When is something wrong with my stool?

1. It takes a while, and usually you don't even think about it: Going to the bathroom for a big errand. In most cases, you rinse immediately, wash your hands and continue your work as usual. Get rid of it! But it is wise to look back every now and then. Why? Because your stool says a lot about your health. You can think of it as a barometer of your well-being.

1. You can read further on how to recognize this!

2. How you can recognize this, you can read further on!

1. Nowadays you poo nice and quiet alone, the door locked and possibly a newspaper to kill time. But it used to be different: Take King Louis IV, the Sun King of France, for example. He always delivered his big message in the center of the conference room, accompanied by family, friends and colleagues. For them it was a â € eerâ € ™ to be a part of this.

1. The royal stool was not flushed, but immediately afterwards examined by a small army of royal doctors for any abnormalities in the health of the Sun King.

1. And if we then go even further back in time, we see that in prehistoric times everyone pooped as they sat: squatting. There were of course no comfortable toilet bowls, so the great need was simply done in nature, squatting. This is actually the best way to defecate, because it puts a lot less strain on your knees and your colon can stretch well this way. The perfect bowel movement!

1. In the present time there is a great taboo surrounding doing the big message. Going to the toilet is now a private affair and takes place in a special room with a toilet bowl and the door locked: The toilet.

1. The moment you actually look back, you can reveal any problems with your health at a very early stage by the appearance of your stool. Normal and healthy looking stool is quite soft, but it has a distinct shape. The shape and color are the same over the entire length. The color is medium brown, not too light and not too dark.

2. The moment you actually look back, you can reveal any problems with your health at a very early stage by the appearance of your stool. Normal and healthy looking stools are quite soft, but have a distinct shape. The shape and color are the same over the entire length. The color is medium brown, not too light and not too dark.

1. The smell is of course a bit less pleasant, but it should certainly not be disgusting. Everyone knows their own â € ˜normalâ € ™ scent best.

1. The color of your stool is determined by the bile that is made in your body. In principle, every shade of brown is normal, but with very strong deviations it is still wise to look further. As soon as the color tends to black or red, it may indicate a problem in the gastrointestinal tract such as ulcers or hemorrhoids. If the color is really bright red, it could mean you have bleeding in your rectum or colon.

2. The color of your stool is determined by the bile that is made in your body. In principle, every shade of brown is normal, but with very strong deviations it is still wise to look further. As soon as the color turns to black or red, it could indicate a problem in the gastrointestinal tract such as ulcers or hemorrhoids. If the color is really bright red, it could mean you have bleeding in your rectum or colon.

1. Yellow or white stools mean that no bile can get into the gastrointestinal system. This could indicate cancer of the gallbladder or pancreatic cancer.

1. But with an extremely different color, you should always think first what you ate before: Red can also mean that you ate the meal before that delicious red beets. For example, a kilo of liquorice or a kilo of blueberries can temporarily change the color of your stool. Then there is nothing to worry about.

2. But with an extremely different color, you should always first think about what you ate before: Red can also mean that you ate the meal before that delicious red beets. For example, a kilo of liquorice or a kilo of blueberries can temporarily change the color of your stool. Then there is nothing to worry about at all.

1. If the stool is pencil shaped, so it is very thin, it could indicate a blockage in the colon. Even if the stool is too soft, sticks to the inside of the pot and is therefore difficult to pass through, this indicates the fact that there is too much oil in the stool, and that your body does not have any fats ( more). An example is pancreatitis. One of the symptoms of this is that it makes your body absorb fats worse.

1. The smell is of course never very pleasant, but if the stench is really disgusting, then there is more to it. In most cases, it is the parasites and bacteria in the stool that cause the stench. But that stench becomes more penetrating if there is also a lot of fat or possibly blood in the stool. Also, the stool can get a very pungent odor from taking certain medications, or if the food has lingered in the colon for too long.

What to do at…

1. This is of course better known as diarrhea, and is the most common stool abnormality. You lose more stool than usual at such a time, and the stool is very watery. The cause is usually an infection from a virus, a bacteria or other single-celled animal, which can cause temporary damage to your body. Diarrhea in most cases is by no means serious, and often resolves on its own after a day or two.

1. It is important to be careful not to lose too much moisture. In case of dehydration, it is best to drink a glucose solution to retain the moisture. If it gets extreme, and is accompanied by mucus and blood in the stool, too little urination, fever and drowsiness, make an appointment with your doctor immediately, because then there is more to it than just a virus or bacteria.

1. If the color of the stool is bright red, the cause is in most cases a wound around the anus or in the intestinal wall, or you have hemorrhoids. In general, this is harmless. But if there are clumps or streaks of blood in the stool, the blood has come a longer way. The cause of this can lie in the gastrointestinal tract where there is probably inflammation. If the blood comes from the area above the stomach, the stool will turn black. The black color is caused by the blood, which turns black under the influence of the gastric juices.

1. The normal, brown, color of the stool comes from the bile. The moment the stool is 'colorless', this may indicate a problem in the production of bile, or a blockage in the bile ducts. In this case, it is the best choice to contact your doctor immediately.

1. It is quite normal for mucus to be present in the stool. Without this mucus you would immediately suffer from constipation. But an excess is not good either. Too much mucus can mean that the intestines are inflamed or that there is an irritable bowel.

1. This is a phenomenon that you can easily recognize: White worms in the stool, which look like white threads. The moment you see the worms in your stool, this does not mean that there are no worms left in your body. When you sleep, the worms crawl out and start laying eggs around your anus. This will naturally itch after which scratching is inevitable.

1. The laid eggs will end up on your fingers in this way so that you can infect others again. It is by no means a serious condition, but it is very annoying. Go to the pharmacy for a worm cure, and after a few weeks you will get rid of the worms. In the meantime, always wash your hands thoroughly to avoid contamination.

1. If the stool is in the form of hard and dry droppings that have difficulty leaving your body, and then less than three times a week. Hard droppings and difficulty defecating can have many possible causes. A few examples of possible causes are: little exercise, bad food, intestinal problems, not enough drinking or medication.

1. If constipation lasts too long, it can lead to major problems. Think of hemorrhoids and bleeding in the rectum. To avoid constipation, I advise you to exercise more, drink plenty of water, eat fiber, and of course go to the toilet when you feel urgent.

Conclusion and recommendations

1. Although it is by no means a habit for most people to look in the pot after a big message. Your stool is a measure of your health and can be a precursor to conditions that you would otherwise never notice. A strange color, a changed composition, a different smell. They are all signals that tell you that there are other problems in your body. The basis is good nutrition and exercise. And that is not only a great solution for healthy bowel movements, but it certainly has a lot of advantages for your general health.