Anything related to anal health is often ignored, misunderstood, or awkward to talk about. Most people tend to label every discomfort in that area as "piles", but that's not always the case.

A bowel movement can be an effective way to gauge whether you're in good health. The foods you eat, the amount of exercise you get, and how much water you drink affect your digestive system and poop.

Hemorrhoids are lumps that result from swollen veins around your anus. Fissures are skin tears in your anus and are more likely to cause pain and lead to complications. Hemorrhoids happen when veins ...

A digital rectal exam, which may be painful, may be needed if a definitive diagnosis of anal fissures cannot be made based on a patient’s history. 1 Anoscopy, which also may be painful, can be used to ...

An anal fistula is a small, abnormal tunnel that forms between the inside of the anal canal and the skin near the anus. The ...

Medically reviewed by William Truswell, MDKey TakeawaysHemorrhoids cause burning anal pain, itching, and blood in stool.Spicy foods, coffee, and alcohol can irritate the anal area and cause ...

Life's all fun and games until you get an anal fissure. I came to this conclusion after reading The New York Times today (and the Internet giggles it inspired). The paper of record spent 969 words ...

Each month, The Clinical Advisor makes one new clinical feature available ahead of print. Don’t forget to take the poll. The results will be published in the next month’s issue. Anal fissures result ...