Intractable itching around the opening of the anus. External causes include excessive sweating due to wearing woollen or nylon knickers or tights, lack of cleanliness, irritants in washing powders and possibly in coloured toilet paper, and liquid paraffin used to reline constipation; discharge from Piles, an Anal Fissure or Anal Fistula, or from the vagina can also cause it, and so can Diabetes (diabetes mellitus), Thrush, Threadworms, and Diarrhoea (particularly in children with alactasia, in which milk sugars cannot be digested). In some cases, itching may have a psychological component.
Specific remedies to be taken 4 times daily for up to 14 days
- Itchiness of vulva or scrotum which seems to get worse in company Ambra 6c
- Violent itching and a crawling sensation around anus, made worse by warmth Ignatia 6c
- Itching worse when walking outdoors or after passing stool Nitric ac. 6c
- Itching feels like lots of pin pricks, burning sensation in anus, stools soft but passed with difficulty Alumina 6c
- Itching due to threadworms, continuous irritation, especially on going to bed, restlessness, crawling sensation in rectum after passing stool Teucrium 6c
- Where sufferer is a child who takes unreasonable hatreds to people, itching worse at night, grinding of teeth in sleep Cina 6c
- Itchiness and smarting worse at night, alternate constipation and diarrhoea, especially if person is elderly, mucous discharge from anus, heat, wine, acid foods, and water make itching worse Antimonium 6c
- Anal area red and sore, burning diarrhoea worse in morning Sulphur 6c
Self-help: Try not to scratch - this only damages the skin and makes it easier for particles of faeces to cause further irritation - and wear cotton underwear. Do not use toilet paper. First thing in the morning and last thing at night, and after passing stool, wash anal area with warm soapy water, rinse with clean warm water, and pat dry with a towel reserved for the purpose. Then rinse your hands and apply Hamamelis ointment. |