Flush toilets are a marvelous invention and proper sewage treatment is a huge factor in public health. As a result, we are big fans of modern plumbing.
But as people evolved, they used squatting rather than sitting to do their bathroom business. Are there disadvantages to our modern habit of sitting on the “throne”?
Q. We provide a small stepstool for our great-granddaughter to use to reach the sink to wash her hands. Because I am “designated” the same bathroom, I recently began using the same stool to raise my legs while I am sitting on the toilet.
I have to admit things seem to work better when the stepstool is used. I guess I could say the stool helps with the stool. (I couldn’t help myself; I had to say it.)
A. Proper pooping posture does seem to make a difference when it comes to bathroom function. A study comparing squatting to sitting revealed that squatting required less time and effort for a satisfactory result (Digestive Diseases and Sciences, July, 2003).
Gastroenterologist Stephen Sontag believes that sitting in the bathroom restricts the relevant rectal angle and contributes to hiatal hernias and gastroesophageal reflux disease (Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, Mar-Jun, 1999).
Most Americans would prefer not to squat, since it takes practice and requires an uncomfortable use of leg muscles and balance. But using your great-granddaughter’s stepstool to support your feet above floor level might be a reasonable compromise to achieve a healthy toilet posture.
Others without a small child in the house might prefer a stepstool that is designed to fit snugly around the base of the toilet. Squatty Potty (www.squattypotty.com) makes such a device. They also underwrite our radio show.
