One topic of conversation that is often considered "taboo" or "off limits" is bathroom talk. What goes on in the bathroom is something that most people consider very private and personal.
However, there is plenty that goes on in the bathroom that has a large and direct impact upon your health, so it is sometimes important to talk about it.
Just as the shape and color of your stool can reveal a lot about your health, the way in which you go to the bathroom may also be having a large effect on your body.
And because bathroom habits aren't often a topic of conversation, I had no idea that regular sitting on the toilet could be causing all kinds of problems — from colon cancer to hemorrhoids!
In fact, experts say that we've been going to the bathroom wrong our whole lives. Instead of sitting, we should actually be squatting — who knew?
Scroll through below for an exclusive look at how you should be using the toilet, and how that might just save you from quite a few health problems.
Will you give squatting a try? Let us know in the comments!
Microbiologist Giulia Enders tells the Guardian, "We have been pooing all wrong."
Long before toilets existed, men and women would squat to do their business. In fact, the body was specifically designed for squatting.
However, virtually all people sit to use the bathroom nowadays. But this toilet position actually hinders the evacuation process.
Fortunately, there are quite a few bathroom foot stools on the market that can help you to squat and still use your normal toilet!
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, "Sitting on a modern toilet places your knees at a 90-degree angle to your abdomen, which actually hinders elimination by pinching off your anal canal.
"Squatting, on the other hand, places your knees closer to your torso, and this position changes the spatial relationships of your intestinal organs and musculature, relaxing and straightening your rectum. As a result, you maximize the efficiency of elimination."
And in doing so, you are actually doing your body — and your health — a favor.
Keep scrolling below to see exactly why you should pull up a foot stool and embrace squatting instead of sitting!
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, "Colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in the world."
But squatting can actually reduce your risk of colon cancer.
An NCBI study found that "squatting results in much quicker and more complete emptying of the fecal content and hence may result in reduced exposure of the colon and rectum to potentially carcinogenic material.
"Therefore, it has been suggested that squatting may be associated with reduced risk of colorectal cancer."
Constipation can be one of the most painful and annoying experiences. And while you could turn to laxatives or an alternative diet, the solution may be as simple as adjusting your position.
According to Toilet-Related-Ailments.com, "The most important thing you can do to enhance your ability to eliminate waste easily and comfortably is to squat.
"It is the only constipation cure that does not require any pills — just squatting."
The benefits of squatting are not only limited to when you poop. Women who squat instead of sit to urinate can help to prevent urinary infections.
According to Squattypotty.com, "The bladder is emptied more completely when squatting rather than sitting or hovering. Squatting can help reduce episodes of urinary tract infections in both frequency and intensity."
Whether external or internal, hemorrhoids can be extremely painful and uncomfortable. However, squatting may just keep you from having to deal with them ever again.
Expert Robert Edwards spoke to NPR, saying, "The modern toilet has been sold to us as civilized, but the straining that sitting causes is not healthy… Squatting, on the other hand, can end hemorrhoids."
With so much evidence pointing to the benefits of squatting over sitting, it may just be time to switch up the way you use the bathroom.
Will you be trying out this squatting technique? Let us know in the comments.
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