They are ailments that can be painful and uncomfortable, but they need not be awkward.
Having set up a medical clinic in Burnaby's Station Square in 2006, North American Hemorrhoids Centre (NAHC) focuses on addressing and treating the root causes behind any number of conditions: hemorrhoids, anal fissures, anal fistulas, anal abscesses and anal eczema.
This is a team whose methods have been developed over more than a century and a business model that’s been in practice for 45 years.
And all treatments are done in a trustworthy and professional manner.
“We have a strict policy of confidentiality in our clinic,” says centre co-founder Alison Ying Chen. “Patients will talk to their doctor only about their symptoms and we don’t share that information with anybody else.”
Hemorrhoids occur when veins in the rectum and around the anus become swollen or dilated. As blood builds up, these veins expand outward and form hemorrhoids. While not always visible, hemorrhoids can appear as bumps that tend to be red or discoloured and are often painful or itchy.
While the numbers vary from one study to the next, it’s been suggested that anywhere from 40 to 80 per cent of women will deal with hemorrhoids over the course of a pregnancy. For men, meanwhile, one of the more common causes is an enlarged prostate.
But there are numerous other precursors that cross gender boundaries: excessive alcohol consumption; straining while defecating; a lack of fibre or exercise or obesity.
NAHC employs an innovative and holistic treatment plan to help patients find relief from hemorrhoids and other painful anorectal problems. The clinic is the only one of its kind in Canada to offer long-term treatment for anorectal diseases, combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine. The Guoyi Proctology Therapy method was created by NAHC founder, Dr. Chen Guoyi.
NAHC employs an innovative and holistic treatment plan to help patients find relief from hemorrhoids and other painful anorectal problems. Photo via Twinlens Photography
“Dr. Guoyi is a pioneer in our field and has spent his whole life in clinical research, trying to find new approaches, new applications and new clinical approaches,” Chen says. “He understands that as time goes on our bodies change, and he updates his research to reflect that.”
Guoyi Proctology Therapy includes an exclusive herbal ointment known as Bazhisan, combined with naturopathic treatment. Bazhisan soothes pain, stops bleeding and closes wounds to aid healing. The treatment eradicates symptoms by quickly restricting blood flow to the hemorrhoids, allowing them to detach naturally.
“This type of treatment has been used in China for almost 100 years,” Chen says. “We have many clients who undergo this treatment and are able to go for 10 or 20 years without getting hemorrhoids again.”
For severe bouts of hemorrhoids, the NAHC approach combines naturopathic treatment with microsurgery. This is particularly effective for prolapsed hemorrhoids and those with complications. In cases where hemorrhoids have become painful, swollen and the veins around the anus have become inflamed, microsurgery is an effective method of treatment.
A referral from a doctor is not needed to access the services at the N.A. Hemorrhoid Centre and treatments begin as soon as a patient reaches out.
“Based on extensive clinical experience and ongoing research into new symptoms, our treatments are highly effective, with consistently high success rates,” Chen says.
