For the every day person who’s conversation surrounding their poop extends to buying toilet paper and nothing more, this notion is probably really gross-sounding. Understandably so, but the truth is, the more you know about yourself, including your bodily excretions, the more empowered you are when it comes to your health. Much like you probably call an exterminator to get rid of pests, an area you’re not too well versed in; the same is true about health-related topics, you likely entrust this solely to your doctor. The truth is, however, not everybody is the same – your doctor is not you – and you will not experience life or illness in the same way as him or her.
Not unlike giving yourself a breast exam or body scan for abnormal moles, looking at your poop can help give you an idea or what your “norm” is and thus, what your abnormal is, too.
Here are some things to take note of the next time you move it:
What color – brown, black, gray, green?
How often are you using the toilet? Once, twice, every other day?
Do you ever see undigested food such as corn, spinach, mushrooms, quinoa?
Does it have an odor?
Does it sink or float?
Does it come out in one long shot, or in pieces?
Is It difficult to pass or smooth like butter?
Is there blood?
A physician’s best friend to assess the quality of a stool is with the Bristol Stool chart.
Ideally…
…your poop is brown,
you go at least once a day, after just about every meal,
it doesn’t have a strong odor,
it sinks like the Titanic,
comes out in one link, does not pass with difficulty
and there is no undigested food, and blood should not be present…
But again, everybody is different and has a different norm. Consider using these as a starting point to gauge the health of your bowels and work from there. It’s truly empowering to feel like you’re in control of yourself, especially your healthcare-related decisions.
If you’re going less than once per day, this can be a great way to get backed up in most things – including your healing goals. Moving our bowels is one way to get rid of what’s gunking up the works on the inside. Some other ways to open up your pathways are:
Sweating! Make use of a sauna or an intense workout that elicits sweat.
Dry skin brushing! It helps to move lymph and removes dry skin to facilitate cellular turnover
Peeing! Drinking plenty of fluids to ensure movement out this way
If you’re finding a struggle in this area, it might be time to meet with a practitioner who can meet your needs!
