A lot of this post is crap, if you'll pardon the expression. It is true that the squatting position is the more natural one for defecation. There is no proof, however, that defecating in the position used in the West has any connection to the diseases listed here. How can squatting prevent prostatic enlargement? This disorder, that occurs in almost every man as he grows older, is due to a complex variety of hormonal effects. Likewise, prostate cancer is linked mainly to hormonal effects in aging. There is absolutely no connection between prostate diseases and position used during defecation. It's incorrect that 80% of colon cancers develop in the cecum and sigmoid. Most colon cancers develop in the rectum and sigmoid. It's true that toxins in stool may be partially responsible for colon cancer, but there is no evidence that folks who squat and those who sit to defecate have any difference in their frequency of constipation. It is the high bulk and fiber diets that exist in non-Western countries that help better evacuation of the colon and diminish contact between the colon lining and stool. I could go on, but this article while enjoyable is totally unscientific. You can see by the supporting references quoted that the "research" if there has been any to support the argument is either outdated or was done in countries not in the mainstream of medicine.

You say they're wrong, this article shows no proof. Yet this article has citations and links, wheras your criticism has nothing but your opinion. Please provide proof, not mindless ranting.

quote posted by texas md:

You can see by the supporting references quoted that the "research" if there has been any to support the argument is either outdated or was done in countries not in the mainstream of medicine.

what makes you think that "mainstream medicine" is always right? i can' think of any specific cases off hand, but i know there have been. also, how can "research" on how people evacuate themselves be outdated. how can pooping have changed in the last ten or twenty years that hasn't changed in the last thousand, other than the position that you poop in.

i for one say "yes." it all seems very logical, maybe because it really is our animal instinct, maybe because i'm gullible. whether or not i could actually make the transition for sitting to squatting is to be seen, i think you'd have to custom make your own squatting toilet. the platform seems like it would splash, a lot.

Texas MD: the name sums it all up. The only thing that comes out of texas are steers and queers, and I don't see no horns.

Hey... Step off "trashcanman"! There is nothing wrong with being a queer (or a steer for that matter.) It is a medically proven fact that gay men poop more often than you sissy "straight" guys. Our poopies are far more aromatic and shapely than your boring ass turds. My last masterpiece looked like Venus D'milo and it even smelled like fresh sweat. Mmmmmmmmmm... man sweat...I personally invite you to come and experience what I mean. Bye bye.

Response to �Texas MD�:

1. If prostate enlargement and cancer result from normal hormonal changes, why doesn�t it happen among squatting populations? I have read in many sources that all these diseases are practically unknown in the Third World.

2. The theory about high fiber diets protecting against colon cancer has been debunked by a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1999. It was a 16-year study of 89,000 nurses and the researchers concluded �We found no evidence that dietary fiber reduces colorectal cancer.�

3. The theory that fiber is the reason why there is no appendicitis in the third world has never been proven.

4. You say that Australia is not in the mainstream of medicine. An Australian named Barry Marshall in 1983 discovered the cure for ulcers. He was ridiculed by mainstream gastro-enterologists, until he finally prevailed. All medical advances start by challenging conventional wisdom and getting resistance from narrow-minded defenders of the status quo.

I advise you to take this information seriously before your health problems force you to.

--- Jonathan Isbit

Regardless of what "Texas MD" says, I advise anyone reading this article to keep in mind that "science" stands on a shakey pedestal. In 1929 the modern tampon was invented. Decades later they discover the dangers of toxic shock syndrome along with dangerous carcinogenic fibers that become lodged inside a woman even after the tampon is removed. "Scientists" and doctors of our esteemed US Food & Drug Administration all sanctioned the use of these cancer-inducing tampons until word got out and women realized why they were developing uterine cancers and other illnesses. So much for science in this case. I can rattle off a bunch of other SERIOUS claims that "science" has made over the centuries. My best advice to anyone reading this is (1) trust your own common sense (if something doesn't feel totally safe, it may not be), and (2) do what feels right. For anybody who has gone hiking in the woods and peed and pooped in the woods, you must remember the feeling of completely eliminating waste from your bowels. Didn't that honestly feel good? If it did, your body is telling you something! Go with what your body tells you and not with what any

"scientific authority" proclaims. We all need to learn to trust our intuition and common sense much more in this artificially technological world.

