Friends, I come bearing gifts. TikTok claims to have found another wild hack, and this time it all has to do with constipation and bowel movements. There truly are no limits to what folks online will claim to have found the answer to.
Introducing acupuncturist Anita Tadavarthy (@empiracalgraceacu on TikTok), who has been going batshit viral, no pun intended, for claiming to have a hack to help you poop.
She has over 700k followers, and all of her videos rack up millions of views and likes, so you’d sure hope she’s spreading accurate information.
In her viral vid, she claims that by rubbing your fists together for three minutes, you can cause a bowel movement and put an end to your constipation woes.
According to Tadavarthy, “it innervates the large intestine to help with constipation.”
@empiricalgraceacu Did you know? 💩 #constipation #bloating #digestions #hemorrhoids #diarrhea #constipationrelief #digestivehealth #gas #acidreflux #acupressure
However, this isn’t the only way that Tadavarthy claims you can poop easier, with another vid claiming that rubbing below the knees is just as effective in helping your logs go down the stream.
Both of these claims are heavily rooted in Chinese medicine and acupuncture, but do they actually work?
@empiricalgraceacu Didn’t poop today? 💩 #constipation #diarrhea #acupressure #bloated indigestion #digestivehealth #hemorrhoids #acidreflux #constipationrelief #poop
A heap of TikTokers are claiming that they’ve tried the hand rubbing technique and that it actually helped them out, relieving them after a couple of minutes.
The recommendation here is to do it for around 3-4 minutes, then wait 15 minutes and you should be emptying yourself like a… thing that empties itself quickly.
“This lady was literally right. I don’t know what the hell that did, but she’s on to something. I just pooped,” said TikTok user @claudiakathryn.
@guthealth.by.c #stitch with @empiricalgraceacu THIS ACTUALLY WORKED #stomachproblems #constipation #ibs #bloating #stomachissues #constipationrelief
And now for the part you’ve been waiting for. Is this damn hack actually backed by science?
Well according to gastroenterologists, no.
Dr Rabia De Latour from NYU Langone Health told Health.com that this method is something she’s never heard of before, and would absolutely not recommend.
“There is no proven link to rubbing your fists together that would stimulate a [bowel movement],” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Claudia Sanmiguel, a gastroenterologist from California, reckons that while this acupuncture method might work as a quick fix, it by no means can solve your constipation.
“There is an appeal in quick and fun maneuvers to relieve symptoms,” Sanmiguel told Yahoo!.
“However, there is not much knowledge or data that could support the efficacy of this maneuver in relieving constipation.”
So there you have it folks, while this may be a quick fix that works for you, it’s 100% recommended that if you have constipation you find a solution to it by consulting your doctor.
Until next time, I’m off to rub my fists together for shits and giggles. Literally.
