Diarrhea

Digestive Health & Nutrition Care
Written By Jennifer Tang

Overview

Diarrhea involves loose or watery bowel movements that occur more frequently than is normal for you. It is often short-lived and may occur with an infection, foodborne illness, medication change, or temporary digestive upset. When diarrhea persists or repeatedly returns, it may be related to an underlying digestive or medical condition that warrants further assessment.¹˒²

At Tangible Health, we take an individualized approach to diarrhea by looking at the duration and pattern of your symptoms, bowel habits, food and travel history, medications and supplements, hydration, stress, previous digestive conditions, and overall health. Care focuses on identifying the likely cause, maintaining hydration and nutrition, and determining when medical testing or treatment may be needed.

What Is Diarrhea?

Diarrhea is a change in bowel function where stool contains more water than usual and passes through the digestive tract more quickly or more frequently. It is generally described as passing loose or watery stools three or more times per day, or more often than is normal for you.¹

Diarrhea can be classified by how long it lasts:

  • Acute diarrhea typically lasts less than one week

  • Persistent diarrhea lasts longer than two weeks but less than four weeks

  • Chronic diarrhea lasts four weeks or longer and may be continuous or come and go¹

Short-term diarrhea often resolves on its own, while persistent or chronic symptoms are more likely to require investigation for an underlying cause.

Common Symptoms of Diarrhea

Common symptoms may include:¹˒³

  • Loose or watery stools

  • More frequent bowel movements

  • Urgency to use the bathroom

  • Abdominal cramping or discomfort

  • Difficulty controlling bowel movements

  • Nausea

  • Bloating or gas

  • Reduced appetite

Some infections may also cause:

  • Fever or chills

  • Vomiting

  • Blood or mucus in the stool

  • Dizziness or lightheadedness¹

Frequent diarrhea can lead to dehydration, especially when fluid losses are significant. Signs may include increased thirst, dry mouth, reduced urination, dark urine, fatigue, dizziness, or lightheadedness.¹˒⁴

Causes & Contributing Factors

Diarrhea can have many possible causes, and the likely explanation often depends on whether symptoms are acute or long-lasting.

Infections & Foodborne Illness
Viruses, bacteria, and parasites are common causes of acute diarrhea. Viral gastroenteritis, food poisoning, and traveller’s diarrhea can all lead to sudden loose stools, cramping, nausea, or vomiting.¹˒² Infectious diarrhea may spread through contaminated food or water or from person to person. Handwashing and appropriate food-safety practices are important when an infection is suspected.

Medications & Supplements
Antibiotics, magnesium-containing antacids, some cancer treatments, laxatives, and products containing sugar alcohols such as sorbitol can cause diarrhea in some people.¹ Diarrhea during or after antibiotic treatment deserves particular attention because antibiotics can sometimes allow Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection to develop.⁵

Food Intolerances & Malabsorption
Difficulty absorbing certain carbohydrates can contribute to chronic diarrhea. Lactose intolerance, fructose intolerance, and sensitivity to sugar alcohols are examples.¹ Food-related diarrhea should be assessed based on consistent patterns rather than automatically eliminating multiple foods or assuming a generalized “food sensitivity.”

IBS & the Gut-Brain Connection
Diarrhea can occur as part of IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D). IBS involves changes in bowel habits together with recurrent abdominal pain and can be influenced by gut-brain signalling and intestinal sensitivity.¹˒⁶ Stress may worsen symptoms for some people with IBS, but stress should not automatically be considered the cause of diarrhea.

Other Digestive & Medical Conditions
Persistent or chronic diarrhea can occur with conditions such as:

  • Celiac disease

  • Crohn’s disease

  • Ulcerative colitis

  • Certain pancreatic conditions

  • Previous gastrointestinal surgery

  • Some endocrine or neurological conditions¹

For this reason, chronic diarrhea should not automatically be labelled as a microbiome imbalance or “poor digestion.”

Our Approach to Diarrhea

At Tangible Health, we focus on understanding your specific pattern of diarrhea and what is most likely causing it, rather than treating all loose stools the same way.

Your Bowel & Digestive Patterns
We look at when symptoms began, stool frequency and consistency, urgency, abdominal pain, bloating, whether symptoms occur after meals, and whether diarrhea is acute, recurrent, or chronic.

Your Triggers & Contributing Factors
We review recent illness or travel, food patterns, medications and supplements, antibiotic use, hydration, alcohol, stress, previous digestive diagnoses, and any associated symptoms such as fever, bleeding, or weight loss. If your symptoms suggest an infection, IBD, celiac disease, medication reaction, or another underlying condition, appropriate medical investigation is prioritized rather than relying solely on dietary changes or supplements.