I find all this discussion on the nature of bowel movements absolutely fascinating. Is there any evidence on an official medical website to back up the claims made here? I would appreciate any response, either here at the website, or at my e-mail address.

I'd recommend that anyone who hasn't tried squatting give it a try. Scientific evidence aside, I (and all my friends that have been converted) have found it to be much easier to achieve full and timely elimination from the squatting position. Toss aside the whole debate between the TexasMD and everyone else, it's a fact of basic anatomy that your colon has the 90 degree kink referred to above when you're in a sitting position. Learning to squat on a western toilet takes a bit of balance, but after 3 or 4 tries, the extra work of balancing is outweighed by the easier elimination. For practice, I recommend a public bathroom (most public toilets are about 4" closer to the ground), preferably a handicap stall that has one or more handrails for balance. I find it easier to tear and fold (or wad) your toilet paper ahead of time so you don't spend too much time in the squatting position. Pull down your garmets (or hike up those skirts) and place one then the other foot on the outside edge of the toilet bowl (with the seat up of course), then do your business. Notice how much less straining you have to do, and how much easier it is to wipe (no more klingons!).

A lot of people around the world squat. I do it because I was used to it when I was staying in Thailand and it's a lot easier to squeeze one out squatting. When you sit, it leaves a lot more surface area you have to clean up. I don't really see a downside, unless you're on the can for 30 minutes your legs get tired. But then again, I dont have any bowel ailments either. Coincidence? I think not. In response to the MD, you should be the one to open your mind and find links that squatting is a normal human process that will help in bowel movment. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it Mr. Texas MD, if that's your real name and profession.

Hey trash can man... Although some of us "are" queers, we do it in Texas style damit! And people like me! I've used the technique art of poop squatting since I was small. Its fun and refreshing after I lay a good one. Hi five to you Josh man!!! You don't know Mr. Texas M.D.

When I was young, I read a book called "There's a snake in my toilet!" which scared the jeebus out of me. So I ended up squatting on the toilet just in case there was a snake. I'm 16 now, and I haven't stopped doing it since. It feels very, very good to "relieve" yourself in the squatting position.

Great work Jonathan � It's a fact that the squat position is not only the natutral one but the most beneficial to health. A+ for those who try to educate and provide inovative ideas to make things easier and better. For those that don't want to see search by yourself, there is plenty info available- do the work and see!

I am a sic. firm believer of the squatting position. The difficulty in finding a suitable place to squat is frusterating and usually leads to using the foolish Western style pot over time. Then I go camping and natures toilet reminds me of the ease and benefits again. Is anyone aware of a a source for a quality porceline toilet al la Italia or Spain that is available here in the states? I am overly aesthetic and the natures platform, although functional leads much to be desired in the looks and i don't like pooping on a platform. I may try to find a contact overseas to send over some porceline squat beauties. Any interest out there if I inport a few dozen with the plumbing hardware?

I like bedbeans

i like my poop it talks to me

When i traveled to the Philippines, visiting relatives, i stayed in a small farming village in Cebu where the toilets(away from the house which have regular toilets) are outhouses with only deep holes in the ground. No seating. I balanced myself with both hands on each side of the wall and squatted down. I was amazed how easily it was to "squeeze one out" in the squatting position. Twas my first squat-shit experience. I dropped a healthy log and to my wiping surprise there was almost no brown* on the TP. I wiped a few more times to make sure i was hitting the right spot but yeah it was nearly a clean shoot. On my way back to the States, stop over in Japan, i so wanted to hit a Japanese squat toilet but they only have Western style toilets at the airport. Ever since then i've contemplated adding a Japanese style squatter in my bathroom.

