The Scoop on Poop

Everyone poops.  This is a discussion I had with my 4 year old recently.  He was avoiding going "number 2", until we were getting home at the end of the day. 

We discussed how everyone poops.  Mommy poops.  Daddy poops.  Grandmas and Grandpas poop. His teachers at school poop.  His daycare lady poops.  All the kids he is around all day poop etc.  We talked about the different places people go too.  He seemed shocked that people would poop outside of their house.  I tried to explain, when your body is telling you it needs to get something out, aka for him a belly ache, then you need to listen and go to the bathroom instead of waiting all day and being miserable.  (As this can cause some pelvic problems down the road)

This is often a similar discussion with my patients.  Bowel movements are often a topic with pelvic patients, as the organs are supported by the pelvic floor muscles.  Constipation and frequent bowel movements can both cause pelvic floor issues so it is best to address them when treating pelvic floor symptoms.

Poop kind of has a bad reputation, which is sad, because it can tell you a lot about your health.  So before you flush after your next BM (bowel movement), be sure to take a glance inside the toilet and just see what your poop is telling.  Yes, I said check out your poop!  

Your poop has gone on quite a trip to end up in the toilet.  Remember, at one point, that poop was food.  The salad you ate last night went into your mouth and started the digestion process with chewing (side note: try chewing 20-30 times with each bite to help with digestion).  When you swallowed, it ended up in your stomach where it continued to break down with acids and other organs helped with this process.  The nutrients of your dinner are absorbed in the small intestine. Then your salad became waste product as it reached the colon to begin it's journey of leaving the body.  When stool reaches your rectum, you get a signal from your brain that something is about to exit and make an appearance.  It is best not to hold back your poop, but to take the time to sit down on the toilet, with your knees slightly above your hips (squatty pottys), to have a nice relaxing bowel movement (breathing and "shhhhh-ing" are great tips to help with the relaxation).

So what does healthy poop look like?  I get this question a lot and most people are surprised there are many types of poop, 7 according to the Bristol Stool Scale :). You want to strive for a Type 3 or 4. If you are more type 1 or 2 it is a sign of constipation, and adding water and/ or fiber can improve this.  If you are a type 5, 6 or 7 regularly, you may have an issue with absorption or have an infection. 

Color of poop is another thing to pay attention to as it can tell you what is going on with your organs.  Poop also gets it's color from your food so don't be too alarmed it if changes red when you eat too many beets or cranberries! Poop should be a nice milk chocolate type of color.  If it is a black, tar like color it can be a sign of bleeding so consulting a physician to rule things out is a good idea.  Stools green/ yellow in color can mean you are eating a good amount of green things or a sign of gallbladder issues.  If you are starting a diet, don't be shocked to have a variety of colors when you glance in the toilet. 

Last one, should your poop float or sink like the Titanic?  Floating poop can be a sign you have too much fat (bad fat) in your diet or issues with your liver or gallbladder.  Cutting back on pizza and fast food may give you a successful poop sink in the toilet.