Let’s talk about how we poop. Specifically, the angle.
We usually sit upright. This forces waste to navigate a nearly 90-degree bend called the anorectal angle. It’s efficient for continence, sure. We don’t leak every time we sit down for a meeting. But for actually exiting? It’s like trying to drive with the parking brake on. Our anatomy isn’t built for 90s.
Doctors often skip this chat. Shame? Ignorance? Probably a mix. I should disclose I sell a device that claims to fix this. The Squatty Potty.
Here’s the problem with most footstools. They raise you four inches. Research showed that barely moved the needle on straining or time spent. No change in self-reported difficulty. Useless height.
The Squatty Potty doubles that lift. To eight inches.
When researchers tested it, things got better.
Participants reported increased feelings of bowel emptlessness, less straining, and reading the paper for about a minute less.
One catch. Pain. Extreme discomfort. Another trial using a six-inch riser failed because subjects couldn’t stand the pain. They quit.
What else opens up the angle?
Lean forward. Shoulders to knees. Mimic The Thinker statue.
Cleveland Clinic researchers measured this with cinedefecography —which just means an x-ray video of you pooping. The results? The angle opened past 130 degrees. Much wider than the 90-degree lift from raising your feet alone.
So. The Thinker position might actually beat the footstool. It helps constipation theoretically, though formal testing lags behind.
And avoid lying flat. Ever.
Bedpans are the worst. Bearing down on your back spikes blood pressure in your brain and heart. In Japan, straining at stool is the daily activity most likely to kill you on the spot. Sudden death from heart attack or stroke. If you’re bedbound, sit up. Less strain on a system that can’t handle it.
But maybe we’re overcomplicating this.
Squatting proponents blame modern toilets for our digestive woes. They say we need to go primal. But consider this. Primal humans also eat primal diets. Unrefined. Full of fiber that hasn’t been processed out of existence.
If you eat right, fiber alone lets you go effortless. Without the squat. Without the special stool.
So. Fix your diet? Or buy a plastic ramp?
Who knows. Just maybe don’t do it lying down.
