One morning, old Aunt Cora decided it was finally time to visit her doctor.

For more than a week, she’d been dealing with a rather uncomfortable problem, and despite her best efforts, nothing seemed to be helping.

She walked into the doctor’s office, lowered herself carefully into a chair, and let out a long, frustrated sigh.

“Doctor, you’ve simply got to help me! I’m having the most terrible trouble with constipation!”

The doctor looked up from his notes.

“Oh dear, Aunt Cora. How long has this been going on?”

She shook her head miserably.

“It’s terrible,” she said to the doctor.

“I haven’t moved my bowels in more than a week.”

The doctor raised his eyebrows.

“Goodness! That’s quite a long time. Have you tried doing anything to help the situation?”

Aunt Cora nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh, absolutely, Doctor! I’ve been trying very hard!”

She leaned forward and explained,

“Every morning, I go into the bathroom and sit there for at least half an hour. And then I do exactly the same thing every evening!”

The doctor listened patiently, trying to keep a straight face.

“Well, Aunt Cora, I admire your dedication, but that’s not quite what I meant.”

She looked puzzled.

“Oh? Then what did you mean?”

The doctor cleared his throat and tried again.

“No,” the doctor said,

“I mean do you take anything?”

“Of course I do.” she answered,

“I take a magazine.”