YOU'VE BEEN POOPING ALL WRONG
A GI’s guide to the brain-gut-microbiome connection, including research on why people develop IBS and how anyone can achieve poophoria
Welcome to the easy-to-digest user’s manual for your body’s unsung hero: the gut. Leading Harvard gastroenterologist, Dr. Trisha Pasricha takes us on a riotous deep dive into our own bowels with new insight from neuroscience, enteric biology, and physiology for an actionable framework to make pooping a breeze.
No one would expect you to have stunning teeth if you were never shown a toothbrush. You would struggle to fall asleep if you never knew how to turn off the bedroom lights. But no one talks about the fundamentals of pooping, and so many—even the highest of achievers—spiral into a quagmire of poor habits and toilet-anxiety.
COMING APRIL 7, 2026
early praise
“Dr. Pasricha has become one of the most important medical voices of our time, and her new book reminds us why. She took a particularly awkward topic in medicine and transformed it into something that is enlightening, engrossing, witty and impossible not to share.”—Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent at CNN
“Dr. Pasricha has achieved something glorious and unprecedented. She has turned a taboo topic into a science lesson, a self-care guide, and a cultural critique – all at once. Reading this book is like having a brilliant (and often hilarious) doctor friend whispering secrets you wish you had known years ago.” —Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive
“Our health is influenced and reflected by our bowel habits, a taboo subject that is now comprehensively addressed—practically and scientifically—by Dr. Pasricha’s brilliant book, which takes us on the path to poophoria.” —Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and NYT bestselling author of Super Agers
“Smart, compassionate and genuinely useful, this book gives readers language, tools and confidence to take ownership of a vital part of health — and to finally talk about it.” —Tara Parker-Pope, founder of The New York Times "Well"
"Dr. Pasricha digests the topic with the clarity of a great teacher, the warmth of a trusted friend, and the authority of a scientist at the cutting edge of her field." —Justin Sonnenburg, Stanford University professor and author of The Good Gut
“This should be on every family bookshelf! A joyous read.” —Ann Compton, Former Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News
“An entertaining and instructive book.”—Alvin Roth, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economics
"A smart, essential guide to one of the body's most misunderstood functions." —Leana Wen, TIME 100 Most Influential People, author of Lifelines
You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong will teach you:
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What is a “normal” bowel movement? What do different colors mean? Is there a wrong way to sit? Is there a better way to wipe?
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The intricate connection between your brain and your gut: Why do you suddenly need to find the restroom right before your turn at karaoke and why does stress make you constipated?
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How to harness your gut’s microbiome to boost your health: How does your lifestyle influence your microbiome and how can your microbiome, in turn, reshape you?
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The three P’s of having a perfect poop: A simple framework to transform your bowel habits based on years of gastroenterological expertise.
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And much more…
Here, you’ll learn the tools to achieve bowel consistency, ease, and—yes—joy so that your gut flows on autopilot and you live your life without obsessing about the toilet: in short, poophoria.