Diarrhea

Diarrhea is the body’s way of flushing something out—rapidly, urgently, and often without control. It’s marked by frequent, watery bowel movements that may come with cramping, urgency, or fatigue. In traditional medicine, diarrhea is understood as a purging response triggered by excess heat, irritation, emotional shock, or the presence of something the body perceives as harmful. While occasional diarrhea can be protective, repeated episodes reflect deeper disharmony in digestion, hydration, and gut barrier integrity. Rather than just being a nuisance, diarrhea often points to the body's attempt to restore balance—or a sign that it's overwhelmed by inflammation, stress, or microbial chaos.

Disclaimer If you are experiencing severe, persistent, or life-threatening symptoms—such as heavy blood loss, dehydration, fever, dizziness, or symptoms lasting more than 2–3 days—please seek emergency medical care immediately.

• Location of Symptom

  Diffuse lower abdomen—may originate in the small intestine and move into the colon

  The small intestine is a key player in diarrhea because it's where most fluid absorption happens. When it's irritated or inflamed—whether from stress, food sensitivities, infections, or poor digestion—it can’t absorb water properly. This causes too much liquid to move into the colon, leading to loose, urgent stools. Diarrhea often starts in the small intestine before it even reaches the colon, especially in cases of food poisoning, enzyme issues, or emotional stress, all of which can speed things up and trigger the body to flush out waste quickly.

• Physiological Breakdown

  Imagine your small and large intestines as a sponge-lined slide: food moves through, and as it does, the lining absorbs water and nutrients. Diarrhea happens when this system either can't absorb properly or gets told to flush everything out too quickly — like hitting the “emergency eject” button before digestion is done.

  Here’s how that breakdown happens physiologically:

  Irritated or Inflamed Small Intestine: The small intestine normally absorbs most of the 7–8 liters of fluid that pass through it each day. If it’s inflamed (by pathogens, food allergies, bile acid issues, or enzyme deficiency), it loses its ability to reabsorb. Undigested fluid then moves into the colon, which can’t handle the volume — resulting in watery stool. This can cause diarrhea within hours of exposure to a trigger.

  Toxin or Infection Trigger: In cases of food poisoning, bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella produce toxins that damage the gut lining and tell the body to expel contents quickly. This creates a fast “dumping response” — often within 1–8 hours after ingestion.

  Nervous System Activation (Stress or Shock): Emotional trauma, panic, or extreme nervousness can activate the enteric nervous system, increasing motility. This is like the body saying, “We don’t have time to digest — evacuate now.” This type can happen within minutes of emotional upset.

  Enzyme or Bile Deficiency: If pancreatic enzymes or bile are insufficient, fats and acids go unabsorbed, irritating the intestines and causing loose or burning stool. This can take days to weeks to develop with chronic dysfunction.

  Food Sensitivities or Overloads: Foods like dairy (in those with intolerance) or high-FODMAP meals can trigger excessive fermentation and rapid motility, especially if the gut is already imbalanced. This usually shows up within hours after eating.

  Cold or Damp Tissue States: In some traditional models, the digestive fire is “put out” by cold or damp inputs — leading to incomplete breakdown and watery elimination.

  In short, diarrhea often reflects the body saying, “Something’s not right — clear it out before it harms us.” Whether from pathogens, stress, or internal imbalance, it’s the gut’s emergency rinse cycle.

• Common Signs

  You’re having watery or very loose stools

  You feel an urgent need to go, sometimes multiple times a day

  You may notice burning, cramping, or fatigue afterward

  Your stool is unformed and hard to control

  It started suddenly or after a specific food, event, or emotional trigger

• Rudimentary Root Causes

  Acute infection or food poisoning

  Food intolerance or allergic reaction (especially dairy, gluten, seafood)

  Excess bile or digestive fire (inflammatory response)

  Emotional stress, grief, or sudden shock

  Overconsumption of laxatives or cleansing protocols

  Pharmaceutical causes: Antibiotics: wipe out gut flora → microbial rebound diarrhea, Metformin: may cause watery stools in sensitive users, SSRIs: affect gut serotonin and motility

  Supplement-induced causes: High-dose magnesium, vitamin C, or sugar alcohols (e.g., sorbitol)

  Phytoiatrogenic causes: Overuse of bitter, purgative, or laxative herbs (e.g., aloe, cascara, senna), Excessive use of warming or heat-producing herbs in already hot constitutions

• Underlying Tissue States

  The following tissue states may represent underlying imbalances contributing to this symptom:

  Heat/Excitation: Urgent, burning diarrhea; inflammation or infection

  Wind/Tension: Erratic, cramping diarrhea with irregular rhythm

  Damp/Relaxation: Thin, watery diarrhea that leaks or lacks control

  Cold/Depression: Early morning or post-meal diarrhea with chill, fatigue

• Organ Systems Affected

  Digestive System: Small intestine, colon, bile ducts

  Nervous System: Stress and vagus-mediated motility

  Immune System: Inflammatory response or infection

  Endocrine System: Adrenal stress response, hormonal fluid shifts

Is your diarrhea urgent, painful, or burning? Did it come on suddenly, or has it been recurring? Are you also experiencing fever, bloating, mucus, or fatigue? Do specific foods or emotional events trigger it? Are you actively cleansing, fasting, or taking laxatives?

Diarrhea is often your body’s attempt to cleanse—but when it becomes chronic, it signals deeper instability in your system. If you’re ready to stop cycling through urgency and fatigue, I can help you identify the root patterns and restore your digestive fire.

Disclaimer

Each person’s condition has a unique root cause, and lifestyle, diet and herbal remedies must be tailored to the individual. The information on this page is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized care. If you’d like support in understanding your specific situation, please reach out to me for guidance. If you are experiencing severe, persistent, or life-threatening symptoms—such as heavy blood loss, dehydration, fever, dizziness, or symptoms lasting more than 2–3 days—please seek emergency medical care immediately.