by Hannah Stevenson
Every single person does it nearly every day, but going to the bathroom is still one of the most taboo subjects in society. But we need to eat to live, and we need to poop to eat- so your bowel movements are actually crucial insights into the healthiness of the processes happening in your body!
While it might be uncomfortable to talk about the stinky things that go on between you and your toilet, discussing it with others – especially doctors – is crucial to your wellbeing. How would you know if your bowel movements are abnormal if you don’t know what ‘normal’ is? Healthcare professionals even recommend keeping a ‘poop journal’ in order to better track what goes into your body, what it does, and how it comes out.
In fact, many cultures have embraced feces as an important, even cherished health and wellness tactic. In many part of Asia, for example, poop is more normalized with ‘poop museums’, mascots, restaurants and even poop shaped food.
While these whimsical portrayal of poop may seem childish and silly, they show an underlying social norm that thinking about your bowel movements is good- encouraged even. And there may be great benefits to destigmatizing feces; Asian countries have far lower rates of IBD than western countries, especially North America.
For patients with IBD, bowel movements can take over their health and lives. Going to the bathroom is not just a yucky chore, but a painful and draining task. While different types of IBD can present with different symptoms the most common are watery diarrhea, blood in the stool, painful cramping in the lower abdomen and excruciating bowel movements. These symptoms are not normal and often hinder day to day life. Yet patients often feel that they cannot talk about their experience with those closest to them, because it is ‘icky’.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a terrible one with no cure. Managing these symptoms is difficult enough without feeling as if you can’t speak about the problems with friends and family. This can be isolating, lonely, and scary.
We all poop. It might not be the most pleasant constant in our lives, but it remains a constant nonetheless. So let’s talk about it more! Communication is important, especially when it comes to our health. Avoiding the subject will only lead to more uncertainty and less research. So next time you poop, be grateful to your body for allowing you to do so and make sure to carefully track any irregularities and report them to your doctors
And, most importantly, reach out to your friends and family suffering with IBD and offer support. 1 in every 200 North Americans has been diagnosed with IBD, which means that you probably know someone even if you don’t think you do! Let’s all be a little more comfortable with bowel movements- it will only help.
References:
Alatab, Sudabeh, et al. “The Global, Regional, and National Burden of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in 195 Countries and Territories, 1990–2017: a Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.” The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, vol. 5, no. 1, 2020, pp. 17–30., doi:10.1016/s2468-1253(19)30333-4.
Loftus, Edward V Jr. “Update on the Incidence and Prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the United States.” Gastroenterology & hepatology vol. 12,11 (2016): 704-707.
McGlotten , Shaka. “Poop Worlds: Material Culture and Copropower (or, Toward a Shitty Turn).” S&F Online, sfonline.barnard.edu/traversing-technologies/poop-worlds-material-culture-and-copropower-shaka-mcglotten-scott-webel/.
Weyrauch, Emily, and Elana Vlodaver. “Poop Culture.” The Bowdoin Orient, 24 Oct. 2014, bowdoinorient.com/bonus/article/9601.