Appendicitis - How You Can
Prevent It

Appendicitis afflicts more people in the West than those in the developing world. There is a reason why: the type of toilet that is used.

What Exactly is Appendicitis?

The appendix is a small narrow tube which hangs from the cecum, the first part of the colon (see Figure 1). It has a small channel opening located below the ileocecal valve (see Figure 2).

Liquid food wastes from the small intestine flows into the cecum through the ileocecal valve. The cecum must be purged of waste daily. If not, the waste dries up and becomes glued to the inner surfaces of the cecum.

Appendicitis occurs when the appendix becomes inflammed when its channel opening is clogged with waste.

Fig 1: The Colon

Fig 2: The Cecum

The main symptom of appendicitis is abdominal pain, which can be difficult to pinpoint. When asked, most would indicate, with a circular motion of their hand, the area around the central part of their abdomen.

Often there is also nausea and vomiting due to intestinal obstruction.

In severe cases, the appendix can rupture and cause the entire lining of the abdomen to become inflammed.

The Medical Establishment's Views About The Appendix

Most Western doctors believe that the appendix does not serve any purpose, or there would be any major, long-term health problems resulting from removal of the appendix.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

The appendix, far from being a 'useless' organ, is essential for maintaining health. There is also a reason why it is located at the beginning of the colon.

While it has no digestive function, the appendix contains lymph tissue that is a part of the body's immune system for making antibodies. Also, the appendix produces secretions that are designed to neutralize excessive putrefaction and toxins in the large intestine.

SIDENOTE 1
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With the removal of the appendix, doctors have noticed that there is a slight increase in some diseases. One of them is Crohn's disease, a chronic and serious inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract (digestive system).
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SIDENOTE 2
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Dr N W Walker, an authority on life, health and nutrition, prescribed an alternative method of treating appendicitis other than surgery. Satisfactory results have been obtained with his method, which is colonic irrigations, where available, and enemas in any case, at 15 to 30 minute intervals, until the elimination of waste matter removed danger and pain.
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This ignorance about the appendix's function is the basis of the standard treatment for appendicitis - appendectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the inflamed appendix. The tragedy is that appendectomies are often carried out even if there is nothing wrong with the appendix.

Removing the appendix when it becomes inflamed does not address the root cause of appendicitis… It is a quick fix solution that evade questions like...

1) Why appendicitis is prevalent in the Western countries but rare in non-Westernised countries?

2) What is the underlying cause of appendicitis?

3) Is there any way to prevent it?

You can know the answers to these questions, and by making just a simple change in a daily routine, never have to worry about appendicitis again.

Appendicitis & Sitting Toilets

Now Available! A Book That Exposes The Threat Posed By Sitting Toilets...

The widespread use of sitting toilets is the underlying cause of the high incidence of appendicitis in Western countries.

Although the connection between sitting toilets and appendicitis is not widely known in the West, it is nothing new.

Many other cultures have always recognized the wisdom of squatting for waste elimination.

Consider this warning which was given by Webhealthcentre.com, a health portal based in India:

"The Indian type of toilet is more conducive to complete evacuation than the Western toilet. With the western style closets becoming popular in India, there is a risk of increased incidence of appendicitis."

For example, F.A. Hornibrook in The Culture of the Abdomen, published in 1933:

"Man's natural attitude during [elimination] is a squatting one, such as may be observed amongst field workers or natives. Fashion, in the guise of the ordinary water closet, forbids the emptying of the lower bowel in the way Nature intended. Now in this act of [elimination] great strains are imposed on all the internal organs..."

This view was repeated in Our Common Ailment, written by H. Aaron and published in 1938:

"When the thighs are pressed against the abdominal muscles in this position, the pressure within the abdomen is greatly increased, so that the rectum is more completely emptied. Our toilets are not constructed according to physiological requirements. Toilet designers can do a good deal for people if they will study a little physiology and construct seats intended for proper [elimination]."

How Squatting Protects The Appendix

Human beings are designed to evacuate waste in the squatting position. This is reflected in the shape of the cecum, as well as its location and position in the body (right lower abdomen).

The cecum is shaped like a pouch. Wastes from the small intestine pass through the ileocecal valve to the cecum. The ileocecal valve acts as a one-way valve. Hence it would also prevent waste from flowing back into the small intestine.

In the squatting position, the right thigh - pressing against the right lower abdomen - squeezes the cecum from its base. This squeezing action pushes waste in the cecum away from the appendix and ileocecal valve, and up into the ascending colon.

The channel opening of the appendix stays clean.

The ileocecal valve stays securely closed.

In the sitting position, the cecum is not squeezed empty by the right thigh. Also, the colon is not prepared properly for evacuation. As a result, there is a need to strain and push downwards with the diaphragm, while holding one's breath.

This action inflates and pressurizes the cecum in the wrong direction (downwards) against the appendix and the ileocecal valve. It is like squeezing a tube of toothpaste in the middle, causing the bottom of the tube (cecum) to inflate.

This back pressure can force waste into the appendix, with disastrous consequences. It can also overwhelm the ileocecal valve, and cause waste to leak into the small intestine. (This contamination of the small intestine is the cause of Crohn's Disease.)

Hence, with sitting toilets, the waste in the cecum is not cleared completely. The residual waste adheres to the colon walls and the area of the channel opening of the appendix, increasing the risk of appendicitis, inflammation and cancer.

Conclusion

The appendix is not "poorly designed" or serves no purpose. Like the rest of the colon, it was designed with squatting in mind. The sitting toilet, by forcing users to sit, puts the appendix at risk.

The most effective way to prevent appendicitis is to use the squatting position for bodily functions.

For many, squatting is not something that is easy or comfortable. This is to be expected, as explained in this page on squatting facets. However, with regular practice, one can regain the ability to squat again.

This would then make it possible for one to switch from sitting to squatting, using one of the methods described on this page.

For many, however, the most practical option is to use a toilet squatting platform.

Further Reading

1)  The importance of the ileocecal valve and appendix

2)  Fascinating facts about appendicitis and appendetomy


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