Floater questions - and answers Re: Floaters Tue, 28 Jan 1997 22:19:14 GMT >Does it matter if stools float? Is that a good or bad sign? >Does it mean anything about the diet. >Roberta Usually the topic of floaters means the kind in your eye...!! Surprise!! We can get into competitive pooping here. In health circles, floating stools usually mean good...this means there is enough water and fiber and looseness in them and they pass through easily. If they sink, it means they have been compacted and perhaps there is not enough fiber (too much meat and sugar). They will probably be darker depending on how LONG you have been with them. Another indication of color is what your bile function is like, but I forgot what color means what. I think my naturopath asks, "Are your stools dark, light brown, or greenish?" The health food folks say that your stools should almost fall apart when they are flushed...The REAL health food people say one should defecate 3x per day, right after each meal...just like we did when we were babies (or so I'm told). And the REAL REAL REAL health food folks say your poop should almost be the color of the FRUIT that you eat...and will eventually smell like fruit...(or so I'm told, not having been there). Of course this does not take into consideration those who have diarrhea or back and forth between constipation and diarrhea. Perhaps Sheila the colontherapist can illuminate us on this delicate topic. :+) Writer - Music Reviewer P.O. Box 402, Eastsound, WA 98245 (Orcas Island) 360-376-4014 fax 360-376-2440 cwright@rockisland.com "I don't care what happens to me...as long as it makes a good story later." Artur Rubinstein, pianist
Fri, 31 Jan 1997 5:25:20 GMT Once again, Carol, you have done a very good round-up of info on stools floating. I don't have very much to add. I come from a background of eating disorders and constipation so I had to learn to eliminate. Now that I am eliminating on my own, I find my stools vary from floating to sinking. I'm just happy that I'm eliminating. At this point, I don't care if they float or sink! However, many cultures of the world use looking at and reading their eliminations as part of their health feedback mechanism. I recall eating so many mangoes a few times when I lived in Miami FL that my stools were the color of the mango pulp! I havn't met anyone yet that eats only fruit. As I said before, I feel stool examination is good feedback on any changes that are going on in the intestines whether bloody, floating, particle-izing, strange colors or smells or shapes, pourous, hard. Kind Regards, Sheila ------------------ Always interested in Intestinal Health and Colon Hydrotherapy issues. http://www.sheilas.com Listserve on Intestinal Health now available. Send message to: majordomo@listserv.azstarnet.com In body of message write: subscribe intest_health
Tue, 28 Jan 1997 22:22:23 GMT That means there is gas evenly mixed in with the stools. I don't know if that's good or bad. But I personally "feel" less toxic than when I have large pockets of gas. regards Michael
Wed, 29 Jan 1997 0:32:07 GMT Roberta, Floating, yellowy coloured stools with a foul smell can indicated celiac disease (gluten intolerance) About one third of IBSers are undiagnosed celiacs. Amanda
Wed, 29 Jan 1997 13:31:02 GMT Hi Roberta As far as I know (but I'm pretty sure that this is right, maybe a doc can shed some light here), floating stools mean that you have steatorrhea - the word literally meaning 'loss of fat' in Greek. This means that somehow fat doesn't get absorbed from your digestive system and ends up excreted in your stool.Or maybe that your fat intake is way too high above normal for your body to absorb it or that the bile secretion is low. Hope I've been of help Regards Chris ================================================ Chris K. Akoglanis Intrasoft S.A. Office Tel. # : 003031510177 Fax # : 003031554310 Home Tel. # : 003031413638 E-mail : akos@spark.net.gr http://www.spark.net.gr/~akos
Wed, 29 Jan 1997 18:10:37 GMT Hi Roberta, You should check with your Doctor, if you have Floating stools, it can be a sign of some type of malabsorption. This is sometimes caused by celiac disease (gluten intolerance).
