Does Radiation Cause or Affect Hemorrhoids?
Whatever comes to your mind when you think of Chernobyl or the mushroom cloud, it’s probably not hemorrhoids. To the modern mind, all sorts of horrors come up such as hair falling out and skin turning yellow or even sloughing off, but hemorrhoids don’t even make the radiation horror list. However, severe hemorrhoids can be a result of either acute or chronic radiation exposure, and that radiation exposure can make them even worse than they are under normal circumstances.
Radiation affects the entire body, but the three systems it hits hardest are the digestive, circulatory, and neurological systems. Two out of those three are directly involved with hemorrhoids. Naturally, digestive disorders are one of the leading causes of hemorrhoids in the world. Remember, though, that hemorrhoids are caused by blood. In addition, the immune system that protects the hemorrhoidal area from infection is also carried in the blood, and the immune system takes quite a hit when radiation exposure occurs.[1]
Radiation Exposure And Hemorrhoids
When people think of radiation, they generally think of the kind emitted by nuclear weapons. However, there are actually two basic kinds of radiation. The first is non-ionizing radiation, which covers things like radio waves, light, microwaves, and radar waves. We’re all exposed to it all the time and it has nothing to do with hemorrhoids.[1]
Ionizing radiation is the the sort that nuclear plants, nuclear weapons and radiation therapy all use. Ionizing radiation causes chemical changes at the cellular level, damaging cells directly. X-Rays, gamma rays, and particle bombardment all emit ionizing radiation. In addition, there are a variety of man-made and natural materials that emit tiny amounts of radiation all the time. [2] Ionizing radiation can be used for medical testing and treatment, industrial purposes, manufacturing purposes, weapons, and weapons development. People may be exposed to ionizing radiation from some or all of these sources. [1]
Radiation sickness results when living organisms are exposed to large doses of ionizing radiation, which can mean one large exposure or a repeated exposure to smaller doses that occur over time. Classic radiation sickness is associated with acute exposure of one large dose in a short period of time. Classic radiation sickness has a characteristic set of symptoms that appear in a specific order, which include serious gastrointestinal problems that make hemorrhoid development much more likely. [1][8]
Chronic exposure is associated with long term problems like premature aging and cancer, among other issues. [1] However, over a long period of time, causality becomes increasingly difficult to prove with any given disease process, including hemorrhoids. All that researchers can really do is to study huge subsets of the population that live as similar lives as possible, then make big generalizations about the raw statistical data they get.
The risk of long term health problems depends on the dose and the radiation exposure prevention community does not recognize a minimum threshold. However, everywhere on Earth has some background exposure level of radiation, and there is no traceable effect for up to 10 mSv (milliSieverts) of radiation exposure per year. [1][2][5]
Acute Radiation Sickness and Hemorrhoids
A great deal of radiation over a short period of time is sufficient to cause the symptoms of acute radiation sickness, which is the variety of radiation effect most publicized and feared in popular culture. [2] Within 24 hours of exposure, nausea and vomiting begin. If the exposure is sufficiently high, these are followed directly by diarrhea, headache and fever. Within four weeks, weakness and fatigue follow, with dizziness and disorientation, hair loss, bloody vomit and stools, poor wound healing capacity, low blood pressure, and infection all possibly present, again depending on dose. [8]
One of the major hallmarks of acute radiation sickness mortality is whether the initial vomiting occurs within the first hour. If so, there’s not much that medical care can usually do. However, that usually only happens at the highest levels of exposure, and most acute radiation sickness is treatable. [8] Gastrointestinal disorders and blood disorders are two of the major components of acute radiation sickness, which again makes hemorrhoids a high probability over the entire recovery period.[8] Hemorrhoids could appear as early as a week up to months after the initial exposure.
In addition, those hemorrhoids are much more likely to become infected and to persist instead of healing in a prompt manner. While hemorrhoids wouldn’t be the most serious immediate problem to someone suffering from acute radiation sickness, they still make a bad situation worse and can lead to a worsening condition if they cause lack of appetite, worsening GI tract problems, or systemic infection. Considering how depressed the immune system is after high radiation exposure, systemic infection from damaged hemorrhoids is simultaneously the worst and most likely outcome for any acute radiation related hemorrhoids. [8] Of course, systemic infection can and does come from a multitude of vectors, with hemorrhoids providing just one possibility.
Should hemorrhoids become gangrenous or allow systemic infection to enter the system, the situation is serious. Hemorrhoids contain and constrict blood in a specific area, which gives bacteria a chance to breed in that blood. In healthy people the immune system kills off those bacteria, which means that the blood held in the hemorrhoid is more likely to form a blood clot and lead to a thrombosed hemorrhoid than it is to get infected. However, people with radiation sickness usually have no immune system to speak of because the bone marrow cells that produce white blood cells are some of the first to die off. [8] Bacteria breed quickly, within a few days, and the resultant systemic infection is extremely dangerous. For this reason people suffering from acute radiation sickness are usually kept in sterile environments and cleaned as frequently as possible.
