Naturopathic Treatments For Anal Fissures

An anal fissure sounds horrifying, doesn’t it?

Despite this, though, they are a surprisingly common occurrence.

And while you may not necessarily think of a naturopathic doctor when searching for treatment options for physical cuts and tears, I’ve had success providing treatment for patients dealing with these unfortunate injuries.

After all, anal fissures are linked with one’s digestive health, and naturopathic treatment of digestive disorders is one of the areas of focus of my practice.

I’ll spend the time during your first appointment to get to know you so that I can create a personalized treatment plan to address your symptoms.

That’s the beauty of naturopathic treatment.

So, without further ado, let’s talk about anal fissures.

What Is An Anal Fissure?

An anal fissure sounds dramatic, but is a common enough occurrence, especially in children.

Anal fissures are tears or cuts occurring in the lining of the anus.

They’re generally small, healing in 4-6 weeks, but at their worst they can be deep enough to expose the underlying muscle tissue.

The most common signs that you’ve got a tear is an itching around the anus, pain, and blood in your stools.

Causes And Risk Factors Of Anal Fissures

There are well known risk factors of anal fissures.

Sometimes, they are a symptom of inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease or collagenous colitis.

They can also be a symptom of colorectal cancer, or certain infections.

Usually, however, anal fissures are related to your bowel functions – constipation, diarrhea, or straining during bowel movements or childbirth can all trigger anal fissures.

Preventing Anal Fissures

Anal fissures can be mostly, if not completely, avoided with some easy precautions.

It’s also important to consider your wellness, mindfulness, and stress levels.

If you’re not quite sure how you’re feeling, consider bio-feedback therapy.

Now, of course your diet will be key because anal fissures are closely linked to digestive issues.

I’ve got some great tips for this below.

1. Stay Hydrated

The human body is approximately 60% water, and so it makes sense that your body works better when properly hydrated.

In this case, dehydration not only helps to keep the mucous membranes lubricated, but it helps prevent the desiccation (drying out) and hardening of stools.

Hard stools that cause straining to expel are one of the most common causes of easily avoided anal fissures.

Ultimately, what staying hydrated prevents is constipation, which is a common cause for tears in anal tissue.

A good protocol for staying hydrated, especially after exerting yourself, is following my naturopathic approach to sports nutrition.

2. Don’t Hold It For Too Long

Your body, unique as it is, is the result of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, and when it sends you a message, it knows what it’s doing.

When you get the urge to have a bowel movement, your best course of action is to pay attention to it and find yourself a bathroom, since ignoring it can cause unnecessary constipation.

Until you pass it, stool is held in your colon, and the longer it remains there, the more water is absorbed from it into your body, and the harder it becomes.

As mentioned above, one of the most easily avoided causes of anal fissures is dehydration.

As a result, going to the washroom when your body tells you can help you enjoy well hydrated stools.

This allows them to be passed easily from your body with less strain.

3. Increase Your Fibre Intake

Fibre comes in two different forms: soluble and insoluble.

Insoluble fibre doesn’t break down entirely, adds volume to your stool, and prevents it from compacting while also clearing toxins from your body.

It helps your stool move through your colon more quickly.

Soluble fibre is helpful by holding moisture so that stools don’t dry out, and also by slowing down digestion so that diarrhea is less likely to occur.

You can increase your fibre with supplements, but the best way is to get it through consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Naturopathic Treatment Of Anal Fissures

Because anal fissures are often caused by what we eat, they’re an ideal reason to turn to naturopathic treatment, which addresses the whole, not just the symptom itself.

The gut is complicated, and that’s why a naturopathic doctor’s experience can be useful in setting out a course of action.

After all, we’ve seen the many ways this issue can manifest and be addressed.

Because every human body and lifestyle is different, it takes experience, patience and knowledge to know the best course of action.

However, here are some treatment examples that might be suggested by your naturopathic doctor.

1. Homeopathic Medicine

Most homeopathic medicines are designed to first and foremost heal the gut.

Many people turn to homeopathic medicine with great success, and avoid invasive surgeries which may create scar tissue.

Your naturopathic doctor might recommend homeopathic remedies depending on your symptoms and the severity of your condition.

2. Natural Stool Softeners

Natural stool softeners are foods you can eat or supplements you can take which help alleviate the pain and occurrence of anal fissures by keeping your stool less compact and by quickly ridding your body of fecal matter.

These include sources of fibre as previously mentioned – both the soluble and insoluble forms can be helpful.

Great sources of insoluble fibre include leafy greens such as kale, spinach and chard, fruits (particularly fruit with edible skins), and nuts.

Soluble fibre sources include oatmeal, ground flaxseed, apples, carrots and oranges.

3. Probiotic Supplements

Probiotics are live bacteria – and yeasts – that live in your gut.

But unlike the bacteria that cause illnesses, the bacteria from probiotics are helpful.

This is because they closely match your natural bacteria, and help your digestive system.

Taking probiotics helps to correct the levels of healthy bacteria in your bowels, where they may be out of alignment due to stress, illness or poor diet.

When your gut flora has an imbalance of harmful and friendly bacteria, it’s not just your stool that is affected as a result.

It can also trigger weight gain, inflammatory bowel disease, and even colorectal cancer and insulin resistance.

Questions? Ask Dr. JJ!

Anal fissures can be easy to diagnose but complicated to address.

A number of patients have seen me for naturopathic treatments for anal fissures, and in each case, I work toward making this distressing topic as comfortable as is possible.

Contact me, Dr. JJ, today, and let’s talk about your treatment options for the cause of your anal fissures.

Book your appointment with me, Dr. JJ, today.