Barbara Hollander

Also available on ScienceDirect

Chronic constipation is a common presenting concern in primary care and gastroenterology clinics. Multiple factors can contribute to constipation, including dietary habits, physical activity, dehydration, medication side effects, systemic diseases, and pelvic floor dysfunction. While many new medications have been developed, patients are often interested in conservative and natural remedies to medical illnesses.

My father, Sam Stone, and his two brothers, Mark and Arthur, worked together in business for more than three decades and were still good friends when they retired. Sam and his older brother, Mark, launched a chain of retail credit clothing stores in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1944. Eventually they went into discount clothing and merged with a discount store operator. When the youngest brother, Arthur, joined Richard’s Inc., he was given equal ownership and management responsibilities.