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The Phobia of Pooping in Public Places Leads to Constipation and IBS

12 February 2018 By Galina

The Phobia of Pooping in Public Places Leads to Constipation and IBS (and sometimes death too)

Let's start by enriching our vocabulary. 

The scientific term for the fear of someone pooping in public is parcopresis

The phobia of pooping in public restrooms is called lutropublicaphobia.

Now that you can easily impress your dining companions, we should pay attention to something very important: constipation and IBS. 

Constipation kills. You may have noticed this story in the press, about a young man with  Down Syndrome who died recently of the complication of carrying 22lb of waste matter in his bowel. This is rare, but it happens.

Typically, people who suffer from constipation and IBS don't die, but thy live in hell. They have no control over their bowel, however, it runs their life instead. Here is a typical story of an IBS sufferer.

One of the reasons why constipation and IBS develop is the lutropublicaphobia. It can also be lethal - a girl died after withholding her stools for two months for fear of using a public toilet.

We all understand that not answering the call of nature damages the feedback loop between the brain and the bowel. If the bowel asks for an expected and well deserved relief from the wastes, and the brain says no, then it will ask less and less frequently. No one likes rejection, even the large bowel. Bowels have a huge capacity for suffering but one day they pay back, and that payback is not pretty. 

Despite this common logic, not going to the toilet in public places is a thing. There are estimates that one in 12 Brits is a sufferer: There are some pretty scary numbers here.  

Therefore  anyone who comes to you suffering from constipation or IBS should be asked about their bowel habits in public places during the consultation.  May be they just need to know what they are doing to themselves! Information is power. 

This article, that you can print out and give away, is a good start

Help your clients to help themselves!

Until we meet again, 

Galina