I know this is pretty gross, but what can one see in his poop (regarding his health, diet, etc.)?
Is it better if it floats or sinks? Really solid or, um, crumbly?
I think I saw Kathy Lee Gifford on something like Conan O’ Brian one night where she was talking about her new (at the time) dieting book. The host (which is why I think it was Conan) wouldn’t let her talk about anything but a chapter where she talks about paying attention to one’s stool.
Keep in mind, I’m talking only about in-toilet observation (no touching, tests, etc.)…
There isn’t much printed on poop but OTOH a lot is printed about poop.
Floaters are alleged to be from the skinny crowd and sinkers from the obese.
If you see tape worms take Vermifuge. :eek:
The celeb you mentioned is Marilu Henner. She believes in food combining, no starch and protein together, no diary, and yes her diet book does have a chapter on reading your poop.
I can’t claim to know all the poop on the subject, but stools that look like coffee grounds or are ‘black and tarry’ are a good reason to see a doctor on suspicion of internal bleeding.
Not only can’t I believe I looked for this, but worse is that I found it. Worst of all, of course, is that I’m sharing Does Your Poop Float? with you for your viewing pleasure.
Most of us Dopers can only read that one’s own poop contains corn or tomato seeds. Lieu, on the other hand, can read last week’s newspaper and cut out the sales ads, as well. He truly is a cut above the rest of us slobs.
If a million Dopers eat a million cans of alphabet soup, will the works of Shakespeare be spelled out in their toilets, or will it just be a lot of crap?
Perhaps German or Austrian dopers can provide illumination on this topic.
I was told that the reason thier toilets have a “shelf” to catch the fecal matter, rather than allowing it to drop into an odor masking pool of water, is so that one can more effectivly examine it, and make health determinations.
I was not told what one looks for.
[tmi]Besides corn and tomato seeds, it’s clear I need to chew my peanuts better.[/tmi]
Yep, in many German/Austrian toilets, the 'deposit" lands on a sort of shelf and not in a pool of water. When you flush, it’s washed forward, then down and out.
In this mileu, I remember a very interesting scene in The Last Emperor in which the Cort Doctor would examine and smell the Divine Emperor’s Poo, likewhise divining and modifying the Emperor’s diet. The Tao of Poop may be a scatalogical treatise.
