Nobody likes to talk about this, but most of us have experienced acute diarrhea (probably a few times!) in our life. Not fun!

Chronic diarrhea, on the other hand, can be a nightmare for those who experience it. Back when I was in TCM school, I barely could contain myself on my very first day in clinic observation. Finally, I was going to see my teacher in action: using TCM to help people.

Our first patient’s chief complaint was chronic diarrhea. As our clinic supervisor went through the inquiry part of our consultation, I felt so sad for this poor woman. She had been dealing with this issue for over 8 years! She had quit her job because the emergency diarrhea attacks happened daily at random times. On the way to our clinic, her husband mapped out all the public bathrooms they could use, in case. She had done all the tests (bacteria, virus, parasites…), colonoscopy, endoscopy, blood tests, stool sample, but her doctor could not figure out what caused it. They gave her meds to manage it.

Creating a treatment plan

Our teacher was simply brilliant. She diagnosed her with SP Qi def. leading to Yang def. and created a treatment plan that included acupuncture 2 times/week, a custom herbal formula, and a very bland diet of sweet potato, yams, salmon, halibut, squash, cooked veggies, stews and bone broth.

Within 2 weeks, she started having soft stools 4 times/day, no emergency! Then one month into the treatment, she had 2 bowel movements per day that were formed stools! WOW!

I was so impressed by my teacher, she was a genius! Over the next four years, I studied under her. My goal was to absorb her knowledge, in hope that one day, I’d be as half brilliant as she is! I mean, she changed that patient’s life! My teacher rocked! TCM rocks! 

Over the years, in my practice, I have seen many people with bowel issues, and diarrhea is a common symptom for most.

Below, you’ll find the TCM treatment protocols for acute and chronic diarrhea. I hope you can use it to change people’s lives for the better and together let’s keep rocking it with TCM!

Clara
TCM Geek

PS: Have you seen my Chinese Medicine Treatments Made Easy book yet? It covers over 160 syndromes treatments using acupuncture points, herbal formulas, ear points, diet and more!

Diarrhea in TCM

Definition

 Xie Xie in Chinese refers to watery stools. Diarrhea may be frequent & chronic or acute and it is the biggest cause of infant mortality. Causes: pathogens, diet, emotions, drugs, stress…

Western common disorders

 bacterial or viral infections, food poisoning, IBS, colitis, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, lactose intolerance, drugs, alcohol, colon cancer, hyperthyroidism…

Treatment options

 Drinking fluids after Bowel movement, Ear  Acupuncture (LI, SP, Rectum, Shen Men), diet recommendation (oat, barley, white rice, salmon, yams, sweet potatoes, leeks, aduki Beans, bone broth) and avoid (coffee, alcohol, spicy foods, seeds, dairy).