#497 Let's Talk About Butt Stuff with Alex Hall

Summary

Shameless Sex Podcast – Episode #497

Title: Let's Talk About Butt Stuff with Alex Hall
Release Date: August 4, 2026
Hosts: Amy Baldwin & April Lampert
Guest: Alex Hall (The Bottoms Digest)

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Episode Overview

This episode kicks off "Anal August" with a comprehensive, candid, and body-positive deep dive into all things anal sex. Sex educators and enthusiasts Amy and April welcome Alex Hall, founder of The Bottoms Digest, for a hilarious and deeply informative conversation. Together, they shatter taboos, demystify health and hygiene, share expert tips for prep and pleasure, and discuss the science (and art!) of bottoming for everyone, regardless of anatomy or experience.

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Major Discussion Points and Insights

1. Addressing Consent, Podcast Policy, and Community Accountability

Timestamp: 04:06–09:54

• The hosts address listener requests to take down a previous episode related to sexual consent allegations.
• Amy shares their stance: "We at Shameless Sex do not take episodes down. We never have. This is not the first time we receive emails. We don't believe in cancel culture… If I just cancel things and pretend like it didn't happen and walk the other way, then how do I, where learned?" (05:01–05:19)
• They discuss personal accountability, boundaries, and the importance of listening to all sides, emphasizing opportunities for community learning rather than erasure.

2. Listener Sex Question: Erectile Health After 40

Timestamp: 09:56–18:11

• A listener asks about fluctuating erections post-divorce at age 48, seeking solutions beyond medication.
• The conversation explores:
  • The commonality of changing erections as people age.
  • Lifestyle factors: stress, diet, sleep, hydration, and exercise ("Diet, sleep, exercise, stress, all of those things affect our body." – Amy, 12:08)
  • Medical and holistic interventions: hormone optimization, the "P-shot," "P-tox" (Botox for the penis), and the need for specialist care (not just general practitioners).
  • April shares her partner’s experience with testosterone therapy, and both hosts recommend California-based Swan Medical for hormone and sexual wellness treatments.

3. Meet the Guest: Alex Hall and The Bottoms Digest

Timestamp: 18:14–23:09

• Alex shares his unique journey from fashion designer to butt and gut educator, merging videography, activism, and a love for pro-choice politics into creating accessible, pleasure-centric sex education for adults.
• Explains the "Digest" as both a blog and a cooking channel, originally to help gay men avoid disordered eating and negative body image around bottoming.
• Alex: "I like to say I am a power bottom slut… when I was in fashion, I pivoted into reproductive rights… The Bottoms Digest is a double entendre. It started as a cooking channel to show people how to navigate trigger foods and recipes so you can eat before a date and then go get [fucked] afterward and be comfortable." (20:06–21:37)

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Anal Sex 101: Pleasure, Safety, and Myths

4. Why Do (or Don’t) People Love Anal?

Timestamp: 24:08–26:37

• Alex: "Anyone can bottom, not just gay men." (24:27)
• Discusses anatomical differences—prostate vs. A-zone stimulation—and the importance of opening both external and internal sphincters for comfort and pleasure.
• Most fear and discomfort is due to poor preparation, not inevitability.

5. Dismantling Porn Myths & Real Prep

Timestamp: 26:37–28:20

• Amy calls out mainstream porn's lack of realistic anal sex prep, praising Erica Lust's educational porn for showing communication, negotiation, and foreplay.
• "Instead, it's just slam it in, slam it on him. So a lot of people are looking at that as their sex educator. Again, don't do that with porn." – Amy (27:00–27:18)

6. Essential Tips for Beginner Bottoms

Timestamp: 28:20–34:22

• Dilators > Butt Plugs for Prep:
  • Butt plugs' tapered shape can actually tighten the sphincter; dilators (especially glass or metal) allow muscles to stretch and relax.
  • "The rectum has virtually no pain receptors. When you're feeling pain... it's always the internal and external sphincters." – Alex (29:21)
• Lube, Lube, Lube:
  • "There is literally no such thing as too much lube with anal… and specifically, silicone. Water-based lube just does not hold up for anal sex." – Alex (30:26)
• No poppers or numbing lubes:
  • Poppers (amyl nitrite) give a false, temporary relaxation and may lead to injury.
  • "Never rely on poppers to start opening you up... It's better to open up sober." – Alex (31:29 & 32:09)

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Practical Insights: Toys, Prep, and Poop Real Talk

7. Butt Plugs vs. Dilators: Wear Out and About?

Timestamp: 37:16–39:54

• Wearing a butt plug out all day? You may be tightening, not relaxing, your muscles.
  • "If you don't do the work to actually open your sphincters and you wear a butt plug out all day, you are really tightening it." – Alex (38:19)
• Both dilators and plugs have downsides if worn too long or without proper opening.

8. Food, Fiber, and Anal—Busting “Starvation” Myths

Timestamp: 40:38–48:53

• Avoid starving/fasting for anal—starvation increases the odds of constipation.
• Focus on knowing your own “trigger foods” (what causes you gas, bloating, or urgent bowel movements).
• “There’s 8 billion unique guts and butts on this planet. Every single piece of advice is going to be so different for every person.” – Alex (41:03)
• Best overall advice: Eat a fiber-rich, plant-diverse diet for effortless bowel movements, making anal prep less stressful.
• "Fiber is so good for your overall health; it just happens to make prep time for anal sex a lot easier." (46:04)
• Alex recommends (and sells) psyllium husk powder as a simple, research-backed supplement.

9. The Truth About Poop and Anal Sex

Timestamp: 48:53–50:56

• "Poop is not stored in the rectum. It is stored in the sigmoid colon." – Alex (48:54)
• Healthy bowel regularity and a “dipstick method” (testing with a toy before douching) can often eliminate the need for douching altogether.

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Douching, Recovery, and Anal Longevity

10. Douching 101

Timestamp: 54:52–63:15

• Douching (sexual wellness, light rinse in the rectum only) is different from an enema (used to relieve constipation, goes further and often contains saline).
• Over-douching can damage the rectal lining, disrupt bowel regularity.
• Never douche with anything but plain water (filtered if you want), not soap, not saline unless medically necessary, and never with metal shower attachments—risk of burns and injury!
• "Douching is not absolutely required every single time... If you can skip one douching session, you should always skip it." (62:01)

11. Aftercare and Recovery

Timestamp: 63:50–69:13

• If you prep right, your butt naturally returns to normal.
• "When you take the time to really open up and you enjoy anal sex because it feels good, your nervous system clocks that and it's like, this is safe." – Alex (64:23)
• Avoid trauma by never ignoring pain.
• Practice anal dilation regularly, use sitz baths (warm baths) for soothing, and keep hydrated.
• "Never want to sit more than five minutes on the toilet—that is the number one cause of hemorrhoids." – Alex (67:05)

12. Size, Girth, and Anal Training Truths

Timestamp: 69:13–71:52

• Girth is more relevant than length for comfort and preparation.
  • "Everyone's always like, 'nine inches,' but a nine-inch penis can be pretty thin... With it, it all goes back to the sphincters." – Alex (69:29)
• There’s no such thing as "too big" if you build up slowly with cones or dilators matched to your partner/toy.

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Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• On the universality of butts:
  "Everyone has one. Not everyone plays with one… But a lot of people want to experience or are experiencing anal pleasure."
• On the importance of pleasure-first education:
  "If you do the right steps, you can actually unlock a whole new realm of pleasure that you've never felt before." – Alex (24:32)
• Amy on post-poop readiness:
  "As someone who's more of a morning pooper, I'm usually not a morning anal sexer. It's more of an evening thing. And I'm sure we can all... have had those experiences where you have the really great poop and you're like: Oh, anal's definitely happening tonight." (53:56)
• On anal myths:
  "I'm telling you, you can take a 10 inch penis with all these same tips, because penises are not drain snakes!" – Alex (63:15, and repeated at 01:25 and 63:28)
• On body diversity:
  "8 billion unique guts and butts!" (41:03)
• On douching products:
  "People can't afford gas right now, let alone $80 worth of douching water." – Alex (62:07)

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Resources and Where to Find Alex Hall

Timestamp: 72:37–74:53

• Website & Shop: thebottomsdigest.com
• Instagram, YouTube: @bottomsdigest – especially check YouTube for thorough, fun, and science-based videos on douching, fiber, prep, and recovery.
• Products: The "Better Bottoming Bulb" (anal douche), "Bottom Boundaries Balance" (psyllium husk powder), with additional resources and upcoming e-course, "The Better Bottoming Bible."
• Collaborations: Coming soon—designer anal dilators with Pelvic People, and a full e-learning bottoming course.

