Q How do I tell whether it's just a sensitive gut or a serious disease? What symptoms mean I should get tested?
A If you have blood in your stools, unexplained weight loss, anemia, or nocturnal diarrhea that wakes you from sleep alongside diarrhea, it may indicate an organic disease and a detailed examination is needed. With these warning signs, testing comes before Korean medicine treatment.
Detailed Answer
Most chronic diarrhea is functional, but the following warning signs (red flags) require first ruling out organic diseases such as cancer or inflammatory bowel disease: ① blood in stools, ② unexplained weight loss, ③ anemia, ④ nocturnal diarrhea that wakes you from sleep. If you have these symptoms, you should immediately visit a medical institution for detailed tests such as colonoscopy and blood tests.
Oriental Medicine Perspective
Even at Korean medicine clinics, these warning signs are checked first during consultation, and if suspected, testing is recommended before Korean medicine treatment. Organic causes must be ruled out before safely continuing intestinal function recovery treatment. Safety always comes first in our approach.
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