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Welcome back to the Chasing Eden podcast, where we rediscover
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our body's divine design. I'm your host, Carolyn Thompson. Thank
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you for joining me today. We are diving into a
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topic that for some people might feel unexpected, maybe even
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a little uncomfortable at first. But I think it's one
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of those conversations that really fits the heart of this
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podcast because it sits right at the intersection of health culture, habits,
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and the small, every day choices that shape how we
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feel in our bodies. I'm talking about the history of
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biday use around the world, and yes, I know for
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some people in America, just hearing the word the day
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brings up one of three reactions. Either people laugh, they
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get slightly embarrassed, or they think of some fancy European
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bathroom in a hotel somewhere. But the deeper I looked
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into this topic, the more I realized it's actually about
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much more than a bathroom fixture. It's about how cultures
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define cleanliness. It's about what becomes normal and what becomes taboo.
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It's about how one society can see a daily health
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practice as obvious, while another society can avoid talking about it.
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Our bodies were not designed randomly. They have patterns, they
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have needs, they respond to good care, and often the
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most practical forms of care are not the flashiest ones.
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Sometimes they are the old ways. Sometimes they are the quiet,
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common sense habits that modern culture ignored for too long.
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So today we're going to talk about where the bidet
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came from, how different parts of the world have used
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water for cleansing for generations, why the United States in
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particular has resisted it, why there's often embarrassment and taboo
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around the subject, and why more people are now rethinking
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it from a health, comfort and even a stewardship perspective.
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We're also going to talk about how broader wellness voices
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is like people like doctor Ax, Jordan Ruben, Dave Asbury,
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Gary Breca, Doctor Pampa, and others consistently point back to
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the same larger principle. Small daily habits shape how the
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body functions. And I think that's really the story underneath
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all of this, not just the bidet itself, but what
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it reveals about us, what we normalize, what we resist,
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what we are willing to question, and what happens when
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we revisit a simple practice and realize maybe this actually
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makes a lot more sense than we thought. One of
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the most important things to understand at the very beginning
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is this, The idea of using water for personal cleansing
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is not some niche modern trend. It is not a
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luxury bad and it's not a quirky invention for rich people.
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The use of water for cleansing after using the restroom
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has deep roots in human history, and it remains common
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across large parts of the world today. In many Muslim
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majority countries, South Asian cultures, Southeast Asian cultures, and parts
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of Europe and East Asia, water based cleansing has long
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been treated as normal hygiene. In Japan, electronic bidet toilets
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became mainstream household technology over the late twentieth and early
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twenty first centuries, and Japanese tourism materials openly described them
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as being at the forefront of sanitation and universal design.
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That alone should make Americans pause for a second, because
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if billions of people across many generations and many civilizations
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have looked at water based cleansing as the obvious option,
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then maybe the strange thing is not the bidet. Maybe
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the strange thing is us. And I don't say that critically.
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I say that Honestly, in America, many of us grew
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up thinking toilet paper was just the standard end of discussion.
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That was normal. That was what holmes had, that was
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what stores sold, that was what commercials promoted. That was
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what everyone used. And because everyone used it, very few
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people stopped to ask whether it was actually the best method.
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But the more you step outside that cultural bubble, the
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more obvious the question becomes. If your hands were dirty,
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would you use dry paper and call that clean? Probably not.
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If your child got mud on their leg, or syrup
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on their arm, or grease on their face, would you
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gently wipe once or twice with dry tissue and say
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that's good enough. Of course not. You would instinctively reach
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for water. And that is one of the reasons this
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conversation matters. It is not mainly about luxury. It's about logic.
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Water rinses, water removes residue, Water can clean gently without
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as much friction. And once you look at that question
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that way, it becomes harder not to see the basic
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common sense underneath it. Now, the modern bidet as a
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fixture is usually traced to France. In the earliest eighteenth century,
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the word bidet came to refer to a small washing fixture,
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and likely drew its name from the straddling posture used
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while sitting on it, like riding a small horse or
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quote unquote little horse. Early versions were used by the
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French upper class before modern indoor plumbing became widespread. They
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were not originally built into toilets. They were separate fixtures
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used for intimate washing, often placed in bedrooms near chamber pots.