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Key Takeaways

• Anal pleasure and safety are accessible for all bodies with proper preparation, communication, and self-knowledge.
• Big focus: Diet (fiber/plant diversity), hydration, knowing your personal “triggers,” and avoiding starvation or excessive douching.
• Prep is more about slow muscle relaxation, breath, and pleasure than gimmicks or shortcuts.
• Recovery, like prep, involves gentle care: dilation, hydration, baths, and moderate expectations.
• There’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach—listen to your body!
• Shame-free, welcoming, evidence-based sex education is vital—and it can be playful and fun.

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Episode Highlights by Timestamp

• 09:56 – Erectile health after 40, options beyond pills.
• 18:14 – Alex Hall’s backstory, Bottoms Digest mission.
• 28:20 – Anal sex beginner tips: dilators, lube, no poppers.
• 40:38 – The truth about food, fiber, and poop.
• 54:52 – Douching vs. enema explained, why less is more.
• 63:50 – Anal aftercare and muscle recovery.
• 71:52 – Girth, size, anal training and inclusive recommendations.
• 72:37 – Resources to follow, shop, and learn with Alex Hall.

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Final Note

If you’re curious, nervous, or ready to try (or improve!) anal play, this episode offers a compassionate, expert roadmap for navigating pleasure, boundaries, and fun—without shame. As Alex says:
"Anal is for you. Anal is for everyone." – Alex Hall (75:16)

For more, visit shamelesssex.com, and remember: fiber, communication, and humor are your butt’s best friends!

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[C]

today, I'm telling you, you can take a 10 inch penis with all these same tips. Because penises are not drain snakes. I talk about it all the time. They don't snake through your colon. So they're not. Damn it, they're not.

[A]

I'm Amy.

[B]

I'm April.

[A]

Certified sex educators, Sexperts of the year and best selling authors.

[B]

And we're on a mission to help you have more spicy, connected and amazing shameless sex.

[A]

Welcome to the Shameless Sex revolution.

[C]

We're so close. It's like we have our own language. We're making sex and relationships shameless.

[A]

To learn more, go to shamelesssex.com and

[B]

for 15% off some of our favorite sex toys, use code shameless [e-mail] youm

[C]

are listening to a pleasure podcast. For more from our sex podcast collective, visit pleasurepodcasts.com well hello everyone.

[B]

Hey everybody.

[A]

Welcome back to the Shameless Sex podcast.

[B]

Hey everybody.

[A]

Guess what? It's Anal August.

[B]

I love when I do that and I miss the mark.

[A]

Do it again.

[B]

Hey everybody.

[A]

Hey everybody. You have a booty. You have a booty.

[B]

But wait, so do you.

[A]

Oh God, the puns are endless. This episode is with Alex Hall.

[B]

Bottoms up, Amy.

[A]

Bottoms up from the bottoms Digest. What do you. It was a double. What was it? What?

[B]

Oh, a double entendre.

[A]

I don't even know how to say that word. Anyways, you'll hear why it is quite fascinating. So, yes, we talk all about anal. And I would say that this anal episode is a little different than other anal episodes in that we do a deep dive into your diet, to the poop factor. All kinds of things a lot of people are scared to ask or talk about. But everyone who's doing anal wants to know about. And the ass, as we know, is the universal orifice. Everyone has one. Not everyone plays with one. Not everyone actually even has a butthole. But a lot of people want to experience or are experiencing anal pleasure. A lot of people are scared of it and they think, why would anyone be into it? Because they've had not so great experiences. So let's learn more. We're not here to convince you.

[B]

Double untundra and tundra. We. I messed it up, but I sing it underneath. You know, under.

[A]

But it's like bottoms.

[B]

It's undra.

[A]

Yeah, well, it works anyways.

[B]

Anyway, we got it.

[A]

Bottoms. The bottoms. Digest. So before we dive into the sex question. So you're going to love this episode, everyone. We love this episode. Alex is amazing. He's hilarious, too. And he at the butt. He like. He's a butt master. He really is.

[B]

We both knew him before, so you'll learn about that in the interview. And he's just a delight.

[A]

Yeah, he's a delight. He's absolute delight.

[B]

Ah, I love saying maybe an afternoon delight.

[A]

Oh, maybe a morning delight. Depends on when. Are you a morning pooper? Probably not a morning anal. Sexy. I know. Just saying. Okay, before we do the sex question, dive into the interview. I want to highlight something really briefly that I think is important. We received a number of emails from people asking us to take an episode down. I don't know the episode number, but I believe it was released in early July, and it was with Michael Hollis from the play. And it was the second time on our show. And we received emails to people saying that there are some consent or sexual assault allegations or violations related to the play and that we should take the episode down. And it was about.

[B]

Even monogamous people go to sex parties.

[A]

Yeah, I think that was the title of that. Yeah, yeah. Monogamous. Monogamous people also go to sex parties. Something like that. And we at shameless sex do not take episodes down. We never have. And this is not the. The first time we receive emails.

[B]

We've really wanted to.

[A]

Even when we wanted.

[B]

There's a couple that I'm like, we should.

[A]

We had our own personal reasons where we're like, we want to take that, but we. But we don't. What we do is because we don't believe in cancel culture. And so what we do is we talk about things later. Because when bad happens or you know what, whatever the. The story or many stories are related to the play, there's an opportunity for people to learn here. Right? If we just like. I don't know. This is my belief. If I just cancel things and pretend like it didn't happen and walk the other way, then how do I where learned? So anyways, let's learn together.

[B]

Ex boyfriends down from your Instagram.

[A]

Do I?

[B]

Yeah, no, me neither.

[A]

Why would I do that?

[B]

Ex husbands. Nope.

[A]

It's a part of my story. It's a part of my life.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

I don't have any ex husbands, but

[B]

I respect people that choose to do that. I just think for our. For our business, for our pod, for my life. I. I'm.

[A]

We. Don't you get to decide for yourself if you want to take down pictures of your ex and your Instagram or whatever? Because maybe it helps your sanity. Because sometimes I see pictures of an ex on there and I'm like, oh, I get the EBGs. But I'm not gonna. I'm not. It's not like a trigger point. I'm not gonna like, need therapy just

[B]

because I saw that I don Lots of people's numbers. I just change their name if I don't want to talk to them anymore. Like, you're very bad person. Don't talk to me.

[A]

Do not answer.

[B]

Yeah, bad person.

[C]

Bad.

[B]

But I think, like, if you have your own podcast and you want to take down episodes, go ahead. Totally encourage that.

[A]

Yeah. 100 and so what? So what? What I want to say about this, I don't know all of the details about it. I have been to a sex party at the play. I really loved it. I was super excited to go back. I did not have any negative experiences when I was there. I didn't. I didn't experience consent violations. I have experienced a consent violation at a sex party before somewhere El.

[C]

Else.

[A]

I don't. Do not want to take away from the people that feel or have been violated at the play or other places. What I want to say about that is I, you know, I. I believe anyone that says I've been harmed. I'm going to believe you. Why would. Why would I not Believe you. And there is a game of telephone that happens when someone's like, well, someone got violated and then they told someone and now the story is very different. So I, again, this is why I can't talk about all the details, because I wasn't there and I don't know them. What I will say is there is a reason why a lot of people I know that are sex educators, therapists, coaches, doctors, do not do certain things like engage sexually with their clients, the participants, or their customers. Or let's say even like a vendor. Like a manufacturer at a sex toy trade show. Let's talk about that. Sex or trade show. A manufacturer.

[B]

I'm not going to dip my pen in the company.

[A]

No.

[B]

Am I going to have sex for orders?

[A]

Yeah. Like you're. You have sex, you're an employee having sex with your boss, or you are a vendor and you're selling products to a customer. Having sex with a customer, whatever. There's all these different examples. I don't know what happened to play, if this is what happened or did not happen. But there's a reason why there are. It's wise to have these boundaries. You know, people are looking up to you. But even if it's not that person, you know, this, the staff, whatever, anyone that seems kind of like an authority figure or like they're the ones that you're relying on to hold it all together. I personally think it's. It's safer to like, stay in your lanes so that people don't feel violated by someone that maybe had more power than them that they looked up to, or they thought it was a certain context or a certain thing, and then it's something else. If you're someone, someone who has power or is, you know, is someone that is being relied on or, or part of a group that is being relied on, I would say really honor that, like being. Be really cautious with that one. To protect yourself and also to protect other people. The time that I got violated, that was not my fault at all. And for anyone that's been violated, it's not your fault. I totally stand by that. And, you know, luckily, the party I went to, I was able to go up to. They had angels there and get immediate support and even have support after. And I, I'm. If the play had offered that, but.