*sidenote: if you have REALLY loose or "airy" dumps, then expect a spattering of shit behind where you squat and a not as clean A-hole. I had to use the shovel provided to scrape any of the waste, that didn't make straight in the hole, into the hole afterwards. I wonder the kind of mess i'd left if i had used a Japanese squatter or worse, that device pictured above that goes around your Western style toilet.

I forgot to add:

Squatting rules! I wish more people could experience the squat technique. Anyone who knocks squatting is either ignorant or is just being a prick.

This is interesting, because im interested in the Primative way of life. There seems to be no answer to my sometimes extreme sluggishness in this very modern world.

Been troubled by hemmorhoids for sometime now and was recommeded by a doctor to undergo surgery. I Just learned about the advantages of squatting only the other day. It seems to have been working to alleviate my condition.

I make photocopies of a page from the Tao of Health,Sex,& Longevity which explains why squatting to defecate is a healthy choice. I always have copies with me and post them on the bathroom walls of every home I visit. We must pay it forward to all of humanity! Oops. I mean the 1/3 of it that knows no better than to blindly follow the careless society around it.

Why don't we all just use Turkish toilets? They don't have seats and they're built into the floor. You have to squat to use them.

By the way, that diverticulitis statistic "almost everyone over 80 has it" is a load of bullshit! No one in my family or anyone close who is over the age of 80 has ever had this problem! Sounds like another sellers' statistic if you ask me.

What this entire debate overlooks is the fact that it's really bad for your knees to assume a squatting position. Tho' I don't have exact statistics to quote, I've pored over enough fitness magazines to know that any time you balance precariously and drop your butt below your knees, you're putting far too much pressure on the knee and surrounding muscles and ligaments. (That was one of the frequent criticisms aimed at Jane Fonda, when she first made workout videos that were resulting in numerous injuries. After the shitstorm of complaints, she came out with more practical videos *after* consulting with pros who actually knew how to exercise without ending up in ER.)

Let's face it, if people in the squatter countries are doing so much right and we're in the wrong, how come our life expectancy is so much higher? Reminds me of all the people who go on and on about the "wisdom of the East", when places like China are filth-ridden cesspools where diseases like SARS are born. We look at other cultures through rose-colored glasses, thinking they're so back-to-nature, when in reality we've made great strides in medicine, extending our life expectancy even beyond what it was just 50 years ago. Our main health problem is that we eat too much junk food, and that's why our bowels are suffering.

If you want to squat, that's your right as a shitter. But when you end up at the chiropractor's office a few months later, at least I'll feel guilt-free, knowing that I did my part to warn people of the risks.

How can you squat on a western toilet?!

Go to hell trashcanman. I'm from Texas, not everyone is gay or from a ranch. Learn the facts before you are prejudice.

A squat toilet is available for export from UK here http://www2.zestmedia.com/bluebook/products/5_5_1.asp

I can't really imagine anyone who has really been
able to shit correctly and then us the hand shower (while in the squatting position) to complete the job really wants to agree that the western way of crappig is the right way.
I'm sorry but it took me 45 years to discover
the correct way to take a crap which is what
I have just described.
You don't want to do it this way .. that's up to
you. But you better try it when that asshole
starts itching ... it's cheaper than getting
a hemmoroid operation. :(-

Dear Sirs,

This was, first and formost, a wildly entertaining discussion. Thank you all. As for you you nay-sayers, frankly, I think that you all should have your heads checked out as well as your rectums. This is a matter that must be approached with an open mind, have you never been camping? How can you deny the obvious and logically streamlined benefits of squatting? Where are your imaginations?

Diet? Sounds like a good complement to squatting but hardly an all emcompassing squat subverting solution.

Knee problems? Please, are you so unimaginative that you cannot imagine '90+ degree squat'? I mean, you have sighted a Jane Fonda video as your evidence. Need I say more?

In short, regretfully I have done my business for the day but I am eagerly awaiting tomorrow where I will put this advice to the test. I'll keep you abreast.
Cheerio!