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Over time, as indoor plumbing developed, they migrated into bathrooms
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and became more standardized in parts of Europe. So yes,
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the bidet fixture has a French story, but the larger
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practice cleansing with water is far older and far wider
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than France. And I think that matters because sometimes when
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Americans hear the word bidet, they immediately categorize it as foreign, fancy, impractical,
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or a little ridiculous. But when you look at the
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bigger global picture, what you actually see is a huge
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swathe of humanity saying water is more hygienic than dry
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paper alone. And that's not eccentric, that's not ancient, that's
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actually ancient practicality. So often modern people assume that newer
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equals smarter, but a lot of the time, the best
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path forward is a rediscovery. It's seeing that older cultures
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or other cultures preserved something wise that we discarded. So
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if using water makes so much sense, why did the
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bidet and related water cleansing practices become normal in some
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places but not in others? That question turns out to
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be more cultural than medical. In countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal,
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parts of the Middle East, and much of Asia, the
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bidet or some form of water cleansing became incorporated into
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the larger idea of cleanliness, family life, modesty, and routine care.
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In Japan, for example, modern bidet toilets became household norms
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over time. A Japanese features report notes that household ownership
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of high tech bidet toilets rose dramatically from the early
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nineteen nineties and became standard equipment in many homes. Japanese
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tourism materials now present them as part of the country's
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leadership in sanitation, accessibility, and thoughtful restroom design. In other words,
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the bidet wasn't treated as a weird extra It was
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treated as a civilized convenience, a normal part of taking
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care of yourself, a practical extension of water cleanlyinesiness and comfort,
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and that cultural framing makes all of the difference, because
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once something is normalized, people stop feeling awkward about it.
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Parents teach it to children, hotels include it, manufacturers improve it.
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It becomes familiar, It becomes unsurprising. That is not what
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happened in the United States. The American story is very different.
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The bidet never fully entered mainstream American architecture, plumbing expectations,
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or consumer culture. Several factors seem to have contributed to that.
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One of the most widely repeated historical explanations is that
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American soldiers stationed in Europe during World War II often
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encountered beidays in brothels and came home with an association
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between beidays and sexual impropriety. Popular histories and reported commentary
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have repeated that stigma as one reason the bidet never
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took root in the US the way that it did
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in other places. At the same time, American bathroom design
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had already leaned heavily toward the toilet paper model, and
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a large tissue industry, surprise, had every incentive to keep
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that habit dominant. The pandemic era toilet paper shortages of
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twenty twenty then pushed many Americans to reconsider bidets for
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the first time, leading to a noticeable jump in awareness
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and sales. And that right there is pretty fascinating because
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it means American's resistance wasn't primarily based on a careful
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analysis of health outcomes. It was shipped by stigma, habit
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industry and inherited discomfort. And honestly, once you see that,
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it's hard to unsee it. How many things in our
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culture are treated as normal, not because they are best,
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but because they became familiar. And how many things are
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treated as strange, not because they are bad, but because
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they challenge what we already grew up with. That's not
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just a bidet question. That's a culture question, and if
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we're humble enough, it can become a health question too,
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because one of the most unhelpful things human beings do
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is cling to discomfort simply because it is familiar. We
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do it with food, we do it with sleep habits,
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we do it with stress, we do it with toxic routines,
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and yes, sometimes we do it with hygiene. We're going
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to pause right here for a quick break. When we
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come back, I want to dig deeper into the American
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resistance to bidets, the embarrassment, the taboo, the awkwardness, and
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why it has lingered for so long. And after that
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we'll move into the health side of the conversation because
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that's where this topic gets especially interesting. Stay with us,
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Welcome back. Let's talk now about something that is not
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technical at all, but emotional and cultural embarrassment, because I
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really think that embarrassment is one of the main reasons
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this subject stays in the shadows. In America, bathroom talk
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is usually treated as inappropriate, crude, or private to the
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point of silence. Now, of course modesty has value, discretion
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has value, but not every subject. It has to be
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public conversation. Sometimes that cultural silence becomes so strong that
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we can't even discuss practical health topics without people getting
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nervous or making jokes. Andbidays sit right in that uncomfortable space.
