A doctor has revealed to social media users that wiping our butts wrong after the toilet could damage our health.
There’s perhaps nothing more universal than using the bathroom as everyone has to deal with their normal bodily functions and the constant need to relieve themselves.
While cleaning yourself after doing your private business seems pretty straightforward, you might be surprised to learn that you could be doing it all wrong... according to one doctor.
A women's health expert named Dr. Teresa Irwin - who goes by the handle @dr.teresa.irwin on TikTok - shared a video informing her followers of the importance of cleaning yourself right after using the toilet.
Watch the doctor's video below:In the video, Teresa instructs viewers that they should use their bamboo or toilet paper to "wipe front to back," meaning pushing the toilet paper from the front to the back.
The doctor then demonstrates to her 91.2K followers that they could also go from behind, and pull the paper from the front towards the back.
She said that front to back is the right way because it can prevent "the tracking of bacteria from your anus to your pee-hole," and stop you from getting an infection.
The TikTok clip seemed to be very useful for many users on the social media platform who flooded the comment sections with questions for the doctor.
One user exclaimed: "WAIT THANK YOU I ALWAYS [WIPE] BACK TO FRONT."
Another said: "Great info!"
A third user asked: "Is it ok to literally pinch your entire hole instead of going either way? I feel like its easier to miss 'how back' we go?'"
A fourth user shared: "My sister wipes front and back separately like two pieces of paper one for front and one for back."
To further add to this, research by Tap Warehouse discovered that 33% of women living in the UK prefer going against Teresa's warning and wipe from back to front.
This may be acceptable for men, but for women, it could result in contracting a urinary tract infection (UTI) - which is a condition in any part of the urinary system (the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra,) per Mayo Clinic.
The medical report stated that women are at greater risk of developing a UTI than men and that if it is confined to the bladder, it can be incredibly painful and irritating. Serious health problems can also arise if the infection spreads to the kidneys.
