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
Verdict
22 reviews across 5 conditions
Hemorrhoids 14
Hemorrhoids overview →Do hemorrhoids need surgery, or can they be treated without an operation?
Surgery works better than banding for stopping grade III hemorrhoids from coming back, but both approaches carry rare, serious risks.
Signal of harm115 studies
Does aloe vera help with hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether aloe vera relieves hemorrhoid symptoms like pain, bleeding, or itching in people who have not had surgery for hemorrhoids.
Not studied5 studies
Does apple cider vinegar help with hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether apple cider vinegar helps with hemorrhoids.
Not studied0 studies
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.
Signal of harm96 studies
Does magnesium help hemorrhoids?
No study has isolated whether magnesium itself — taken by mouth or soaked on as Epsom salt — reduces hemorrhoid pain, swelling, or bleeding.
Not studied6 studies
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Does manuka honey help wounds heal, including after anorectal surgery?
No study has tested manuka honey specifically on anorectal surgery wounds like hemorrhoidectomy or fistula surgery, and the one closest trial — on pilonidal sinus wounds — found no real benefit.
Signal of harm142 studies
Does putting honey on hemorrhoids help?
One tiny, uncontrolled study found a honey mixture eased bleeding and itching in hemorrhoid patients, but the evidence is too weak to call this proven.
Possible benefit6 studies
Does putting ice on hemorrhoids help?
Icing hemorrhoids doesn't appear to ease pain more than not icing them, in the trials that tested it.
No meaningful benefit15 studies
Does tea tree oil help with hemorrhoids?
Tea tree oil might ease some hemorrhoid symptoms, but the evidence is too thin to be sure.
Possible benefit1 study
Does vitamin E help with hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether vitamin E — topical or oral — reduces hemorrhoid symptoms or speeds healing.
Not studied0 studies
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 studied0 studies
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.
Unclear33 studies
Is lemon good for hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether lemon helps hemorrhoids.
Not studied25 studies
Does an Epsom salt bath help hemorrhoids?
No study has tested whether an Epsom salt bath helps hemorrhoids.
Not studied5 studies
Pilonidal disease 3
Pilonidal disease overview →Can a cream treat a pilonidal cyst or sinus?
Creams do not treat a pilonidal cyst or sinus on their own — most evidence shows no meaningful benefit, and surgery remains the main effective treatment.
No meaningful benefit26 studies
Does using a seat or coccyx cushion help with a pilonidal cyst or sinus?
There is no good evidence that a seat or coccyx cushion treats pilonidal sinus disease or helps you heal faster after surgery.
Not studied1 study
How long does it take to recover after a pilonidal cyst is drained?
Draining a pilonidal abscess relieves the acute infection quickly, but it doesn't reliably end the problem — in the studies that followed patients afterward, a sizeable share had the abscess come back or needed a second operation.
Signal of harm98 studies
Anal abscess and fistula 2
Anal abscess and fistula overview →Can an anal fistula heal without surgery, or is surgery always needed?
In adults with a typical (cryptoglandular) anal fistula, the little evidence available suggests the tunnel usually does not close on its own, and non-surgical options may work less reliably than surgery.
Signal of harm80 studies
Can an anorectal abscess be treated without surgery?
No — for most adults, antibiotics alone are not a proven substitute for having the abscess drained.
Signal of harm72 studies