Chronic Radiation Sickness and Hemorrhoids
If the initial dose of ionizing radiation is low or delivered slowly over a very long period of time, damaged cells have a greater chance of repairing themselves. Long-term effects may still occur if cell damage is repaired incorrectly while the irradiated cell can still divide to form new cells.[2]
This is the problem that eventually leads to cancer, since most tumors start as normal cells that develop a genetic abnormality while still being able to divide. The risk of long term cancer development is higher for children and adolescents because they are more sensitive to radiation based cell errors than adults. [2] In adult populations, the cell damage disappears differentially over time after the chronic low dose radiation exposure stops. Basically, that means that most of the time the body’s immune system gets rid of those damaged cells. [3]
Chronic radiation exposure also leads to an upswing in the incidence of birth defects, again showing the genetic cellular errors that chronic radiation exposure tends to cause. [4]
Low-level chronic exposure has also been reported to cause symptoms very similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, including headache, poor memory, lowered work ability, dizziness, local bone pain, excessive anxiety, and gastrointestintal disorders. [7]
The Chernobyl incident was one of the most studied nuclear disasters in history that had a large number of people exposed to low-dose radiation over a long period of time. There has been a great deal of difficulty in studying non-malignant diseases since the accident because of the immense level of disruption to the community leading to excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption, both causes of circulatory problems known to lead to hemorrhoids. However, the incidence of cardiovascular disease has been definitely marked as a result of the constant radiation exposure. [6] Hemorrhoids are one of the possible early warning markers of elevated blood pressure related to cardiovascular disease.
Considering that premature aging and gastrointestinal disorders are both hallmarks of chronic radiation exposure, drawing a connection between low-level radiation exposure and hemorrhoids isn’t difficult. [9] However it’s important to remember that tracking hemorrhoids in a large population over 30 years after a nuclear disaster is very difficult at best, and it’s impossible to separate the different causalities over all that time. Therefore, there are no definitive studies that show a direct correlation between chronic radiation exposure and hemorrhoids.
Treatment of Radiation Related Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are usually treated in the same manner no matter what causes them. However, there are a few considerations that you should bear in mind when specifically treating radiation related hemorrhoids.
The treatment for radiation sickness itself is usually a holistic process, whether acute or chronic. Radiation affects the whole body, but the parts of the body that are most vulnerable are the cells lining the intestinal tract and the bone marrow cells that produce blood.[1] That being a given, treatment is given primarily to alleviate the symptoms as the body clears the radiation.
If the primary cause of your hemorrhoids is acute radiation sickness, that can and does put your digestive tract under a lot of strain. Therefore, it’s important to avoid damaging that digestive tract any further. A simple, soft diet that packs the maximum amount of nutrition is usually the best idea. That sort of food will allow the gastrointestinal tract the ability to heal without stressing it further.[8]
A suitable diet for someone with acute radiation sickness will probably include things like applesauce, live yogurt, mashed potatoes, soft vegetables, oatmeal, cooked wheat cereal, gelatin, and sufficient water. These foods pack a lot of nutrition without putting a lot of stress on the system. Of course, should the digestive system be extremely damaged, doctors may just choose to use an entirely intravenous diet mixed in an IV bag and shot straight into the blood.
Additives may also be put into the diet to bind or block free radiation particles. The exact type of additive changes depending on the suspected radiation source, but common additives are potassium iodide, Prussian blue dye, and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, commonly referred to as DTPA. [8]
Another problem with acute radiation sickness and hemorrhoids is the possibility of infection, as stated above. Hemorrhoids aren’t usually seriously prone to infection, but everything’s prone to infection when acute radiation sickness is involved. Therefore, hygiene becomes all important for anyone who has hemorrhoids related to acute radiation sickness. At the least you should use wet antimicrobial wipes to gently clean the hemorrhoidal area after each bowel movement. Your doctor may want to use enemas or other hygienic methods to make sure the area stays even cleaner, and you’ll probably be on some powerful antibiotics for quite some time.
In addition, when it comes to hemorrhoids caused by acute radiation sickness, it’s important to keep your priorities straight. Acute radiation sickness can easily be fatal. The digestive system has the possibility of just shutting down completely, along with other dangerous systemic effects. If you need rest, then get rest even though your hemorrhoids may need movement. If you need a soft diet without excessive fiber, then eat a soft diet. You can fix the hemorrhoids once the rest of you is healthy again. [1]
If the hemorrhoids are due to chronic radiation exposure instead, then naturally the tactics change. Considering that chronic radiation exposure most resembles chronic fatigue syndrome in its symptoms, the gastrointestinal tract is naturally still affected.[7] However, considering that the effect on the digestion is not as profound as in acute radiation sickness, a more normal hemorrhoids diet and hemorrhoids treatment plan including lots of fiber and nutrition is called for. In addition, activity and exercise are much easier and safer to begin. However, properly high levels of nutrition and rest are just as important considering that your body is still trying to heal a multitude of damaged cells.
