What to do about an itchy butt
OK, so we’ve all experienced it at some point or another, and probably been too embarrassed to talk about it: an itchy butt! Let’s see what’s causing it and what to do about it.
PINWORMS
Being in contact with farm animals like goats, chickens, donkeys etc, can lead children and occasionally adults to get pinworms and sometimes hookworms–these are a common reason for an itchy butt.
Diagnosis: Do the ‘tape test.’ At night, I check my kids’ anus with a flashlight and look for little tiny things that look like grains of rice right around the rectum. You can also take a piece of clear tape and touch it to the rectum to see if there are little white eggs.
Treatement: Pyrantel Pamoate (easily available at your local pharmacy, and you’ll find it in liquid form with a variety of flavors). Follow the dosing instructions on the bottle, give your child one treatment. I recommend following with a second treatment a week later to kill any eggs that have hatched during that week.
YEAST OVERGROWTH
Yeast can overgrow from warm, moist conditions, or eating too much sugar.
Diagnosis: A rash in the perineum which is the outer annal area.
Treatment: First, eat a low sugar diet. For women, using a probiotic like fem dophilus which is inserted vaginally nightly. If that doesn’t work, get a prescription for diflucan at 150mg-200mg. Take it once, and repeat in 3 days, avoid alcohol while you’re on it. For men, I recommend the diflucan right away.
HEMORRHOIDS
If you suffer from constipation, or did some heavy weightlifting, or you’ve just had a baby, these increase intra-abdominal pressure which can cause hemorrhoids–rectal veins either internal or, in the case of the ones that itch, external.
Diagnosis: Generally you can feel an external hemorrhoid as a small bulge by the anal opening.
Treatment: Take stool softeners and eat a lot of fiber. Miralax is a safe powder that you mix with water. If needed, take docusate 100mg. And magnesium at bedtime will also help, start with 200mg. If the hemorrhoid is really uncomfortable, you can get a prescription for a topical steroid, but only use a pea-sized amount.
Stay healthy!
