IRC for Hemorrhoids Introduction

IRC for hemorrhoids specifically refers to a medical procedure called infrared coagulation, often used on hemorrhoids among other conditions.

Low-level infrared technology has been studied for medicinal uses for quite some time, and the field is still not fully explored.

When IRC is used for hemorrhoids, the specific infrared wavelengths produce chemical changes in the body that cause massive blood coagulation within the hemorrhoid itself, which causes the hemorrhoid in question to seal up, shrivel, and shrink or slough off in entirety.

Types of Hemorrhoids that IRC Hemorrhoid Therapy Treats

IRC for hemorrhoids only works on internal hemorrhoids up to stage III of prolapse.

It does not work at all on external hemorrhoids.

The exact whys and wherefores of IRC for hemorrhoids is still being studied, but one of the probable reasons for this difference between internal and external hemorrhoids is the material from which they originate.

Internal hemorrhoids originate from thin mucus membrane, while external hemorrhoids originate from the external skin of the body. Skin is much thicker than mucus membrane, so the infrared wavelengths may have a difficult time penetrating the tissue of external hemorrhoids to any useful degree.

While IRC for hemorrhoids has never been proven useful on anything except internal hemorrhoids, that fact often doesn’t get advertised by hemorrhoids specialist clinics that only offer IRC for hemorrhoids.

Such IRC for hemorrhoids specialists want you to come in (and charge the money involved) no matter what.

If you don’t already know what kind of hemorrhoid you have, this is a useful visit in and of itself. Internal hemorrhoids prolapse outside the body on a regular basis, and unless you really know what you’re looking at you could mistake a prolapsed internal hemorrhoid for an external hemorrhoid.

However, if you’ve had hemorrhoids before or if your family physician has already told you that you have an external hemorrhoid, IRC for hemorrhoids will be completely useless. Therefore, you shouldn’t waste your money on a hemorrhoid specialist who only offers IRC for hemorrhoids.

How Does IRC for Hemorrhoids Work?

IRC for hemorrhoids works by aiming low level infrared radiation into the tissue of a hemorrhoid.

Infrared radiation (IR) is defined as electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than that of microwaves. Don’t let the term “radiation” scare you, infrared radiation is not the same as the radiation that nuclear plants put out.

“Radiation” in this sense merely refers to energy that radiates. All energy radiates on different wavelengths. Most of these wavelengths are not harmful to humans. By this definition, light is a form of radiation, as are heat and radio waves. The “radiation” that nuclear plants and X-ray machines put out, by contrast, is a set of specific wavelengths of radiation that are harmful to living tissues (in other words, people, animals, plants and so on).

Radiation therapy, in a medical sense, is usually used to refer to harmful wavelength radiation therapy for cancerous tumors. In this type of therapy, a material known to put out the harmful wavelengths, aka “radioactive material” is introduced into or near the tumor in tiny, controlled amounts. Cancer cells reproduce at a much higher rate of speed than normal bodily cells. The radiation used in radiation therapy for cancer both kills cancer cells directly and introduces genetic errors into those cells, making cells further down the line non-viable.

The idea is that the radiation will kill the cancer cells faster than it kills off healthy ones. A lot of cancer therapy works by trying to poison or kill the tumor faster than you kill the body, which is why chemotherapy and radiotherapy cancer treatments are never fun. In essence, both styles of cancer treatment introduce powerful poisons into the body and hope to kill the tumor while the patient only gets sick.

IRC for hemorrhoids does no such thing.

The infrared radiation used is of a completely different wavelength and does not harm living tissues.

Instead, the body seems to chemically react to the presence of the infrared wavelength by making internal adjustments, none of which are harmful in and of themselves.

When IRC is used for hemorrhoids, the blood reacts by coagulating in the spot where the IR was aimed. Now, you wouldn’t really want this to happen in the wrong place. If your blood coagulates within the hemorrhoid itself, you don’t have a cure, you have a thrombosed hemorrhoid which is a whole other realm of hurt. If blood coagulates in a major vein, you have a blood clot that can travel to your heart and kill you.

However, when performed properly, coagulation happens at the point where the hemorrhoid diverges from the body, not within the hemorrhoid itself.

If coagulation occurs within the hemorrhoid itself (thrombosed hemorrhoid) then cellular toxins will start to build up, causing massive inflammation and pain.

