Hey, I'm Flor Lixman, and you're listening to Science Friday.

First, a content warning. The following conversation will be especially delightful for young audiences,

so I'd recommend actually finding nearby children so that they can listen.

We asked you to call us about when nature calls. And you know what?

I thought we might not get a lot of takers. I was wrong. Boy, do I have a poop story and tell you?

I've had plenty of memorable poops in my life. I once had a poop that looked exactly like the number two.

It was incredible and too real.

Incredible and too real describes many of your stories.

I walked out into the jungle as one does, and I pooped something approximately the size of a low thread.

I went swimming in a river in Yonkers, New York once with a bunch of friends and came down

with a horrible case of sea dip. So I had horrible gastrointestinal distress. I went to the bathroom and there wrapped around my beautiful poo was about an eight-inch-long

roundworm that I did not know was in my gut.

Look, if you're feeling squeamish right now, my next guest says, you're not alone, but

that's a problem.

Our collective poop shame is getting in the way of our health and happiness.

Here to dump some knowledge on us is Dr. Trisha Pusrecha, a neuro-gastroenterologist at Harvard University. She also writes

the Aska Doctor column from the Washington Post and is the author of the new book, You've

Been Pooping All Wrong, How to Make Your Bowel Movements a Joy. Tricia, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much for having me. Hopefully all I'll be dumping is knowledge, but I appreciate that

intro. Okay, Tricia, but I appreciate that intro.

Okay, Tricia, you write in your book,

It's Time to Give Your Poop the Cinderella moment it deserves.

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