Haemorrhoids are dilated veins in the anus the opening to the bowels, that may become inflaced and painful. They are caused by anything that increases blood volume in the abdomen, such as constipation or straining when opening the bowels, overweight and pregnancy. You do not get haemorrhoids from sitting on radiatiors. Symptoms of haemorrhoids are itching, bleeding, soreness and, often, intense pain on coughing, laughing or going to the lavatory. The best way of protecting against haemorrhoids is to make sure that you are getting enough fibre in your diet. This can also be an effective way of treating them in the early stages, when suppositories and hot baths tend only to offer temporary relief. More advanced cases, however, may require the application of elasticated bands to cut off circulation, injections as for varicose veins of surgery.
This is a blotchy darkening of the pigmentation in the skin that usually appears on the cheeks just below the eyes, above the lip, on the forehead, in the armpits, on the nipples, and around the genital area. It occurs in as many as one-third of all women on the pill and is not uncommon in the last three months of pregnancy. While it will fade in time, chloasma is aggravated and rendered more noticeably by exposure to bright sunlight. Keep out of the sun as much as possible, avoid sun lamps and use an efficient sunblock. You can sometimes counteract the darkening by bleaching the skin, but results are not always good and may even leave the skin looking botchier than before.