However, blood can still flow through the hemorrhoid, albeit badly and slowly. The tissues of the hemorrhoid are still being fed oxygen and nutrients, so the tissue goes on living.

However, the process has lost efficiency, so some cells start to die and shed toxins.

Those toxins can get out into surrounding tissue, thus triggering the body’s full inflammatory response.

If that goes on for long enough, the toxins can even get into the general bloodstream, causing gangrene and septicemia.

However, when coagulation occurs completely at the point where the hemorrhoid diverges from the body, then nutrients and oxygen can’t get in and toxins can’t get out.

The tissue of the hemorrhoid starts to die quickly, the toxins stay within the hemorrhoid and speed the process up, and the body eventually sloughs off the entire thing.

To sum up, IRC for hemorrhoids works by blocking off all the blood supply to the hemorrhoid, at which point the body itself will get rid of it as a danger.

 

Risks and Side Effects of IRC for Hemorrhoids

So, all that highly detailed explanation of IRC for hemorrhoids aside, what exactly can you expect to happen?

Well, your doctor will probably want you to go on a hemorrhoid treatment and prevention lifestyle regime starting a week or two before the procedure.

You’ll want to put together overall lifestyle changes you’ll enjoy over the long term, because you’ll be keeping these after the procedure.

IRC for hemorrhoids is often done as an outpatient procedure in an office.

You may be given a mild anesthetic in order to reduce muscle tension, but IRC for hemorrhoids isn’t usually painful.

Most people report feeling a brief sensation of heat, if anything.

The radiation is aimed by wand at the appropriate area and held there until the proper therapeutic dose has been administered.

A therapeutic dose of IRC for hemorrhoids means the amount of infrared radiation needed to affect the particular hemorrhoid, and will vary per patient and per hemorrhoid in question.

After the procedure, you may experience both pain and bleeding, though neither should be debilitating.

Both pain and bleeding come from the body’s process of sloughing off the tissue that the hemorrhoid was made of.

The biggest potential side effect most people have to worry about from IRC for hemorrhoids is the possibility of recurrence.

IRC for hemorrhoids carries a higher comeback risk for hemorrhoids than other forms of hemorrhoid removal and treatment.

In addition, like any surgical procedure IRC for hemorrhoids carries a slight risk of shock and/or infection. These last two are pretty rare, but if they occur they need to be treated immediately.

The recovery time after getting IRC for hemorrhoids is usually one to two weeks.

During that time, you should follow all doctor’s instructions to the letter.

You may have been prescribed painkillers, antibiotics or both in order to manage pain and prevent infection. Do take them as instructed.

In addition, if your doctor has told you to lay off the exercise or physical exertion for a bit, do take that advice even if you feel great.

First, any painkillers you’re taking can deceive you into thinking that you’re more fit than you really are, and second, physical exertion at the wrong time can break open healing, scabbed over tissue.

While you may not be able to exercise as much during your recovery as you’d like, do remember to keep up with dietary and water intake changes. This will improve your health, reduce the chance of getting more hemorrhoids in the future, and speed up your healing in a number of ways.

When you can, add exercise back into your routine to get the best possible defense against hemorrhoids and a myriad of other health problems.

 

IRC for Hemorrhoids Conclusion

IRC for hemorrhoids is a good, relatively non-invasive procedure to use against internal hemorrhoids.

IRC for hemorrhoids doesn’t involve cutting into the body at all, and often performs well against latex banding or injection sclerotherapy.

Because of it’s lack of bodily invasion at all and effectiveness, IRC for hemorrhoids is often seen as the first professional-level line of defense against internal hemorrhoids.

When used properly, in conjunction with diet, exercise and treatment of other underlying conditions, IRC for hemorrhoids can provide safe treatment for serious internal hemorrhoids.

 

IRC for Hemorrhoids References

Department of Internal Medicine,Shiraz E-Medical Journal,Vol. 5, No. 2, April 2004, Infrared Coagulation versus Rubber Band Ligation in Early Hemorrhoids; PAIN VS GAIN. Dr. Pravin J. Gupta, Consulting Proctologist, Gupta Nursing Home, Laxminagar, Nagpur, India

 

 

Research and main write by Loni L. Ice, quality control, editing and additional writing by D. S. Urquhart.