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<\/p>\nEveryone poops, but it\u2019s still something a lot of us have an awfully hard time talking about. (Unless you\u2019re my 6-year-old and 3-year-old, who cannot talk about poop enough, it turns out.)<\/p>\n
Ekaterina Demidova \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s unfortunate that poop talk tends to make adults squeamish, because our stool can offer some powerful clues about what\u2019s going on inside our guts \u2014 and even more broadly within our bodies. And doctors really do wish people would lean into it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I ask patients to describe their stool, even when they\u2019re at the GI doctor, you can almost immediately sense their discomfort,\u201d\u00a0Christopher Henry<\/a>, a gastroenterologist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, told HuffPost.<\/p>\n Related: Colon Cancer Is On The Rise, But Doctors Say This One Habit Can Significantly Reduce Risk<\/a><\/p>\n Enter the Bristol Stool Chart (sometimes called the Bristol Stool Form Scale or the Meyers Scale), a diagnostic tool that health professionals can use with their patients to help determine what\u2019s normal (and what\u2019s not) in terms of size, texture and color of poop. Sabelskaya \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n Related: “NEVER Disclose This”: Women Are Sharing The “Urgent” Safety Tips That Other Women Taught Them, And They’re Crucial To Know<\/a><\/p>\n In general, ideal poop is Type 3 or Type 4. Type 1 or Type 2, on the other hand, can indicate a person is struggling with constipation. And Types 5, 6 or 7 can suggest diarrhea \u2014 though not always.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes I\u2019ll have patients with very severe constipation, and they\u2019ll have periodic diarrhea,\u201d Henry said.<\/p>\n That particular example shows why the stool chart really shouldn\u2019t be used by laypeople to self-diagnose. Instead, people should see it as a jumping-off point for health-related conversations \u2014 and it certainly can help make those discussions less awkward. Many people find it easier to point to a line on a chart than to have to search for the words to describe their stool to a provider, Henry said.<\/p>\n Doctors, on the other hand, can use the chart to help diagnose conditions like various types of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS<\/a>. Ingwervanille \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n Related: 17 Cancer Patients Are Sharing The Concerning Symptoms That Made Them Go To The Doctor ASAP<\/a><\/p>\n If your poop pretty consistently falls outside of the normal types on the chart, that\u2019s definitely worth flagging to your primary care physician, who might refer you to a specialist. Significant changes in poop frequency or form<\/a>\u00a0also are worth noting.\u00a0And\u00a0don\u2019t ignore<\/a>\u00a0other gastrointestinal symptoms. That includes heartburn that doesn\u2019t get resolved with antacids, blood in your stool, severe pain or unintentional weight loss.<\/p>\n Even if your poop-related issues turn out to be relatively mild, a doctor might be able to help you with some simple changes that can help you achieve the ideal poop (and feel better overall) \u2014 like getting sufficient fiber and water.<\/p>\n But experts caution against getting too caught up on whether your poop is exactly the right texture and color based on the chart \u2015 especially because there are many slightly different iterations of it floating around the web. Also, people\u2019s stool color can vary based on what they eat<\/a>. Westend61 \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n Related: “The Amount Of Lives I’ve Seen Ruined By It Is Outrageous”: Medical Professionals Are Revealing The Everyday Activities That Are Secretly “Death Traps”<\/a><\/p>\n But what the Bristol Stool Chart can do pretty well is provide clarity.<\/p>\n Henry recalled an experience when he was working with multiple patients complaining of diarrhea, but when he asked them to point to what their stool looked like on the chart, they pointed to Type 1 \u2014 which actually indicates constipation. They believed that diarrhea referred more to frequency, rather than to a particular stool form.<\/p>\n In cases like that, the chart helps to create a shared language, to make sure patients and their providers are on the same page.<\/p>\n \u201cI think of it kind of like a Rosetta stone. To make sure we\u2019re using the same words to mean the same things,\u201d Henry said. \u201cIt\u2019s a platform for patients and doctors to have better conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n Because talking about poop may not be most grown-ups\u2019 favorite thing to do, but it\u2019s an important part of overall well-being.This article originally appeared on HuffPost.<\/a><\/p>\n Also in Goodful: People Asked Male Gynecologists To Honestly Answer Questions About Their Job, And It’s Way More Wholesome Than I Thought It Would Be<\/a><\/p>\n Also in Goodful: My Mom\u2019s Disappearance Was A Mystery. Then I Saw An Old Photo \u2014 And What I Discovered Next Left Me Shaken.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Summary](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/225bdbcbbc221aaeec23e328022d0db9.jpeg\"\/)
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