Appendicitis Can Be Avoided - Just Squat

 Appendicitis occurs when the appendix becomes blocked, often by stool. The appendix is a small finger-shaped structure that protrudes from the large intestine and hangs down on the lower right side of the abdominal cavity. If untreated, an inflamed appendix can rupture, cause infection of the peritoneal cavity (the lining surrounding the abdominal organs) and even result in death.

Appendicitis is one of the most common causes of emergency abdominal surgery. Up to 75,000 such surgeries are performed each year in the U.S. 1 in 15 people will get appendicitis (according to www.webmd.com). Although it can strike at any age, appendicitis is rare under age 2 and most common between ages 10 and 30.

You might think that appendicitis has always been with us. However it actually emerged quite recently, like many colon diseases, coinciding with the invention of the sitting toilets in the late19th century. It is most commonly caused by dried fecal matter along the wall of the colon.

Appendicitis was unknown before sitting toilets were introduced 150 years ago, but became the most commonly diagnosed complaint in western society by 1900. Cultures that use squat toilets do not fall prey to this disease, since the cecum is completely evacuated in the natural squatting position