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Hemorrhoids, diseases such as diverticular colitis, or even simple constipation, occur almost exclusively in countries where people sit on the toilet for a bowel movement. The mechanism responsible for closing the intestines is designed in such a way that it does not fully open in a sitting position, which means that defecation requires much more effort. It is more natural and he althier for us to defecate while squatting. Fortunately, this doesn't mean that we should start climbing the toilets - there is another easier way to do that!
It is worth reflecting on your own habits from time to time. Do I really take the shortest and most beautiful way to the bus stop? Is the diligent combing of the bald spot in the middle really fashionable and necessary? Or just:am I sitting correctly on the toilet?
There is no single right answer to such questions - but just asking them can bring interesting results. Dov Sikirov also had to come to the same conclusion. This Israeli doctor once asked 28 volunteers to try to pass stools in three different positions: sitting on an ordinary toilet like a throne, laboriously hanging over an extremely small toilet bowl, or simply squatting, as we do outdoors. He measured the time and at the end gave participants the questionnaires to be completed. The result was absolutely unambiguous: defecation in a squat position lasted an average of only about 50 seconds and was felt by the subjects as complete. The same action, carried out in a sitting position, took an average of 130 seconds and did not give the feeling of complete success.
Why is this happening? Because the mechanism responsible for closing the intestines is designed so that it does not fully open when seated. Around the intestine, like a lasso loop, is a muscle wrapped that, when we sit or stand, pulls it up so that it forms a crease, such as is sometimes formed on a garden watering hose. You can then ask your sister why the hose is not working, and when she looks into the pipe outlet, quickly release the hose to get a barrier from mum after a dozen or so minutes …
Squatting defecation prevents hemorrhoids
But let's go back to the gut: here's the poop going into the bend first. And just like drivingon the highway - he has to slow down. Thanks to this, when we sit or stand, the sphincters do not have to tighten enough to keep everything inside. When the muscle relaxes, the curvature disappears. The route is straight again, as he shot, and you can easily accelerate.
Squattingis natural for us since prehistoric times - modern toilets appeared only at the end of the eighteenth century with the introduction of toilets in buildings. Arguments such as "Already the cave man did it this way," usually do not get the best reputation among physicians. Well, because who said that in a squatting position the muscle relaxes much better and the path that the feces follow actually straightens? To check this, Japanese scientists x-rayed the volunteers when dealing with a coarser need, after administering them orally to a luminescent contrast agent (contrast). As a result, we learned two things: first, indeed, when we squat, the digestive tract straightens beautifully and everything goes like a string. Second: there are people in the world who, for the sake of science, let themselves be stuffed with glowing substances and x-rayed when they poop. I have to admit that both give food for thought.
Hemorrhoids, diseases such as diverticular colitis or even simple constipation occur almost exclusively in countries where, nomen omen, a stool is placed during a bowel movement. The cause of these ailments, especially when they appear in young people, is not by any means sagging tissues or something like that, but too much pressure on the intestines. Some people also flex their stomach muscles all day long in nervousness, often without realizing it. It is the tightness of our bowels that causes the hemorrhoids to fall out and hang loose. It is also the cause of the formation of diverticula - the bulges of the tissue that make up the intestinal walls within the abdominal cavity. These tiny bulges resemble light bulbs.
Of course, our way of using the toilet is not the only cause of hemorrhoids and diverticula. It should also be noted, however, that among the huge number of people who squat (and there are over 1.2 billion of them worldwide), intestinal diverticulosis hardly occurs, and hemorrhoids are much rarer. We laboriously squeeze the tissue through the buttocks and as a result we end up at the doctor - all because sitting proudly on the toilet seat is more elegant than some antediluvian squatting … Doctors also suspect that frequent straining on the toilet significantly increases the risk of varicose veins,strokes and fainting during defecation.
Put a stool in front of the toilet!
A friend of mine sent me a text message from a holiday in France: "The French are bastards - someone stole toilet bowls from three more gas stations!". I burst out laughing: first because, I suspected, he wrote it quite seriously, and secondly, I remembered the first time I stood on the threshold of a French toilet. How come I am to squat because you can't put up an ordinary shell? - I thought, resentment and stared in amazement at the big hole yawning in front of me. In many countries in Asia, Africa and southern Europe, people quickly take care of a larger need in the position of "wrestler" or "skier". Meanwhile, we spend a lot of time on the porcelain throne, reading the newspaper, wringing toilet paper in our hands, looking for uncleaned tiles or just patiently staring at the wall in front of us.
As I read the above text to my family gathered in the living room, I noticed a grimace of irritation on many faces. Shall we all now climb onto our porcelain throne and, unused to crouching, sway over the hole when we just want to poop? The answer is no and smoke six hemorrhoids! Although it would be fun to squat on the toilet … But it is by no means necessary: because you can also squat while sitting . It is worth trying, especially when we do not manage to get everything done in one sitting:tilt the torso slightly forward and rest your feet on a low stool- and that's it! Everything is at the right angle, you can easily read, crumple the paper or stare straight ahead, without any remorse.
This will be useful to youThe text comes from the book " Internal History. Intestines - the most fascinating organ of our body" by Giulia Enders(Feeria Publishing House). It is a very witty guide to the human digestive system. The author - a German doctor - illustratively discusses the structure and operation of the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine as well as the transport of food through all these places and the accompanying ailments. The next part of the book is devoted to gut bacteria and their effect on the functioning of other parts of the body.
"I am full of appreciation for the author and for how hilarious and simple she presented the operation of the intricate machine, which is our digestive system. Dr. Giulia Enders did something amazing - thanks to a humorous convention she broke the taboo of digestion and arrived with reliable medical knowledge under thatch. May there be more such books to popularize medical topics "-wrote prof. dr hab. n. med. Adam Dziki, founder of the Society of Bowel Surgery.
The book is a bestseller in Germany, with over a million copies sold. Poradnikzdrowie.pl is its media patron. We recommend!