Indian Toilet vs Western Toilet
13 May 2013home > categories > health
I came back from the UK recently and have to stay in my friend’s home which has only Indian Toilet (Squatting Type). When I was using Indian Toilet - Whooooshhh… the whole business took less than 2 minutes and it was effortless. I normally take 5 - 10 minutes while using a Western Toilet. Once I moved to my own apartment which has Western Toilet (Sitting Type), going to the bathroom was not a breeze anymore. That triggered this research about the natural human defecating postures.
It’s not that I am new to Indian Toilets. I was using it from my childhood. I started using Western Toilets about 9 years ago. Only when I got a chance to use the Indian and Western, one after the other - I could realize the difference. Have a look at the below diagram which shows the Anal-Rectal Angle, while sitting and squatting. I don’t need to explain which one would be a better posture for this job.
Anal Rectal Angle while Sitting and Squatting
A Clinical Study of Sitting versus Squatting
In 2002, an Iranian radiologist, Dr. Saeed Rad, published a study which compared the effectiveness of sitting versus squatting for evacuation. Thirty subjects participated in the study – 21 male, 9 female – ranging in age from 11 to 75 years. Each patient received a barium enema so the internal mechanics of evacuation could be recorded on an X-Ray image. Each patient was studied in both the squatting and the sitting positions.
Using squat toilets, all the subjects reported “complete” evacuation. “Puborectalis relaxation occurred easily and straightening of the rectum and anal canal facilitated evacuation. The anal canal became wide open and no folding was noticed in the terminal rectum.” In the sitting position, “a remarkable folding was created in the terminal rectum predisposing it to rectocele formation, and puborectalis relaxation was incomplete.” All the subjects reported that elimination felt “incomplete” in the sitting position.
Dr. Saeed Rad concluded that the use of the squat toilet “is a more comfortable and efficient method of bowel evacuation” than the sitting toilet.
Details of the study: IMPACT OF ETHNIC HABITS ON DEFECOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS
What’s Next
- Install an Indian toilet (or any eastern type squatting toilet) in your home.
- Use a Squat Toilet Utility like Squatty Potty. You don’t need to pay so much for a simple device. There are cheaper alternatives available in the market. Just google. I never used this personally. So, I cannot comment on this. Just try, if you cannot do option 1.