Friends, nobody wants to say this word out loud, so let me say it for you: hemorrhoids. Swollen veins just inside the rectum or right at the opening, and they itch, ache, and bleed. Three out of four of us will have them at some point. Pregnancy brings them on, so does straining, so does sitting for a living. You are in very good company.

What is going on down there

The veins in that neighborhood have no valves and a lot of pressure on them. Push too hard, sit too long, or carry a baby, and they swell like a blister on a garden hose. Inside ones you feel as pressure or see as a little blood; outside ones you can feel as a tender lump. Most settle down on their own in a week or two when you take the pressure off.

The one symptom I always send to the doctor

Bleeding. I am here for the plant-based side, and I will not guess about blood. It is usually a hemorrhoid, but it can be other things, and your doctor is the one who can tell the difference. Also go if there is a lump that will not go back in, if the pain is severe, if you feel dizzy or worn out, or if things have not improved after a week of honest effort.

Take the pressure off

Most of what works here costs nothing, and it should never have to be expensive to be healthy:

• Fiber and water, every day. Vegetables, beans, oats, fruit with the skin on, and enough water that you never have to strain. Straining is the enemy.
• Do not sit on the toilet and scroll. Go when you need to, and get up.
• A warm sitz bath, ten minutes, two or three times a day. A cool cloth in between if it throbs.
• Cleanse gently with water, pat dry, no scented wipes.
• Get up and walk. Sitting all day is half the problem.

What I reach for

For the tender, irritated skin at the opening, I make CBD Soothing Comfort Cream. It is a rich cream on a vegan aloe and glycerin base, 3000 mg of THC-free CBD, with Helichrysum for its long-loved skin affinity, Lavender for calm, Cajeput for clean brightness, and Rosemary to round it out. It feels cooling and cushioning the moment it goes on, which is exactly what that skin wants. A little on a clean fingertip, one to three times a day, on the outside only. This is a cream for sensitive places, so it is gentle by design; if anything ever stings, stop.

I will not tell you it fixes hemorrhoids, because the fix is the fiber, the water, and the not-straining. It is comfort for the skin while you do the real work. Be diligent, friends, and do not be shy with your doctor. They have heard it all.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Everyone is different; for anything you are working through with your doctor, keep working with your doctor.