Toilet footstool could offer relief for sufferers of constipation

Most of us would pick a modern toilet over a squatting one. But while sitting to do our business may be considered "civilised", studies show the squat position actually aids bowel elimination.

Enter Squatty Potty, a toilet footstool that helps put the body in a simulated squat position - that is, with knees raised above the hips and with a 35-degree angle between your thighs and torso - while you're on the throne.

Compared to typical sitting where the thighs are perpendicular to the torso, this simulated squat is said to relax the puborectalis muscle (a tight muscle around the colon), allowing the anorectal angle (the angle between the rectum and the anal canal) to straighten and the bowel to empty more easily and completely.

In the squatting position, gravity also does most of the work. The weight of the torso presses against the thighs and naturally compresses the colon. Gentle pressure from the diaphragm supplements the force of gravity.

According to a study done last year by Dr Gregory S. Taylor of St George Urology, when used as a treatment, the Squatty Potty significantly improved the severity of constipation syndromes within one month of use among 84 per cent of 153 study participants who were recruited via squattypotty.com

Users of the stool report they experience relief from chronic bowel ailments such as irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, pelvic floor prolapse, anal fissures, hemorrhoids, and as a treatment for constipation.