[B]

And the play is no longer, as

[A]

of now, they're saying they're not. Yeah, they're not doing parties for various reasons. And again, I don't know all the ins and outs of it. And so I'm not sure if they're, you know, pulling away to, you know, heal whatever's going on, mitigate whatever's going on or if they're planning on coming back. I. I don't know. But it seems like whatever's going on there is an opportunity here for people to learn and be more careful and what we're, you know, no matter who the people are. And yeah, it's to anyone that experienced that that was, that was there and happened that was somehow a harmful, hurtful or negative experience, I'm really sorry that that happened to you. And yeah, unfortunately, you know, may maybe there is something that we can all learn from so that we can make it so these experiences don't happen as often or again. But unfortunately they do, which is so shitty. Especially at a sex party when you're going and you want it, you go there to feel so free. And then unfortunately though, like I said, consent things do happen there and it's not an excuse like oh, they happen. So whatever, it's fine. It's, it's anytime they happen, it needs to be taken seriously. And it sounds like it is being taken seriously. And yeah. So just needed to, to say something about that before we dive into the

[B]

butt and the sex question.

[A]

Oh yeah, the sex first and then the. Actually the sex question is not about the. But it's funny that the sex question came at this time. You'll see later on the episode why it's kind of funny this that the sex question came from a listener because. Well, you'll see as you listen to episode, you'll see why I'm a 48 year old man recently divorced and my penis isn't doing what it used to do in terms of hardness. I have good days and not so good days, which is confusing because I'd like to think if I replicated what was going on on the good days, then the not so good days wouldn't be a problem. Is this just me? And I know about Cialis and Viagra, but if this continues to get worse, are there other solutions that don't involve taking medication? I want to tackle this before I start dating again. Not uncommon.

[B]

And 48, I guess it can happen earlier, it can happen later. It doesn't really matter your age. It can happen. Anyone listening really feel like that's kind

[A]

of like a. I don't want to use word normal, but like I've talked to people that are 40 and their penis performance is changing and I've talked to people where it didn't start until they're 50. So everyone's really different.

[B]

But guess what? It is you. It is fixable, workable. Meaning you can. What this person seems to think it's a problem because they said problem a couple times. So it is. It is. You can, you can change the system here. You can change your. You can change and not have to

[A]

use Cialis like diabetes and sial. Yeah, there's. So there's a lot of options on the table now where you don't have to take medications. And the medications, you know, there's a lot beyond, say, Cialis. Cialis. Got it. Got sucker.

[B]

I gave that one to you.

[A]

Alice and Viagra are not the only prescription things that you can take. So first of all, is this just, you know, it's not just you. It is interesting that you have good days and not so good days. But here's, here's the thing. Just like you'll hear in the anal episode that we just did in this is following the sex question. There's a lot of factors that matter beyond just like your. Right. So in terms of your, your penis or your ass or all the things, diet, sleep, exercise, stress, all of those things affect our body.

[B]

Stress can be a really big factor in your sex drive and your penis function.

[A]

Dehydration also, like, like erections require blood FL flow and if you don't have a lot of hydration in your system,

[B]

no blood's gonna be flowing.

[A]

Yeah, well, it's gonna be a little harder for that blood to flow and not hard in the way you want. Right. So diet, you know, what is your diet like? Are you eating also? There's, there's foods that, there's certain ingredients and foods that help with blood flow. I don't remember exactly what it is, but I think like arugula, watermelon, and I'm not an expert in this department.

[B]

Chat. GPT.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. But are you eating things that are hydrating and able to move, move blood through your body and hydrating your blood? How is your sleep like? Sleep really makes a big difference on your energy and your body's performance. Exercise and extras, when you're moving your body, it moves blood. Right. So this is another important thing.

[B]

Also, you can feel better about yourself when you exercise because you get the endorphin release and it helps also manage your stress.

[A]

All this stuff matters. But maybe that's why there's good days and not so good days. So maybe you could still look at the good days and be like, okay, on these good days I ate like this. I slept like This, I exercised my stress was like this. Meditated and meditated. Yes. Did all the right things. Saved like five animals from a tornado. Whatever. Whatever helps your dick. Yeah, whatever helps your dick. Aside from that, there are many options. There are pumps. Pumps may work, but you would have to use them regular, regularly. And my guess is you're not wanting to do something that feels like a lot of work that you have to do regularly. And they may work. They're not like the most efficient. We have modern day medical technology that is, is absolutely fascinating and life changing and it isn't just in the dick department. In the department, all the departments, but in the dick department there, it's, it's incredible what is, what we can do right now.

[B]

I'll talk about it from the testosterone aspect. My partner, he's now 57, going to be 58. And testosterone's helped him in his longevity and he's got an amazing sex drive. And he's directly to the testosterone. Right. He's obviously like, he's like a muscular dude, but I don't consider him beefed up like Arnold back in the day. But he still does equate the testosterone to his libido and his working.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that is performance. It's hormone optimization. It's not, it's not a just a hormone. Testosterone is not just a hormone for dudes, it's a human hormone. We've talked about that on the show with Dr. Castillo from small Medical, who is like my savior. Your savior for I think our, our perimenopause.

[A]

Seriously?

[B]

Post, post. Well, it's pre menopause, so it's perimenopause,

[A]

but it's when things start to get wackadoodle.

[B]

Yeah. For like up to 10 years. Insane. And. But coming from a penis, this is a penis owner.

[A]

So. Yeah.

[B]

In, in terms of the help that you could get, I would say go see someone that specializes in hormone optimization. Not replacement per se, but optimizing your, your sex drive. You're having the libido that you want, the pleasure that you want, the hardness that you want, dick that you want.

[A]

Yeah. I mean testosterone affects erections.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I don't know if this person is. But I mean with your age, as you get older, your testosterone dips. So it would make sense why you're seeing less hardness in your. As your testosterone goes down.

[B]

And they can't just trust a gp though this is one thing because a general practitioner a lot of times if they, you don't specialize in hormones, they will tell you you're fine. Yeah, everything's fine. You're looking.

[A]

This is normal. This is normal.

[B]

So remember that you, you might have to see a specialist. That's what I would do because no one ever told any like my partner was good with testosterone. He had to go to a specialist.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. There's people that, that this is what they like April said specialize and they've dedicated their time and energy into specializing in sexual wellness. And Swan Medical and Dr. Caillo are exactly that. They're located here in California. So for your very first a consultation or sorry, not consultation but session with them time, the first time you see them, you would need to be in California. And then after that they could work with you outside of California. So they do hormone optimizations. Like we were saying, testosterone that affects erections. And then there's also things called the P shot, which is a platelet rich plasma that is injected into your penis. And you get this one to three times paced out over one to two months between each injection and then after that you only need to go in every 12 to 18 months.

[B]

We've talked about this in the show for years. It's been around for a long time. So it's not, not new science that

[A]

doesn't have perfecting it. Yeah.

[B]

It has proof behind it. There's research and it, it has a lot of positive impact.

[A]

Yeah. And they also do as well medical. They do.

[B]

Pete, I love this. We talked about screw talks but the

[A]

P tox, the scrotox was for the balls. This is for the penis. And so it's Botox or the penis. And you get this once every kind of like you do. Like I do, I do some Botox around my eyes.

[B]

A little bit of there, a little bit there.

[A]

Well I don't do it on my genitals. Yeah. But I'm a little around my eyes. And it's like every three months about the same for the, for the penis. And so it can help to create stronger, firmer erections as well. So again, you go in there once every three months, you don't have to come back and you don't have to think about taking a pill every day. It's good to just know about all of the options that are on the table. And maybe you want to do this one thing. You go to Swan Medical, you do this one thing right now. I like this one thing. Ah, maybe I want it because they, that's what they do. They tailor it to you. It's like customized sexual health and wellness. Uh, it's really Fantastic. I highly recommend it. Um, go check out Swan medical. So it's swanmd.com you can do a consultation with them and then they can tailor this whole plan just for you.

[B]

And Dr. Castillo has been on our show two times and he also does a lot of of work for like third world countries around fertility and health and reproductive health and. And yeah, it certainly changed my life.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So can't wait. That's a good question, Amy.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And it come take a vacation to Los Gatos where they also have an office in Danville.

[A]

Danville too.

[B]

So if you wanted to go to be magically whisked away to California because you don't live here, they make a

[A]

trip out of it. There you go. And then the Botox for the penis, the P tox and P shot. It's great. You don't have to go in every day. You don't have to live in that area. You could just come and do your little drop in vacations. Bing, bang, boom, hardcock bang.

