Tips for Happy Pooping

Why have I have used a toilet stool for years?  I use the stool because it mimics a squatting motion which we Americans do less and less of.  The squatting position will straighten out the colon and allow gravity to help. In his 1987 study on squatting and hemorrhoids, Dr B. A. Sikirov found that the magnitude of straining in a sitting posture is at least three times more than in a squatting posture.   If you're straining, grunting, holding your breath...you need a stool.  If you have had hemmorrhoids or diverticulosis...you need a stool.   Even if you don't think you "need" a stool, get one for overall good health. 

Why are people dying on the toilet?? In 1990, Dr Sikirov singled out the Western toilet as a contributing factor in bathroom heart attacks.  Writing in the Medical Hypothesis, Dr Sikirov stated that the same straining which is responsible for hemorrhoids and diverticulosis can also increase the risk of fatal heart attacks in people with weak hearts. 

Additionally, the act of defecation often involves involuntary use of the Valsalva maneuver (aka forcefully holding your breath) during evacuation of the colon. There are many deaths each year because people are straining while on the toilet.  Why aren't people talking about their bowels??
Are you embarrassed? Give me a break.  

It's a common occurrence for people to immediately brag about going #2 every morning like clockwork when I ask about their bowels. They quickly say to me,  "there's no problem in that department".  They do not understand that I only ask about their bowels if I believe there is a problem.  Stop hesitating when talking about your health!  Love is the only thing more important than your health and we need both in abundance.  So I say this to you with love... you should be going #2 more than once a day.  Animals and babies typically go #2 after every meal...if we weren't chronically constipated, we would be going more often too. The constipation issue will be saved for a different blog but this one is about the investment in a stool.  

Angie's tips for happy pooping:
1. Hydrate (not just water)...eat hydrating foods, drink smoothies & raw fresh juices
2. Chew your food slowly and completely
3.  Drink before or after your meals, not during
4.  Eat fruit separate from your "meals" ...food combination matters
5.  Exercise
6.  Look at your poo...pay attention to how often you go...discuss with your doctor if you see anything you should be concerned with
7. GET A STOOL
Funny Scrubs video on poo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-OIgXyvzUU
Another article on how to poop:  http://www.mamanatural.com/how-to-poop/

Squatty Potty Unicorn video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbYWhdLO43Q

Happy pooping!
Angie