A Healthy Happy B-Hole

Interesting question. From a medical standpoint as well as a personal history of occasional hemorrhoid flare-ups I'll offer the following suggestions.

Eat a diet rich in fiber with plenty of fruits and vegetables. This shortens colon transit time and promotes the passage of softer, bulkier stools that helps avoid straining and stretching of anal tissues. A fiber-rich diet is also thought to help prevent colon polyps and cancer as well as diverticular disease of the colon.

Practice good bowel habits. Whenever possible--I know, no one likes doing it at work--answer nature's call promptly. This helps avoid compacting the rectum with larger, harder stools and allows the rectum to more consistently remain in its preferred state of being empty, and thus able to more easily sense distention with fecal material as it comes down from the colon, thus ultimately helping avoid constipation. A more consistently empty rectum is also more conducive to Aneros usage, often without the need for an enema. Also, when using the toilet for a bowel movement, avoid prolonged sitting such as to read and of course avoid straining if at all possible.

Practice good anal hygiene. This might be easier for those who have access to bathroom fixtures designed for cleansing the perineal area following a bowel movement, but for those of us without such niceties, moistened tissue or Tucks pads clean better and are more comfortable than dry tissue. Also, If possible, arrange the morning's ritual, for example, to shower after having a bowel movement to allow for better cleansing of the anal area. Occasionally, and certainly if you feel some irritation there, apply a small amount of 1% hydrocortisone cream or Preparation H cream to the anus and just inside the anal canal, but without introducing it into the rectum.

When necessary, use a stool softener or, if needed occasionally, a mild laxative to aid regularity. Don't use anything that makes you cramp and strain as this can worsen hemorrhoids. Psyllium seed husk such as in Metamucil powder or sometimes added as a component of bran cereals, helps maintain the passage of soft, cohesive stools that will often pass out of the rectum and anus cleanly. It's additionally felt that Psyllium lowers cholesterol but be aware it can increase intestinal gas production.

Get your colon check-ups done on time. By age 50, you should have had a colonoscopy performed--earlier if there's a history of polyps or cancer of the colon in your family. The first step to having "A Healthy Happy B-Hole" is to keep the one you've got.

Finally, utilize the benefits of regular Aneros usage to prevent hemorrhoids. Many users, myself included, have observed the same beneficial effects.

It may be embarrassing and socially unappealing to discuss ways to keep a healthy anus, but its complexities of function and how naturally we depend on it to work correctly remind us of just how fearfully and wonderfully we're made.

slimjm, some great advice which I am trying to follow. I am finding that taking care of my anus is becoming more and more important to me. It is NOT the dirty thing that I was taught when potty training. With the Aneros help, I am also finding it as one of my most sensitive parts of my body. It is certainly the gateway to my prostate which the Aneros is helping to benefit.

I'm curious, but why is extended sitting on the pot bad? I believe you, but it's unfortunately a pretty deeply-ingrained habit for me at this point.

Probably the stretching of the sphincter. The Western world sits on toilet seats and has more than it's share of 'roids. The Easterns squat and don't have the issues we do. However I've heard it argued that squatting, in and of itself, isn't the saving factor -- it's that the Japanese don't linger with reading material.

Anecdotal report: repetitive pulling of g's is also contraindicated. >>:-[

I DO linger with reading material - I smoke all my (household) cigarettes sitting on the can (to keep them away from everything else). But I think I'm keeping my ass pretty relaxed while doing so. I suppose it does flex itself here and there though. (Overall, I think I've learned to shit in a healthier, less stressing way, since I got rolling with my Aneros.)

slimjm,

Your words of wisdom have been added to the WIKI, see Anal-Rectal Health.

Thanks, rumel. I'm impressed. I'm not sure anything I shared was truly original information, just common sense things I've heard and tried to practice. Few things can be as disturbing or painful than complications in the ano-rectal area and simple, common sense care can avoid many such maladies.

Another interesting illustration of how diet can relate to our ano-rectal health as well as that of the entire GI tract comes from a simple comparison of how our GI tract was designed relative to that of other animals, for instance your dog's, and drawing some observations of how we should eat.

If you've noticed, Fido has sharp fang like teeth for tearing flesh away from a carcass and when you feed him he doesn't really chew, just (as in the case of my dog) about chokes himself swallowing whole gulps of food and his GI tract (they tell me, I'm no veterinarian) is relatively short and what he eats doesn't hang around in there very long. Humans, by contrast, though they have sharp front teeth for biting, have a large amount of flat tooth surfaces designed for chewing and breaking apart vegetables, nuts and grains, and fibrous foods. Our GI tract is also relatively longer and with that overall length and the large absorptive area of our colons tends to hold intestinal contents for a longer period of time before they're eliminated.