Wed, 29 Jan 1997 23:11:22 GMT Since my SCD problem is parasites, particularly pinworms (which have returned, it's four months now of trying to get rid of them), I'd just like to mention that sterrorhea (sp?) or yellow smelly floaters can be caused by worms and the occasional nature of them could be related to the worm hatching cycle. Just thought you'd like to consider that possibility :-)! Ann in Maryland
Thu, 30 Jan 1997 13:54:56 GMT I have a book that tells the different types of stools and how frequent and how to test how frequent the movements are. I will be quoting from the book hope this helps any questions. COLOR: Your feces' normal color is brown because colonic bacteria make brown pigments out of bile that your liver secrets into your small intestine to help you absorb fats. Although feces do change in appearance from day to day, only dramatic, lasting shifts in color are potentially important. For example, you feces may be red or black for a day because you consumed a generous portion of beets, meat, chocolate, hydrox cookies, licorice, cheries or even over the counter remedies like pepto bismol or iron pills. But if your stool remains consistently black, you may have bleeding in your upper gastrointestinal tract. Occasionally bloody streaks on the outside of your stool may come from hemorrhoids or temporary anal irritation. If blood appears persistently, and appears to be mixed into your stool, your lower gastrointestinal tract may be bleeding. In either case you need to see your doctor. Unless you have been eating foods high in chlorophyll, a yellow or greenish stool is usually a sign of diarrhea and transit time that is to rapid. If you take antibiotics, this color may mean that your bowel has been sterilized. A tan or clay color may indicate that you eaten too much fat, or that your bile duct is blocked and is not producing enough digestive enzymes. If your stool turns almost white, the culprit may be antacids or excess calcium supplements. A small, dry stool that sinks to the bottom of your toilet bowl indicates a diet that is too high in meat. But a floating stool is not a sign of sign of a diet high in fiber, rapid transit time, and general digestive health. A stool that floats but is too loose is sign of diarrhea and, consequently, malabsorption-perhaps due to irritable bowel syndrome. Narrow, ribbonlike stools are a common clue to irritable bowel syndrome, or even a partial obstruction in your intestinal tract. Stools that float but are voluminous, pasty, and greasy, leaving an oil slick on the surface of the water in your toilet, may mean that your eating to much fat, or that you are having trouble absorbing fat normally because enzyme production has declined. This type of stool also be a sign of celiac sprue or pancreatitis. You should be able to see only a very few undigested food particles or fibers in your stool. If you spot a substantial number, you may not be chewing your food thoroughly enough. Or you may lack crucial digestive enzymes. You should also not see any mucous or pus in your stool. The presence of mucous may indicate that you have IBD syndrome, food allergies, or an inflammation of your intestinal wall, probably thanks to Candida infection. Pus may be a warning sign of diverticulitus or parasites. If you have diarrhea with both mucous or pus, your trouble may be UC or a parasitic infection. Bloody diarrhea accompanied by mucous can mean colitis or Crohn's disease. SMELL A FALSE CLUE: A popular myth among advocates of colonics and colon health is that a healthy stool has no odor. In fact, there is no such thing as an odorless stool. Meat eaters do tend to have more odoriferous stool, because protein may yield residues of nitrogen and sulfur, but it is neither possible nor desirable to eliminate odor from stool. Well I know its long but I think this will answers some questions regarding stool. Jim Prousalis, j-pro@mindspring.com
Wed, 29 Jan 1997 22:15:30 GMT Hello Everyone, Thanks for the news on floaters. They only happen once or twice a month so my guess is that it's related to a particular food rather than a general problem. I think floaters occur when I eat Yoghurt. I'm okay when I have the dry curd cottage cheese though. Am I right to assume that I don't have a milk protein problem(as somebody suggested before) if I can tolerate the dry curd (mostly in bread) very well, but just have a problem with the yoghurt?. Could I not be absorbing the fat in the yoghurt(which creates floaters)? Is there such a thing as allergy to acidophilus? Thank you for any input. Roberta Helen.
Mon, 3 Feb 1997 18:09:22 GMT QUESTION: Does it matter if stools float? Is that a good or bad sign? Does it mean anything about the diet. ANSWER:I am an integral health educator (with UC) specializing in whole foods nutrition. From my experience personally and with clients, stools GENERALLY float when a more alkalizing diet has been consumed. Alkalizing foods include vegetables, fruit and some dairy. Maintaining a slightly alkalizing diet is important to intestinal health. People also report floating stools after using acidophilus implants repeatedly and when using intestinal bulking agents (eg.psyllium husks). I think floating stools are a good thing and I take it as a sign that the intestinal environment is becoming more friendly. This is just my personal experience. :) Tiffany |
