Jules Organic Living
Insights for the Mind Body and Spirit
The matters of Poo… and not Winnie exactly
Are you up to date on the latest in poo science? It’s okay, up until recently, neither was I. So grab a stool and get ready for a lesson in poology.
I know, It’s not the most desirable subject, however, with the percentages of Americans suffering from chronic constipation, I feel it may be important to address. For us vegans, vegetarians and raw foodies, the subject of elimination is pretty common. No shame here. 🙂 However, for the average human following a typical american diet, the subject of their feces is a sacred conversation normally saved for their medical doctors.
John Crapper is the inventor of the first flushing toilet hence the terms ” Going to the John” and ” Taking a crap“. This invention has revolutionized the way we use the bathroom. Unfortunately it has also caused us to form some bad habits. Mainly the improper stance of elimination. . Our body is designed to be in a strategic position in order to properly eliminate our non useable materials. What goes in must come out! Lets get to know the poo and its function. The Poop Report says:
The human digestive system operates like a factory. The plan of operation for this facility is pretty simple.
- Obtain raw materials
- Prepare raw materials for processing
- Construct the product
- Export the finished product
- Profit from the endeavor
Your food is fuel and medicine for your body and your colon is a beautiful but delicate system for making sure your food benefit is maximized. Get to know your stool. Make observations and evaluate your rate and consistency. The following list will help you.
Healthy Poo!
- Soft, but formed
- Medium-light brown in color. This could vary depending on your vegetable consumption.
- Consistent shape and color throughout
- Easy to pass
- Natural smell, not repulsive (I’m not saying that it will smell good)
- 12 inches per day (whether in one big 12-inch poop, two 6-inch poops or three 4-inch poops)
Unhealthy Poo!
- Undigested food particles may indicate that food hasn’t been broken down well. There really should be no undigested food in the stool.
- Loose stools mean that the food hasn’t had significant time to move through the intestines. Too much water has remained in the stool (water that was supposed to be absorbed and given to the cells).
- Hard stools point out that food has remained too long in the colon. Most of the water has been extracted, leaving a hard (and hard to pass) stool.
- Intermittent hard and soft stools are a tell tale sign of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The bowel is sporadic and spastic, never knowing what it’s going to do next.
- Small pellets may be an indication of dehydration; not enough water is present to keep the stool soft enough to stay formed in the midst of peristaltic motion.
- Thin, skinny stools may indicate a tight or tense anal sphincter. The tighter the opening, the thinner the stool will be.
- Clay or pale colored stools show that there may be a sign of elevated bilirubin – an indicator of poor liver function. If yellowing skin and eyes (jaundice) are also present, a liver test is recommended.
- Dark or black stools shows that the stool might have been sitting in the colon for too long. The longer poop stays in the bowel, the more dark and compact it will be.
- Pain or burning around the anus may simply be due to eating spicy foods, but if spices weren’t eaten, and the burning persists for more than a few days, the possibility of intestinal or colonic disease should be considered.
- Noxious smelling stools may point toward toxicity in the digestive organs, namely in the colon where an overgrowth of bacteria may be nesting.
The Squat
This technique can be used either outdoors or standing on or over the toilet bowl. This is the way our ancestors did the business and it is also the most natural way.
The elevated knee Position
This technique is done sitting on the toilet and using a stepping stool or any object that you can place your feet on to elevate your knees. This is the most practical stance for the collective .
The “correct” seated posture
This technique allows you to ponder life’s perplexing questions while enjoying some alone time. Make sure you body alignment is correct.
Jules Organic Living 
Love it! I use to have the title as the ‘Constipation Queen’ because if anyone was having a challenge in that area they would come and talk to me. No embarrassment here! Our colon is the lifeline to our body! Thanks for posting such an important but rarely talked about subject…at least in the average home. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Kathleen. Yes, I agree regarding our colon. I am ever amazed by the %’s of people that go for weeks without defecating.:)
interesting
hum… trying to come up with a delicate way to talk to a couple family members about this.
Also, i want a toilet I can stand on– kids would love it!
🙂 Perhaps you can start with speaking to them about the importance of drinking water and keeping themselves hydrated? best to you Sara!