There is a silly scene in a movie called ‘Liar Liar’ that I used to love as a kid about the importance of not delaying a visit; the underlying plot is that Fletcher (Jim Carrey) is unable to is lie following his son making a birthday wish.
Fletcher:
Your honor, would the court be willing to grant me a short bathroom break?
Judge:
Can't it wait?
Fletcher:
Yes it can. But I've heard that if you hold it you could damage the prostate gland, making it very difficult to get an erection, or even become aroused!
Judge:
Is that true?
Fletcher:
It has to be!
Judge:
In that case I'd better take a quick break myself.
Haemorrhoids are caused by too much straining, which is caused by bad posture during defecation. The closer you're to a squatting position, the less straining you need. Use a footrest to raise your leg (or as I call it: a stool stool, hehehe).
The toilet stool (Squatty Potty is probably the most well known brand name) is game changing. Highly recommend. That may be some of the lowest cost to benefit thing I've found for the home.
The only downside is that you'll miss it whenever nature calls outside the home.
I actually prefer single-ply. I bunch it up (I'm not a folder) and it's far superior to that fluffy stuff that your fingers go right through and then sticks to your bum. Scott 1000-sheet + bidet + squatty potty is perfection to me.
As you would expect, it's about the time spent on the toilet. So using some anti addiction app, or not being addicted to your phone means you are good to go.
Why do they link it to stress and not to the virus? Personally, I still deal with major digestive issues, primarily acid and silent reflux, after getting really sick from the second vaccination. (I'm not ruling out that I could have caught covid just before the vax, though my test was negative.) Prior to this, I was someone who had never once experienced reflux. Never took a Tums, etc. Now I'm on PPIs (Nexium basically), seemingly forever. What makes me think the symptoms are not due to anxiety is that they frequently hit me when my thoughts are elsewhere and not stressed or I'm asleep.
not all antacids are the same, so I reach for your "etc" instead of the Tum. the liquid antacids that contain an aluminum compound active ingredient (in the US, Mylanta and Maalox and buy the store brand anyway, always liquid tho) provide a pH buffer, which is to say they "calibrate" their effect to the scale of the problem at the moment and the effect lasts longer than simply neutralizing acid with a base. I find this is the superior middle way.
PPIs? I really liked zantac's "ranitidine" ingredient which got banned for some infinitesimal risk of cancer. great product. I do not like the way these others leave my tummy feeling (or... is that the cancer? :)
>Why do they link it to stress and not to the virus?
how about, risks from the vaccines were ignored as possible confounding factors and presto, a mystery condition emerges which can only be attributed to the time period
The squat (aka primal or Asian squat) would be better than sitting or standing to poo.
There is a lot of research on this... If you do sit, it helps to bring your knees up closer to your chest. You can buy devices to help do this... The Squatty Potty for example. Basically, things are better aligned (for sitters) when your knees or hips are bent deeply.
Other research shows the Thinker Position Statue is as ideal as the squat for pooping ease (if you are a sitter).
I mean, people have been saying related things for years.
Way before the smartphone (we're talking 80s and 90s), if I would go to the bathroom with a book my parents would warn me (perhaps old wives tale, perhaps relatedly bad studies such as this?) that sitting on the toilet too long could give me hemorrhoids.
This does not mean using you smartphone on the toilet causes hemorrhoids at all. It is more likely that people with constipation know they will be in the bathroom longer so they bring their smartphones, and constipation IS the leading cause of hemorrhoids. Correlation is not causation.
Fwiw, the two feed into each other. I read this same thing somewhere else before and have since tried to not take my phone with me into the bathroom. I started doing that because I would take a lot of time in there. But once I have my phone, if I start reading something a bit too long, I could easily spend 20 mins in there before realising it.
The position of sitting in the toilet without support for the pelvic floor adds extra pressure to the related vein and vascularity, creating hemorrhoids.
My belief in "American Exceptionalism" was destroyed the moment that the powerful stream of water from the toilet bidet hit my rectum for the first time somewhere in South Korea.
We westerners are disgusting barbarians, and Hemorrhoids are usually evidence of that. Most Hemorrhoids that westerners have are due to either not cleaning their butts properly, or from straining too much due usually to bad diets (bidets also help eliminate this as water is a decent lubricant)
Yes to the "squatting is better" crowd but you notice that SK/Japan doesn't need or have squatting toilets en mass.
When the Japanese or South Koreans look at us with disdain because we literally walk around with shit in our pants 24/7, I don't blame them! They are right and we have a LOT to learn as westerners about being actually clean.
Western seated toilets are extremely inferior to Asian/Chinese squat toilets. It is a cultural disaster. Sitting on the toilet seat will lead to weakness of the pelvic floor, causing multiple types of bodily dysfunction and pain. The damage done accumulates over time with age and years of bad positioning. If you're not too heavy, just squat on your toilet seat at home, and wash off with a bidet/spray. If you can't squat, at least use a stool for the feet.
No, it is not necessary to stand on it, and that would be utterly dangerous. Just squat on it directly, first one foot, then the other. Be careful when getting on and off it, using something for support if available. It is not for people with a weak balance. Position as forward as possible so you land correctly. It is a strange thing to have to do, but it will fix and prevent numerous associated issues.
It will lead to more splashing, so use the flush a lot more. It can also help to take a shower thereafter to keep the legs clean.
A side benefit is that no one will want to remain in this position any longer than necessary since it tires the feet, so you don't waste much more time than you need.
I have an appropriate stool, and have used and compared it over a lengthy period. The subjective benefit over time is not 90%; it is about 30%. When squatting, there is no risk of falling if one has normal balance and is not unwell. It is not for the inattentive person. It takes weeks or months of use to realize its pelvic benefits.
The risk of falling is highest when getting off the seat, at which time it helps to have a support to hold.
The correct solution would of course be to remove this toilet altogether, replacing it with a squat toilet.
The noted actions are not something that anyone will typically do until they feel they're out of options, but then it's a potential option.
I do not understand why you are downvoted. My parents came from a country with squat toilets, so they taught me to squat on the toilet seat, and I have gone that way ever since I was toddler (except in public restrooms).
It is very inappropriate to do at a workplace toilet. If there is excrement on the toilet seat, they're not positioning themselves correctly, or are too large for the seat, and they don't care to cleanup either. Wearing shoes alone is a reason to not do it outside of home.