[B]

And I will tell you, they might even be able to give you testosterone prescription to go because it's injectable after

[A]

you start working them. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. All right, you ready for the bio?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Alex hall is the co founder and host of the Bottoms Digest, a platform dedicated to teaching you how to bottom safely and prioritize your pleasure from your mouth to your bum. He is also a sexual health educator, butt and gut recipe developer, body autonomy activist and husband to a fellow Scorpio. Meow. To learn more go to thebottoms digest.com.

[A]

All right, everyone is interview time and we are here with Alex hall from Bottoms Digest. And I got the pleasure of meeting. I had the pleasure of meeting Alex hall in person for a project related to Uber Loop. Yes, the best lube ever. We're all and great for anal for sure. And I had no idea when I was working with Alex was amazing. Amazing videographer that Alex has a whole thing going on called the Bottoms Digest where Alex is teaching, educating, working with people directly all about anal and sex education in general. And so I'm just gonna call Al anal master

[B]

because I met you during a Shaw conference and you were a light and you were talking about anal. I was like, I love this human. And you're like, I kind of know you through Amy and Uber Loop. I was like, oh, I love it. So it's such a. It's great to see your face again.

[C]

Yes, y'. All. That's so nice.

[A]

Thank you. And Alex's background has a big neon peach and I See some different sizes, butt plugs. There's all kinds of fun things. I heard there's a lot of enemas in there, so. Or douches. Sorry. So we're going to talk about all these fun things and so much more. Welcome to Anal August, everyone. Welcome to the show, Alex. And can you tell us and our listeners a little bit more about how you got into the field of sexuality specifically related to anal sex and the Bottoms Digest?

[C]

Yes. So thank you so much for that warm welcome. That was incredible. So I actually got involved because I like to say that I am a power bottom slut. That's obviously how I first got started. But I, funny enough was a fashion designer way before any of this. And when I was in fashion, I fell in love with video work. So I actually started doing a lot of work with like Runway shows, music videos, editorial production, all that kind of stuff. So that's why I ended up meeting you, Amy, through videography work with Uber Lube, because I still love doing that with other brands. But when I was in fashion, I actually pivoted into reproductive rights for a long time after that because during Trump's first administration, I was like, oh my God, this movement needs so much help with, with content production and graphics. Like, I just really saw a place for myself there and doing that work. I fell deeply in love with electing pro choice school board members to races across the country. So that was when I really started to kind of cook up this idea about making sex ed even more accessible for 18 and up people. As much as I wish I could could get teenagers on board, it's just too risky in this damn country right now to do that kind of work. But I was like, I really thought that the bottom side just was an incredible intersection of my time in fashion, politics, school board elections, all this stuff. And at the time in 2020, 2021, I was seeing this peak in eating disorder content, which with gay people specifically, like, people pertain saying that they needed to starve and all this stuff to have anal sex, which is absolutely incorrect. I'm sure we will talk about that at some point. And I just was like, you know what? This is a great time to finally start this channel that I've been wanting to do. So the Bomb's Digest is a double entendre. It is meant to be like a digest, like a, a blog of sorts. But it's also, it started as a cooking channel to show people how to navigate trigger foods and recipes and food so that you can eat inevitably on a date. And then go get afterward and be comfortable while doing so because no one wants to feel uncomfortable during sex. That's kind of the whole point. So that's kind of how it all started. And after like two years of sharing recipes and food stuff, I started sharing more sex ed stuff. Stuff like how to give great blow jobs, how to open your anal sphincters. Like all these tips that I've had for years under my belt. And that's when our channel really exploded. So that's kind of where the channel is now. It's like a combination of gut health tips and anal sex tips and foreplay tips. So it's kind of a. A true digest now.

[B]

I think it's brilliant. It. I love a double entendre.

[C]

That is smart.

[B]

So smart.

[C]

Alex, thank you so much. It's like, it's really fun for some

[A]

reason I'm thinking of my Spanish teacher in seventh grade who was a huge fan of the Reader's Digest and like, it just can't like his face. I forgot. It's like Mr. Sowden or something just keeps popping up. Right now we're talking about anal. Mr. Saudin's here. Okay, that's rad.

[B]

I love it. And I think that, that I want to tap into that food conversation later because I'm so intrigued by some hacks for that because I have a lot of friends in the gay community that swear off of certain foods before they're going to have a night. You know, their Grinder date comes over and they're like, I am not eating asparagus. And I'm like, what asparagus? Okay, so we'll get into that later because I have questions. But this is so fun talking about anal sex with, with you, Alex, specifically. And I can't wait to dive in deeper into this.

[A]

All the puns are starting.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I was like, I know the puns.

[A]

It's so fun.

[B]

So getting into the s. We've talked about it a lot. We know that it's a universal orifice. This is hopefully known by everyone listening to. But not everyone likes anal sex. And we know that that to be true because we've had listeners write in. So why do a lot of people love it it while it's a hard

[C]

no for others, that's a fabulous question, actually. And I love that you said anyone because my very first video with Bombs Digest, I said anyone can bottom not just gay men. That was very much so on purpose because anyone can have anal sex and enjoy it, but a lot of people, before they even Touch it, are just so afraid of pain and the, the stigma that has come with anal sex that it's painful. And something I've challenged a lot on the bottom side just is that, that it should never be painful. And if you do the right steps, you can actually unlock a whole new realm of pleasure that you've never felt before. But I will say that depending on what you were born with, it can feel different. So if you were born with a prostate, anal sex feels extremely good pretty much right away because it starts to hit the prostate pretty quickly. You don't need a big penis to hit, hit the prostate. During anal sex, the prostate's only located about 2 inches inside the rectum. So a 5 inch penis can hit the prostate pretty good. But for people that were born with a uterus, they have the A zone, which is like around the bladder. It's like between the bladder and the clit. It's like in a weird spot and I'm not really remembering exactly where, but it's called the A zone. So during anal sex it can really stimulate the A zone for people with a uterus. So, so people with a uterus though, I've always told people that like, if you're going to have anal sex, you can still tickle the clit while having anal sex to really get it feeling a certain way. But that's one of the biggest anatomical reasons that anal sex can feel better for some people versus others. However, if you really take the time to open up your anal sphincters correctly, that's what can really unlock it feeling better for everyone. That's in my five years of doing the Bombs Digest. I feel like that's the part that I've truly learned that people skip the most. They are so concerned about messes and diet and poop and all this stuff instead of focusing on spending 10 minutes to open their anal sphincter so that sex actually feels incredible.

[A]

Well, and that's what. So let's talk about porn here, y'.

[C]

All.

[A]

A big sex educator out there and not the best of sex educators out there where a lot of people are learning how to do sex. This is one reason why we love Erica Lust's. Well, her. It's a her porn. It's her. It's the what she directs, what she creates. It's Erica with a. Is it C right? Or a K?

[B]

With the K. I did it wrong.

[A]

But anyways, so she has all these different categories there. And so if you want to go learn about anal, you can go and watch some tasteful videos. That is serves as both porn and educational. Whereas if I just go and Google analysis sex porn and something pops up with what you're talking about. Alex. Like it's, it isn't showing the prep the communication which Erica lust would where in the negotiation. Maybe they're using some lube, some butt plugs, they're taking their time, they're doing some foreplay, they're rubbing the clits, they're rubbing the all of that stuff. Instead it's just like slam it in, slam it on him. So a lot of people are looking that as their sex educator. Again, don't do that with porn. Go to your sex educators. Unless it's by Erica Lesson. I also just checked out, she has a whole category called anal pleasure category. And there's multiple videos called the art of anal. You can learn a ton no matter what ass you have. Go check it out. And then also for our listeners, you can get 45% off of use code pleasure@erica with okay, erica l.com and they're very beautiful.

[B]

I just want to point out videos are incredible. You don't feel like you're watching porn. A lot of times you learn watching

[A]

art and want to masturbate at the same time. So. So with that though, a lot of people didn't watch Erica Lester. They didn't go to the bottom digest and they watched something else and it just showed. Did it slide it on it in or shove it on it? And then it's really painful. So for the newbies out there, what are some of your top tips to make anal more enjoyable and safe?

