Sunday, November 17, 2024, 10:09 p.m
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Doctors sound the alarm about standing on the toilet for more than 10 minutes, believing that this habit, which is prolonged by sitting on phones, can harm health.
This habit leads to weakened pelvic muscles and an increased risk of hemorrhoids, said Dr. Lai Xue, a colorectal surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, according to CNN.
“When patients come to me with problems, one of the main areas we need to dig into is toilet time,” Xue said.
People should spend an average of five to 10 minutes on the toilet, according to Dr. Farah Monzur, assistant professor of medicine and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Stony Brook Medicine in Long Island, New York.
“Why is it a problem if you stay longer? First, here’s a quick physics lesson. Gravity keeps us grounded on Earth, but that same gravity also forces the body to work harder to pump blood back to the heart,” Xue said.
The oval-shaped toilet seat compresses the buttocks, keeping the rectum in a lower position than if you were sitting on the couch. With gravity pulling the lower half of the body down, the increased pressure affects blood circulation. As a result, the veins and blood vessels surrounding the anus and lower rectum become enlarged and saturated with blood, increasing the risk of hemorrhoids, the doctor also says.
To minimize sitting on the toilet, people should keep phones, magazines and books as far away from the bathroom as possible, says Dr. Lance Uradomo, an interventional gastroenterologist at City of Hope Orange County in Irvine, California.
“You don’t want to go in thinking you’re going to be there for a long time. Because then you’ll want to bring something to keep your mind busy,” adds Monzur.
“Make standing on the toilet as uninteresting as possible,” advises Xue, and if you’re having trouble relieving yourself, it’s best to give up after 10 minutes. “Instead, walk around a bit – as movement can stimulate the bowel muscles to produce a bowel movement.”
Xue also recommends staying hydrated and eating high-fiber foods like oats and beans.
Even so, some people end up spending more time than they would like on the toilet.
Constant difficulty and discomfort when passing stool can be a symptom of gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease.
Constipation or the need to stay longer on the toilet can also be a sign of cancer.
“If a growth inside the colon grows large enough, it can block the flow of stool, which can cause constipation and bleeding,” states Uradomo.
The American Cancer Society recently reported an increase in colorectal cancer rates among people under 55 since the mid-1990s. The organization also estimated that in 2024 there will be 106,590 new cases of colon cancer and 46,220 new cases of rectal cancer.
Source: ziare.com
