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How bathroom posture affects your health.

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Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#61

Post by stackthat »

I lived in Turkey for a while and almost every house has one normal toilet and one old school toilets (hole in the floor) which hasn't got a place to sit so you have to squat.

AFAIK also muslims prefer squating over sitting as it's the suggested practice, also they don't pee standing up (I think this is due to health reasons as well but can be about being clean,not sure).

I always prefer squating over sitting however when you get old generally you need to sit as squatting is literally requires effort, many elderly people sits due to this.

I can't imagine squating in a normal sit toilet, that's just dangerous.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#62

Post by kranner »

sliverstorm wrote: post #56
kranner wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Squatting trivia: South Asians do squat in repose, but notice that the heel of the foot is in full contact with the ground. I read somewhere that the typical Westerner, or someone not used to squatting for extended periods, will squat on the balls of their feet. Apparently this can tire you out quickly. I'm embarrassed that I can't quite manage to squat on my heels either, despite being South Asian.

IMHO it's because they are two different kinds of squats. On the balls of your feet, you a ready to spring into action at any second- it is more like a quick breather than a resting position. It comes much more naturally. On your heels, you can't exactly break into an instant run.

That was just my point - it comes naturally to Westerners because they are not used to squatting. South Asians can execute either stance equally naturally.

I've seen people go from standing to squatting position (not in a toilet) and they don't go through an intermediate ball-of-foot-squatting phase.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#63

Post by loewenskind »

sliverstorm wrote: post #55
hugh3 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it sounds like this guy has some kind of specific problem, which maybe squatting can relieve. I looked him up, assuming he might be an old guy, but he appears to be early-to-mid 20s, meaning that spending ten minutes just to take a crap on a regular basis is not normal.

What if he has a good book on hand? I've been known to spend hours in there due to good books. It gets very uncomfortable, but you just can't put the book down!

If you think it's uncomfortable now, wait until you get hemorrhoid surgery to undo the damage you're doing with this.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#64

Post by yread »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #9

>sitting on toilets—a recent phenomenon, stemming from the invention of the flush toilet in 1591—might be unhealthy There's a Roman museum near here that has a model barracks toilet which is basically like a modern compost loo - it's like an enclosed bench with holes to defecate through. I guess you might be supposed to stand on it but it's certainly not presented that way. I've seen toilets in medieval château and c…

first real flush toilets were probably from 26th century BC en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flush_toilet The Knossos palace on Crete (1700BC) had flush toilets (and 3 separate systems for managing water) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knossos

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#65

Post by elai »

jyothi wrote: post #60
strebler wrote: post #8

This article speaks the truth. I was traveling in China last year and was averse to pooping in the squat toilets there (they're generally quite filthy). In any case, eventually push came to shove and I had to bite the bullet. It was like an awakening, I had not realized how uncomfortable are our western toilets until this experience.

Here in Asia, you most always find both western and squat toilet in houses, hotels and public toilets. In public toilets squat toilets are still more hygienic to use than sitting on the western toilet seats. Moreover if the flush doesn't work, which usually would be the case, you can always pour a bucket of water.

Pouring a bucket of water also works with western toilets. Try it one day. You'll probably have to do a few buckets but it works.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#66

Post by hasenj »

Besides sitting vs Squatting, the other (and more important) issue with the western style toilet is the use of "papers" instead of bidet (water hose) for cleaning after oneself.

At home we always install a home-made bidet: usually a water hose connected to the shower somehow with a mechanism to turn it on/off.

When I'm in a public place, I try to avoid using public bathrooms. Sometimes I can't avoid it, like when I'm at work.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#67

Post by rue »

stackthat wrote: post #61

I lived in Turkey for a while and almost every house has one normal toilet and one old school toilets (hole in the floor) which hasn't got a place to sit so you have to squat. AFAIK also muslims prefer squating over sitting as it's the suggested practice, also they don't pee standing up (I think this is due to health reasons as well but can be about being clean,not sure). I always prefer squating over sitting however…

> I can't imagine squating in a normal sit toilet, that's just dangerous.

Only if you have trouble supporting your bulk, be it due to obesity or lack of muscle conditioning. Or balance issues, obviously.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#68

Post by henrikschroder »

elai wrote: post #65
jyothi wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in Asia, you most always find both western and squat toilet in houses, hotels and public toilets. In public toilets squat toilets are still more hygienic to use than sitting on the western toilet seats. Moreover if the flush doesn't work, which usually would be the case, you can always pour a bucket of water.

Pouring a bucket of water also works with western toilets. Try it one day. You'll probably have to do a few buckets but it works.

You would only need to use a few buckets on an American toilet. European ones use a lot less water.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#69

Post by jackvalentine »

jyothi wrote: post #60
strebler wrote: post #8

This article speaks the truth. I was traveling in China last year and was averse to pooping in the squat toilets there (they're generally quite filthy). In any case, eventually push came to shove and I had to bite the bullet. It was like an awakening, I had not realized how uncomfortable are our western toilets until this experience.

Here in Asia, you most always find both western and squat toilet in houses, hotels and public toilets. In public toilets squat toilets are still more hygienic to use than sitting on the western toilet seats. Moreover if the flush doesn't work, which usually would be the case, you can always pour a bucket of water.

At the risk of sounding quite childish - I've never used a squat toilet, is there much chance of you accidently soiling your pants when using one?

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#70

Post by kranner »

sliverstorm wrote: post #55
hugh3 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it sounds like this guy has some kind of specific problem, which maybe squatting can relieve. I looked him up, assuming he might be an old guy, but he appears to be early-to-mid 20s, meaning that spending ten minutes just to take a crap on a regular basis is not normal.

What if he has a good book on hand? I've been known to spend hours in there due to good books. It gets very uncomfortable, but you just can't put the book down!

Don't read on the toilet seat. loewenskind has already said it, but I think it's important enough to repeat clearly. Sitting on that ring puts pressure on the anal muscles.

Again, do not read on the toilet seat!

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