Mona D, 66, suffered from hemorrhoids for 30 years - both protruding and bleeding.

Although she was mostly vegetarian, she ate many processed foods, didn't always get enough fibre, and would often forget to drink any fluid all day. But this was only part of what was causing her problem. She had previously tried increasing fibre and water intake, but to no avail.

When she sought me out for treatment, it was because she was having painful prolapsed veins at least once a month, occasional bright red blood in her stool (other possible causes were excluded by her doctor). Sometimes, she would be scared by the amount of blood in the toilet.

The prolapsed veins would usually last about five or six days, before shrinking back up, with a little help from her.

She was in much pain and didn't gain any relief from pharmacy creams or what her doctor had prescribed. The pain was interfering in her daily life.

My first step was to suggest some simple modifications to her diet, including drinking more fluids - I discussed with her those which would give the best results without unwanted effects. Her diet showed me she was lacking in an essential element which was almost surely contributing to her condition - so we discussed ways to naturally increase this, as well as the most effective supplements.

Second, I told her about my rescue treatment, to be used to shrink veins at the first signs of her next flare-up.

She said she was often actually scared to use the toilet, so I showed her how to do so correctly, and thereby avoid pain or strain.

She undertook some simple exercise and lost a few extra kilos as a bonus.

After about six weeks, she had experienced no further incidence of hemorrhoids. When I contacted her about 12 months later, she had been hemorrhoid-free since that time.

Lorraine B, 47, came to see me on behalf of her husband, Bill, 55, who was too embarrassed to do so himself.

A few weeks earlier, he had felt dizzy and almost fainted on the kitchen floor. A trip to the doctor and subsequent blood test, revealed his blood level was about half the amount usually in the human body! He was forced to admit to the doctor and his wife that he had been losing a large volume of blood when using the toilet. He had been experiencing this for maybe 20 years, without ever saying a word to anyone. The doctor suggested a blood transfusion was probably in order, but both Lorraine and her husband were not keen on this idea.

A visit to the specialist revealed a large hemorrhoid was the cause, and surgery was recommended as the only option. Bill was terrified, declaring he was not going under the knife under any circumstances.

So Lorrainne took it upon herself to seek my advice.

I immediately suggested the 'rescue' treatment to get started as soon as possible on shrinking his hemorrhoids.

Then, to address the causes, we discussed his lifestyle and diet, and it wasn't difficult to see why he was having this problem.

Bill's diet was actually very good - Lorraine was health conscious and careful about fats and oils, prepared plenty of salads and vegetables, etc. The problem was not so much what Bill was eating, but when and how. It was obvious he was commiting some very common but very serious eating errors.

A few tips, and that was soon sorted.

Lorraine also told me she had bought a couple of hemorrhoid aids over the internet - these turned out to be actually causing more damage, especially the cushion.

A few modifications, and Lorraine reported to me that within three weeks, Bill was noticeably improved and within two months, completely cured. She told me his general health had also greatly improved as a result of the measures undertaken.

About six months later, I saw Lorraine in the local supermarket - she told me how much her own health had improved since she also implemented the same dietary changes - her frequent heartburn had completely gone (something her doctor told her would never happen - it was drugs for life, he said) and she no longer experienced any stomach pain or gas after eating fruits.

Michelle had just turned 40 when she came to see me.

Since the birth of her last child five years earlier, she had been suffering badly from internal and external hemorrhoids.

It was interfering with her daily life - sometimes the pain of sitting down was so bad, she couldn't drive the car to collect her children from school. She told me that often the pain was such that it made her a "dragon" to her husband and children - she was so on-edge.

Michelle had seen many specialists - and was prescribed many different creams, suppositories and drugs. Some gave her allergic reactions. Some helped temporarily. None offered a long-term solution. Her mother-in-law had hemorrhoid surgery and advised Michelle against it, saying the result was not worth the pain, as she still had many problems.

"Someone advised me to put an ice-cube on my butt - it did help a bit, but I can't go to work and look after my kids with ice in my pants!" she told me. I couldn't argue with that.

I assessed Michelle's lifestyle and suggested a secret Chinese remedy which I was sure was what she needed to help her overcome this problem.

She told me it worked "like magic".

Michelle already went to the gym three times a week - she was fit, but she didn't know what kind of exercises she could do to help her problem (and she was too embarrased to tell the instructor she had piles). I told her what to tell her trainer, so he wouldn't guess the reason, and Michelle had remarkable benefit from this - it only took 5 minutes a day.

This, along with the 'rescue' treatment, and a few other easily implemented suggestions, permanently tamed this mother's inner-dragon.

Christine was 44 and had never suffered constipation - yet she suffered severly from hemorrhoids and anal fissures. She couldn't work out why - as she had heard that constipation is the cause of these maladies.

It's true that it can be one of the causes - but there are others.

After doing a complete assessment of Chrissie's health and diet, the culprit stood out like a burning beacon - one of the major organs of her body was under stress and in need or urgent attention.

Certain medications she had taken many years previously probably contributed significantly to this condition, and aspects of her diet were not helping it now.

In addition, some of the herbs she had been recommended to take by the salesperson at her local health food shop were actually contradictory to her problem, and may have been making it worse.

So, I suggested a few simple dietary changes to begin with - nothing major, but an awareness of what foods would improve her inner organs was a great start. I didn't want to shock her system with a major overhaul.

As her condition improved, I suggested a few other dietary variations and some supplements to give her internal system some added support.

She was also a slightly anxious personality and, by her own admission, quite prone to over-dramatising things. I explained to her how this could affect the balance of certain substances in her body, and also contribute to hemorrhoids. So I asked her to try my special breathing technique for just a few minutes each day - she later described this as "life-changing".

She told me: "Before, if anything went wrong or I didn't get my own way, I wouldn't just make a movie about it - I'd turn it into a five-part mini-series. When I started doing your breath technique, it was so easy and simple, I really didn't think it would have any impact. But because I promised you I would try it, I kept at it. Then, after a couple of weeks, my husband and colleagues started telling me how calm and relaxed I seemed - that was when I realised how much it worked. I really was calm and relaxed! And I'm sure it had a major impact on my body as well."

Within about seven weeks she informed me: 1. her hemorrhoids had gone; 2. her normally high cholesterol level was down to normal; 3. her headaches had disappeared; 4. she lost 4.8kg; and 5. she felt better than ever before.