There are some disorders that you can’t freely discuss with your loved ones, friends and others, unlike a sinus infection. One such annoyance is anal fissure — a small tear in the thin, moist tissue that lines the anus. The condition often triggers bleeding and mild-to-moderate pain. And, once the anus stretches beyond its limit, it leads to a tear.
The causes of anal fissure are varied, viz., chronic constipation, post-pregnancy, low-fibre diet, long-lasting diarrhoea, anal sex, and stretching the anal canal day-in and day-out, perhaps, by excess pressure, for some reason, or the other. Certain underlying conditions, viz., Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis, anal cancer, leukaemia, or insertion of foreign objects into the anus, may also lead to anal fissure.
The common symptoms are pain and burning during and after stools as also occasional bleeding with stools.
The diagnosis is made by the visual inspection of the anus, rectal exam, proctoscopy, or sigmoidoscopy, if required.
Anal fissures may heal on their own. Else, they may cause a great deal of distress — excess pain, burning and bleeding, as also embarrassment.
Case-1
BK, a twenty-two-year-old lad, came to my clinic, with symptoms of severe burning pain and bleeding in the anus during stools. His food habits were irregular. He had, however, no history of any hereditary disease of the gastrointestinal tract. He appeared anxious and restless owing to the disorder. I advised him to take fibre-rich food in the form of green leafy vegetables and bananas, every day, and keep himself well hydrated. He said as he was staying as a paying guest, so he could hardly get to eat green leafy vegetables regularly.
I prescribed him the homeopathic remedies, Ratanhia peruviana and Nux vomica — a useful remedy for flawed eating habits and dietetic faults — in the 200C potency, alternately, and also asked him to take three doses of Hamamelis virginiana [200C; three doses], once a week, after starting the treatment.
What clinched the homeopathic ‘remedy-diagnosis’ for Ratanhia were the following symptoms: anal aches and burning sensation for hours after stool. Feeling trapped, with abrupt, sharp stitches. Stools forced with great effort. All symptoms momentarily relieved by cold water. Foul, thin diarrhoea with oozing and itching in the anus.
BK showed tangible improvement after 3-4 weeks.
His mother happened to meet me a month later, for consultation, for her own health issue. She informed me that her son had recovered completely and was free of the annoyance.
Case-2
A forty-five-year-old bank employee, JS, approached me with almost the same set of symptoms, as described in Case-1. He was a diagnosed patient of anal fissure with sentinel haemorrhoids [piles]. He led a sedentary lifestyle. He was advised to use a local anaesthetic ointment [Lignocaine] by his family doctor for few days. He was also advised to undergo surgery at the earliest, as he could not dodge his sedentary lifestyle, primarily because of his occupation — a full-time desk job. He reported of tenesmus [ineffectual urge for stools] as an additional symptom, along with an intense desire to drink cold water every half-hour. He was also habituated to getting up frequently at night to drink cold water — owing to the desire.
I advised him to take fibre-rich foods and try to move a bit, every hour, at the job.
I prescribed him the homeopathic remedies, Ratanhia peruviana and Nux vomica, in the 200C potency, for one month, and three doses of Arsenicum album 1M,15 days after starting the treatment.
His condition improved perceptibly after a month of homeopathic treatment — and, it did not take long for him to get over the provoking distress uneventfully.
The bottom line is simple — it is often touted by conventional physicians that surgery is inarguably the treatment of choice for anal fissure. The fact also is it can just as usefully and safely be treated with good, tangible, long-term outcomes by professional homeopathic treatment and lifestyle guidance.
Fantabulous. Keep it up, Sir. I fervently hope and wish that you hit a century of articles.
So nice of you, Sir… Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your good wishes and encouraging words. I’m sure this will ‘pump’ me up to ‘hit’ a century of articles. Meanwhile, you are most welcome to join our team of writers, along with your daughter, who is also a qualified physician in her own right.