Herbs provide one of the more reliable and consistent hemorrhoid treatments, and can be of particular use in regards to radiation related hemorrhoids. Again, if you’re suffering from acute radiation sickness, hold off on adding any medications including herbs until your doctor gives the go-ahead. However, if you think that your hemorrhoids are due to chronic radiation exposure, herbal hemorrhoid treatments can be started immediately. Butcher’s broom, horse chestnut, and Japanese pagoda tree are just a few of the more common herbal hemorrhoid treatments that can help. Slippery elm bark tea can help both with hemorrhoids and with rebuilding and strengthening the digestive tract. Aloe vera extract and witch hazel extract both make excellent cleansers for the hemorrhoidal area.[10] Naturally, you should research each and every herbal remedy you intend to use first to make sure it doesn’t interfere with any other chronic health conditions or ongoing medications you need to take.
Aromatherapy hemorrhoid treatments are often a method to begin helping with hemorrhoids no matter what kind of medications or treatments you’ve got for other possible radiation related issues. Add five drops each of lavender and peppermint essential oils to two tablespoons of almond oil and heat gently to suffuse a room with sweet smelling antibiotic and stress relieving therapy. [11] [12]
Bear in mind that hemorrhoid herbal treatments have been used and studied for decades. Literature and studies on these herbal remedies show the same results from the 1970’s through to today. While other methods, such as hemorrhoid surgery, may work more quickly, herbs work quite well and have less chance of severe side effects.
Conclusion: Radiation and Hemorrhoids
Does radiation directly cause hemorrhoids? No, it doesn’t. Radiation causes cell destruction or damage to the cell’s genetic material. However, the disorders that radiation exposure does cause can easily lead to hemorrhoids, and have proven to do so many times over. [8][9] This follows a pattern quite familiar to those who study hemorrhoids, which also commonly accompany health conditions as diverse as pregnancy and Crohn’s disease. [9] Hemorrhoids are always red flags that something is wrong and needs to be treated, whether that something is as simple as needing more fiber in your diet or as complex as radiation exposure. By taking the red flag of hemorrhoids for the warning it is and committing to a holistic approach to your health and wellness, you’ll live a longer, happier, more energetic life.
References:
1. Zieve, David M.D., Heller, Jacob M.D,. “Radiation Sickness”. University of Maryland Medical Encyclopedia. 2011. UMMC, Baltimore, Maryland.
2. World Health Organization. “Ionizing Radiation, Health Effects, And Protective Measures”. Fact Sheet. May 2011.
3. Chang, WP, Hsieh, WA, et al. “Change in centromeric and acentromeric micronucleus frequencies in human populations after chronic radiation exposure”. Mutagenesis, Oxford Journals LifeSciences Medicine, Volume 14, Issue 4, pp 427-432
4. Dancause, KN, Yevtushok L, et al., “Chronic radiation exposure in the Rivne-Polissa region of Ukraine: Implication for birth defects”. American Journal of Human Biology, Volume 22, Issue 5, September October 2010, pp 667-674
5. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “Biological Effects of Radiation”. Fact Sheet. January 2011
6. World Health Organization. “Health Effects of the Chernobyl Accident: An Overview”. Fact Sheet. April 2006
7. Kumerova AO, Lece AG, Shesters AP et al. “Antioxidant defense and trace element imbalance in patients with post radiation syndrome.” Biol Trace Element Res 2000, Volume 77. pp 1-12
8. Goldman L, et al. eds Cecil Medicine, 23rd ed. Saunders Elsevier. Philadephia PA. 2007
9. Lorenzo-Rivero, S. “Hemorrhoids: Diagnosis and Current Management”. Am Surg, Volume 75, Issue 8. Aug 2009. pp 635-642
10. Abascal K, Yarnell E. “Botanical Treatment for Hemorrhoids”. Alternative & Complementary Therapies. Dec 2005. pp 285-289
11. Moon T, Wilkinson JM, Cavanagh HM. Antiparasitic activity of two Lavandula essential oils against Giardia duodenalis, Trichomonas vaginalis and Hexamita inflata. Parasitol Res. 2006;99(6):722-8.
12. Vakilian K, Atarha M, Bekhradi R, Chaman R. “Healing advantages of lavender essential oil during episiotomy recovery: a clinical trial.” Complementary Therapies In Clinical Practice. Feb 2011. pp 50-53
AUTHOR: Loni Ice.
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