The Squatty Potty: Health Colons, Here We Come

Several weeks ago I was contacted by Robert Edwards from the Squatty Potty website about reviewing his product, the Squatty Potty toilet stool. Free stuff, I thought? You betcha’! “Send one right over!” I immediately replied. I am so glad that I said that.

If you are new to PoopReport, you might not have read the countless articles and comments on the site about squatting to poop. We westerners sit on a toilet, but the people of many cultures in the world – two thirds, actually – do not. They squat. Why is this, you might ask? Well, in the 1800s the flush toilet became the “in” thing to have if you were English. In fact, the flush toilet was one of the things that was thought to separate the classes (the upper class hoarded education, etiquette, and the flush toilet). As it became clear how important a sewer system was to the health and sanitation of a country, flush toilets sprouted up everywhere people could afford them, outhouses began to disappear, and squatting became a distant memory to western butts.

During the past couple of years, though, as the internet and cheaper travel have made the world a smaller place, and as different cultures come into contact with each other more frequently because of these advancements, many westerners are finding themselves considering squatting to relieve themselves. Those who squat have been proved to suffer from fewer instances of constipation, hemorrhoids, and colon dysfunctions (if suffering from them at all) than those who sit to poop. Why is this? It is simple anatomy: Sitting on the toilet causes a kink to develop in your descending colon, and it is because of this kink that people strain more. But when you squat to poop that kink in the colon straightens out, and you don’t have to strain to poop.

I have known about the differences between sitting and squatting to poop for years, much like I discovered that birthing chairs are better for delivering mothers than lying on a bed, so I was rather excited to review a Squatty Potty stool. I had to measure the space in front of my toilet from the floor to where the bowl began to bow out, because as you can read on this page the stool comes in different heights depending on that space. The stool also can be ordered slanted forward or backward, depending on whether you still sit on the toilet or fully squat.

Robert sent me one of the lower stools, because our toilets are rather short, in the white wood style. I stood on it; it’s a sturdy little piece of furniture. It doesn’t necessarily look like it came from the geriatric products aisle of our local drug store, either. I put it downstairs in our master bath and waited for nature to take its course in my lower bowels. Would I feel a difference like those who posted their testimonies on Robert’s website?

When the time came, I pulled the stool forward a few inches, turned around, sat on the toilet, and put my feet on the spots designate for them on the stool. This caused my knees to ride up around my chest and put me in a safe, squatting position. What happened next almost made me laugh. It was as if my butt was confused, because the sensation of pooping with a straight colon was really no sensation of all. The poop just kind of, well, came out.

Plop.

And that was that.

So, you might ask, how do I feel since receiving the Squatty Potty stool? Pretty good. For the past two three weeks I truly have an easier time downloading my own personal brown file. I feel more functional. It is almost as if the poop has a shorter distance to travel, if that makes any sense to you. The amount of time I spend on the pot has dramatically decreased, and I feel weird pooping on other toilets that do not have their own Squatty Potty stools.

Are there any drawbacks to using to a squatting stool? I did find I have to make sure that my shorts or underwear are pulled down far enough the hard way. Once I wasn’t careful and I ended up peeing on my underwear because they had slipped over the front of the toilet seat and into the line of fire. (To be fair, wine may have been involved.) I also kind of miss my end-of-the-day poop and reading on the pot ritual. Usually I let the dogs out in the back yard while I refresh the pets' water bowls and put more food out for the cats in our bedroom. Then when the dogs are back inside and have situated themselves in the bed, I would sit on the toilet and read for a few minutes. Currently I am reading Red Lights on the Prairies, by James H. Gray. Since I started using the Squatty Potty stool I do not read on the pot as much and have switched to reading for a few minutes in bed. I know this is better for me, but I kind of miss the bathroom time.

Do I recommend that you try a Squatty Potty stool? I do! I think the stool is made well. I notice I poop easier. I especially liked that the information Robert sent with the stool was supported with credible medical references instead of being loaded with vague, new-age bullshit. Finally, I liked corresponding with Robert, who is professional, polite, and generous. In fact, Robert is so generous that he is going to give away a few Squatty Potty stools to the pooping public. If you would like to enter the contest, all you have to is go to The Squatty Potty’s Facebook page and click “Like.” On Valentine's Day he will choose a few random lucky poopers as winners.

I give this product two enthusiastic thumbs up. Thanks, Robert!

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