Digestive Organs
Colon and Rectum
The colon and rectum are part of your intestines, which are long, hollow tubes that run from your stomach and duodenum to your anal opening. There are two intestines: the small intestine (or small bowel) and the large intestine (also called the colon). The small intestine empties into the large intestine, or colon, which is about five to six feet long. The colon is about an inch or two in diameter and connects your small intestine to your anus.
The function of the colon is to absorb water and store the waste-products of digestion until your body is ready to empty them out. The large intestine (colon), is shaped like a large question mark and starts out near your right hip, moves up to your ribs on the right side, goes across to the left side by your ribs, then down to the left hip where it makes an S-curve down to the anus. The last portion of the colon is called the rectum. At the bottom of the rectum are the sphincter muscles. There are internal and external anal sphincter muscles. These muscles prevent the rectum from emptying when you do not want it to.
The anal canal is one to two inches long. It is surrounded by the anal sphincter muscles which squeeze the anal canal closed to make sure that stool does not leak out accidentally. When a person is ready to move his bowels, he relaxes these sphincter muscles and strains down to push the stool out.
Health Maintenance
There are two simple things you can do to clear up many anal and colon problems: take natural vegetable powder daily and practice proper water hygiene.
Natural Vegetable Powder
Hard bowel movements and loose bowel movements cause many colon and rectal problems. Small hard bowel movements cut and tear the anal lining. They drag the rectal lining out. Loose or semi-liquid bowel movements do not open the anal canal properly. They stick to and irritate the anal skin. Bowel movements should not be too hard, too soft, or too small. If bowel movements are the right size and consistency, many colon and rectal complaints will disappear.
The simplest, and usually the only way to give bowel movements the proper consistency, is by eating fiber. Fiber acts as a stool normalizer. It prevents the stools from being too hard or too soft. It helps the bowels move one to three times a day, which is good for the anus. It prevents stools from tearing the anal skin and will prevent bowel movements from dragging the rectal lining out of the rectum. Fiber helps the bowel movements slip out more easily by making the feces less sticky. This helps to prevent them from adhering to the anal skin.
Drugstores sell natural vegetable powder (psyllium) without a prescription. Natural vegetable powder comes in sugar-free and low-grit varieties; both are fine to use. It is called by many names and brands including Natural Fiber Laxative, Metamucil and Natural Vegetable Powder. Though it does not contain psyllium, Citrucel is also a fiber supplement and it does not cause as much gas and bloating in some people. Citrucel can also be used by persons allergic to psyllium.
The recommended dose on the back of the bottle often does not clear up most anal problems. Doctors recommend a dose of three heaping tablespoonfuls (not teaspoonfuls) in water, juice or milk once each morning. Drink immediately after stirring or it will turn into a thick porridge. This recommendation is dependent upon the brand used. For instance, the product Metamucil® Clear & Natural contains 5g of inulin fiber per teaspoon. Thus, the goal of taking 10g of supplemental fiber can be reached by taking only two teaspoons.
Some special "smooth" brands of psyllium add sugar and may not contain as much psyllium fiber per tablespoon. Therefore, more may be needed. Read the label on the bottle to determine the amount needed to equal at least 10 grams. The recommended total amount of daily fiber should be 25-35 grams, therefore a diet high in fiber is still necessary.
Some people experience cramps when they first start using natural vegetable powder. If this should happen, cut the dose in half for one week, and then return to the regular dose. If this fails, you may try a different fiber formulation (psyllium, inulin, methylcellulose, wheat dextrin, etc).
When taking fiber, be sure to drink additional fluids whenever you are thirsty. Six to eight full glasses of water or juice daily is recommended.
Water Hygiene
Most Americans use dry toilet paper to wipe the anal area after moving their bowels. This smears the feces (bowel movement material) over the anal skin. The more a person wipes, the more the feces (pronounced fee-sees ) is rubbed into the skin. This causes itching and irritation. To prevent these problems, use water hygiene after each bowel movement.
Water hygiene can be accomplished in several different ways. One way is to use a small squirt bottle like a mustard or catsup bottle used in restaurants. Be sure you have your own clean bottle. Fill the bottle with clean warm water, and squirt the water onto the anal area. You can also use a bulb syringe to do the same thing. Then, use dry toilet paper to blot the skin dry without wiping. If there is any brown material on the toilet paper, wash again with water and continue to do so until the blotting paper stays clean.
Another option is to use a warm, wet cloth to cleanse yourself after each bowel movement. Then, gently blot the skin with paper to dry and check for any additional soiling.
If you keep your toilet bowl very clean and do not put any chemicals into the water, you may use water from the toilet bowl for water hygiene. To do this, flush the toilet after your bowel movement. Do not wipe yourself. Instead, lift up the toilet seat, lean over the toilet and use your hand to splash the clean water onto the anal area. Use dry toilet paper to gently blot the area dry. If there is any soiling still on the paper, splash with water and dry again until the paper is clean.
Make a plan for how you will accomplish water hygiene in a public restroom. You may want to keep a small wet cloth in a ziplock plastic bag. Or, if you prefer, you can buy commercially packaged wet "wipes" (cloths) to keep in your purse or pocket. If you do this, look for labels that say "no alcohol, hypoallergenic, fragrance free."
Natural vegetable powder and a large amount of fiber in the diet helps to make a bowel movement that is easy to pass and causes a minimal amount of soiling. Be sure to also use some method of water hygiene after each bowel movement to assure that the anal area stays clean. This will reduce any potential for irritation, itching, or other problems.
Content for this page adapted from
Dr. Christopher Lahr's book "Shining Light on Constipation."