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They force people to think about a bodily process that
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most would rather ignore. They force people to compare methods
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of cleaning. They expose the fact that what feels normal
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to us may not actually be ideal, And they poke
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at the mythology of American self confidence in a funny way.
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Because here is this one area where huge portions of
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the world quietly do something more water based, more gentle,
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and our arguably more intuitive, and Americans respond by acting
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like that is the odd behavior. It seems backwards, and
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the taboo gets stronger because the topic touches on shame.
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A lot of people do not want to feel inexperienced.
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They do not want to admit they don't really know
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what a bidet is or how it works. They don't
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want to feel like they're asking a ridiculous question. They
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do not want to say out loud, actually I'm only
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ever used toilet paper? Is there a better way? But
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I think there is something really healthy about asking practical
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questions without shame. The body isn't shameful, The body has
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needs hiding isn't crass, it's care. And one of the
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quieter harms of taboo culture is that people live with
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avoidable discomfort because no one taught them to think differently.
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There are probably listeners right now who have dealt with irritation, tenderness, hemorrhoids,
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postpartum sensitivity, mobility challenges, or chronic digestive trouble, and yet
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they've never once seriously considered whether a genle er cleansing
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method might help, not because they're unintelligent, not because they
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don't care, but because this simply was not part of
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the conversation. And I think that's changing, partly through travel,
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partly through internet culture, partly through wellness discussions, and partly
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because once people try a bid day, many of them
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realized they had an outdated assumption. That's one reason the
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twenty twenty toilet paper shortages mattered culturally. It wasn't just
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that people needed an alternative, it was that an emergency
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forced them to question something they had never questioned before.
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During that period, multiple reports described a surge in Biday's
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sales and consumer curiosity in North America as people discovered
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that but once felt foreign, could actually be practical and comfortable.
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Sometimes a shortage reveals how dependent a culture has become
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on one narrow method, and sometimes it opens the door
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to common sense. So let's move into the health side,
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and let me say clearly, a bidet is not some
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miracle device. It is not going to fix every health problem.
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It is not a magical cureal. But in terms of
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hygiene and comfort, the logic is pretty straightforward. Water cleans
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more effectively than dry wiping alone. That basic principle shows
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up in mainstream medical guidance too. Cleveland Clinic says bidets
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can be more sanitary than toilet paper, and notes that
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they may be especially gentle for people with hemorrhoids, irritation,
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or sensitive skin. Harvard Health Guidance for Hemorrhoids likewise recommends
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gentle cleaning with warm water in wood horns, that aggressive
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rubbing and scrubbing can make symptoms worse. And that is
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an important point, not just cleaning, but gentle cleaning, because
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in America, a lot of people quietly deal with discomfort
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in this area and simply accept it as a part
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of life. But repeated friction from dry paper can be irritating,
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especially for people with hemorrhoids, anal fissures, postpartum soreness, inflammatory
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bell issues, or just naturally sensitive skin. And if you
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think about it, that makes sense. The tissue in that
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part of the body is delicate, so why would repeated
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dry friction be the ideal tool. Harvard's Guidance on Hemorrhoids
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talks about warm water, gentle care, and avoiding harsh scrubbing.
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Cleveland Clinic notes that the days are often gentler on
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the skin than wiping and can redou residue left behind.
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Health dot com recently published doctor Approved advice on getting
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the most benefits from the days, stressing low pressure, lukewarm water,
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not over using the spray, and keeping the nozzle clean
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that gives us a balanced picture. Water cleansing can be beneficial.
