A Surprising Prescription For A Common, Painful, Embarrassing Condition (And A Helpful Side Effect For Weight Loss)

I procrastinated writing this particular post because it covers a painful and embarrassing topic. But I learned some surprising information worth sharing because it will help a whole lot of people who suffer from hemorrhoids.

Quite frankly, I've put up with this ailment since I was pregnant more than 35 years ago.

Recently, I was driving for 5 and 6 hours a day. For some reason, they flared up to the point where sitting or standing became impossible. Plain and simple, I had a big pain in the butt. 

I ended up seeing a gastro surgeon. If you've never had kids or never had a butt exam, it is probably the single most embarrassing examination you'll ever have. That being said, this doc was real clear what I had to do as follows:

1. Take a tablespoon of Metamusil orange powder in a big glass of water every day forever.Why? Almost everyone in this world is constipated and that's the reason you have this condition.
2. Get a colonoscopy.
3. Make another appointment (with the gastro guy) after the colonoscopy. Surgery may be required.

Aside from the fact that step 2 is about as appealing as chinese water torture, this doctor has a major point - Americans do not have enough fiber in their diet. 

And there is an interesting side benefit to adding fiber to your diet (besides stopping the hemorrhoid pain) - 
it'll help you lose weight. 

The fact that fiber is an important element in your diet is one of the reasons that Dr. Mark Hyman includes a fiber powder (other than Metamusil) in his 10-day detox diet. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together!

So now I'm into investigating the role of fiber in the American diet . . .