I have been absolutely stricken by Hemorrhoids for about the last 7 years. I immediately saw a doctor when the first thrombosis appeared, and he told me that he could operate, but that I would be laid up for weeks, and I wasn't terribly interested. I gingerly stood up, walked out, and it did 'get better' after a few weeks.

Unfortunately it came back, disappeared, came back worse, didn't quite disappear, got worse again, and worse, regardless of fiber / ointments / suppositories / anything else. I had to stop riding my bike. I could not run. This started when I was 25 years old! I had been in great shape (and still am) but lost my mobility due to the incessant screaming from 'down below'.

Ok, Fast forward. This past spring break (march 2004) things got so bad that I literally just sat in a chair for a week. I dropped my math classes at the U cause I just could not think about math due to the pain. Finally I went to a colorectal surgeon again. She showed me the color prints of what she called 'successful' surgery and I panicked. There was no way that I would submit myself to any of the suggested operations. Especially not the new stapling process. Just look into it if you want to feel really uncomfortable.

I went home. I searched the internet again and again for 'hemorrhoid cure' or similar. I had been doing this for years but never came across the information about squatting.

This time I did.

I found a summary of the study performed by the Israeli doctor, where he suggested to 20 grade 3-4 H. sufferers to squat for a year (and to respond immediately to the urge, whenever possible) and coloscoped them again after the year had passed. 18 out of 20 were completely cured after a year. The two who were not cured had previously suffered at the hands of doctors -- they had both had banding operations. Banding is, of course, listed as the least of all the procedures, in terms of 'down time'.

Hmm, I said. Hmm. At this point, having a bowel movement was such an ordeal for me that I was looking for anything, and there appeared to be absolutely no downside to trying a squat to to my business.

First time I tried it I knew that there was something to this.

Yes. I ordered a platform from naturesplatform immediately after my first experiment on my toilet seat.

2.5 months have passed. I go every day now. No problem, I feel the urge and I go. I have not sat to defecate once in this time frame. I can't imagine it anymore. Squatting works so well, and evacuation is so complete that there is no way I would ever go back. No way. Never!

Oh.. And the Hemorrhoids. They are curing quite nicely. I never even think about them anymore. Whatever prolapse I had had is now reduced by 90%. I can easily tuck whatever I need to back where it needs to be and it will not protest. Contrasted with my experiences while sitting it is like I have received a new lease on life. I am quite grateful for the illumination and attempt, as sincerely as possible, to relate to others what they need to do to secure themselves a comfortable future.

I feel better than I have in 6 years. I can run and do whatever I want to do. I don't need to take fiber anymore, unless I want it for its benefits. I am certainly not constipated. I am back in touch with my anal canal nerves. Hopefully there has not been too much damage to my pelvic floor nerves.

One last note on surgery. I read this somewhere and it really stuck. Since surgeries always involve the removal of tissue, it is easy to see how 'it is impossible to heal that which is not there'.

One final note. In having conversations with my mother on this topic, she reminded me how I had informed her that I wanted my diapers back when being potty trained. She gave them back and kept an eye on me. She revealed that she finally got me 'trained' when she noticed me SQUATTING. Hehe. When she saw that she asked me if I had to go, I said yes, and the rest was history. At least it was until I hit 31 and re-remembered the right way to go.

Thanks Jon,

Rolf

I began the squat 12-1-03
with good elimination.
Can't believe how easy it
is now. Read on the internet with diagrams of proper squat on the USA stool but did not save it and now I cannot find that page.

i think cancer of the colon can be blamed on eating too much red meat and not enough veggies... hence you dont get a full poo and therefore the meat sits in your colon and rots and the bacteria ate as much as they could so it just melts your insides and destroys the lining and your body cant regenerate fast enough

i've pooped in the woods and found it good... when i was in india i pooped in a squat position and i found it good... even wiping with my hand with the water dribbling down my ass crack i found good. the subtle poo scent of my finger i found bad.

