Bidet (bee-dáy) is a personal cleansing method utilizing a stream of water,
which is more hygienic and beneficial to the use of toilet paper.
The word bidet was first used in the 15th century to refer to the pet ponies
kept by the French royalty. During the 19th century the Europeans developed a
porcelain cleaning device for contraceptive and purgative (cathartic) uses,
which was called a bidet for its shape resembled those ponies. Over time,
its use has evolved more into a personal cleansing method, paralleling the
improved sanitation and the heightened sense of personal hygiene in the modern
world. For several decades now, bidet has been a welcome addition to the
bathroom culture of Europeans and Asians.
Throughout history of ancient Asia, a way to healthful longevity was through
addressing the three basic most physiologic needs of humans: adequate sleep,
healthy diet and healthy, regular bowel/bladder habits. Though they are all
essential, the last criterion is especially notable for us in the modern society
because more and more of major illnesses in adults are being recognized as
gastrointestinal and genito-urinary related. Hemorrhoids, constipation,
gastrointestinal cancers, prostatitis, urinary tract infections, and gynecologic
problems are all too commonly seen.
As a medical doctor in Japan who specializes in healthy living and longevity,
Dr. Morita Genzo believes that lot of the illnesses and infections may simply be
prevented by the habit of cleansing the ano-gential (genito-anal) area with warm
water after having bowel movements. It also aids in blood circulation and
physiologic rhythm, contributing further to a healthier life-style.
Its use had initially been limited to a small faction of people mainly because
it involved installing another toilet-resembling unit in the bathroom, which
basically meant that space, plumbing, and most of all, the cost became the
limiting factors in widespread use. The practice of using a bidet however, is
now very much ubiquitous in Europe and Asia, which can partly be attributed to
new product developments that eliminated such limiting factors.
In the U.S., bidet is not yet common, and it has been receiving slow but warm
reception. One may recall a humorous scene in the Hollywood movie "Dumb and
Dumber" where a bidet was mistaken for a toilet by one of the not-so-bright main
characters. But bathroom humor aside, bidet has long been implemented in many
luxury hotels and many of the clients go on to installing them at home as well.
Our products are designed to be installed onto the
existing toilet using a few tools.
When the user is ready to finish up in the bathroom, a simple turn of the knob
will initiate a stream of water.
The stream can be controlled, and is aimed to cleanse the genito-anal region of
the user while still remaining seated on the toilet. This is far thorough
cleaning, making it more hygienic. It is also far superior over the conventional
bidets because it does not require the additional space to install, but best of
all, it allows the user to remain seated instead of having to move over to sit
on the bidet after finishing on the toilet.
It is intuitive that because of the anatomy of the area, using a dry toilet
paper to clean is inevitably going to leave residues, leaving the area prone for
bacterial growth and infections.
As a testament of one of the benefits of water over the paper use, in cultures
where water cleansing is traditionally the preferred practice, such as in
Indonesia, Middle Eastern or South-West Asian countries, hemorrhoids are occur
with much less frequency than others. |
