NYC’s Leading Integrative Health Care Center
NYC’s Leading Integrative Health Care Center
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Acute diarrhea can disrupt your day—or your week—causing discomfort, dehydration, and worry. While it often resolves on its own, frequent or intense cases deserve medical attention to uncover the underlying cause and restore optimal gut health.
At Patients Medical in New York City, we treat more than just symptoms. Our integrative approach combines conventional, holistic, and functional medicine to heal your digestive system from the inside out—quickly and naturally.
Acute diarrhea is defined as the sudden onset of loose, watery stools lasting less than 14 days. It’s your body’s way of flushing out something harmful—but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. Untreated, it can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and deeper digestive issues.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you may be dealing with acute diarrhea:
Functional medicine aims to ask: Why is your gut reacting this way? Here are common triggers:
At Patients Medical, we go beyond guesswork. We use advanced diagnostics to uncover the root cause of your symptoms:
✅ Comprehensive stool analysis (to identify pathogens, parasites, gut flora imbalances)
✅ Inflammatory markers (Calprotectin, Lactoferrin)
✅ Food sensitivity and allergy testing
✅ GI Map for DNA-based gut microbiome analysis
✅ Leaky gut and zonulin testing
✅ Celiac panel and gluten sensitivity markers
For bacterial or parasitic infections, we prescribe natural or pharmaceutical antimicrobials when needed—based on lab results.
Probiotic therapy to restore beneficial bacteria disrupted by infection, antibiotics, or inflammation. Strains may include:
We recommend easy-to-digest, anti-inflammatory meal plans with a focus on gut-healing foods such as:
Custom-blended botanicals that support digestion, reduce inflammation, and help repair the gut lining:
We offer IV hydration and nutrient support for cases of severe dehydration, with added minerals and B-vitamins.
Chronic stress can disrupt digestion. We support nervous system balance with:
Mark, a 34-year-old traveler, returned from South America with severe diarrhea, cramping, and dehydration. ER tests were inconclusive. At Patients Medical, our stool analysis revealed Giardia lamblia and dysbiosis.
We implemented a 7-day treatment plan:
By day 6, his symptoms had resolved. After two weeks of microbiome rebuilding, Mark returned to full health—without antibiotics.
Acute diarrhea is defined as the sudden onset of loose or watery stools that lasts less than two weeks. If it persists longer, it may be considered chronic and requires further investigation.
You should seek medical attention if your diarrhea lasts more than 2 days, contains blood, is accompanied by fever, causes severe dehydration, or follows travel, antibiotic use, or unusual food intake.
Common causes include viral or bacterial infections, food poisoning, reactions to medications (especially antibiotics), food intolerances, and stress. Lab testing can help pinpoint the exact cause.
Yes, certain causes such as viral gastroenteritis and bacterial infections can be contagious through contaminated food, water, or surfaces.
Yes. Stress activates the gut-brain axis, which can speed up bowel movements and increase gut sensitivity—leading to diarrhea, especially in people with IBS or anxiety.
We use a holistic, personalized plan that may include antimicrobial herbs, probiotics, hydration therapy, anti-inflammatory nutrition, and stress support. If needed, prescription medications may be used.
Yes. Certain probiotic strains like Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG can shorten the duration of diarrhea and restore healthy gut flora, especially after infections or antibiotics.
Stick to a bland, gut-soothing diet: bone broth, rice, bananas, toast, and cooked vegetables. Avoid dairy, greasy foods, caffeine, and alcohol until your symptoms resolve.
We offer stool pathogen analysis, food sensitivity testing, inflammatory markers, microbiome mapping, and tests for leaky gut or gluten sensitivity to uncover the underlying cause.
We are an out-of-network provider but offer detailed superbills for reimbursement. Some lab tests may be partially covered by your insurance provider.
Patients Medical specializes in gently helping the patient identify the root cause of their medical issues and then assist them to recover from their problems to help them move forward to good health.
To schedule an in person on Tele-medicine appointment, please call our office at (212) 794-8800 or email us at info@PatientsMedical.com We look forward to hearing from you
Patients Medical PC
1148 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1B New York, NY 10128
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All information presented in this website is intended for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of rendering medical advice. Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information contained herein is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Patients Medical.
