Upset tummy? 

Easy home tips to settle things down

While diarrhea and loose stools should always be worked up by your doctor to rule out infection or other more serious causes, especially when experiencing vomiting, fever, blood in stool, etc, there are many things you can do at home to help normalize bowel function that are safe for you and your family once serious pathologic cause has been ruled out or treated but loose stools still linger in an otherwise healthy person . Here's just a few of the common causes and home remedies for chronic loose stool/diarrhea:

• Antibiotic induced diarrhea: many antibiotics, in the process of killing target infections, will kill beneficial gut bacteria ("innocent bystanders" if you will).  Preventative measure would be to take a high quality probiotic supplement during antibiotic treatment and for several weeks afterwards to restore gut flora or include fermented food in your diet such as yogurt, kimchi, kefir, etc.
• Food sensitivity/allergy/celiac: While food sensitivity, allergy, and celiacs are all very different causes, treatment is often quite similar.  Elimination of suspected foods (such as gluten) is the best way to diagnose and treat these issues, though testing of varying levels of accuracy are available for some conditions such as celiac testing, lactose intolerance testing, and food allergy panels.  Your Naturopathic doctor can help you create an individual plan that will work best for you.  
• There are many supplements that can cause diarrhea or loose stool when taken in high quantity, such as vitamin C or turmeric.   Refer to your care practitioner for appropriate dosing, and remember each person is different and can have individualized responses to medications and supplements. 
• Emotional components: If all other causes have been ruled out, a person with irritable bowel symptoms like constipation and diarrhea can consider emotional and life-style causes.  Physiologically, our digestive tract is often referred to as the "second brain" due to the highly complex relationship it has with our central nervous system.  Acute or chronic stress can lead to abnormal bowel function. 
• Post-infection: Sometimes after coming down with a virus or bacteria that causes diarrhea, healthy gut flora can be disrupted similarly to post-antibiotic diarrhea, even if no treatment was given.  Include probiotics to help restore normal flora, as well as adding astrigent and bulking culinary herbs (cinnamon, carob) to the diet to slow down stool frequency.
• To help with gas and cramping: Use carminative herbal teas such as mint, chamomile, or fennel to reduce painful gas.

Remember, acute and chronic diarrhea can be a sign of serious illness and therefor needs to be worked up by your doctor!  These recommendations are not intended to replace medical diagnosis or treatment by your licensed care practitioner.