This weeks edition of HH101 focuses on the importance of what your bowels can reveal about your health
By Nakeasha Johnson
I know that the last thing that you want to hear me speaking about is some shit. Like, literally, the topic of this article is your bowel movements and what they can tell you about your health. WebMd states “bowel movements are the end result of your body taking the nutrients it needs from the food you eat and eliminating what’s left.” Ultimately, it is really important to take note of the various aspects of your bowel movements.
You should take notice of the following (in no particular order):
1. The softness or firmness of the stool.
2. Note the color of the stool.
3. See if it floats or sinks to the bottom of the toilet.
4. See if the stool has a foul smell or odor.
5. Look at the thickness or thinness of the stool.
6. Note the size of the stool
There is a vast array of things that your stool could indicate about your health. Unfortunately, this article does not have the ability to go into all of them. I do however; want to take the time to go over a few critical things to look out for and what they could mean.
1. Dark red blood in your stool
The blood comes from farther up in the digestive system and it could indicate ulcers or colitis in the splenic flexure area.
2. Blackish red blood in your stool
Can indicate a ulceration and bleeding around the hepatic flexure.
3. Yellow or Orange Stool
This can indicate insufficient bile that is mixed with intestinal contents. It is also a sign of jaundice or liver disease. (NOTE: Carrot juice can also make stools turn orange color)
4. Dark, hard, and foul smelling stool
This can indicate a very severe bleeding that is high in the intestinal region. It may come from an ulcer in the stomach, duodenum, colitis, or Crohn’s Disease.
5. Flat thin stool
This could indicate an obstruction in the lower part of the bowel or spastic colitis (usually around the splenic flexure of sigmoid area).
A normal stool should have no odor. If you find that your stool is offensive smelling, then a lot of petrification and rotting has occurred, which indicates that there is a digestive problem. This could range from constipation problems to issues from improper food combining. Bacteria that are both dead and/or alive usually constitute a quarter to half of the dried feces. Ultimately, your stools should be soft, a medium brown color and should float. If you find that your stools have some of the characteristics indicated above, please see your health care professional.
-Nakeasha Johnson(@NakeashaJ)
