Back when you were an infant you knew instinctively how to answer the call of nature. While still in diapers, you used the squatting position, the method human beings have always used -- and still do in most parts of the world.

Then one day Mommy or Daddy taught you the "proper, civilized" way to perform your bodily functions. It seemed strange and inefficient at first, but eventually you got used to it.

[1] Proper pooping position.

Or did you? Western societies have quite a poor record when it comes to intestinal health, and in all probability you will eventually figure in one of the following statistics (collected from the Internet). All of these ailments are extremely rare in cultures that use squat toilets:

• Appendicitis: Occurs in 7% of the US population.
  
• Hemorrhoids: Half the population over 40 years of age has them.
  
• Irritable bowel syndrome: Affects approximately 10-20% of the population.
  
• Diverticulosis: Half of all Americans age 60 to 80, and almost everyone over age 80, has it.
  
• Colorectal Cancer: 148,300 new cases and 56,600 deaths are expected in 2002 in the U.S.
  
• Bladder Incontinence: 50% or more of elderly persons are incontinent. $16.4 billion is spent every year on incontinence-related care.
  
• Prostate Cancer: 190,000 new cases and 30,200 deaths each year in the U.S.

The cause of these mysterious epidemics has baffled modern medicine for decades. It may sound unbelievable, but a major contributing factor in all of them may well be the humble "porcelain throne." Here is a brief summary of the evidence:

1. Prostate and bladder disorders: The perineum contains nerves that control the bladder, prostate and other organs. Bearing down to evacuate while sitting causes the perineum to bulge out. Over time, this stretches and damages the pelvic nerves, resulting in loss of bladder control and loss of communication between the prostate and the brain. The phenomenon is called "pelvic floor nerve stretch injury" and is well-known to modern medicine, although the connection to seated evacuation has only recently been discovered.
   Researchers in Australia have found that adopting the squatting position for elimination stops the injury to the pelvic nerves and has been very successful in reversing bladder incontinence (including children's bedwetting) as well as enlarged prostates. Many authorities recommend squatting for childbirth to avoid stretching the pelvic floor. (Reference: Tobin, Andrew. Prostate Disorder - Causes and Cure, National Direct Publishing, Bowden, Australia, 1996, p.123-148.)
   
2. Hemorrhoids: The rectum has a built-in "kink" designed to maintain continence. It only straightens out when squatting. Sitting on the toilet, one has to strain against the kink, which damages the delicate tissues and causes the veins to become distended. Clinical research published in the Israel Journal of Medical Science in 1987 showed a 90% cure rate achieved by switching to the squatting position.
   
3. Colorectal Cancer: 80% of colon cancers develop in the cecum and the sigmoid, the two areas that are not supported in the sitting position - and are therefore never completely evacuated. Fecal stagnation has been found to be a major risk factor for colon cancer (according to a 1998 article in the journal Epidemiology).
   
4. Appendicitis: Caused by a blockage at the extreme end of the cecum. The disease was unknown before sitting toilets were introduced 150 years ago. Appendicitis, colon cancer, diverticulosis and hemorrhoids are extremely rare in cultures that use squat toilets. (Source: www.emedicine.com [2] and www.gihealth.com [3].)

   "The Indian type of toilets is more conducive to complete evacuation than the Western toilets. With the western style closets becoming popular in India, there is a risk of increased incidence of appendicitis." (Source: www.webhealthcentre.com [4])

   [5] Nature's Platform. [6]

Ten more pages of supporting evidence on the benefits of the natural squatting position can be found at www.NaturesPlatform.com [7].

So, please consider "squatty-training" your children to save them from needless suffering. For babies, you just need two footpads and a receptacle. Your baby will love it! And be out of diapers in no time. The footpads can be made from floor tiles or wood or cardboard or anything suitable.

When they get a little older they can squat on the toilet seat. Put a chair or a walker in front of the toilet for them to hold onto until they get the hang of it. And try squatting yourself! It's never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle (and avoid becoming an unhappy statistic.)

-- Jonathan Isbit [8] holds the patent on Nature's Platform [9], a device that turns your sitter into a squatter.