Want Better Bowel Movements? Squat,
Don’t Sit!
June 01, 2015
Story at-a-glance
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Your body is designed to eliminate feces by squatting.
Sitting on a modern toilet actually hinders elimination by
pinching off your anal canal, which increases your risk of
constipation, hemorrhoids, and more
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Squatting places your knees closer to your torso, and this
position changes the spatial relationships of your
intestinal organs and musculature, relaxing and
straightening your rectum
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A foot stool is one simple device that can help you assume a
more natural squat position on your toilet
By Dr. Mercola
Bowel movements are probably low on most people’s list of
topics they like to discuss, but it’s an important one
nonetheless. Not only can your poop tell you a lot about your
health, how you go can have a significant impact too.
Your position can affect the ease with which you eliminate,
and doing it wrong may increase your risk of bowel and pelvic
problems, including constipation, hemorrhoids, and more. As it
turns out, virtually everyone living in Western societies is
doing it wrong...
Most of you reading this probably sit to evacuate your bowel,
but this requires you to strain, which has some unwanted
biological effects, including a temporary disruption in cardiac
flow. Your body is actually designed to eliminate by
squatting, which is the topic of the featured article in
The Guardian.1
Why Squat?
Sitting on a modern toilet places your knees at a 90-degree
angle to your abdomen, which actually hinders
elimination by pinching off your anal canal, as illustrated in
the image below.
Squatting, on the other hand, places your knees closer to
your torso, and this position changes the spatial relationships
of your intestinal organs and musculature, relaxing and
straightening your rectum. As a result, you maximize the
efficiency of elimination.
Importantly, this prevents fecal stagnation and the
accumulation of toxins in your intestinal tract that can fester
and contribute to bowel problems and a variety of discomforts.
In fact, non-Westernized societies, in which people squat
rather than sit, do not have the high prevalence of bowel
disease seen in developed nations; in some cultures with
traditional lifestyles, these diseases are virtually unknown.
Reference:
Tagart REB. The Anal Canal and Rectum: Their Varying
Relationship and Its Effect on Anal Continence, Diseases of
the Colon and Rectum 1966: 9, 449-452.
Devices That Enable You to Squat Easier
As the benefits of squatting have become better known, a
number of devices have emerged, designed to help you assume the
proper position.
One simple device is a foot stool2
that allows you to get into a more natural squat position
without renovating your entire bathroom and converting to a hole
in the ground, which is what you’ll find in some non-Western
countries.
It’s an inexpensive way to improve your potty posture, and
since you’re still sitting on your toilet, virtually anyone can
benefit from it, as squatting without support can be a challenge
for most who didn’t grow up squatting on a daily basis. It’s
definitely a workout for your thighs!
If you have trouble with bowel movements, I highly recommend
giving the squat position a try.
There’s compelling evidence suggesting the Western toilet is
at least in part responsible not only for constipation and
hemorrhoids, but also more severe health problems like
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), appendicitis, and even heart
attacks—caused by the disruption of blood flow and straining.
Consider a Bidet
Another helpful tool is a bidet. While it doesn’t help with
elimination, it’s a practical and affordable alternative to
toilet paper. Bidets are the norm in many European countries,
where you’ll find one in virtually every bathroom.
A bidet is refreshing in a way toilet paper will never be, is
gentler and less irritating than wiping with paper, and reduces
hand contamination. Whenever I travel it is one of the items
that I miss most from my home.
The bidets quickly pay for themselves with the money saved on
toilet paper, especially if you just wipe yourself dry with a
small reusable hand towel. More importantly, a bidet will clean
your bottom far more effectively than simply using dry toilet
paper. They are easy to install, as no plumber is required. My
favorite
bidet can be found in my online store.
The Importance of Regularity
Staying “regular” is important for optimal health, as it not
only removes waste from your body; it also affects how you feel.
Whether your bowel movements come too frequently or not often
enough, it can make you uncomfortable, bloated, or even
interfere with your body's ability to absorb nutrients from your
diet.
That said, what’s normal for one may not be normal for
another. When we talk about regularity, what we’re really
talking about is what’s regular for you.
Anything from three bowel movements per day to three per week is
considered to be within the normal range, with many agreeing
that once a day is ideal.
More important than frequency is the ease with which you move
your bowels. Moving your bowels should take no more effort than
urinating or passing gas. If you have to push or strain, it’s an
indication that something’s off. A sudden change in your bowel
habits (for the worse) might signal a problem.
Factors that can affect regularity include your diet, travel,
medications, hormonal fluctuations, sleep patterns, exercise,
illness, surgery, childbirth, and stress, just to name a few.3
Why Keeping an Eye on Your Stool Is a Good Idea
Your stool is about 75 percent water. The rest is a fetid
combination of fiber, live and dead bacteria, miscellaneous
cells, and mucus.4
The characteristics of your stool will tell you a good deal
about the state of your digestive tract.