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Gentleness matters, Technique matters, moderation matters, Clean equipment matters. That's
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reasonable and that's good common sense. And while not every
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wellness influencer has spoken specifically about the days, many of
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them return again and again to the principle that small
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daily habits affect inflammation, comfort, and resilience. Doctor Axis health
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writing frequently emphasizes daily retune routines that support gut health
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and reduce inflammatory burden. Jordan Rubens's public work repeatedly ties
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digestive health to the body's larger symptoms, and human biologists
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Scarry Brecas platform has emphasized how diet, environment, and routine
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shape biology and the microbiome. Human biohacker Dave Asprey defines
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biohacking broadly as changing the environment around and inside you
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to influence biology. That is the real connection. The bidet
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itself is one small tool, But the larger principle is this,
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what you do every day matters. The body notices friction,
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the body notices irritation, the body notices cleanliness. The body
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notices whether you support or stress delicate tissue over and
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over again. And once you understand that, this stops being
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a novelty conversation and becomes a daily stewardship conversation. So
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let's get even more practical. Who tends to benefit the
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most from gentler cleansing methods. People with hemorrhoids are a
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big category. Harvard Health recommends warm water approaches and warns
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that rubbing and scrubbing can worsen symptoms. Cleveland Clinic explicitly
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notes that bidets can be gentler for people who have
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hemorrhids or irritated skin. That's not hard to understand. If
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the tissue is already swollen or inflame, the last thing
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it needs is repeated, aggressive wiping. Then there's postpartum care.
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Many women are already familiar with peri bottles after childbirth
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because spraying warm water can be much gentler than wiping
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when the body is sore and healing. A bidet functions
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on a similar principle rinse gently, reduce friction and avoid
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unnecessary pain. That doesn't mean every setup is identical, of course,
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but the logic of water over friction is similar. Cleveland
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Clinic's broader discussion of bidets emphasizes their gentleness, especially for
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people with sensitive skin or irritation. Then there are people
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with mobility limitations, older adults, people recovering from surgery, or
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people with chronic pain. Reaching and wiping thoroughly may be
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genuinely difficult for them. A bidet can preserve not just cleanliness,
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but dignity and independence. Japan's leadership in toilet design can
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often highlights accessibility and universal design as part of why
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advanced toilets became so widely embraced, And there's something beautiful
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in that too. Sometimes a useful health tool is not
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exciting because it is revolutionary. Sometimes it is valuable because
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it quietly makes everyday life easier for people who are
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already carrying a burden that matters. And again, this is
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why I think the taboo around the subject is so unfortunate.
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The people who might most benefit for a genilar option
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are often the least likely to hear about it. In
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a normal shamefree way. Now. I want to be careful
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here because sometimes wellness culture swings too far and makes
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every topic sound dramatic. So let's keep this grounded. A
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bidet is not about sterilizing the body. It's about cleansing
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it more effectively and gently. That distinction matters. Your skin
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has a barrier, your body has a micro biome, and
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the goal of hygiene is not to attack the body.
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It's to support normal cleanliness while preserving tissue integrity. That's
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why even doctors who support bidets also advise against overuse
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or excessive water pressure. Health dot COM's physician refewed guidance
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reviewed guidance warns that too much pressure or prolonged disposure
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can contribute to irritation or dryness, which is a good
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reminder that more is not always better. That same balanced
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mindset shows up in a lie a lot of broader
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health conversations too. Support the body, don't assault it, reduce irritation,
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don't create new problems. Work with design, not against it.
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So when people ask why does this matter? I think
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the answer is not that a bidet is some giant
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health breakthrough. The answer is that health is cumulative, and
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cumulative health is built on a thousand little inputs sleep, food, light, stress, movement, breathing, hydration,
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and yes, even how gently or harshly we care for
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the body in private routines, nobody else sees. That is
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why this topic is more meaningful than it appears. Let's
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take our second break right here. When we come back,
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I want to look at the environmental side, the practical side,
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and the question a lot of listeners may be asking
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right now, Okay, but is this really worth changing? Stay
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with us, welcome back. Toilet paper seems harmless because it
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is familiar and disposal, but making single use tissue products
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has real environmental costs. In our DC's Issue with Tissue
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materials argue that manufacturing tissue from forest fiber has substantial
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impacts on forests, water use, and climate pollution. And please
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don't think I'm lecturing you on just stating some of
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the facts. The report specifically notes that bidets and bidet
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attachments can significantly reduce toilet paper use while requiring less
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water per us use than the forest fiber tissue making process.
