what i’ve learned in peace corps cambodia [pt. 2]

how to squat.

A sign at Angkor Wat showing Cambodians how to use a non-squat toilet.

 

About 2/3rds of the world’s population (about 4 billion people) uses the squat toilet. I almost typed “still” uses the squat toilet, but that suggests that they’re expected to change. It’s not something I think about often, but if I had to guess, I would presume that a person will probably be inclined to go to the bathroom in the manner that they were raised, whether that was sitting down on a western-style toilet, or squatting over a hole, for the rest of their life. Doing a bit of research on the squat toilet, however, I’m a bit surprised that they haven’t caught on in the new-wave-health-holistic-natural-living-etc movement that has been sweeping America in the past decade or so. So, why squat?

* Squat toilets are cheaper & easier to clean. And they usually require less water to flush.
* More Hygienic: Your dirty butt won’t touch a dirty seat and make both things even dirtier.
* Squatting makes elimination faster, easier and more complete.
((( Poop SO MUCH SO FAST!! )))
* Elimination in squatting posture protects the nerves that control the prostate, bladder and uterus from becoming stretched and damaged.
* Squatting relaxes the puborectalis muscle which normally chokes the rectum in order to maintain continence.
(( Who doesn’t love a relaxed puborectalis muscle??!!? ))
* Squatting securely seals the ileocecal valve, between the colon and the small intestine. In the conventional sitting position, this valve is unsupported and often leaks during evacuation.
(( No more leaky valves!!  ))
* For pregnant women, squatting avoids pressure on the uterus when using the toilet. Daily squatting helps prepare the mother-to-be for a more natural delivery.
(( It’s like free baby-having practice!! ))
* Squatting may reduce the occurrence or severity of hemorrhoids and possibly other colorectal disorders such as diverticulosis and appendicitis.
* Also, efficiency: you probably won’t squat for 20 minutes and read a magazine. Unless you want reallllllly strong leg muscles that you probably won’t ever use for anything else.
GET IN, POOP, GET OUT!!

so, will I squat for the rest of my life? probably not, unless they happen to catch on in America. but it does make more sense to me, in a ‘it’s less like pooping into a bucket and more like pooping into the ground type of way.’ And it’s simpler. We already spend a lot of money on the things that make us poop, why spend a lot of money on the thing that we poop into??