I'm not necessarily an advocate for vegetarian diets, nor am I one, but the illustration can be carried perhaps at least as far as advocating a greater amount of fibrous and vegetable intake in our diets than what we western civilizations usually consume. As anyone has experienced, when you eat only a calorie dense, high fat, low residue diet for a period of time your colon fills with days of feces that dries into painful to defecate stools with the attendant ano-rectal symptoms and complications of doing so. And by comparison when we eat more of what our GI tracts are designed to consume, our colons fill with perhaps no more than a day's amount of bulkier fecal material that, instead of sitting there dessicating to concrete and potentially harming our colon's lining, instead stimulates our colon muscles to propel it along to its ultimate destination, uhhh, "a healthy, happier B-hole".

I find a high-coffee diet helps "propel everything along" too. 😉

Can you give as some advice for that diet... 🙂

I just happened to read an interesting article in Slate about the advantages of squatting vs. sitting during defecation.

 How bathroom posture affects your health. - By Daniel Lametti - Slate Magazine

Basically squatting straightens out the anorectal angle, which facilitates evacuation and reduces straining. It also makes one less likely to linger in the john, since it's not as comfy as sitting, which should reduce the amount of time that fecal matter (an irritant) is in contact with the anus.

The only thing wrong with squatting is that it wears out your knees
instead of your arsehole.

Voyager,

It also tends to hurt your feet when squatting on a conventional western toilet seat, because the seat only covers a portion of your feet. But I find squatting to be much easier to defecate, less strain. So when I am having problems moving my bowels, it's worthwhile to have to completely remove my pants underwear and socks just to squat. Of course, that's in my home environment. There's no way I'd do that out in public restrooms! LOL

Love_is

I do the same thing every time at home too, Love_is. Right after breakfast before taking a shower, nature usually beckons and it's a convenient time to remove everything and assume a comfortable squatting posture over the toilet. Does wonders for helping keep those hemorrhoidal veins from protruding out and clotting. Ouch!

Great thread on a crucial topic that deserves the same frank, unembarrassed conversation as prostate massage! 😀

I was born with a very angry GI tract. And we have gradually come to terms and live amicably much of the time. Yoga deep relaxation, meditation and internal visualization all are part of that. Listening to every part of our body's actions/reactions is healthy, IMHO. Cured duodenal ulcers using yoga visualization at age 12 to 14, the same time I took up prostate massage. Battled violent explosive colitis until finally being diagnosed with a lactic protein reaction/"allergy", and giving up milk and cream cheese.

Have never had 'roids! 🙂 Maybe that is in part due to the anal/prostate massages for 50+ years! 😀

Still have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), chronic painful diverticulosis, and Hiatus Hernia/Reflux, notwithstanding our high fruit/veg high fibre diet. Losec and another drug I was given for this proved not very effective. The problem that bothered me the most was the inconsistent stool muckiness and extensive cleanup and occasional anal irritation from all the paper scrubbing or wash-up. Several other members here posted similar complaint a year or two ago. The solution that I have found that truly works the charm is acidophilus (gut bacteria that do our actual digestion, thanks guys!) supplements. The other members here also found it works for them. You need to experiment a bit to find the number of capsules and the timing of them to get the desired results, butt it is well worth it!

I agree with your observations slimjim about our system's intended diet, of course. A science centre exhibit on food and digestion, years ago, showed and man squatting having just left a coiled loop of one continuous stool at least two feet long on the ground. And this was said to be the ideal natural example. Our diet comes closer to this as do my usual morning (and later - my metabolism is rapid) results in the toilet. So, the acidophilus has calmed the IBS, minimized the CPD and Reflux, and regularized the stool to a relatively simple clean-up.

Fine tuning the amount and timing of the acidophilus has enabled me to pass these stools, so perfectly prepared by the gut and the anorectal passage, that they have just the right amount of mucous lubing internally and pass through very easily and very cleanly, leaving only a slight mucous film with just a slight colouration that a couple of dabs with the toilet paper cleans away completely. Painless and low maintenance; really a pleasure!

Having found this happy balance, I also know that my rectum is clean as well as my anus and a bit of lube is all the prep I need for most sessions. My rectal syringe, which I do use and enjoy on occasion, now gathers dust most of the time.

Healthy Happy B-Hole All!~

the happiest healthiest ecstatic aesthetic orgasmic energetic relationship with every part of our bodies all

artform

Hello Artform, 🙂

Another angle on replenishing your digestive track's healthy bacteria rather than purchasing live bacterial supplements, is to include raw and preferably organic fermented foods in your diet. You can only typically purchase these types of ferments at your local health food store or co-op, and they tend to be expensive. (Look either in the produce section, or another area that is refrigerated.) But these are also things you can inexpensively and easily make yourself with glass canning jars that most people already have in their kitchen. I've just recently made some very yummy tasting sauerkraut and sour pickles. And that's just scratching the surface of raw fermented types of foods. It was not difficult to do, required very little time, and then I just set the jars in a corner of my kitchen counter for about a week with a towel over them to keep out light. And then opened them up and enjoyed the yummy flavor and healthy properties.