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Associated reporting has highlighted that if every American swapped even
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one forest fiber roll for one hundred percent recycled content
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roll the nation would save more than a billion gallons
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of water and one point six million trees. Think about
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that for a second. A product used for a few
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seconds then thrown away forever carries a much larger upstream
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footprint than most people imagine. Trees, water processing, bleaching, shipping, packaging.
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And again, the point here is not guilt. The point
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is perspective. Once you understand that toilet paper has a
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real ecological cost, the bidet starts looking less like an
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odd alternative and more like a sensitive reduction strategy. Now,
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if you noticed a part of the footprint, the larger
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footprint is bleaching. Besides the shipping, the packaging, the trees,
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the water, the processing. There have been some social media
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health practitioners talking about toilet paper and how often times
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people who get repetitive urinary tract infections don't realize that
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it's actually that their toilet paper is toxic. It's been bleached,
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it has chemicals in it, and it can cause UTIs.
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And I believe it was doctor Huberman who did a
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social media I think it was on Instagram. He did
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a short video about it. And the thing is is
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we switched to bamboo toilet paper in our home. I
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don't know if that's less of a footprint, to be honest,
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I just know I wanted something more natural after hearing
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that toilet paper has forever chemicals and it's been bleached,
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So that in and of itself was enough for me
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to make that switch. You might wanted to do a
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little re search on that if that concerns you, and
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maybe make that switch yourself. Now, for listeners who care
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more about living more thoughtfully, there is also something spiritually
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interesting here. One of the themes that often surfaces in
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the Christian wellness world is that dominion should not mean wastefulness.
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Caring for creation often begins with noticing the hidden costs
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of our conveniences. Not every convenience is wrong, but some
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conveniences become so normalized that we actually stop asking what
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they cost downstream and what a small household ship can
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reduce waste while also making the body feel better. That
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is a pretty compelling combination. So now let's talk honestly
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about resistance. Even after hearing all of that, some people
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are still going to think, I don't know, this still
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sounds weird to me, And that's okay, because you know,
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what habits are powerful. Bathroom habits especially are powerful. They're
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deeply conditioned, they're private, they're repetitive, and because they're repetitive,
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to become part of what feels safe and known. A
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lot of resistance to change has nothing to do with facts.
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It has to do with familiarity. And this is true
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in health across the board. Sometimes the most liberating thing
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that you can do is ask, if I were starting
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from scratch and no cultural baggage existed, what would make
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the most sense. And that's a powerful question. If you
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knew nothing about modern bathroom norms and someone showed you
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two options, one being dry paper only and the other
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being a gentle water rance, which one would you intuitively
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think sounded cleaner. Most people, honestly would say water. And
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that's why I think the American hesitation is not really
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about reason. It's about story. We inherited a story, we
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inherited a comfort zone, we inherited a market, we inherited
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a taboo. And inherited things often feel permanent until someone
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names them. One of the funniest patterns in modern Biday
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conversations is how many skeptics become enthusiastic converts, not because
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they were pressured, not because they joined a movement, but
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because they tried it and thought, oh, that makes sense.
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That seems to be one reason bidets gained momentum in
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North America after twenty twenty. The pandemic didn't just increase curiosity,
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it increased first time users. And once someone experiences the
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difference between a water rint and a dry wiping alone,
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it's not uncommon for them to feel like the older
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method was less effective or less comfortable. Consumer coverage during
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and after the pandemic repeatedly described that pattern of reluctant
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trial turning into preference. That does not mean everyone will
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love every model. It does not mean every bday is equal,
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and it doesn't mean that there is no learning curve.
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But it does mean that a lot of resistance melts
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once direct experience replaces imagination, and that itself is a lesson.
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Sometimes we resist things most fiercely before we understand them.
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So let's say someone listening is curious, Now, what should
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they actually know? First? You don't have to install some
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expensive luxury throne from the future. There are simple bidet
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attachments that fit existing toilets, and you could purchase them
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on Amazon. There are handheld prayers. In some settings, there
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are travel options, and yes, there are advanced models with
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warm water, heated seats, dryers, and all the bells and whistles.