Your Goals
Your priorities may include reducing urgency, improving stool consistency, staying hydrated, identifying meaningful food triggers, managing IBS-related diarrhea, expanding a restricted diet, or understanding why symptoms continue to return. Your care plan is developed around the outcomes that matter most to you.

Treatments That May Be Included

Your individualized diarrhea care plan may include:

  • Clinical Nutrition to support hydration, electrolyte replacement, nutritional adequacy, and identification of meaningful food patterns or intolerances

  • Lifestyle Medicine to support hydration, regular eating patterns, stress management, sleep, food safety, and other habits relevant to digestive health

  • Nutraceuticals & Supplements when there is a specific clinical indication and the product is appropriate for the suspected cause

  • Naturopathic Counselling when gut-brain interactions, stress, symptom-related anxiety, or restrictive eating patterns are contributing to digestive symptoms

For acute diarrhea, replacing fluids and electrolytes is one of the most important priorities. Oral rehydration solutions or other appropriate electrolyte-containing fluids may be useful depending on the severity of fluid loss and individual health needs.⁷

What to Expect

Initial Assessment
We start with a detailed review of your bowel habits, stool frequency and consistency, symptom duration, urgency, abdominal symptoms, diet, recent travel or illness, medications and supplements, antibiotic use, hydration, stress, previous digestive diagnoses, and overall health.

Diarrhea Patterns & Cause Assessment
From there, we look at whether your symptoms are most consistent with a short-term infection or medication effect, or whether persistent symptoms suggest another cause such as IBS-D, food intolerance, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or another digestive condition. Many short episodes of diarrhea do not require extensive testing. When testing is appropriate, it may include stool testing for infection or blood, bloodwork, or selected breath tests, depending on the symptoms and clinical history.⁸

Personalized Plan
You’ll receive a personalized care plan designed around the likely cause of your diarrhea, symptom pattern, hydration and nutritional needs, medical history, current treatments, and goals.

Ongoing Support
Follow-up allows us to monitor stool frequency and consistency, hydration, food tolerance, abdominal symptoms, and overall digestive health. Persistent or changing symptoms can be reassessed to determine whether further medical investigation or referral is appropriate.

When to Seek Support for Diarrhea

Consider speaking with a healthcare provider if:

  • Diarrhea persists for more than a couple of days

  • Symptoms repeatedly return

  • You are having numerous loose stools throughout the day

  • Diarrhea begins while taking or soon after taking antibiotics

  • Symptoms are interfering with eating, drinking, sleep, work, or everyday activities

  • You have ongoing diarrhea lasting several weeks

  • You are losing weight without trying

  • You have another condition that increases your risk of dehydration or complications¹˒⁴

Seek prompt medical care if diarrhea occurs with:

  • Blood, pus, or black tarry stool

  • Severe abdominal or rectal pain

  • High fever

  • Frequent or persistent vomiting

  • Significant weakness or confusion

  • Signs of dehydration such as very little urine, dark urine, severe thirst, dizziness, or faintness¹˒⁴

People who are pregnant, older adults, immunocompromised, or currently taking antibiotics may be at greater risk of complications and should have a lower threshold for seeking medical advice.¹

Book An Appointment

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Short-term diarrhea is commonly caused by viral infections, food poisoning, or medication side effects. Persistent diarrhea can also be related to food intolerances, IBS, celiac disease, IBD, medications, or other digestive conditions.¹

  • Acute diarrhea usually lasts less than a week and often improves on its own. Diarrhea lasting more than two weeks is considered persistent, while symptoms lasting four weeks or longer are considered chronic.¹

  • The main priority is maintaining fluids and electrolytes. Once your appetite returns, most adults can gradually return to their usual diet, while temporarily avoiding foods or drinks that clearly worsen symptoms.⁷

  • Drink fluids regularly and replace electrolytes when losses are significant. Oral rehydration solutions can be particularly useful when diarrhea is frequent or accompanied by vomiting.⁴˒⁷

  • Yes. Antibiotics commonly cause mild diarrhea, but they can also increase the risk of C. diff infection, particularly when diarrhea is frequent, persistent, or accompanied by fever or abdominal pain.⁵

  • Stress can influence gut-brain signalling and bowel function and may worsen diarrhea in conditions such as IBS. However, persistent diarrhea should not automatically be attributed to stress without considering other causes.

  • Not automatically. Evidence varies depending on the probiotic strain and cause of diarrhea, and probiotics are not considered a universal treatment.⁷

  • Over-the-counter medicines such as loperamide may be appropriate for some adults with acute diarrhea, but they are generally not recommended when there is bloody stool or a high fever. If you are unsure about the cause or symptoms are severe, speak with a healthcare provider.⁴˒⁷

 

Related Care

Diarrhea may overlap with several areas of health. You may also benefit from:

Jennifer Tang
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