What does the evidence actually say?
Short, plain-language reviews of the questions patients ask most. Each one searches the medical literature, reads every study that comes back, and shows you what it found — including when the honest answer is that nobody has studied it.
These are compiled automatically, twice a week, from the questions people are searching. Every page shows the exact search it ran and the date it ran, so you can repeat it. How we grade evidence →
Condition
Evidence
51 reviews across 8 conditions
Hemorrhoids 25
Hemorrhoids overview →Can you push a prolapsed hemorrhoid back in, and how do you do it safely?
No study has tested whether pushing a prolapsed hemorrhoid back in by hand is safe or helpful.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 2 found
Do sitz baths help hemorrhoids?
No study has directly tested whether sitz baths help people with hemorrhoids — most of the research looks at something else, like recovery after hemorrhoid surgery.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 28 found
Does aloe vera help with hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether aloe vera treats hemorrhoid symptoms in people who haven't had surgery.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 5 found
Does magnesium help hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether oral magnesium supplements help hemorrhoid symptoms.
Not studiedNo studies found
What is a prolapsed hemorrhoid, and how do you treat it?
There is no single "best" treatment for a prolapsed hemorrhoid — the right choice depends on how severe the prolapse is, and each option trades off recovery time against how likely it is to come back.
Well studied44 answer it directly · 161 found
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Why am I pooping blood with no pain?
Painless blood in the stool is usually caused by something minor like hemorrhoids or a small blood vessel problem, but it's also how some polyps and cancers first show up, so it needs a doctor's look rather than a guess.
Some evidence27 answer it directly · 135 found
Why do I bleed bright red blood when I wipe my bum?
Most people who notice bright red blood when they wipe have hemorrhoids or a small tear, but in the one study that checked everyone's true cause with colonoscopy, roughly 1 in 6 people turned out to have something more serious, like a colorectal tumour or bowel inflammation, instead.
Some evidence2 answer it directly · 86 found
Why is there a bump on my butt or anus?
A bump on the buttock or near the anus can have many different causes — including common conditions like hemorrhoids, pilonidal cysts, and abscesses, as well as much rarer growths and infections described in individual reports — and only an in-person exam can tell which one explains a particular bump.
Some evidence50 answer it directly · 108 found
Does vitamin E help with hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether vitamin E, taken orally or applied topically, relieves hemorrhoid symptoms or speeds healing.
Not studiedNo studies found
Do hemorrhoids need surgery, or can they be treated without an operation?
Whether you need surgery depends on how severe the hemorrhoids are: for grade I-III, office procedures like banding often work about as well as surgery, but surgery lowers the chance of symptoms coming back.
Well studied8 answer it directly · 89 found
Is lemon good for hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether drinking lemon juice, lemon water, or applying lemon to hemorrhoids actually helps.
Not studiedNo studies found
Are skin tags on the anus dangerous?
A plain skin growth at the anus is usually just a harmless flap of skin, but the only direct evidence on this question is a handful of case reports, so it cannot rule out rare exceptions.
Little evidence3 answer it directly · 25 found
Do hemorrhoids go away on their own, and how long does it take?
No study has tracked people with hemorrhoids who got no treatment at all, so there's no solid answer for how many go away purely on their own, or exactly how long that takes.
Little evidenceNone answers it directly · 3 found
Does manuka honey help wounds heal, including after anorectal surgery?
No study has tested whether manuka honey helps wounds heal after hemorrhoidectomy, fistulotomy, or pilonidal sinus surgery.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 95 found
Does putting honey on hemorrhoids help?
No study has tested whether putting honey on hemorrhoids actually helps with pain, bleeding, itching, or swelling.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 1 found
Does putting ice on hemorrhoids help?
No study has directly tested whether ice helps the pain, swelling, or bleeding of ordinary hemorrhoids.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 7 found
Does tea tree oil help with hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether tea tree oil helps hemorrhoids.
Not studiedNo studies found
Does coconut oil or other natural oils (olive oil, castor oil, essential oils) help hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether coconut oil, plain olive oil, or castor oil alone relieve hemorrhoid symptoms in people.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 18 found
Why can't you band external hemorrhoids?
Banding is traditionally avoided on external hemorrhoids because that skin has pain-sensing nerves, but a couple of small, low-quality studies suggest it may sometimes work — it's just too early to know for sure.
Under re-review2 answer it directly · 39 found
Why do hemorrhoids bleed, and what actually stops it?
Several office procedures and medicines have been shown in trials to reduce or stop hemorrhoid bleeding — but no study in this review actually explains why hemorrhoids bleed in the first place.
Under re-review57 answer it directly · 140 found
Does apple cider vinegar help with hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether apple cider vinegar helps hemorrhoids.
Not studiedNo studies found
Does hemorrhoid cream actually work to shrink hemorrhoids or stop the bleeding?
The evidence that hemorrhoid cream shrinks hemorrhoids or stops bleeding is weak and inconsistent.
Under re-review20 answer it directly · 96 found
Is it normal to have black stool after silver nitrate treatment for hemorrhoids, or does it mean something is wrong?
