Many world leaders have contended with hemorrhoids, including U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. But we don't hear about the millions of other Americans who have to deal with the itching, bleeding, swelling, and pain that hemorrhoids can cause.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, about half of people have hemorrhoids by age 50. If that's you, don't suffer in silence. Adopt smart self-care and talk to your doctor about how you can quiet the inflammation of the blood vessels around your rectum.

To ease current symptoms and prevent future hemorrhoids, eat plenty of insoluble and soluble fiber found in beans, 100% whole grains, nuts, and whole fruits and vegetables.

Make sure you drink water with every meal to help the passage of the indigestible insoluble fiber through your intestines. Then it can do its job, nurturing your gut microbes and keeping your digestive tract move things along.

Also consider a fiber supplement such as psyllium to make sure you have three or more healthy bowel movements a week.

Other modifiable lifestyle risk factors include obesity, spending too much time sitting on the toilet, not walking enough, and heavy lifting.

Recommended hemorrhoid treatments range from cold ice packs to medications, and now a painless surgery thanks to an invention that Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz both worked on that's property of Medtronic.

Ask about this option to shrink or remove hemorrhoids.