What you see in the toilet can give you clues about how your
gastrointestinal tract is functioning and even signal serious
disease processes that could be occurring, like infections,
digestive problems, and even cancer. The color, odor, shape,
size, and even the sound it makes when it hits the water and
whether it’s a “sinker” or a “floater” are all relevant
information. The Bristol Stool Chart,
originally published in the Scandinavian Journal of
Gastroenterology in 1997, describes the
kind of variety you may find in your toilet.
Ideally, your stool should approximate Types 3, 4 or 5. Type
4 is generally considered “the Holy Grail”.5
Ideally, you would also spend very little time on the
toilet—once seated, elimination should be quick and effortless.
The harder and lumpier your stools, the longer the feces have
remained in your colon, suggesting your elimination is slower
than ideal. For a more detailed discussion about the different
types of stools, see GutSense.org.6
Your feces can also reveal something about your diet, and/or
indicate a food sensitivity.
Fiber, for example, is important for optimal bowel function
as it adds bulk to your stool, and acts like glue to keep your
stool from falling apart. If your stool is on the softer side
and lacking in bulk, you may need more fiber in your diet. But
it could also be related to lactose intolerance, artificial
sweeteners (sorbitol and
Splenda), or a reaction to fructose or gluten.
As for what’s healthy and what’s not, the following table
will help you determine what’s what, and when seeing a doctor
may be advisable. If you have a change in stools accompanied by
abdominal pain, be sure to report it to your physician.
Healthy Stool |
Unhealthy Stool |
Medium to light brown |
Stool that is hard to
pass, painful, or requires straining |
Smooth and soft, formed
into one long shape and not a bunch of pieces |
Hard lumps and pieces,
or mushy and watery, or even pasty and difficult to
clean off |
About one to two inches
in diameter and up to 18 inches long |
Narrow,
pencil-like, or ribbon-like stools: can
indicate a bowel obstruction or tumor—or worst case,
colon cancer; narrow stools on an infrequent basis are
not so concerning, but if they persist, definitely
warrant a call to your physician7 |
S-shaped, which comes
from the shape of your lower intestine8 |
Black, tarry
stools or bright red stools may indicate
bleeding in the GI tract; black stools can also come
from certain medications, supplements or consuming black
licorice; if you have black, tarry stools, it’s best to
be evaluated by your healthcare provider |
Quiet and gentle dive
into the water... it should fall into the bowl with the
slightest little “whoosh” sound—not a loud, wet
cannonball splash that leaves your bottom in need of a
shower |
White, pale, or
gray stools may indicate a lack of bile, which
may suggest a serious problem (hepatitis,
cirrhosis, pancreatic disorders, or possibly a
blocked bile duct), so this warrants a call to your
physician; antacids may also produce white stool |
Natural smell, not
repulsive (I’m not saying it will smell good) |
Yellow stools
may indicate giardia infection, a gallbladder problem,
or a condition known as Gilbert’s syndrome—if you see
this, call your doctor |
Uniform texture |
Presence of undigested
food (more of a concern if accompanied by diarrhea,
weight loss, or other changes in bowel) habits |
Sinks slowly |
Increased mucus
in stool: This can be associated with
inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease, or
ulcerative colitis, or even colon cancer, especially if
accompanied by blood or abdominal pain |
How to Improve Your Bowel Movements
Most gastrointestinal problems can be prevented or resolved
by making simple changes to your diet and lifestyle, such as the
following:
- To reverse constipation or diarrhea, remove all sources
of
gluten from your diet (the most common sources are
wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and other grains)
- Eat a diet that includes
whole foods, rich in fresh, organic vegetables and
fruits that provide good nutrients and fiber
- Avoid artificial sweeteners, excess sugar (especially
fructose), chemical additives, MSG, excessive amounts of
caffeine, and processed foods as they are all detrimental to
your gastrointestinal (and immune) function
- Boost your intestinal flora by adding traditionally
fermented foods to your diet. Consider adding a high
quality, broad-spectrum probiotic supplement if you suspect
you’re not getting enough beneficial bacteria from your diet
alone
- Increase your fiber intake, most of which should come
from vegetables, not grains. Good options include
sunflower sprouts, psyllium, and freshly ground organic
flax seed. Aim for about 30-35 grams of fiber per day
- Make sure you stay well-hydrated with fresh, pure water
- Get plenty of exercise daily
- Avoid drugs such as pain killers (especially codeine),
antidepressants, and antibiotics, all of which can cause a
variety of GI disruptions. If you have to take a course of
antibiotics, be sure to reseed your gut flora with
probiotics
- Consider
squatting instead of sitting to move your bowels;
squatting straightens your rectum, relaxes your puborectalis
muscle and encourages the complete emptying of your bowel
without straining, and has been scientifically shown to
relieve constipation and hemorrhoids
© Copyright 1997-2015 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/06/01/benefits-squats.aspx?
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