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Japan's market became famous in part because of these higher
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tech features, but the core idea remains very simple. Controlled
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water cleansing, gentle settings do matter. Cleveland Clinic and Physician
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reviewed consumer GUIDs both stress proper direction, moderate pressure, and
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cleanliness of the nozzle or attachment. Start low, learn what
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00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:04.160
it feels comfortable. Don't blast sensitive tissue. This is not
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about force, it's about rents. You do not have to
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turn it into a statement. You do not have to
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make a part of your identity. You don't have to
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become a bathroom evangelist. You can simply see it as
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one practical upgrade in your daily life. Sometimes good health
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changes are wonderfully unglamorous. We've got one last quick break,
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and when we come back, I want to close by
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talking about what this whole discussion reveals about culture, health, humility,
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and why little habits matter more than we think. Stay
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with us, welcome back. At this point, I think it's
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clear that the Bidet conversation is about much more than
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a bathroom appliance. It reveals how culture shapes instinct. So
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many people are looking for dramatic interventions while ignoring the
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quiet routines that affect the body every day. And again,
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I'm not claiming a B day is some massive health revolution,
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but I'm saying this conversation points us toward a wiser mindset,
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a more observant mindset, a more humble mindset, a more
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embodied mindset, gentleness, practicality, a willingness to rethink habit. That's
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a pretty good formula. And honestly, the older I get,
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the more I appreciate health practices that are simple, sane,
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and sustainable. Not every good thing has to be expensive,
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not every useful thing has to be trendy. Sometimes a
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00:33:53.279 --> 00:33:56.960
tool is valuable because it solves an ordinary problem in
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a more body friendly way. That is what makes this
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conversation worthwhile. I also want to say something compassionate here
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for listeners who still feel awkward about the topic. It's
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okay if this makes you laugh a little, It's okay.
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If this feels unfamiliar. It's okay if your first reaction
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is still wow. This is definitely not the kind of
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podcast episode I expected. Today. Honestly, I get it. But
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sometimes the very topic topics that we avoid are the
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ones that most need to be talked about. And maybe
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that's part of a growing in wisdom. Not treating the
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body as embarrassing, not treating health as superficial, not avoiding
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helpful knowledge just because a culture taught us to blush
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around it, and good care is good care. There is
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something freeing about becoming more matter of fact about that,
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and that's one reason I suspect the cultural tide will
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keep shifting. Younger Americans are growing up in a more
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globally connected world. They see how other countries live, They
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hear more open health conversations. They are less locked into
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the assumptions of previous generations, and once a practice becomes
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visible enough, the taboo weakens. That happened with for minute foods,
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that happened with magnesium, that happened with red light therapy,
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it happened with gut health conversations, and I suspect over
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time it will increasingly happen with the days too, not
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because everyone is chasing novelty, but because practicality eventually has
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a way of winning. So pay attention to the small
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habits that either burden or bless your body, that is
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really what this is about. And once you start thinking
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that way, all of these things in life come into focus.
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How you eat, how you sleep, how you rest, how
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you respond to stress, how you hydrate, how you move,
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how you clean, how you recover, and how you care
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for your body. Maybe the body doesn't mostly need us
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to be extreme. Maybe it just needs us to be
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more attentive. And if a conversation like this helps someone
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reduce irritation, feel cleaner, heal more comfortably after childbirth, support
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support mobility in later life, cut back on waste, or
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simply question a cultural assumption they never realized they had,
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then I think it was worth having because rediscovering the
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body's divine design is not always about glamorous breakthroughs. Sometimes
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it's about humble truths. Thank you for joining me today
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on the Chasing Eden podcast. Please subscribe to the podcast
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00:36:36.119 --> 00:36:38.519
if you haven't already, and be sure to invite your
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friends and family if you think they might enjoy it.
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Also check out our website Chasing Eden dot net for
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00:36:44.960 --> 00:36:48.440
show notes and helpful links related to the podcast. Until
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next time, stay curious, stay healthy, and keep Chasing Eden.
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