How bathroom posture affects your health. • Hacker News Board

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#101

Post by cmurphycode » Thu, Sep 02, 2010, 12:19 AM UTC

eru wrote: post #81

cmurphycode wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the stereotypical Asian squat. Interestingly, young children do it by default. I think we lose flexibility as we age. I can't squat back on my heels without straining my shin muscles to keep from falling backwards, but the more I do it, the easier it becomes. It is certainly a lot healthier for your knees than squatting on the balls of your feet, if only because your knees stay roughly on the same vertical as…

Yes. But the loss of flexibility does not come automatically with age. If you keep moving, you will keep your flexibility. And you can get it back with practice.

I don't think it's as simple as keeping moving. I lost that flexibility fairly early on, certainly in the middle of playing multiple sports through high school, and I'm still very active today.

I know I don't do enough stretching, though. It's just frustrating because my hamstrings never seem to improve, and as soon as I stop stretching, I go back to base (about 12" from touching my toes while standing).

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#102

Post by gojomo » Thu, Sep 02, 2010, 12:45 AM UTC

illumin8 wrote: post #97

munchhausen wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wonder if this contributes to the higher rates of hepatitis and related illnesses in Asia -- and that in turn to the custom of removing shoes before entering households. Removing shoes before entering households is standard practice in quite a few (most?) European countries as well, so I imagine it is not related to higher rates of hepatitis and subsequent fear of infection. (Frankly, from a subjective viewpoint,…

Frankly, I always considered it extremely rude and boorish to not remove shoes when entering someone's house (I'm american, if it matters). Think about it- would you drag an object through city streets, gutters, mud, sewage, and other bad areas, then drag it all over the floor of your house?

Of course, if that's the host's custom, guests should follow it as well. But many hosts don't take their own shoes off.

While you never know what's on the streets, well-off areas of the US generally have clean, dry walkways -- it's rare for sewage to be tracked about. We have comparatively little dirt/mud/feces-transmitted disease -- such as typhoid, hepatitis, cryptosporidiosis, or various other waterborne parasites.

And, North American children face rising rates of allergies and autoimmune disorders, which, if the hygiene hypothesis is to be believed, are made worse by too little exposure to mild pathogens from unclean environments.

So the most health-promoting custom might vary a lot by region.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#103

Post by snprbob86 » Thu, Sep 02, 2010, 1:20 AM UTC

naner wrote: post #96

snprbob86 wrote: post #2

I've been perching for 2 years and subjectively recommend it.

The logistics of this baffle me. Do you have the seat up? Any problems with splashing? Do you do this in public restrooms? Friends' houses?

Seat down; no splashing problems really, you are only 2 or 3 inches higher; only at home.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#104

Post by patrickgzill » Thu, Sep 02, 2010, 2:01 AM UTC

antidaily wrote: post #18

six subjects had their rectums filled with a contrast solution and then released the fluid from a squatting or a sitting position while being filmed with X-ray video. yikes.

Grad students would be my guess...

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#105

Post by helveticaman » Thu, Sep 02, 2010, 2:58 AM UTC

kingkawn wrote: post #54

My grandfather, a physicist, had many odd friends. One of them was a Brit who in the 1950's invented a toilet that permitted squatting. He said of the work, "I believe the savages had it right all along." The toilet was never produced.

Seed funds didn't exist in the 50s.

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#106

Post by strebler » Thu, Sep 02, 2010, 4:44 AM UTC

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.

Yes, there were lots of western toilets in the more populated areas (Shanghai, Xian, Beijing, etc), but less once we got away from the cities. Squat toilets definitely seem more hygenic :)

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#107

Post by elai » Fri, Sep 03, 2010, 7:24 AM UTC

henrikschroder wrote: post #68

elai wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The bucket size is a small one, about 1L

Re: How bathroom posture affects your health.

#108

Post by oihuyjfrgtdfghj » Fri, Sep 03, 2010, 5:55 PM UTC

eru wrote: post #88

oihuyjfrgtdfghj wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Until they move to Canada - then they remove them again. I always got looks for removing my shoes at work, it's much more comfortable to wear socks.

I often remove the socks, too. Depends on the temperature.

It's very good if you are handling static sensitive electronics. Sweaty feet and a concrete floor is much better than nylon carpets and plastic shoes.