Here's some resources on fermenting if anyone is interested:

Wild Fermentation, by Sandor Ellix Katz
Amazon.com: Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods (9781931498234): Sandor Ellix Katz, Sally Fallon: Books

The web site with all kinds of information, a couple basic recipes, resources, and a forum:
Wild Fermentation

Love_is

I have been giving myself small enemas for 30 yrs every morning before I hit the shower. Using the small syringe bulb. It helps keep your feces away from the prostate area. Its is best to keep your lower area has clean as possible. Also if you sit on the John and read Flush it down as soon as you empty yourself Don't sit over it. Thats when the bacteria starts to form. THATS HOW YOU KEEP A HEALTHY A-HOLE

In all this diet talk, where does Yogurt enter into all this?

Not an expert here on yogurt, Tremelo. It's my understanding those with cultures that help change the colon flora to promote more regular emptying are beneficial in helping avoid constipation, and thus I assume promote a healthier lower colon, rectum and anus. I've tried some of these products and they're not bad from a taste and palatability standpoint; it's just I'm not that fond of yogurt in general and I've never taken the advertised "challenge" of eating them on a consistent basis long enough to see if my colon habits changed. Regular yogurt--made without the cultures to promote regularity--has long been said to be helpful in restoring a healthy, normal gut flora and thus beneficial, for example, in treating diarrhea from taking antibiotics which disrupt the normal gut flora.

Hello Tremelo, 🙂

Yogurt is traditionally a raw fermented food made from milk. Although I'm somewhat suspicious of the mass produced varieties of yogurt you would normally find in a conventional grocery store. As I would not put it beyond these large corporations to find some way short cut the natural process of fermenting milk to make yogurt. And they likely use a very specific yeast additive to keep the product uniform in flavor from batch to batch. Just like breweries usually do, rather than use the wild yeasts and bacteria around them. In addition, once a raw fermented food is either pasteurized or heated to the boiling point. It is no longer a raw ferment, as all the healthy bacteria have been killed off. And it does not have the same health properties from ingesting a raw ferment.

If you like eating yogurt, try going to your local health food store and looking for a brand that is made naturally with little to no added preservatives or chemicals and such. Or try your hand at making your own. Sandor talks about how to make all types of fermented foods in his book Wild Fermentation which I provided a link in my previous post. Or their is plenty of information of how to make yogurt on the Internet just by doing a search. Although their methods may vary somewhat.

Here's some links to give people who are not familiar with what fermented foods are, a general overview:

Wild Fermentation :: What's So Wild About Fermentation?

The Benefits of Fermented Foods

fermented foods

And if you have any other questions pertaining to fermentation, please feel free to stop into the Wild Fermentation forum and ask away. 🙂
Fermentation Support Forum • Index page

Love_is

Yeah guys, I know, "rook's that paranoid old fart over in the corner of the room."

Not much into yogurt eating until my involvement with the Aneros Journey, I've now adopted a daily pro-biotic habit (about 10 bucks a month). This, as a prophylactic against opportunistic infections, bad yeasts and fungi like Candida. Such 'bugs' are a hazard we can pick up from poorly stored organic lubes; or, from enema gear or an Aneros that wasn't properly cleaned or stowed. (Think damp syringe bulb and tube in the poorly pressurized luggage compartment of an airliner, breathing in and out the atmosphere from 200 dirty running shoes.)

A colon, well populated with native flora, is better able to fight off intrusions of bad actors like Candida. Whereas, a colon short on friendly bacteria might not wage the good war and the victim ends up with a systemic infection--no bargain at all. Years ago, Colon Hydrotherapy was all the rage and many therapists finished the session with a shot of cultured bacteria up the ass as a protective measure against fungal infections. Worked OK but in several states, that's now illegal.

Dr. Balch's old book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing covered the elements of pro-biotics. I'd imagine that the lastest edition by his wife, Phyllis is more up to date on the topic.

Orally adminstered pro-biotics didn't used to work because the best bacteria for the lower GI system couldn't survive the trip through the low pH of the stomach and small intestine. Newer bacteria and some protective micro-encapsulation processes now make it practical to swallow the stuff and have it arrive in the colon ready to multiply and do guard duty along with the usual tasks of helping digestion and production of good vitamins. I have no clue though as to whether these new rugged characters are as good as the old stuff but they are not expensive and are readily available.

So, there's a possible advantage for Anerosians to regularly eat one of the newer pro-biotic yogurts such as Dannon's Activia or Yoplait's Yo-plus. Possibly a good habit if, as slimjim points out, you've been on antibiotics. Good too if you occasionally partake of a large enema or other colon cleanse (either of which can 'knock the shit' out of your friendly bacteria levels for several days.)

Just thot you'd luv to know.