Know Your Shit
05 October 2014 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
Kimball Corson
Know Your Shit; What its color, texture and smell can tell you about yourself
Silly as it is, this is a matter we don't discuss. It is like we refuse to acknowledge to others that we crap. Surely Christ (another Church miracle) and probably Superman didn't, so we pretend we don't either. And heaven forbid someone should see us taking a crap or, as bad, we should look at it.
Poop is comprised of everything that the body could not digest or absorb and had to expel.That is why we call it "crap." Our feces can tell us about our health. That is why we should pay attention and know something about it. First, there is frequency of pooping.
There is no normal when it comes to frequency of bowel movements, only averages. For some, going once or twice a day is normal, for others it may only be once or twice a week. Most typical is once every day or day and a half.
Color is important, especially changes in color. Normal is various shades of brown due to bile in our poop. Bile is produced by the liver and excreted into the small intestines. It contains cholesterol, bile salts to help digest fats, and bodily waste products.. As the bile pigments are broken down by stomach enzymes, they tend to change from yellow and green to brown. Here is the color code:
Green stool: Overtly green stool can be caused by food passing through your system too quickly (possible fast-food induced diarrhea), by consuming large amounts of leafy green vegetables, excessive amounts of artificial food coloring, from taking an iron supplement and even from licorice candy made with anise oil. Green per se is not bad, especially if it is also brownish.
Whitish stool : Poop that is light clay-colored or whitish is caused by a lack of bile in your stool, potentially caused by a bile duct obstruction, a gallstone, enlarged lymph GI nodes, or inflammation of the bile ducts. Bile can back up into the liver, causing not only this color range but abdominal pain, dark urine, and jaundice as well. Watch it.
Yellow: This color of stool that is also consistently greasy and smells of sour eggs (due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide) may be caused by high levels of fat in the stool that have not been broken down by the bile. This is a symptom of several diseases. You should definitely talk to your your doctor.
Black: Black stool is a surprisingly common side effect and can be caused from binging on black licorice and Guinness, from iron supplement tablets, and from ingesting Pepto-Bismol. However, black stool may also be an indicator of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, caused potentially by an ulcer or tumor. This bloody stool will often take on a tar-like appearance and smell horrible. See a doctor if it is black and sticky and smells particularly bad.
Bright Red: Another symptom that could be deadly or could be nothing is bright red stool. Red stool is fairly common, often instigated by natural and artificial food colorings found in beets, cranberries, tomato juice, red gelatin, and drink mixes (ie Kool-Aid). But stool with bright red spotting or free floating bands of fresh blood are a sign of bleeding in the lower intestinal tract sometimes brought about by hemorrhoids or worse.
Silver: Silver poop is both very possible and a very bad indicator of your intestinal health. If your stool is silverish, it could indicate that you are suffering from both a biliary system blockage and upper intestinal bleeding, Basically white stool is caused by a lack of bile mixed with higher gastrointestinal blood, giving it the look of aluminum spray paint. Get medical help.
Shape is also an issue. Stools that are narrow and pencil-thin are thought by some experts to be a symptom of colon cancer, or an obstruction in the lower part of the colon A soft stool that sticks to the side of the toilet bowl or is difficult to flush, could indicate the presence of too much oil which can mean the body isn't absorbing the fats properly. Diseases, including chronic pancreatitis, block the body from properly absorbing fat. Watch it.
Smell is important also. Poop is made up of undigested food, bacteria, mucus and dead cells. It usually smells bad because of the bacteria and parasites, but it also can have compounds that produce an especially unpleasant smell. Think of those as red flags. Keep track. If persistent, get medical help.
Finally constipation and diarrhea are often nothing unless they persist. The they become red flags.Constipation can be caused by a number of factors, including a poor diet, lack of exercise, certain medications, lack of fluids or various bowel disorders. Diarrhea generally lasts one or two days and goes away on its own. Sugar-free gum in quantity and coconut juice are causes.
Use your poop for self assessment and to check for red health flags.