I am from a developing country (India) and squatting is the only known way, almost all homes have traditional sqaut toilet and water is for cleaning up afterwards.It is a traditional Yoga pose
-All these rectal related diseases are practically unknown
-Colon cancer doesn't exist even among meat eating people
-Longevity in western world has increased due to better sanitation and general hygines and not due to advancements modern medicine.Poor People in developing nation die due most to ecto parasites
- Even elderly parents and grand parents 70+ are comfortable in this pose and no bad knees as some reader had commented

I agree squatting has benefits over western style toilets, however you have clearly embellished its medical benefits, which makes people doubt everything you are saying, even the true stuff! Also your invention is gay because the distance from the water is too much, so there would be too much backsplash.

i am curious:

if you drop a log-sized log in a squatter, how do you get it to go down?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

i had colorectal surgery at 16 yrs old (congenitel diverticulitis) and have always had problems at the "throne" i have had an impeccable diet for 20 yrs, and still suffered from painful hemmorhoids and constipation...i have now been using the platform for 3 months, and WOW..in and out, relief,its actually enjoyably natural, reminding me of the extreme difference i used to have as a kid when i just coudnt wait in the woods! I am recommending it to all who would dare.

Interesting site, I've been wondering about squatting myself for some time. It seems like everyone has nothing but positive things to say. Any negative experiences? Anyone find they had new hemorrhoids appear because of squatting?

OK I'll chime in... I bought Nature's Platform about two years ago after seeing it advertised in a magazine. Didn't have hemmorhoids. I enjoyed the feeling of complete evacuation it provided, but got tired of setting it up and taking it down every day so I went back to the sitting position for about 6 mos. Two weeks ago I panicked because I discovered a nasty hemmorrhoid, first one ever! I was freaked out. Didn't want to go to a doctor, or buy cream from the drugstore, so I started using the platform again, thinking I'll give it two weeks before seeking treatment. After one week the hemmorhoid was gone. What a relief! I don't know about the other supposed health benefits, but my mantra now is 'a squat a day keeps the hemmorhoid away', and that painful hemmorhoid memory makes the daily setup and takedown seem not so bad.

I just started squatting, it's wonderful. Everything came out clean as a whistle. I just hopped up there and squatted. Normally I get all messy down there like someone smeared peanut butter on my crack and never feel like I got rid of it all. This morning I wiped and nothing was there! I feel lik edoing cartwheels.

I laugh at the commenter who was worried about squatting. Please, you're not going to hurt yourself squatting to poop. Are your knees and ligaments made of wet toilet tissue? The reason it's so uncomfortable foir westerners to stay in the squat position is because we're all fat lazy asses whose muscles are atrophied. I do yoga, calisthenics (duck walks) and other bodyweight isometrics. Squatting is comfortable to me. It's a nice stretch and I can stay like that for a long time. Too bad I poop so quick and efficient like in the squat.

I started squated this week. I am amazed at how fast I go now. I use to spend up to 30 minutes on the toiled. Now, it's about 5 seconds. So, it has really freed up alot of my time that I was wasting in the toilet, not to mention I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. I really feel cleansed out. This is truly unbelivable discovery, and I hope someday the New York Times and the other major newspapers, as well as broadcast TV let people in on this secret. Both of my parents really suffer, one has IBS and my dad has many problems. If only we had known. Go figure.

Most of the rest of the world doesn't live long enough to get that stuff.

These are going to seem like stupid questions, but here it goes.
Can western toilets handle overweight or obese people squatting on them? I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of a 400 pound person with their feet on either side of the bowl without the darn thing cracking under their weight. Is there a weight limit for toilets? If there is, is there a guide somewhere that has toilet brands and model numbers catalogued by weight capacity?

FartieP, I found the answer here. But I still don't think they're supposed to climb up there and squat on it!

I come from Indonesia. This is GREAT topic because many place now have sticker on toilet which teach you "right way" to poo... which is to put bum on seat, not stand on seat.... many expat make joke... they say "how you know you be in Indonesia too long" Answer: the footprint on toilet are your own..... but footprint on toilet must be our point of pride! Washing bottom with water is also point of pride... but that is different posting!!

