In one experiment, the Israeli doctor asked 28 subjects to go to the toilet in three different positions: a very common sit-down position, a squatting position on a special miniature toilet, and a squatting position similar to solving a problem in the middle of nowhere. Dr. Skorov stuck a stopwatch on the side and supervised the completion of a questionnaire by each subject. The results were clear: the squat took an average of 50 seconds, and the subjects agreed that the process was very comfortable. In contrast, the sit-on-pot toilet took an average of 130 seconds and seemed to leave a bit too much to be desired. Why does it take so much longer to do a sit-poo than a squat-poo? Because our intestinal closure mechanism is not designed for sitting on the toilet, and it can’t fully open the exit hatch in the sitting position. Whether standing or sitting, a muscle at the periphery of the bowel wraps around it like a lasso, pulling it in one direction, which creates a curved crease. This mechanism, which resembles a curved snap lock, takes a lot of the burden off the anal sphincter. Think of it like a rubber hose for watering the garden. If the water suddenly stops coming out when you’re watering, it’s most likely that there’s a kink in the pipe somewhere, so just straighten out the kink and the hose will be open again in no time. Let’s get back to the bends in the intestines. What is the purpose of the big bend near the anus, from the descending colon (the penultimate section of the large intestine) to the rectum (the last section of the large intestine)? It’s to make the feces pause at the bend, like having to brake and slow down at a freeway exit. Coupled with the muscular lasso mentioned earlier, this allows the anal sphincter to hold the feces in with little effort, whether you are standing or sitting. Once the muscles encasing the colon relax, the bends disappear, the roadblock is lifted, and a flood of feces ensues. Since primitive times, humans have squatted to defecate, and this is the most natural position for defecation. It was only in the late 18th century, after the invention of the bidet and the bathroom in the modern sense, that humans began to sit to defecate. “Because cavemen just squatted to defecate” is too lax an explanation for a doctor. Who says that because our ancestors defecated this way, it proves that squatting on the toilet is better for muscle relaxation and smooth bowel movements? So Japanese researchers did the following experiment: they let the subject swallow some fluorescent reagents, and then use different positions to go to the toilet, while receiving X-ray irradiation. The results of the experiment are as follows: 1, yes, in the squatting pit state, the intestinal tract does become straight, defecation smooth and thorough; 2, there really is such a dedication to science in this world, not to mention swallowing fluorescent agent, can actually stand to pull fluorescent poop let the whole X-ray follow the camera! I have to say, both of these are impressive. Intestinal disorders like hemorrhoids and intestinal diverticula, as well as constipation, seem to be concentrated outbreaks only in countries that are accustomed to using the bidet. Loose muscle tissue is not the culprit; there are other causes, especially for young people, and many develop because of the stress placed on the intestines. Some people in stressful, tense situations will tighten the abdominal muscles, sometimes tense for a whole day they are still unaware of this, hemorrhoids naturally do not want to stay in the stressful places, or slipped to the outside of the body easily. Similarly, the intestines inside the organization if the pressure is unbearable also had to run to the outside, so the intestinal wall emerges a bulb-shaped tumors, the formation of intestinal diverticula. Of course, the bidet is certainly not the only cause of hemorrhoids and colonic diverticula, but among the 1.2 billion people around the world who squat to use the toilet, it’s true that we don’t find any people with diverticula, and the percentage of people who get hemorrhoids is also much smaller. Think about it, we sit gracefully on the toilet every day, in a particularly awkward position for the intestines, trying to squeeze the poop out, but also incidentally squeezing out hemorrhoids, diverticula, and in bad cases, a visit to the doctor. Is it really worth it to give up squatting for a seemingly superior toilet? Not only that, but doctors have even hypothesized that the likelihood of varicose veins, stroke, or fainting during a bowel movement is significantly increased if you routinely push too hard while using the toilet.