The Benefits of Squatting by Zoebess Blog entry

Blog: The Master Cleanse Express
by Zoebess

The Benefits of Squatting

better out than in

Date: 6/12/2006 1:02:40 PM ( 18 y ) ... viewed 10359 times

As anyone can attest, the Master Cleanse makes you more intimate with your bathroom. I even moved a little table in mine so I could put some catalogs in there to flip through in the time spent letting out the Salt Water Flush and all the inbetween releases that the cleanse facilitates. Often, in the morning, I just linger since the urges to go with the Salt Water Flush hardly give you much time between the wipe and flush. So, I opt to relax and wait it out...ggg.

I came across this article in my research that reminded me of something I take for granted but which does not come up much and that is the benefits of *squatting*.

I've done it for forever it seems, a stool was kept in the bathroom specifically for this purpose, and Bragg wrote about it in his book on fasting, and advised that one raise their arms above their heads to aid in elimination.

I am not a purist and use a "platform" for eliminating but the stool helps tremendously and I can easily recommend it to anyone wishing to improve their bowel function.

Recently, I upgraded my stool to a "HealthStep" and am greatly impressed with its ease of use and how all the benefits of using one seem to be true for me! (Thanks Totoro for the inspiration to go *modern*...ggg)

http://www.healthstep.com/

Below is a description of how squatting can benefit anyone's bowel cleansing plan!

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Constipation & Proper Bowel Functioning

Constipation is defined as having less than 1 bowel movement per day. One bowel movement per day is considered good; however, the optimum is to have 2 to 3 movements per day. Ideally, you should have a bowel movement after each meal, just like babies do (before they’re exposed to an unhealthy American diet).

An important concept in bowel health is the “Transit Time” of food. Transit time is the time it takes for food to go in the mouth and then out the body by way of a bowel movement. The goal is to minimize the transit time of food in your system. You want to have food transit time be less than 24 hours.

The longer food stays in your body (longer transit times), the food will begin to ferment and build up toxic waste. This will stretch and extend your colon (increase its diameter). This also effects the finger-like projections in the intestines called villae. Villae absorb nutrients as they pass through the intestinal tract. Villae can be rendered useless if they are damaged by toxic “build up” on the walls of the intestines resulting in mal-absorption - mal-absorption is the inability to absorb nutrients through the digestive lining. Many people suffer from mal-absorption and don’t even know it.

Build-up also hinders parastolsis - parastolsis is the muscular-like contractions of the intestines which move food through the digestive system and out of the body. Lack of proper parastolsis will further hinder the transit time of food.
Another important concept is Auto-intoxification. Auto-intoxification is blood poisoning from your own body’s toxins. Auto-Intoxification can result from constipation. The longer the transit time of food, the longer the food stays in your gut, the more likely it is that auto-intoxification will occur.
Auto-intoxification means "you make yourself sick" by reabsorbing the toxic water from your bowel back into your bloodstream. If you don't drink enough water (which most people don't) then you run the risk of reabsorbing water from the bowel into the bloodstream. Along with the water go toxins and this can cause toxicity throughout the body. If you only have 1 bowel movement per day then toxic material can be building up in your bowel.

Auto-intoxification effects (1) the blood system and (2) the lymphatic system which are both essential to the proper functioning of your digestive system. Toxins (from food, the environment, and digestion) - which do not get eliminated from the body by way of a bowel movement - can be absorbed by the blood and lymphatic systems. These toxins will eventually settle in the tissues of the body creating diseases as well as autoimmune problems (such as arthritis, diabetes, colitis, etc).

Auto-intoxification can also overwhelm your liver and kidneys. A key function of the liver is to cleanse the blood of such toxins before they can spread to the rest of the body. The liver does this by: (1) packaging up toxins and sending them to the kidney for excretion from the body as urine; (2) dumping toxins into bile (a thick digestive fluid secreted by the liver) which is sent to the gall bladder which, in turn, sends it back into the digestive track where it will, hopefully, be excreted from the body in a bowel movement.

This is why FIBER is so important. As the gall bladder releases toxins into the digestive tract, an adequate amount of fiber is needed to absorb the toxins so they will leave the body by way of a bowel movement. If there is not enough fiber, these toxins will get reabsorbed through the intestinal lining and go back (yet again) to the liver. If this re-absorption occurs (from lack of fiber), the liver can become overburdened and unable to process the amount of toxic flow. An overburdened liver will begin to store the toxins and distribute them throughout the body (usually in fat cells, muscle cells, and the joints) this then creates inflammation and disease.