[C]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. So obviously our audience won't be able to see this, but I will describe them. I have a butt plug and an anal dilator right here on camera. A butt plug is like what people always go to to open up with, by the way. This is just so lucky that this was already on my desk. This is perfect. These are just. I just have like anal everywhere. It's just like. It's just literally everywhere. My dog has some of my anal things as toys. I'm not even kidding. It's wild. But one of the first things you should always focus on is opening your external and internal sphincter. Your external sphincter is your anus. That's the one that you have control over. You can literally feel like you're picking up a blueberry with it Right now. Your internal sphincter is the one on the inside. That one is harder to open up. And that is both of those sphincters is where pain is coming from. You have a ton of pain receptors in that area. The rectum has virtually none. In fact, when you feel pain in the rectum, that usually is a sign that something much more bad has happened. But when you're feeling pain and you're during bottoming, it's always, always, always the internal and external sphincters. So you want to spend some time opening those up. A lot of people will go for a butt plug. A butt plug has a tapered end that goes to the flared base. What happens when people put these in is that your anus actually ends up clamping down on the tapered part. Your sinkers clamp down on the tapered part. That's what I mean by anus. So it passes by the widest part and it's just actually strengthening your sphincters and making them tighter. And then when it's time to go pull it out. Out. It can be very hard to pull it out. I feel like a lot of people that have had a butt plug in before can attest to this, that it was kind of hard to pull out. Whereas a dilator from tip to base, there's no tapered end. So it lets the sphincters wrap around it and actually relax. So that's one of the easiest things you can start to do is start to use anal dilators, specifically glass or metal. So you can use silicone based lube. Lube, which takes me to my second point.

[A]

Lube.

[C]

There is literally no such thing as too much lube with anal. Like there's not. I always say when you've done like four pumps of lube, do three more pumps, if not more. You want like a pool of it and then you want to quickly get it onto the thing, whatever it is, a penis, a toy, whatever. But you have to use so much and specifically silicone, if possible. Water based lube just, just does not hold up for anal sex or anal play at all. Because the rectal lining loves to absorb it. It's. It just soaks up water based lube like nothing. Silicone lube, your rectum does not absorb, so it just glides. It's much more durable for the gig. That's why I always swear by glass, metal, plastic toys so that you can use silicone lube. So those are two, two excellent like tips right off the bat, in my opinion, to get going. But the third tip is I would never rely on something like poppers to start opening you up.

[B]

That's a good tip.

[A]

Will you tell People what poppers are if they don't know what that is.

[C]

Yes, poppers. Also known as VHS tape cleaner. It's like nitrate, whatever. I ain't a scientist, but it's like nitrous oxide. Yeah. Thank you.

[A]

It. Right.

[C]

So you huff it, you absolutely never touch it or drink it. That is the number one way to die.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[C]

Like, you can burn your skin with it. You will absolutely get very ill, if not die drinking it. You never do that. But you. It's something you huff and it, it relaxes smooth muscle in your body. Your anal sphincters are smooth muscle, so they open up. However, it's a euphoric sensation and only lasts for about 20 seconds. And your anal sphincters clamp back when it's passed. So you have this false sense of openness. And when it wears off, you can really do some gnarly damage to your anus, AKA an anal fissure, which is a tear in your rectum and anus. So if you don't know what an anal fissure is, it basically feels like glass. Glass for a long time. And that's why I really say poppers are awful for you, because they give you this false sense that you are actually open, but it'll wear off. And it's just so much better to open up with a sober mindset. Same with alcohol. Like, alcohol dehydrates you. Your muscles. Your anus is a muscle, your rectum's a muscle. The more hydrated, the more pliable they are. Just like when you're stretching at the gym, so you wouldn't really go on a run drunk.

[B]

Also, the lidocaine, like, the. Those types of. Please don't use those. The numbing.

[C]

Never, never, never, never, never. My friends that do fisting don't recommend, like, numbing lubes. They do the same thing. You think things are good, but tomorrow you're going to wake up with. I mean, that's how anal prolapse can happen. You can. You can be so numbed out that you're like, oh, I'm good. And then you take the biggest dick you've ever had in your life and you wake up tomorrow and you're maybe never bottoming ever again. So numbing lubes, poppers. Like, with poppers, I tell people, because I'm in the business of trying to mitigate damage, like, people are still going to use them. It's like, just at least make sure you're open naturally first before you make some poppers. Only use poppers for actual euphoric. Experiences not to actually open you up. So those are like my top three right off the bat to like get going because I think people that are very new, they'll hear about poppers and be like oh, that sounds like an easy route. The path to hell is paved with easy routes.

[A]

You gotta do the work. And it's not even that much work with what the other things.

[C]

It's truly not. It takes about 10 minutes with your really breathing to like really open up the analysis sphincter. So breathing is a non negotiable with this kind of stuff.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Alexa, I love, I love that you had the glass dilator and plug. I will say that there's some silicone plugs too that you can actually sit on and wear around that are comfortable if you don't want to go the glass route. I love the glass route as well because it, it does hold like the lube better. Almost like it. You can use whatever lube, but the silicone ones, there's different sizes and so you could start small and wear it around. You could wear it to the movies or wear it while you're cooking dinner or something and then be like, I'm ready to and don't even have to think about it.

[A]

I feel like a dilator would be easier to, to push out though, because you're not your anus. Like, I don't know if I'd wear a dilator out on the town.

[C]

No, I actually don't really recommend wearing either on the town because your sphincters can get so relaxed that you might, you might squirt the dilator out.

[A]

You're like in the middle of the grocery store.

[C]

Yeah, but the same thing with a. What I was saying about the tapered neck on a butt plug, like, if you, you don't do the work to actually open your sinkers and you wear a butt plug out all day, you are actually really tightening it because your sinkers don't want it to fall out.

[A]

Ah, so it's like the opposite.

[C]

It's almost like a keel and you're like holding it in. So when it's time to finally pull it out, it can hurt pretty bad. So it's the same with silicone. Like you can get silicone dilators. I highly recommend starting with dilators. Butt plugs are really good for putting pressure on the prostate. That's kind of like what they're really for. That's why the, the wide part of the butt plug is about 2 inches in because of like what I said earlier about where the prostate is. So these are really meant for like, post dilating. You're nice and open, your sphincters are nice and open. Then you put the butt plug in to put pressure on the prostate. And since your diet, since your sinkers are open, it'll be nice and easy to pull this back out. The butt plug back out when it's tightened. So you can wear a butt plug plug out if you really want to, but I would still make sure that you've opened up those sinkers really well first.

[B]

Okay, how about just vacuum in it? Just vacuum for 10 minutes or something?

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

Yeah. It's the case that thing falls out.

[C]

I've always recommended. If you're gonna wear it for a long time, try to make sure you're near your bathroom in case. Because it's like a sudden sensation when you feel like you literally have, like, you might. It feels like you have diarrhea all of a sudden. You don't. But it's your body being like, okay, it's time for this.

[A]

Okay, I guess I gotta deal with this.

[C]

Well, I have friends that have were at the grocery store. I literally have a friend that this happened to. They were at the grocery store with a butt plug and it fell out.

[B]

Where that came from.

[C]

Exactly. It landed right through their shorts.

[B]

Right?

[C]

Yeah. So to your own risk.

[A]

I mean, I had a habit while I was wearing. My friends and I used to wear the kegel balls and go. We would call them kegel walks and we go walk on west coast cliff. But then I like when you walk up or down a hill, your pelvic floor changes or laughing or like laughing. So at one point I have like three girls around me while I'm pulling this thing out because it's on its way out anyways. I'm like, I don't think this is a good idea. So. Yeah, we don't do that anymore. No, we're good.

[B]

Speaking of pulling stuff out. Just kidding. I think we can't talk about anal without having the conversation around poop. AKA yo bms, AKA we all know what goes out needs to go out when it's poop. Right?

[A]

So everybody poops.

[B]

Everybody does.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So first. Okay, so we know shit happens. But first let's talk about what you had brought up in the very beginning with the bottoms digest and eating. So can I eat before anal sex or should I be fasting? Or is there anything I should stay away from? I ate a big fibrous breakfast. Is that bad? Can you just give us some insight to. To. To the poop conversation?

