Health Advice
- Weight Management
- Quit Smoking
- Acne
- Child Health
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- Aneurysm, abdominal aortic
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- First aid
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- Acupuncture
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- Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
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- Addiction
- Addison's disease
- Adenoids and adenoidectomy
- Frozen shoulder
- Agoraphobia
- Air embolism
- Alcohol misuse
- Alcohol poisoning
- Alexander technique
- Rhinitis, allergic
- Indoor allergy
- Mountain sickness
- Alzheimer's disease
- Lazy eye
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- Amniocentesis
- Amputation
- Motor neurone disease
- Steroid misuse
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
- Anaesthesia
- Anal fissure
- Brain aneurysm
- Angelman syndrome
- Anger management
- Angina
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- Arteriography
- Stent insertion
- Dog bites
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- Ankylosing spondylitis
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- Smell sense, loss of
- Antacid medicines
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- Antidepressants
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- Antisocial personality disorder
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- Stress
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- Wrist, broken
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- Hearing tests
- Bird flu
- B12 vitamin deficiency
- Skin rashes in babies
- Weaning
- Lumbago (low back pain)
- Septic arthritis
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Weight loss surgery
- Barium enema
- Bartholin's cyst
- Pressure ulcers
- Bedbugs
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Behçet’s disease
- Facial paralysis
- Tongue pain or soreness
- Prostate enlargement
- Beta-blockers
- Bicarbonate test
- Binge eating
- Biopsy
- Bipolar disorder
- Spider bite
- Eye, black
- Bladder cancer
- Cystitis
- Bladder stones
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- Blood donation
- Blood gases test
- Blood groups
- Coughing up blood
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- Urine, blood in the
- Vomiting blood
- Septicaemia
- Hypertension
- Low blood pressure
- Blood tests
- Blood transfusion
- Blushing
- Bromhidrosis (body odour)
- Bone cyst
- DXA scan
- Bone marrow donation
- Stem cell transplant
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bottle feeding
- Botulism
- Rectal cancer
- Polyps, bowel
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Orthodontics
- Brain abscess
- Head injury, severe
- Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
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- Brain tumours
- Breast abscess
- Breast cancer
- Male breast cancer
- Screening for breast cancer
- Nipple discharge
- Mastitis
- Breast lump
- Breastfeeding
- Shortness of breath
- Osteoporosis
- Fractured collarbone
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- Leg, broken
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- Tooth, broken or knocked out
- Smelly feet (bromodosis)
- Bronchitis
- Teeth grinding
- Thyroid eye disease
- Bulimia
- Burns and scalds
- Heart bypass
- Caesarean section
- Food poisoning
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- Thrush
- Thrush, men
- Thrush, oral - adults
- Thrush, oral - babies
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
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- Cartilage damage
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- Rib, cervical
- Smear test
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- Chemotherapy
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- Chest pain
- Herpes zoster virus
- Statins
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- Leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic
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- Cirrhosis
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- Combined contraceptive pill
- Pneumonia
- CT scan
- Concussion
- Hole in the heart
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- Constipation
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- Coronary heart disease
- Vegetative state
- Topical corticosteroids
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- Undescended testicles
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- Date rape drugs
- Thyroiditis
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- Fluoride
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- Depression
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- Rectal examination
- Double vision
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- Shoulder dislocation
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- Lightheadedness
- Down's syndrome
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- Periods, painful
- Indigestion
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- Swimmer's ear
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- Ebola virus disease
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- Epidural
- Epilepsy
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- Seasonal flu
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- Frostbite
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- Herpes, genital
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- Iron overload disorder
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- Haemophilus influenzae type b
- Piles (haemorrhoids)
- Ingrown hairs
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- Hamstring injury
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- Tendon repair, hand
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- Nits
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- Hearing and vision tests for children
- Myocardial infarction
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- Heart transplant
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- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
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- Periods, heavy
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- Hernia, femoral
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- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Painkillers, ibuprofen
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- Inquest
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- Mumps
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- Selective mutism
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- Polyps, nose
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- Natural family planning
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
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- Nightmares
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- Type 2 diabetes
- Winter vomiting disease
- Obesity
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- Sleep apnoea
- Occupational therapy
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- Paracetamol
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- Poisoning
- Reflux in babies
- Potassium test
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- Radiation
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- Rheumatic fever
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- Roundworm
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- Sexual health clinics
- STIs
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- Vomiting in children and babies
- Sinus headache
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- Skin rashes in children
- Sleep paralysis
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- Squint
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- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tension-type headaches
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- Thyroid cancer
- Tics
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- Tongue-tie
- Tonsillitis
- Toothache
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) test
- Total protein test
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- Traction
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- Vitamins, minerals and supplements
- Vomiting in adults
- Warfarin
- Weight loss (unexpected and unplanned)
- Whiplash
- Wisdom tooth removal
- X-ray
- Yellow fever
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Read moreNHS Choices - Introduction
(13/08/2014)
Haemorrhoids, also known as piles, are swellings that contain enlarged blood vessels that are found inside or around the bottom (the rectum and anus).