No study has looked at how often black stool happens after silver nitrate treatment for hemorrhoids, or what it means when it does.
Not studiedNo studies found
Is laser surgery better than traditional hemorrhoidectomy for treating hemorrhoids?
It's unclear which is better — laser surgery often hurts less at first, but it may not fix the hemorrhoids as permanently as traditional surgery.
Under re-review21 answer it directly · 33 found
Does an Epsom salt bath help hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether an Epsom salt bath helps hemorrhoids.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 5 found
Pilonidal disease 15
Pilonidal disease overview →Is a pilonidal cyst dangerous?
A pilonidal cyst is usually not dangerous, but it can become infected, and in rare cases long-standing disease can lead to serious infection or cancer.
Fairly well studied15 answer it directly · 29 found
How do you treat a pilonidal cyst at home?
Very little research exists on home care for pilonidal cysts — only one small study has tested a self-care routine directly, and only in children.
Little evidence1 answers it directly · 3 found
Can a pilonidal cyst cause sepsis?
In rare, individually reported cases, yes — but this has only been documented twice, so it isn't possible to say how often it happens.
Little evidence2 answer it directly · 6 found
Can you get a pilonidal cyst during pregnancy, and how should it be treated?
Yes, a pilonidal cyst (a small pocket near the tailbone that can get infected) can flare up or appear during pregnancy, but this comes from a single published case, so how common it is and the best way to treat it are not established.
Little evidence1 answers it directly · 1 found
Does using a seat or coccyx cushion help with a pilonidal cyst or sinus?
No study has tested whether a seat or coccyx cushion helps a pilonidal cyst or sinus.
Not studiedNo studies found
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How long does it take to recover after a pilonidal cyst is drained?
After a pilonidal abscess is drained, one study found the wound took a median of 43 days to close, and fewer than half had healed by their first follow-up visit.
Fairly well studied1 answers it directly · 1 found
Is it safe to pop a pilonidal cyst yourself, or should you let it drain on its own?
No research has tested whether it's safe to pop a pilonidal cyst yourself.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 1 found
What should you do if a pilonidal cyst bursts on its own?
No study has tested what to do after a pilonidal cyst bursts on its own — the research found only looks at related situations, like a clinician draining an abscess in clinic.
Little evidenceNone answers it directly · 5 found
Why is there hair coming out of my anus?
Visible hair around the anus usually isn't a sign of disease, but this hasn't actually been tested by research; the only study that looked directly at excess perianal hair growth found it was caused by a rare hormone-producing ovarian tumor in one postmenopausal woman.
Little evidence1 answers it directly · 7 found
Can a cream treat a pilonidal cyst or sinus?
There is no solid evidence that a cream alone can treat a pilonidal cyst or sinus.
Unclear1 answers it directly · 12 found
Can a pilonidal cyst go away on its own?
It's unclear — no study has tracked untreated pilonidal cysts to see if they heal on their own.
Little evidenceNone answers it directly · 3 found
Do antibiotics actually clear up a pilonidal cyst or abscess?
No study has directly tested whether antibiotics alone clear up a pilonidal cyst, sinus, or abscess, compared with drainage or surgery done without antibiotics.
Not studiedNone answers it directly · 22 found
Can a pilonidal cyst kill you?
No study has measured how often an infected pilonidal cyst leads to sepsis, severe infection, or death.
Not studiedNo studies found
How long does a pilonidal cyst last?
No study has tracked how long a pilonidal cyst or flare-up lasts if left alone — the research instead measures how fast different treatments heal it.
Under re-review3 answer it directly · 134 found
Why does the top of my butt crack hurt?
Pain, swelling, a bump, or bleeding at the top of the butt crack is usually pilonidal disease, and the evidence shows it often comes back after treatment and can occasionally cause serious harm if ignored.
Under re-review74 answer it directly · 179 found
Anal abscess and fistula 3
Anal abscess and fistula overview →How can you prevent an anal fistula from forming?
In trials of people having an abscess drained, treating the fistula tract at the same time (with a seton or fistulotomy) lowered the chance of a fistula forming or needing repeat surgery, compared with draining the abscess alone.
Well studied23 answer it directly · 89 found
Can an anal fistula heal without surgery, or is surgery always needed?
In small, non-randomized studies, many anal fistulas closed without surgery using treatments like silver nitrate irrigation, biologic plugs, or outpatient wire drainage, but it is unclear whether non-surgical methods close fistulas as reliably as surgery.
Some evidence5 answer it directly · 16 found
Can an anorectal abscess be treated without surgery?
No study has directly tested plain antibiotics, with no procedure at all, against surgical incision and drainage for a typical anorectal abscess.
Little evidenceNone answers it directly · 19 found
Anal fissure 2
Anal fissure overview →Do sitz baths help an anal fissure heal?
A single trial that directly tested sitz baths against no sitz baths found no difference in anal fissure healing after 4 weeks.
No meaningful benefit1 answers it directly · 11 found
Why does my anus hurt after pooping?
In these studies, pain right after a bowel movement is most often caused by an anal fissure — a small tear — while hemorrhoids themselves usually only hurt when a clot has formed inside them.
Under re-review32 answer it directly · 185 found