Backed-up bowels? Don't get stuck on daily "regularity"

The sign of bowel health is ease and comfort—not necessarily having a bowel movement every day.

Bowel movements are part of the daily rhythm of life. But as the decades march on, the rhythm may beat slower and raise concerns. "Some of my patients are absolutely convinced there has to be a daily bowel movement, but actually there is a lot of variation," says Dr. William Kormos, editor in chief of Harvard Men's Health Watch and a primary care physician at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.