Constipation and auto-intoxification causes: headaches, diabetes, arthritis, colon cancer, body odor, varicose veins, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, mal-absorption, PMS, CFS, bad breath, chancre sores, obesity, gas, bloating, heartburn, skin problems, yeast and parasite problems.

One research study (reported in The “Lancet,” a prestigious medical journal) showed that women who had less than 2 to 3 bowel movements per week were 4 times more likely to develop Breast Cancer than women with 1 or more bowel movements a day.

What constitutes a “normal” bowel movement?

Normal stool should be close to a walnut-brown color.
Stool should have a consistency similar to tooth paste. It should not be hard pellets or chunks (that means you are dehydrated and need to increase your water intake).
Stools should pass easily and you should never strain.
Stools should be about the size and length of a good-sized banana.
Stools should have no gas or strong odor, constipation causes excess gas and odor (since the food stays in the colon too long and begins to ferment and decay).
Stools should settle in the water, then gently submerge. If it quickly plummets to the bottom then there’s not enough fiber in the diet (note: you need 30 to 40 grams of fiber daily, most Americans only get 15 grams). If it floats then either too much fiber or too much undigested fat (too much fat in your diet).

Lack of exercise increases constipation. As previously stated, both blood circulation and lymphatic circulation are key to proper digestive functioning and bowel elimination. Lymphatic flow is 4 times more abundant in the digestive process than blood flow; however, unlike the blood system which has a heart to pump circulation, the lymphatic flow has no pumping mechanism. Thus, the ONLY way to stimulate the flow of lymphatic fluids, which aids in digestion and proper bowel functioning, is through movement. Exercise stimulates the lymphatic flow which helps to maintain proper parastolsis.

Certain medications can increase constipation. Anti-depressants, pain medications, antacids (such as Tums) that contain aluminum can create constipation.
A change in routine, such as traveling, can also cause constipation (recommend taking an herbal laxative with you and staying well hydrated).
Elimination: Not taking the time you need to properly eliminate or listening to your body’s signals can add to the problem of constipation. Most people are completely out of touch with their body, especially their colon. Take time to relax, deep breath, and eliminate when needed.

Poor toilet positioning hinders proper bowel elimination. Squatting is how God intended for us to eliminate. Standard toilet seats have you sitting at a 90-degree angle which “crimps” the two sides of the colon (the most common spots for colon cancer to occur). Buying a “life-step” for your toilet positions your knees higher than your hips and maximizes your body’s ability to eliminate toxic bowels. Note: or just using a stack of phone books for your feet to rest on works just as well.
Diet: The American diet is the main cause of constipation. America has a lover affair with crap - coffee, refined sugar and starches, sodas, aspirin, alcohol, and processed foods – all disrupt the natural balance of the digestive tract and colon and help to create constipation.

For every cup of coffee you drink, it requires 2 glasses of water to re-hydrate your body. And that’s on top of the 8 glasses of water you’re supposed to be drinking per day. Note: The goal is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces (of water) per day.

You should not drink a lot of fluid with your meals. Doing so will dilute the body’s digestive enzymes and hinder proper digestion. It is best to minimize fluid intake during meals.

Add essential fatty acids to your diet (flax seed oil, borage oil, fish oils). These help in lubricating the colon and with constipation.

Proper chewing is essential to proper food digestion and nutrient absorption. Most people eat much too fast and don’t chew their food properly. You should be chewing each bite at least 30 times. Carbohydrates are meant to be partially digested in your mouth by the enzymes in your saliva. But you must properly chew food in order to start this digestive process. If not, undigested starch will add to the problem of gas, bloating, and constipation.

To summarize, if stool stays in the system too long it will lead to auto-intoxification (blood poisoning through what is called a “leaky gut”). This is the beginning of the disease process. Disease begins in the colon.

Guidelines for proper bowel functioning and food digestion
Drink lots of water (goal is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces per day)
Change your diet slowly, supplement diet with 30-40 grams fiber per day
Lower refined sugar and processed foods intake
Take digestive enzymes (supplements) with meals
Take essential fatty acids (lubricates & smoothes elimination)
Exercise 3 times a week (walking is good)
Reduce medications, if possible
Create the time/space to properly eliminate
Position yourself correctly with the toilet “life step”
Have annual colon-hydrotherapy for cleansing toxins from the colon.

The 5 organs of elimination are:
lungs
colon
skin
kidneys
liver

http://healthrewardsyou.com/goodelimination.htm

http://www.marketlaunchers.com/urso4.html

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Toilets in many other countries are basically holes in the floor! They are healthier for it, but using one demands strong thighs! Here are a couple of examples!

Be happy, be well,
Zoe