[A]

Yeah, there's no easy way to do

[C]

it, you know, literally. I like talk about poop so much, it's insane. But I'm so comfortable talking about this. It's also insane. So I love this topic. So the first thing I always say is there's 8 mil, 8 billion unique guts and butts on this planet. Every single piece of advice is going to be so different for every person. That's why I kind of of talk. That's why I talk about trigger foods the absolute most on my channel now. When I first started the Bombs Digest, I fell victim also to kind of oversimplifying things and being like, no dairy, no red meat. Like. But then after, when the bombs, I just really started popping off, I started talking to more gastroenterologists, which are GI doctors. Dr. Carlton is a big one. He's a huge friend. He's a big friend of mine now. We've been friends for years. For years. He's a gastroenterologist online. He and I met through the Bombs Digest. But even like Dr. Parish, Rika, she's at the Washington Post. She's become a good friend of mine. She's actually on a huge tour right now with her book on having better bowel movements. So once I started talking to more gastroenterologists about this topic, that's when I really started to learn about trigger foods and navigating foods that really upset you specifically. So for me, that's broccoli. Broccoli is a food that if I eat that, it's going to make me pretty gassy. It's going to make me very bloated. And the thing that you know about a trigger food is that it affects you within 30 minutes to an hour. Like, it's pretty sudden. If you're lactose intolerant, you start eating dairy. That's a trigger food. You're going to know and pretty soon, soon. But if you're eating a diet high in fiber, passing things is going to be easy. So your bowel regularity is going to follow a certain cadence. But even with that being said, some people poop once a day, some people poop three times a day. Some people don't poop every day at all. It really is a. You really do have to kind of explore your own body and like, what foods upset your own body? How often do you poop and are you mixing things in? So for me, I'm not a big drinker, so if I go and get really up one night, that's a big curveball. I just threw my body. So you want to be aware of, like, when you're throwing yourself big curveballs. I don't eat a lot of dairy. If I A pizza, honey, I'm eating a whole pizza. Like, I'm not eating a piece. I'm eating the whole pizza thing. So like, you're gonna have, you have to be kind of realistic with yourself that you're throwing yourself a big curveball when you're doing that. So there's not really like a one rule fits all kind of thing. Even when you were mentioning your friend with the asparagus, that's not, I'm not gonna lie, that's kind of odd. And I guess if you were peeing on them, that's why I'm wondering, maybe

[B]

he's into golden showers. I never.

[C]

Which, which, like fierce. Awesome. But absolutely. But we don't know if they're like, if I. If that's a trigger food for them, maybe it hurts their stomach real bad. So. Really trigger foods. I always tell people, like, you need to stop worrying about mess so much and about how much you're gonna, how comfortable you're gonna feel in the next hour. Because whatever you're eating right now, you're not digesting. Like it's not going directly to your asshole in an hour. Like it's gonna take at least 24 hours to digest it fully. And that's even fast. A lot of people take. Takes like 48 hours to digest something to the toilet. So there's a really interesting study done on people that, that participate in Ramadan because they fast during Ramadan. And you're actually, when you're starving yourself before anal sex, you're actually increasing the possibilities of you getting constipated, which is actually going to make. Make prep time even harder to navigate. So you're kind of shooting yourself in the foot when you are starving to have anal sex. And in a way that goes with everything I just said, you're throwing your body a curveball when you don't starve or fast all the time. And all of a sudden you're doing it for a stranger coming over to hook up. That's another curveball that your body wasn't ready for. There's so much better long term payoff knowing when you go to the bathroom, how good were your bowel movements? What are you, are you eating like consistently? Pretty much the same stuff. And like, you know, did I eat a whole ass bag of Skittles today? That's very unlike me. Like, you gotta like kind of know these things. But when you have a good bowel movement because you are really focusing on fiber. Fiber, fiber is so good for your overall health. It just make, it just happens to make prep time for anal sex a lot easier. It's like the cherry on top. It's not the reason to eat a lot more fiber. There's, like, a. I want to say one of the GI doctors I work with said that for every gram of fiber you eat, you've, like, increased cancerous situations by, like, X percent. I don't. I don't want to quote that too heavily, but it's, like, it's so good for your overall health, so you might as well eat more fiber.

[B]

Psyllium husk, Alex. Psyllium husk. I take capsules every day and love the bms.

[C]

After that, I actually sell a psyllium husk fiber powder because it's so good for you. I mean, all the GI doctors I talk to, that's, like, the only supplement that has a lot of backing behind it. Because it's a plant. It's not really a supplement. It's just a seed that's been ground down to a fiber powder. Um, celium husk is incredible. It pulls water into your gut. It helps bulk stools. It helps with constipation and diarrhea. It is a really great way to bridge the gap if you are coming short on your fiber goals every day, because even the fiber goals, everyone's like, oh, you need to be eating 30 grams a day. There's actually a really great formula about how many grams you should be eating based off your body weight. And I like that formula a lot more. It's from Dr. Khuran. I believe it's K A R A N. He is also an incredible surgeon. He does a lot of fiber content online. And that, to me, is just so much more uniquely for you. So you just take your body weight in kilograms. I believe you multiply it by, like, 0.4 and 0.5 so you can get your range for the day. Because it's not a perfect round number, you usually are trying to shoot for a range range, and if you come up short, you can use psyllium husk to kind of bridge that gap. So. And then I think the cherry on top of all of this nutritional advice is there's an epidemiologist named Tim Spector. I love him. He's the founder of Zoe, which is a gut health program. It's kind of started during COVID where they were studying people's gut health, and they were saying, like, over 300,000 people's gut health, too. And they found that, like, one of the best things you can do for your overall gut health and better bowel regularity and all that is just having a diet rich in plant Diversity, where you're getting 30 different plants a week in your diet. And that sounds like a lot, but like spices, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, those are all plants. So just getting 30 diverse plants a week is another great way to do all this. Because when. When you implement these things into your life. Life. Easy bowel movements, bowel regularity, great times on the toilet, Those just become effortless, and then the rest becomes effortless. Douching isn't so hard. You're not really afraid of poop because there's not really any poop in your rectum to begin with, which I would love to talk about that for two seconds.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

Everyone is so afraid of poop in the rectum. Poop is not stored in the rectum. It's not every single doctor I've talked to, every single anal surgeon I've talked to. Poop is not stored in the rectum. It is stored in the sigmoid colon, which is very high up in the colon. When you feel that sensation to go to the bathroom, that's because poop has officially left the sigmoid colon and it has entered your rectum. And that's its way of telling you, hey, I've relaxed the internal sphincter. I'm ready to go poop. That's that sensation that we all feel to go poop. So after you have good bowel movements, because you've been focusing on fiber and you've been focusing on plant diversity and all that, and you look in the toilet and it was good, and then you flush it, your rectum is literally empty. It is. It's ready to go. I can't tell you. Many times I've done the dipstick method, which is putting a toy up my butt to see how clean it comes out with before I do. Because douching, you're affecting the rectal lining, the mucus lining. All those things in your body are really good at keeping your anus clean as a. It is your rectum clean as it is, because your rectum and your mouth are openings to your body. Your body is very good at keeping the openings of your mouth safe. So when you're douching too much, you're stripping those systems out of place. So you want to keep things holistic. That's why I call the bottoms Digest your holistic home for better bottoming. Because we try to get to the holistic base level of things before we're like, oh, go deuce your guts out. Because you're afraid of the time. Tiniest speck of Poop. But yeah, at the end of the day, it really is 8 billion unique guts and butts. You're gonna have to do two weeks of self exploration minimum on your diet. How your bowel regularity is. And it'll give you a better idea of if you're a morning sex person, a night sex person, like a middle of the day person. There's like all kinds of. It just makes sex so much more fun and free and there's not so much pressure with preparing for anal stuff.

[A]

Yeah, as we all know, our bodies change with age. And yes, that includes your penis.

[B]

Did you just say penis?

[A]

I did. Or your dick Wang. It doesn't matter what you call it, it will change with age. While there's plenty you can do with a soft cock, a lot of people still want it hard.

[B]

The good news, Modern medicine has made it easier than ever. And there are even amazing medical professionals like Dr. Castillo at Swan Medical who specialize in intimate wellness with personalized treatments that go beyond the little blue pill.

[A]

They offer the P shot, which uses platelet rich plasma to support erectile function and P tox, basically Botox for your penis. And while Dr. Castillo at Swan Medical is quite a delight, you only need to go into his clinic to get this done a few times a year.

[B]

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[A]

So if you're ready to keep things standing at attention or for all things sexual Wellness, we see Dr. Castillo too. Head to swanmd.com to book your consultation and be sure to mention Shameless X for a special bonus. That's swanmd.com link in the show notes.

[B]

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[A]

Can we say uber picky?

[B]

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[A]

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[A]

I like that you added that like the morning, afternoon delight, night, whatever for. You know, as someone who's more of a morning pooper, I'm usually not a morning anal sexer. It's more of an evening thing. And I'm sure we can all, because we're talking about the butt here, have had those experiences where you have the really great poop and you're like, oh, anal's definitely happening tonight. Game on. Get all excited. I mean, I've had, like, poops that have just informed me of my day and had nothing to do with sex. Like today's.

[C]

Exactly, exactly. That's so real.

