Traveler’s Constipation. What’s Up With That?

Why is it that when people travel, they often find it hard to have a bowel movement? The New York Times comes to our rescue, with three answers that make sense. Answer number one, from Dr. Brooke Gurland, a colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, suggests that we are creatures of habit, and so are our bowels. When our habits, and our schedules, are interrupted, the body doesn’t operate per usual. Answer number two, also from Gurland, suggests that a change in diet can result in a change in bathroom schedule. And finally, says Gurland, travel constipation could result from the very common “bathroom anxiety” that renders some people uncomfortable in strange bathrooms. What to do? Gurland recommends that we eat our oatmeal, always, and when we travel, bring along a stool softener.