal can be as deep as the sphincter or also very superficial and are generally caused by the stretching of the anal mucosa; this usually occurs due to constipation, straining during defecation, passing hard/large stool, dehydration or blood deficiency (usually in the elderly), prolonged diarrhea, childbirth, dietary choices or inflammatory bowel disorders.
Because of the varying etiologies (reasons) a person would have developed anal fissures in the first place, the targeted treatment requires customization. But we can break it down into some general principles that can be applied to specific cases.
Alleviate pain:
- Change lifestyle habit to unravel core issue
- Heal the tissue from the inside out
- Repeat daily until a permanent change has occurred.
Now, let’s get started and get you out of this situation:
ALLEVIATE PAIN (Symptom relief)
Sitz Bath: It is imperative when dealing with the bowel contents that the area remains as clean as possible. So, plan this into your day – after every bowel movement submerge your lower half into warm water. This is called a sitz bath or hip bath. You can buy an easy to use and manage sitz bath kit that fits over the toilet bowl to achieve this easily. A small bag comes with this kit; you should put warm water, 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts and 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
CBD oil from Hemp: If you have Crohn’s the best way to reduce your symptoms is high concentrations of CBD oil from the cannabis plant; Hemp, which is legal in all 50 states is easily found – we compound it here at The Alchemist Collection and 500mg concentration of CBD oil from Hemp is recommended. DOSE: 10 drops under the tongue (let absorb for 90 seconds then swallow) x 3/daily. CBD targets inflammatory markers that go off in the body and turns them off – in the cases of Crohn’s, the inflammation markers fire off in the gut, CBD works with the Endocannabinoid system to turn off the inflammatory markers by reducing gut motility.
CHANGE LIFESTYLE HABIT TO UNRAVEL THE CORE ISSUE (work for the cure)
Drink more water: I can safely say this to everyone. You think you are drinking enough water, I promise you are not. We are all existing in a perpetually dehydrated state because we do not drink enough plain old water throughout our day. If you have to buy a Camelbak to achieve this, do it (they make Camelbak for children as well).
Increase intake of fiber: If your issue is constipation as the main cause of your anal fissures, you must look at your nutritional intake. Increasing fiber (25g-35g daily) will be the best thing for you. You can do this through increasing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You can also supplement with herbal fibers that will soften the stool and inspire stool passage like Heather’s Tummy Fiber (all natural, organic fiber + gut motility and stool softener).
"There are no incurable diseases. Only incurable people."
HEAL TISSUE FROM THE INSIDE OUT (internal/external repairing)
You must begin your healing from the inside out. Your body has a remarkable way to take what you give it and use it to heal itself at rapid cellular growth rates. Once you have alleviated your symptoms (taking you out of the “fight/flight” nervous system that is triggered by pain and dread and you have changed some habits, you can look at repairing the problem. If you skip the initial processes and go straight to the repair process, it will be like trying to fill a water glass that has a hole in the bottom of it or putting a band-aid on a serious puncture wound. You will spend a lot of money on “healing agents” that under the right circumstances will work very well but under the "skip the steps" circumstance will not work for you and you will find yourself saying “I have tried everything there is and nothing that works”.
George’s Aloe Juice: A highly refined aloe vera juice (tastes like water), famous for its abilities to coat your membranes protecting them from further damage. This shield of protection from harsh internal environments (acid, bile, free radicals, etc) will allow the body to repair itself. Whether you are constipated or dealing with Bowel Diseases (such as IBS, Crohn’s, Diverticulosis or bacterial infections causing diarrhea) you will want to be using the aloe. HOW TO TAKE: 2oz (shot glass) amount between meals on an empty stomach. Do not take aloe juice with important medicines and supplements, aloe coats the membranes and will not allow reabsorption to occur.
Organic Mushroom Blends: Oriental Medicine is a huge fan of the fungi, we use it herbally to our advantage more times than not. There is an old story I remember being told by one of my teachers and it goes something like this: “There are many ways to deal with a thief in your house. You can shoot it dead and it will rot in your house, or you can bang a bunch of pots and pans and make the thief scared enough and uncomfortable enough to run out of your house and never come back, either way – you choose.” Fungi acts to make a well-balanced environment custom to your particular flora situation. A well-balanced flora environment is not comfortable to a thief (or overgrown bad fungi), the bad fungi cannot flourish and will either eliminate itself or be eliminated.
Activated Charcoal: If you have unspecified diarrhea or Cock’s Crow diarrhea you may want to consider activated charcoal to assist. It will quickly restore and bind gut motility to halt the dangers of diarrhea. Not only does it halt diarrhea, but it neutralizes poison and toxicity, binds to it and removes it from your body (if you are poisoned, overdose or food poisoned – grab the activated charcoal). Activated Charcoal is now commonly being used after chemotherapies and after taking the harsh chemicals needed for imaging contrasts. If you feel you have eaten something, taken something or a totally mysterious reason you have diarrhea that will not stop and now anal fissures are occurring. Activated Charcoal is going to be a good, safe and very effective friend. (feel free to take it on your travels).
Probiotic Blends: It is certainly no secret that probiotic use has not only been proven to help repair gut damage, but they secondarily help brain function. Simply put, probiotics are “good bacteria” that help us to reproduce major brain neurotransmitters that are stored in our guts (serotonin-to stabilize our moods- 95% stored in our gut and there are over 100 million more to be named). Repopulate the gut: If you are dealing with chronic diarrhea, or autoimmune disorders repopulating the gut in order to reduce inflammation and create higher gut integrity to support your immune function is imperative.
External Ointments: Typically, this is where people will start, but it should be the thing you reach for once all the other processes have been put into motion. The Alchemist Collection makes an awesome tissue repairing ointment known famously as the Wound Repair Ointment (http://www.thealchemistcollection.com/thestore/product/wound-repair-cream/). The ointment is made of the purest and most potent healing oils available to us, it also contains the wonderful healing agent Zinc Oxide and therapeutic grade essential oils known for their anti-microbial and tissue regenerating effects. You can insert a dollop of this ointment into your rectum at nighttime before you go to bed so you are already laying flat for the next 6-8 hours. This ointment also helps with rectal tearing and vaginal tearing.
Author: Candice Nelms, Dipl. OM. Candice is an Oriental Medical Physician from Key Largo, FL and an FDA-registered manufacturer of all-natural products informed by Chinese Medicine and ancient formulations. (https://www.thealchemistcollection.com)