[A]

Yes. You're just really knowing more about your body and also not just, like, generalizing. Okay, so it's always like this. I'm always, you know, I always have this bowel move in the morning, so I can always have anal sex at night. No, it's like day by day, depending on where you're at and what's going on on in your life. So are. Are there, like, what are some other other factors to look at for, like, is. Is like today anal day in your life? Other than like, the.

[B]

The.

[A]

The test for the. And the. The. The poop test.

[B]

The dipstick. The dipstick test.

[C]

Yeah. I'm telling you, I love that dipstick method.

[A]

It's amazing.

[C]

Yeah, I do it every. I talk about it in so many videos. I do it before I ever touch a douche. And I sell a douche. I sell one of the top 20 douchebags. And I still tell people, please, like, please do the dipstick first. Like, I want you to not have to rely on douching so much. So with douching, one of the things with douching that goes hand in hand with what you just asked me is you want to prevent over douching because you don't want to get water into the sigmoid colon and start affecting areas of your body that don't need it, because that can really throw off your bowel regularity. And that's valuable information, as you've now come to learn that. That you need to know about yourself for overall health, not just for anal sex. Like, let's not be crazy about it, like, but with douching, the more you do it, the worse it can create of the problem. It can make everything feel like it's taking longer, and it also affects your body systems. Fucks up that lining that I was talking about. But one of the biggest red flags I could say is if. If 2 she. If douching is taking more than 20 minutes, that is a sign to stop. And it's time to pivot to foreplay. Hand jobs. Frauding is one of my favorite things on the plane. That is when you rub. Well, you gotta have two penises typically, but you could have a penis and a strap on also, and you're rubbing those things typically in a missionary position. There's also a great, great toy called the block, where my husband and I absolutely have one. Because even the CEO of the bomb's digest doesn't get to bottom all the time. It doesn't always work out for real, especially traveling. Traveling constipates almost everyone I know.

[A]

So sometimes you have days off. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. So with frauding, this toy, the block, you can. You both. Both partners put their penises in it. It's in a missionary position, and when the top thrusts, it naturally creates. Creates a sliding sensation on both penises. And it's. It's amazing. Yeah, it's great. And it feels like you're still. So. It's. It's awesome. Um, but that's why I talk about foreplay on the bottom side just a lot, is because there's so many other ways to have sex. It's not just bottoming. And, you know, you could prep all day and things look great. And then during the actual act of sex sex, there might be a little fecal matter or a lot. And you thought you checked every box. But why. Why stop? Like, go rinse off in the shower and then pivot to blow jobs, hand jobs, ass eating. Just make sure you rinse off before you get into the ass Eating. There's so many other things you could do. But that's like a big one. Is when douching is taking too long. If your body just feels off. If you feel, like, really constipated, that's not. I personally would never have sex constipated. You're just pushing more air into your body, and that can make it even worse. People that have periods, I'm always like, if you're feeling really cramped, like, that's probably not the time to have anal sex, because same thing, you're pumping air into your body, you're gonna make your cramps worse. So like I said, there's just so many other ways to should have sex and make it fun. And you can always revisit anal next time. Your butt is there. It's not running away from you there. Yeah. So I think those are some of the big ones.

[A]

And what with Josiah. Just real quick, just because we were. You're gonna finish with the douche part. The difference between a douche and an enema. What is the difference? If you can tell our listeners. And. And so. And I. What I'm hearing is it's not absolutely a requirement to do a douche every single time. In fact, you can overdo a douche. But can you share a little more about that?

[C]

Yeah. So a douche is specifically. There's a lot of arguments about this online. Trust me, everyone. I talk to the FDA all the damn time. You know, I know what the difference is. A douche is for sexual wellness purposes, and enema is for constipation in a medical lens. So enemas are for relieving constipation, and they typically have a saline solution inside of them as well. Not always required required. But an enema is meant to go further. It is meant to unclog your pipes so that you can get unconstipated, whereas a douche is meant to give you a light rinse in the rectum for anal sex. So that's the easiest explanation of the two. That is literally the FDA legal explanation of the two. I learned that the hard way last summer.

[B]

Oh, no.

[C]

Like, I didn't get in trouble or anything, but, like, it just was annoying to. There's. It really does matter. But people argue all the time that a douche is for the vagina and that an enema is for the ass. A douche is for sexual wellness cleansing in general. You could use a douche in the front as well. But a douche, when it becomes for the vagina also becomes kind of A medical thing again. So it's. When it's for anal, it's really just for sexual wellness. Wellness cleaning out. But I'm glad you did say the thing about over douching because it really is a chronic problem for people that like to have anal sex. They're just, they're overdoing it. I'm like on a crusade to end shower attachments.

[A]

That uses the shower pressure. I've used that before.

[C]

Yeah. Oh, I'm like on a crusade to end them.

[A]

Yeah, it was really intense and it like very quickly puts a lot of water into your body.

[C]

Y and I have a lot of friends that work in ER rooms that have really bad stories about them. So. But also if you live in an apartment building and like water pressure fluctuates, temperatures fluctuate.

[A]

Oh yeah, it's dangerous.

[C]

You can really burn yourself. Um, if you're going to use one, just at least use a, a rubber one, not a metal one. The metal ones will burn your ass.

[A]

Yeah, okay. Very sensitive bits. Oh my goodness.

[B]

So douching tips. Douching 101. Do not use method metal.

[A]

And don't do it all the time.

[B]

Don't do it all the time. And you can over douche and focus on your body first to figure out if you can clean your rectal area without a douche.

[A]

Do I need to put like some salt in there when I'm putting the water? Then the squeeze? No, never.

[B]

Could it be filtered?

[A]

Yeah,

[B]

osmosis.

[C]

Plain water only. Like, I mean, like filtered water. Sure. Like that's all plain water. But never, ever, ever, ever, like the salt will make you shit. That's what saline solution is. Saline solution is salt water. So if you're constipated, sure, put a tiny, tiny, tiny bit. But never ever, ever put soap. Anything with fragrance at all. You shouldn't really be putting fragrance stuff around your anus at all in general. But yeah, just plain Jane water. I have been seeing more and more lately these like single use pouches of ph balanced water for your rectum. That just seems so unfeasible for a lot of people. Like people can't afford gas right now, let alone $80 worth of douching water.

[B]

Douching water. That's a gimmick.

[C]

Yeah. So yeah, just plain water, obviously you can filter it. That's even better. But I have been douching with tap water for 15 years, so. And I'm just fine. But I also also don't have to douche 80% of the time because I'm Very in tune with my bowel regularity. I always get enough fiber. And like I said, I always, always, always do the dipstick method first. If you can skip one douching session, you should always skip it. Um, and with that being said, I do want to be one very clear that fisting is its own thing. I get questions all the time about that everyday. Plain Jane, Anal sex and fisting are completely different lanes. But even with fisting, I've heard a lot of people being like, there's no douching for fisting. You're going to encounter something. So like no matter how deep you clean, you basically have to fast when you're going to do. When you're going to get into fisting for, for very experienced deep fishers. But I do want to make that very clear that we're just talking about anal sex.

[A]

I always say not like the advanced 5.0 version.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So that's just. That definitely needs some clearing up because people will be like, well, fisty. I'm like, okay, when did you hear me ever mention not going there? Yeah, yeah, we're not going there right now. But everything I've talked about today, I'm telling you, you can take a 10 inch penis with all these same tips because penises are not drain snakes. I talk about it all the time. They do not drain. They don't snake through your colon. So they're not. Damn it, they're not.

[A]

I thought that was the whole purpose.

[B]

No. So wait, what about quick tips? Because we've talked about the prep, but what about post anal sex recovery is my gonna. Obviously if there's prolapse situation that's. We already avoided that because we already learned the tips to prep the bed. So now is my gonna go back to normal after it's taken a D or, or a toy or something?