This is a fascinating discussion, though I certainly don't intend on weighing in on the pros and cons of squatting versus sitting. That being said, I'd like to take a moment to defend the scientific method which was disparaged in earlier comments. Errors and mistaken theories are a part of the game. Science is dynamic, and people put out one theory which they think supports the facts, they cite evidence, and maybe someone else proves them wrong after a time. That's how it works. At least science will revoke theories that are disproved, which is more than can be said about other non-scientific medicines who shall remain nameless. Say what you like about "doing what feels right," but without science you'd be huddled in your hut right now instead of posting about poop on a website.

Appendicitis: Caused by a blockage at the extreme end of the cecum. The disease was unknown before sitting toilets were introduced 150 years ago.

The Lewis & Clark expedition, some 200 years ago, lost only one man. Nowadays the cause is believed to have been a ruptured appendix. Also: the sitting toilet was known in Rome, & even in Egypt.
_______
George Bernard Shaw: “Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”

A FRESH CONVERT! I read this post about a year ago, tried it with mixed results a few times, and have been kind of mulling it over ever since, trying it here and there, usually in a rather half-assed manner (pun intended). Then I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it just finally clicked and now I've been squatting almost every time and I can't imagine going back. I actually look forward to dropping a load and it just dumps out in one fell swoop and feels pretty damn satisfying, I must say. I used to spend 5 or even 10 minutes in there, with a book or the paper, and my hems would flare up at least every few weeks. Now (hopefully) those experiences are a thing of the past, and I am proud to be a champion squatter! Thanks for posting, Jonathan Isbit, whoever you are. Happy squatting!

The proof is in the poop pudding. I just ran across the naturesplatform.com website last night. Yeah, a lot of debatable disease-prevention claims made for squatting to dump instead of sitting. Curiosity lead me to try squatting to dump for the first time in my 50-year-old life. Set up two folding chairs astride the commode, squatted on those while I hung my ass at a 45 over the bowl.

Plop! Plop! It took only about two minutes total of squatting -- 1/5th or less time than I would have normally taken sitting. So score one for squatting: Get's the job done faster.

Got off the chairs to finish with the wiping. One wipe! And there was no peanut butter on it. Both turds came out nothing-but-net/no-rim! So score two for squatting: One roll of TP could last me a month.

Then about five minutes after I dumped squatting, I felt and heard gut rumbles in the descending colon part. More turds immediately lining up to take the plunge!

I'm sure as hell not going to start wiping my ass with my left hand to be a true third-worlder, but damn, for maybe $20 in materials, I'm going to keep my western sit-down toilet and make my own natures platform.

What about people with arthritis? -- It's fine to act superior to "fat lazy asses" but if your joints aren't able any longer, what are you supposed to do?

bionic hands?

For arthritis sufferers, there is always the "Hedge straddle sprint"
_______

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Wow, rather interesting discussion, I have to admit. I read all your comments, haha and yes it took me a while.
I agree with most of you, and as I grew up in the Philippines, I did the squat at first before learning the "sit like a queen not like a duck" technique.
Sadly, most of the people here are too ignorant to endorse the squat (even if they secretly do it too!) and even look at you in surprise if you tell them that you do. In highschool, I often found myself holding it in because of my many fears of using a public toilet. (1. Sitting takes a long time, and the idea of someone waiting outside often made me too nervous to get anything moving in the first place! 2. Its often too filthy to sit at all!)
However, when I decided to squat, it put me at a distance from the toilet seat, and though I could never really get over my nervousness, it did help move things along considerably.
I can't guarantee that squatting will cure constipation, but it does help me considerably when trying to go and hey, i've never gotten a hem.
As for anybody else curious about clean up, especially with a removable showerhead, when taking a dump in the squat, you can revert to the sit position and clean yourself as you would. (only works on Western toilets) (yes I've learned to squat on a western toilet, and it's relatively hard in public bathrooms so I agree with that other guy on using the handicapped toilet).