Most haemorrhoids are mild and sometimes don't even cause symptoms. When there are symptoms, these usually include:
- bleeding after passing a stool (the blood will be bright red)
- itchy bottom
- a lump hanging down outside of the anus, which may need to be pushed back in after passing a stool
Read more about the symptoms of haemorrhoids.
Should I see my GP?
The symptoms of haemorrhoids often clear up on their own or with simple treatments that can be bought from a pharmacy without a prescription (see below). However, you should speak to your GP if your symptoms don't get better, or if you experience pain or bleeding.
Haemorrhoids can be easily diagnosed by a simple internal examination of your back passage.
Some people with haemorrhoids are reluctant to see their GP. However, there’s no need to be embarrassed – all GPs are used to diagnosing and treating haemorrhoids.
Read more about diagnosing haemorrhoids.
What causes piles?
The exact cause of haemorrhoids is unclear, although they are associated with increased pressure in the blood vessels in and around your anus.
Most cases are thought to be caused by excessive straining on the toilet, due to prolonged constipation, often resulting from a lack of fibre in your diet.
Things that can increase your risk of haemorrhoids include:
- being overweight
- being over the age of 45
- being pregnant (read more about piles in pregnancy)
- having a family history of haemorrhoids
Read more about the causes of haemorrhoids.
Preventing and treating piles
Haemorrhoid symptoms often settle down after a few days without treatment. Haemorrhoids that occur due to pregnancy usually get better after you give birth.
However, making lifestyle changes to reduce the strain on the blood vessels in and around your anus is often recommended. These can include:
- gradually increasing the amount of fibre in your diet – good sources of fibre include fruit, vegetables, wholegrain rice, wholewheat pasta and bread, seeds, nuts and oats
- drinking plenty of fluid, particularly water, but avoiding or cutting down on caffeine and alcohol
- not delaying going to the toilet – ignoring the urge to empty your bowels can make your stools harder and drier, which can lead to straining when you do go to the toilet
- avoiding medication that causes constipation – such as painkillers that contain codeine
- losing weight if you are overweight
- exercising regularly – this can help prevent constipation, reduce your blood pressure and help you lose weight
These measures can also reduce the risk of haemorrhoids returning, or even developing in the first place.
Medication that you apply directly to your back passage (topical treatments) or tablets bought from a pharmacy or prescribed by your GP may ease your symptoms and make it easier for you to pass stools.
If your haemorrhoid symptoms are more severe, there are a number of treatment options available. For example, banding is a non-surgical procedure where a very tight elastic band is put around the base of the haemorrhoid to cut off its blood supply. The haemorrhoid should fall off after about a week.
Surgery under general anaesthetic (where you are asleep) is sometimes used to remove or shrink large or external haemorrhoids.
Read more about treating haemorrhoids and surgery for haemorrhoids.