[C]

Yes, especially if you took the time to do anal dilation. So I always compare this to doing the splits and I always joke that, that anal sex is arguably way easier than doing the splits. Um, but if you went to go do the splits, you have to do a lot of strength training and stretching and it takes time to get into it. But because you did all that, you're able to repeat doing the splits over and over again. And you can come out of the splits quite easily. If you just dropped it right into the splits after never doing them in your life, you're going to tear your groin, you're going to be injured, and your body is going to really resist you ever doing that, that again because muscle Memory is crazy. Your nervous system remembers what you did to it. So when you take the time to really open up and you enjoy anal sex because it feels good, your nervous system clocks that and it's like, this is safe. I feel safe. I'm gonna remember this. So when you open up naturally and health in a healthy way, your sphincters retract in a good way. They're stronger. It doesn't affect your bowel regularity. Ripping your sphincters open and having anal sex through pain and ignoring pain is the way that your sphincters get weaker over time. And that's how you become incontinent as you get longer. That's how you can literally shit your pants without even knowing that when you're older. That's how anal prolapse happens. So a lot of people are afraid that doing anal dilation exercises and strengthening and training actually causes looseness. But I promise you, it's the other way around. You're strengthening your sphincters this way. So anal dilation exercises are a great post recovery thing. It's like something you should do before and something you can continue to do after. I do them like three times a week in the shower. It's just I keep my glass dilators in the shower. I keep a bottle of silicone lube there. I have a non slip mat in my shower. Like first. Yeah, yeah. Safety first. So I like to say that anal dilation should be like your top priority for recovery because it always keeps things nice and strong and pliable. But a sitz bath is like the number one way to combat inflammation. Sits bath is literally just a warm bath. It's named after a doctor. It doesn't mean it. Yeah, it doesn't have like salt or anything in it. You can, can put Epsom salt, but it's just a warm bath. Um, you're combating the inflammation in your rec. In your rectum and your anus that just got plowed. So it's a really great way to do that. Um, you can also get sits bath attachments for your toilet so that you can sit in it if you don't have a bathtub. If you only have like a stand in shower, like in an apartment building or something. So that's a great way to do it. You just never want to sit for more than five minutes on the toilet because that's, that is like, that's the number one cause of hemorrhoids is sitting on the toilet too long.

[B]

So I tell my partner this all the Time.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

It is so real. Yeah, it is so real. Every GI doctor I've ever worked with, this is what they actually talk about more. I just came into their DMs to talk about anal sex, but they talk about hemorrhoids way more. And you know, if you're doing a sits bath as part of your recovery, just set a little timer on your phone. Don't play on your phone. Just set a timer and put it away. And when it goes off, get up. If you're in the bath, though, try to be in there for like 20 minutes. So that's a great way. Vitamin E oil is fabulous. That's actually. I tell people all the time, rub a little uber lube on your anus afterwards if you have it, because it has vitamin E oil in it. But vitamin E oil is superb at recovery. And drinking a ton of water. Like, you cannot not drink. Like you just need to be hydrated. Like a hydrated body has the best sex, honestly. But it really does post anal. You definitely want to be drinking water. Maybe don't go do leg day right after anal sex, like, for real. Because that's also a pretty gnarly way to get a hemorrhoid. Your. Your anus has technically gone through trauma. Any kind of, like inflammation, like, that's going to be trauma in a medical sense. And. And if you go and do squats and stuff after that, you're like asking to blow out your butt, your hemorrhoids a little bit. I hate to say it like that. It's really not that, like, bad, but you're gonna. Every time I do a heavy leg day, I actually do anal dilation afterwards. I learned that from an anal surgeon. It's a really great way to combat hemorrhoids. Anal dilation is actually used for hemorrhoid treatment. And through that, doctors were like, actually this helps relax anal sphincters like crazy. This is great. And I happen to just take it as a anal sex preparation now. I'm like, wow. Actually, so I was like, that. That's convenient. So those are some incredible recovery tips. And just stay on top of your fiber and take opening your anal sphincters, like, take opening them very seriously. That is like, that is the key to longevity.

[A]

That's. Yeah. And so with that, just one more question before we wrap up. Size. You kind of commented on this before. You Talked about the 10 inch. Are there Ds that are so big that they never get to do anal? Or is my body not capable of. With enough prep and relaxation to take certain size Ds.

[C]

Yeah, that's unfortunately like everyone's always like length. Everyone's like 7 inches, 8 inches. I. I'm over here on the bottom side just concerned about girth. Because girth, you can have a 5 inch penis that is fat like a coke can dick. And everyone's always like nine inches. I'm like, okay, but nine inch penis can be pretty thin. Like with it, it all goes back to the sphincters again. If you have like a husband or a partner that you've been with for a long time that's really girthy, you might want to look at like anal training cones. Cuz cones get much bigger at the bottom. They're still flared at the bottom too, so you won't lose it inside your bottom body. But cones get girthier. This is something I coach people on with the bottom side just all the time where like if you're with someone that you've been with for a long term, you want to find something that matches your partner in a way. So that when you're doing preparation, preparation stuff or exercises, you're kind of matching the equipment that your partner has. So for me, my partner is 8 inches and pretty girthy. So I always have to try to make sure that I'm matching with what I'm going to be dealing with in the bedroom room. Because that's 10 for 10. It's always made sex feel so much better. So if you know you're gonna be dealing with something girthy, maybe the smallest dilator set in the world isn't gonna work for you. Cones are great because that's literally what fisters use. It does not mean you have to go all the way or train all the way to the bottom of the cone. You just maybe need to go to the middle of the cone. But it's gonna be the same deal, like length. It goes back to the pain receptor thing that I mentioned at the beginning of the conversation. Urinal sphincters have a lot of pain receptors. Your rectum doesn't. So length doesn't matter. It's girth. So however you can train for girth, your sphincters, your asshole can stretch way more than you have ever realized, I promise you. And I know fisters where it rebounds because they've been training for it for a long time. You just want to work your way up and be safe and take baby steps. It's. Everyone wants to rush into like taking the fattest coke can dick on the planet. And I'm like, that's not gonna, not gonna pay off. And you're. And you won't be having any anal for a long time after that.

[B]

So it's a marathon, not a sprint, everyone. Yeah, that is so true. Well, Alex, this was such an engaging and absolutely fun conversation that was not only informative but entertaining. And a lot of good tips and tricks and suggestions and even food woven in here about what to eat and what not to eat and what to do. And I think that we are gonna get a lot of great feedback on this episode because you're wonderful. And it was curious to know what's next, what's coming up for Alex hall and the Bottoms Digest. And also people out there that want to maybe find some of the products you talked about, like for instance, the douche, the psyllium husk. But also how can they find you and work with you?

[C]

Yes. Oh, my God. Thank you. So the bottom side, just my company at Bottom side just on all platforms, especially our YouTube. Our YouTube has some really fun super, super, super helpful videos. My douching and fiber videos on there are some of my, like, I just point people there all the time when they have questions. Because I think what people don't know about the bombs, I just is, I work, I consult with scientists and doctors on the medical information that I have. I just synthesize it and make it fun. You can find my anal douche and mycelium husk powder on the bottom Sidegest.com or on Amazon. I will say at the time of this filming, I am restocking my fiber powder because it's very popular. So it's called bottom boundaries balance. It's pure psyllium husk. It has got no additives. It's really wonderful. And if you're not going to buy mine, just buy psyllium husk powder in general. That's really all you need. And then my bulb is called the better bottoming bulb. It is a small bulb that is meant to prevent going too far and shooting water to the point of no return. And right now we're working on an E course called the Better Bottoming Bible. I'm very excited about that. That's going to be the sex ed you never got in school. That's just about anal primarily. And we talk about bottoming logistically, like starting with, are you even getting enough fiber? Do you even know how often you poop a week? Like starting there and then working our way up all the way to these ridiculous nine inch penis.

[A]

Nine inch coke.

[C]

Yeah. Exactly. And then it'll also have a lot of recovery tips and stuff in there as well. And. And I'm also working on a set of anal dilators with a really groovy designer from pelvic people. Um, I work with the same designer. Pelvic People. Fucking awesome company if y' all don't know about pelvic people. They are so cool at combating pain that happens during anal sex. Their silicone rings are something I just swear by. So they just are a really cool company. I'm really, really grateful to work with the person they work with. So that's kind of everything we got going on right now. Just continue to make campy ass videos that teach people

[A]

I love it can't be anal.

[B]

You're. You're. You're very skilled at videography and everything you do. The bottoms. The Bottoms Digest, everyone. Check it out. The Bottoms Digest dot com. And I know that all of your. Your handles will be on that site as well. So, Alex, you're wonderful. Started from the bottom, now we here.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So anyway, really, really loved having you on the show. It's so wonderful to see you again. We hope to have you back again sometime soon. Talking about deep anal fisting. Next time we should go that direction. Why not 5.0? All right, y', all, thank you. Please give out Alex hall and his Bottoms Digest some love. Check it out, because anal is for you, anal is for everyone. Right? We've just learned that on this show. And review us. Remember, if you review us, it helps more people find the Bottoms Digest. Alex Hall, Amy and I and what we're up to. But reviews help more people find more shameless sex in their life. So who doesn't need more shameless sex?

[C]

Come on, come on.

[B]

Talking to you out there. All right, y', all, we'll see you next Tuesday. Ciao for now.

[A]

To learn more, go to shamelesssex.com and for 15 off.

[B]

Some of our favorite sex toys, use code shameless [e-mail].