Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ999nUxZtX/Catching up on social media, answering your emails, and tweaking your phone apps may increase your risk of developing hemorrhoids by some 46%.  This the conclusion of a survey by Harvard gastroenterologists at Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital presented at Digestive Diseases Week 2025.The study polled 125 participants using a standard questionnaire covering gastrointestinal symptoms.  Of the group, two-thirds used their phones while toileting and more than half of those, 55%, were on the device at every sitting.  This phone use resulted in significantly more time spent on the toilet.You can’t totally blame your smartphone.  Those same hemorrhoids would develop should you sit longer on the “throne” reading a book or completing your daily crossword puzzle.https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/using-smartphones-toilet-increases-hemorrhoid-risk-2025a1000asx#smartphones #toilet #hemorrhoids