The Squatty Potty, Part 1

     Okay, I'll admit that in the 5/1/2016 post I was poking a bit of fun at the Squatty Potty.
     If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you either:
     1.  Are among the few people left on the planet (among whose number I, too, was until a few days ago)  who've never heard of the Squatty Potty, an apparently fabulous invention that owns the internet and apparently flies off the shelves of retail stores that carry it,
      2.  Didn't read  my 5/1/2016 post, or
      3.  Read my 5/1/2016 post but didn't realize I was only joking  when I said you shouldn't open the link, which was to a Squatty Potty commercial.
      Or rather I should say the Squatty Potty commercial. 
      So  in case you've never seen the Squatty Potty commercial - believe me, you'll know if you did -   here's the link again, go ahead and open it :

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbYWhdLO43Q
     
       So now everybody knows what the Squatty Potty is, right?
        Anyway, I guess I shouldn't have made fun of the commercial - apparently potty problems are serious stuff, as I was soon to learn after a bit of research - but can I really be blamed?  I mean, it is one flippin' funny  commercial, is it not?  (And how about those darling little kids at the end?  Didn't you feel like, forget the Squatty Potty, I want one of those kids!? )  
        My point is, in this case the medium kind of squashed the message for me at first.  However I liked the commercial so much that I had to watch it again.  And again.  And a couple times more.
         But then I started wondering about the Squatty Potty itself, if it was an actual, you know, thing thing.   So I started researching it on the 'net.  Turns out the Squatty Potty is a thing.  A thing on steroids, judging from all the chatter going on about it.  And according to the internet reviews, just about everybody who's tried the Squatty Potty loves it, nay, raves over it. 
        Apparently we in the Western world suffer a slew of heath problems related to our toilet posture.  I mean, serious problems beyond the ones you usually think about.  Which is probably why, as I learned, two-thirds of the world use squatty-style,

hole-in-the-floor potties,

...or low slung, climb-on-top-of-and-squat-over potties.

      We in The United States, on the other hand, have always been aficionados of Sir  Thomas Crapper's brainchild,

...the modus operandi of which seems to be a great contributor to our present colonic maladies.
      But now along has come the Squatty Potty, which apparently can not only prevent the bad stuff but turn it around, this according to just about every independent review I've been able to find about the thing, such as the following clip from an article by a reviewer known as The Healthy Home Economist called "East Meets West: Can Squatty Potty Fix America's Toilet Issues?":

      Why Squatty Potty Gets the Job Done Better
       Research shows the following advantages of the squatty potty posture:

• A non invasive treatment for hemorrhoids;  most will heal without relapse when this posture is adopted for bowel movements.
• Making elimination faster, easier and more complete will help to prevent colon cancer, appendicitis and inflammatory bowel disease.
• Protects the nerves of the pelvic floor from becoming stretched and damaged (FLAT TUMMY anyone?)
• Seals the ileocecal valve preventing leakage into the small intestine.
• Relaxes the puborectalis muscle which normally chokes the colon to maintain continence.
• Prevents hernias, diverticulitis and pelvic organ prolapse by using the thighs to support the colon and prevent straining.
• For pregnant women, squatting avoids pressure on the uterus and helps prepare one for a more natural delivery.

     And that's just one of many online praises sung about the Squatty Potty.
     So I went out and bought one.
     To Be Continued...

References:
1. http://www.squattypotty.com/independent-reviews/

2.  http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/east-meets-west-can-squatty-potty-fix-americas-toilet-issues/

3. http://www.amazon.com/Squatty-Potty-Original-Bathroom-Toilet/product-reviews/B007BISCT0