Just as it states... I figured I would separate this from the main thread. In case there is young people that don't know all the Ancient Chinese secrets...
I'll start with an easy way to figure out if your system is working... Put some Corn in it! Nothing happens to the magical Corn, it comes out the same! If you eat a can of Corn and you see it the next day, your poop chute at least operates fine... Of course, you need to pay attention to other stuff happening that might be medical, but the very basic operational indication is Corn... or Sesame seeds.
I'll start with an easy way to figure out if your system is working... Put some Corn in it! Nothing happens to the magical Corn, it comes out the same! If you eat a can of Corn and you see it the next day, your poop chute at least operates fine... Of course, you need to pay attention to other stuff happening that might be medical, but the very basic operational indication is Corn... or Sesame seeds.