Must we squat to poop?
Prompted by the high recommendation from a
patient, I recently purchased a ‘squatty potty’ – no it’s not really a potty
it’s actually a footstool to adjust your posture while you poop. In fact the idea is to put you into the more
natural position of squatting for healthy bowel elimination.
So I thought I’d try it and review it and I
must say it’s absolutely brilliant.
Years ago I wanted to build a squatting
toilet in the garden (long story) but my friends were against it and we went
for the more conventional seat. But with
a footrest you can use a conventional modern toilet and just raise your knees
and lean forward and you’re in a squatting position. After extolling the virtues of my new piece
of bathroom furniture, I then found out that many of my friends already use
either a homemade footrest or a manufactured for purpose prop. AND they all swear by it.
So why is it so great? Well it’s a posture thing. By squatting we take the kink out of our
colon by relaxing a muscle called puborectalis so poo doesn’t have to be pushed
and squeezed around a corner - making it all so much easier to go.
You might have noticed in the press back in
May that squatting is the new sitting as far as toilet behaviour goes. Although squatting is as old as humanity this
press coverage was all due to the recent success of a book by German Scientist
Giulia Enders called Darm mit Charm
in German or simply Gut in the
recently published English translation. It’s a great book, easy to read, entertaining
and full of fun drawings by her sister who is a science illustrator. I would recommend this book if you want an
introduction into how the gut works, how a healthy gut is so important to our
immune system and mental health and the latest research into the interactions
of gut bacteria with our whole well being.
As a research scientist Enders has oodles of references in the back of
the book but she also has a great skill in writing for a general
readership. She is an endearing speaker
and her award winning ‘science slam’ based on her research went viral on
YouTube in 2012 and is well worth looking up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFsTSS7aZ5o
So if you’re interested in reducing the
time you spend on the toilet, reducing your likelihood of getting haemmorhoids
and anal fissures, reducing constipation and being kinder to your pelvic floor
then look into a footrest to put you into a squatting position on the
toilet. There are many on the market - squatty potty seems to be the easiest
to buy online in the uk but have a look.
Barbara Moulang
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