Wiping is Washed Up
By Andrew Romano | NEWSWEEK
Deep down, Americans have always known that wiping their rears with dry
paper is ineffective; a classic survey showed that half of TP users
spend their days with "fecal contamination"—anything from "wasp-colored"
stains to "frank massive feces"—in their underpants. And yet we continue
to mock the bidet, the Frenchest of innovations, as froufrou, risqué, de
trop. But while personal hygiene is one thing, the future of the planet
is another. The average American uses 57 sheets of toilet paper a day;
collectively, we burn through 36.5 billion rolls each year. Tossing all
the TP in America would save 15 million trees, 17.3 terawatts of
electricity, and more than 473 billion gallons of water annually; the
environmental impact of bidets is minimal in comparison. No wonder the
Japanese bidet behemoth Toto is gearing up for a massive sales push in
the States. When it's hip to be green, ditching the Charmin could
-actually make a difference. And not only in our (dirty) drawers.
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Bidet Health Benefits
They have been around for 300 years and the health benefits from using a
Bidet are numerous and even if you don’t have health issues, they will
keep you clean and help you prevent health problems. The big secret of
using a Bidet Toilet Seat is very simple… they keep you clean! Can you
imagine only using a dry paper towel and no water to clean your hands?
That’s what you’re doing every day when you use toilet paper to clean
yourself after going to the bathroom. Water is a very natural way to
clean your bottom and most people around the world use a bidet everyday
and live a healthier lifestyle. You owe it to yourself to give it a try!
Hemorrhoids And Itching
These horribly painful afflictions are actually veins beneath the rectum
and/or surrounding the anus that have become swollen. They often arise
when pressure is applied to the rectal area repetitiously. This pressure
makes defecating difficult and is what can cause people, especially men,
to strain excessively when attempting to pass bowel movements.
One is at higher risk for acquiring hemorrhoids if constipated, not
consuming enough fiber, pregnant, obese or works at a job that requires
continual sitting or standing. Statistics show that nearly 75% of
Americans will get them at some point during their lifetime.
The best way to relieve the bleeding, itching and pain associated with
them is to maintain good hygiene. Once again, the flowing jet stream of
warm water from a bidet makes this easy by cleansing the area without
aggravating the inflamed tissues. The warm water stream helps reduce
swelling of the affected membranes, which reduces irritation and stops
bleeding.
This can often eliminate the need for suppositories and messy creams
that are awkward to apply and often ineffective. Doctors recommend this
less invasive form of treatment over using traditional moist pads, as
they can sometimes produce an allergic reaction actually exacerbating
the problem.
Feminine Hygiene
According to many physicians, feminine cleaning products that contain
chemicals such as deodorants and moist cloth towelettes can be
potentially harmful by irritating the delicate tissues of the urinary
tract and breeding infection. Using pure water from a bidet toilet seat
is a much more natural, effective and safe way to achieve cleanliness.
Pregnancy and Postpartum Hygiene
When a woman becomes pregnant, her body’s various systems go on
overdrive, especially the ones producing bodily fluids. This is a time
when the need for a bidet toilet seat increases ten-fold. Regular
flushing with fresh water will keep the expectant mother soothed,
cleansed and smelling fresh all throughout her pregnancy.
Constipation
This affliction is extremely common and no fun for men and women alike.
The gentle water jet produced by the bidet toilet seat actually helps
stimulate bowel movements by relaxing the sphincter muscles that control
the anus. In this way, using the bidet makes relieving oneself a much
more pleasant, painless process, especially if the water jet is applied
for about 10 seconds prior to defecating.
Another handy feature of the bidet seat is its adjustable water pressure
setting for when things become extra clogged. Increasing the water
pressure, essentially simulating an enema, encourages a more comfortable
elimination. Using the bidet on a daily basis teaches the user’s body to
relax and relieves constipation by instilling a habit that becomes
instinctive. This prevents constant straining which can lead to an
extremely uncomfortable hemorrhoids, our next topic.
Elderly and Physically Challenged
As we age, life’s wear and tear on our bodies makes daily tasks more
difficult to complete. This reality can cause elderly people to feel
incapable and helpless. Installing a bidet toilet seat can restore a
sense of independence to the user because it does all the work for them.
This can be helpful for physically challenged people as well. The bidet
can replace the need to have a person aid them when going to the
bathroom, giving the user more mobility and privacy. In turn, this often
helps strengthen confidence and build an overall sense of well-being.
Diarrhea and Dysentery
Both of these debilitating ailments have several things in common. They
demand frequent trips to the toilet followed by excessive wiping with
scratchy toilet paper. The friction created by the toilet paper only
increases discomfort, especially for young children.
Also the amount of bodily fluids excreted when suffering from diarrhea
or dysentery increases, irritating the rectum due to their high acidity.
Having cool or warm water spray over the area cleanses these toxic
fluids from the body and using the air drying feature afterwards keeps
the area dry and prevents infection.
In all of these scenarios the bidet provides much needed relief when
finding comfort is of utmost importance.
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Bidet valve
United States Patent 6035458
North American plumbing codes typically require a vacuum breaker, i.e. a
pressure relief valve, be installed in the water supply lines to the
bidet to obviate reverse siphoning and back-flow of contaminated water
from the bidet bowl to the water supply lines.
