From Amanda's very early writing (1990s to early 2000s), shared as it was originally written.
squatting and your bum! (Ho, ho little jokule for my editors!)
Hands up those people who are constipated? I know this is an unusual question for a newspaper column but readers I am committed to yoru wellness and simple solutions that can add quality to your lives - and stop you getting haemorrhoids.
People don't talk out loud enough - or in public - about this all too often unhappy area - our bottoms. Zillions of folks are suffering from constipation or haemorrhoids - look at the number of medications filling shelves of chemist shops all aimed at improving function 'below'.
All sorts of people develop haemorrhoids - babies do it, sitting does it, straining does it the most! And sitting as we ...I could say defaecate and be scientific and medical but more people will understand if I say ... poop (the Americans call it this so I figured it's OK here). Now, don't be offended - this is important and I want ot make sure reasers really understand what I am tryig to say. Recently, there has been considerable research on the impact of sitting and our ability to poop withour strain.
Have you ever been to Europe and seen the loos that are - ugh - 'holes in the ground'? Above which you have to squat and hope your aim was good! Well, if you have then you know how quickly you are in and out of there! And if you have't , you are in for a real treat! Anyway, grotty as it sounds (and it pretty much is - they are not that clean) it's actually supposed ot be better for the actual process of pooping'. apparently, when we sit to perform our ablutions (there I used a word for the more sensitive readers!) our colons kink. And it's harder for the material (see, I'm still being sensitive) to be evacuated. (Impressed?)
Those who are incredibly technical here and scientific , write in and offer me more sscientific research. I actually do research these articles fairly thoroughly and try to simplify complex scientific words designed to confuse all but the most laboratory bound, into language that makes sense to most of us. So here goes. If you sit as you poop, you will strain because the colon is kinked and the 'stuff' gets trapped inside. as we strain, we can cause all sorts of damage ranging from haemorrhoids, to nerve damage to fissures to prolapses. So stop doing it!
And even sitting on the loo for long periods may cause the insides to fall outside! This is more of a problem for men who seem to combine relaxation therapy with the activity of pooping and spend half their life in that little room reading and /or contmplating. I am not too sure - I don't go in there for a week afterwards! this is a good rule of thumb if living with males! (Just joking guys, stay calm!) Although, I'm not joking about the time you sit there - there is some suggestion that long periods of sittig on the loo may increase the likelihood of 'problems down there'. Find another place to relax guys and squat when you are in there anyway.
So, back to squatting. Do not squaat on the porcelain 0 it is not designed for that function nad could break and you could end up with (I am going ot be graphic here readers to make sure you are not tempted to squat on the loo) with sharp nasty bits of porcelain up your end - not a good feeling or look. So how can you come at least close to squatting , short o fpulling out the porcelain alth=ogether and creating that ubiquitous hole in the ground? Well, you can buy a little device that sits around the base of the loo and you put your feet on it so that your knees are higher than your hips. This helps the colon kink! Or use the magasines for footrests rather than reading and have a little pile either side of the loo. Or do anything that makes your knees higher than your hips. It appears to help both the pooping process and the peeing process.
A physiotherapist who specailises in this treatment in Toowoomba (Queensland) makes little stools and is conducting research int o the incidence of incomplete voiding of urine. She seems to think this is an important issue for older women who may not be completely emptying thier bladders and as a consequence suffereing recurring urinary tract infections.
Now, folks, although this is not yet hard, clinical , validated, scientific evidence (which will take another 30 years to conclusively prove what the Asian people have known for ever) I recommend you try this concept. I have and I reckon it works. And it may not work for everyone, but can you afford not to try something that may make your daily routine easier and save you time (our most precious commodity). Remember , no squatting on the porcelaine but put blocks, bricks, magazines, wood either side of hte loo to raise your knees above yoru hips nad try the difference. If it works, buy one of these little stools (so to speak) and try to explain ot yoru dinner party guests exactly what it is for!
Other benefits of squatting appear to be less incidence of hip degeneration and pain and looser back and leg muscles. Have you tried squatting lately? On the ground? Most people I know fall over backwards when they try. This is terrible! We need to practice squatting so that we can still do it when we are old - look at the Indians and Asians - this is their preferred mode of resting thier legs and they have much less incidence of hip disease than we have. Of course, it may not all be due to squatting more than we do, but I still think we were meant to squat and we should not become so stiff and so used to sitting that we lose the ability to squat altogether.
My philosophy is that if there is some technique that isn't yet 100% proved or guaranteed, if I and several others try it and it seems to help. why not write about it and you can make up your ow mind, rather than waiting till your bum falls out! Give squatting a go and try the old magazines under the feet trick and let me know - it would be good to have feedback from those who have tried the technique. Who knows , you may be part of a dynamic and flexible new group responsible for changing the western worlds ways of 'you know what'!
