After every meal, the intestines perform an action called peristalsis—moving food through their hollow interiors with coordinated contractions and relaxations of the smooth muscle. For more than a ...

The human body is designed to function smoothly, but sometimes we unknowingly put it under unnecessary stress. One such instance is straining during bowel movements. While it might seem like a minor ...

Medically reviewed by Jay N. Yepuri, MD Key Takeaways While holding a bowel movement occasionally should not cause any health ...

Bowel retraining is a program that people can follow to help regain control over the bowels or to help relieve chronic constipation. It involves training the body to have bowel movements each day at ...

Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN’s Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. How often you poop may ...