What if you knew, that the way you had been pooping all these years is wrong?
Unbelievable? It’s actually not recent news. Since 2009, there had been some hot discussions about whether pooping while sitting down is actually causing hemorrhoids versus doing it while in squat position. From celebrities to regular individuals, it seems that this ‘lifehack’ is anything but a myth.
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| Photo Credit: Honeycolony(dot)com |
The Way Nature Intended
Before you assume anything, first we must study how the rest of the animal kingdom removes wastes. Almost every animal – from dogs to horses – poop while squatting. They may have a list of debilitating diseases, but NOT hemorrhoids. According to the Mayo Clinic, half of the American adult population aged 50 are suffering (if not already) from piles. It’s a common ailment affecting millions of others worldwide.
Medical experts say that defecating while squatting creates enough space between our rectum and anus to relieve waste. However, sitting applies pressure in the anal canal; keeping stool from being removed without straining. Sitting on a toilet can also cut off proper circulation in the thighs, creating constipation and leaving behind a percentage of poop. The eventual result? Painful hemorrhoids.
Why Squat and Poop?
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| Photo Credit: Mercola(dot)com |
Waste removal, when down to science, can be quite complicated.
There’s this muscle in your anus, called the sphincter, that controls poop. Most people can somehow manage this well; allowing them to hold their poop for as long as they could find the nearest bathroom stall. But our bodies don’t just rely on this little muscle: there’s a bend in the rectum, called the anorectal angle, that contains pressure to hold or release feces.
When we sit down, this angle becomes bent, making it difficult to release waste. Not only that, this doesn’t allow us to remove everything. Some experts believe that people who poop while sitting down could be carrying 5-20 pounds of fecal matter inside them. If this statistic isn’t scary, think about rumors regarding John Wayne and 40 pounds of poop inside his body found after his death.
Is Squatting the Solution?
One of the things you could be doing that make hemorrhoids worse is sitting on your toilet. If you can’t get low toilets, try putting a stool under your feet each time you need to go. This re-creates the squatting position; relieving your thighs of pressure. How will you know that you’re doing it right? You could feel yourself in a 45-degree angle: the best position for pooping.
Allow yourself to feel the difference. Some folks report better poop in just a matter of days; others claim their hemorrhoids got better because squatting doesn’t require them to strain. It really depends. You can ask your doctor for the best advice in your condition. But remember: you don’t have to live with the pain. Be it due to constipation or some other gastrointestinal ailment, letting nature take its natural course has benefits.
Who knows? Perhaps squatting really is one of the most natural and easiest ways to cure hemorrhoids. You will never know until you try.
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