Poo PSA

[jianantonic]

I'm not kidding, this really is going to be an entry about bowel activity, so turn back now if that sort of thing bothers you.

Anyhow, some of you may know that I have suffered from an IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), similar to Crone's Disease. A few years ago, my doctor ran a bunch of really humiliating tests and had a lot of really humiliating discussions with me, which only had two results: to confirm that I did have a chronic IBS and to make me much more nonchalant about discussing poo-related topics. But he never knew what was causing it or how to best treat me. He prescribed soft toilet paper and strong bathroom fans and sent me on my way.

I'm sure that my horrid diet had a lot to do with my issues - since I've begun my much healthier lifestyle, the IBS has been much less of a problem. But I've recently learned of something else that helps even more than a good diet: nature's platform.
http://www.naturesplatform.com/

Okay, I don't actually have one of these - yet - but my cousin does, and she's been singing its praises of late. I went on the website and read all about the benefits of sqautting, and I need no further convincing. Jeremy, too, has come over to this side. Seriously - check the website - there's all kinds of great information about the health benefits of squatting vs. sitting.

So, I haven't ordered mine yet, but I have been able to test the idea. Basically, the point is that your body is in the squatting position - while I can't do that on my regular toilet, both the toilets that I use in my house are situated next to either a wall or bathtub, so I've been propping my feet up to immitate as closely as possible this squatting position. It's like I've died and gone to bowel heaven. For those of you in my readership who've experienced similar problems (names withheld to protect the embarassed - you know who you are), I urge you to give this a try.

One thing the website mentions is that when you're in a sitting position, you actually block part of your colon off, so that you can't expell everything that needs expelling. When this pocket gets filled with poo and you can't get rid of it, that's called "fecal stagnation," and it can cause lots of serious health problems, including hemerrhoids, colon cancer, all the variations of IBS, and so on. Many of these problems are virtually unknown to the third world because they don't use toilets. Isn't that interesting?

Nature's Platform was invented by a yogi - all the more reason for me to jump on board. Actually, our yoga instructor told us something really interesting the other day. He said when doing spinal stretches (which we should all do everyday!), you should always twist first to the right, and second to the left. That's because your ascending colon is on the right and your descending colon is on the left, and while he didn't go into great detail about it, I'm sure it has something to do with poo issues. Yoga really is a fascinating learning experience.

So I hope you've all enjoyed my PSA, those of you who braved the warnings and read on. And don't worry, if you come to my house in the future, you don't have to squat. Nature's Platform is easily folded and removed for those who still prefer to sit - but why would you?

Peace.

Comments

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

Once I stopped laughing, your post raises a lot of interesting points.

[jianantonic.livejournal.com]

I don't think there will ever be an age where I cease to find poo funny. :)

[oobermeister.livejournal.com]

we really should talk about poo more often, not only because bowel health is important, but also because it is universally funny

[oobermeister.livejournal.com]

the only significant problem i see with this is that, since you'd be well above the toilet, how do you guarentee that everything makes it into the bowl, especially your pee, becoz, unless i remember to point my fireman's hose downward, the pee kinda gets shot outward and would likely miss the bowl. toilets designed for squatting, however, solve this problem by having a part of the bowl turned upward to catch the stream of urine.

[jianantonic.livejournal.com]

You can get a shield attachment for the platform, but my cousin says what she and her roomies do is move the platform away and sit on the throne to do #1.