- Most short episodes improve with rest, fluids and simple food as tolerated.
- Older adults, young children, pregnant people and those with chronic illness can dehydrate faster.
- Blood in stool or vomit, inability to keep fluids down, high fever or confusion deserves medical review.
Why this deserves attention
Vomiting and diarrhoea are common, but persistent fluid loss can become dangerous. Learn what to drink, what to monitor and when blood, fever or dehydration needs medical care.
The same symptom can have several causes. Useful clues include how quickly it changed, how severe it is, what comes with it, personal risk factors and whether it is clearly different from your normal baseline.
What to observe
Observe frequency of diarrhoea/vomiting, urine output, thirst, dizziness, fever, abdominal pain and whether other people who ate the same food are also ill.
Write down when symptoms happen, how long they last, triggers, changes in normal function and medicines or supplements already taken. A short record often makes a consultation more useful.
Sensible next steps
Use frequent small sips of water or oral rehydration solution. Resume simple foods when tolerated and practise careful hand hygiene to reduce spread.
Medical assessment and where TCM fits
A clinician may need to assess dehydration, blood loss or bacterial infection. Antibiotics are not appropriate for every episode of diarrhoea.
TCM dietary advice may be discussed during recovery, but severe vomiting, dehydration, high fever or blood in stool should be medically assessed first.
TCM and conventional care can sometimes complement each other, but acute red flags, conditions needing imaging or blood tests, and diseases with established evidence-based treatment require diagnosis and safety to come first.
When not to wait
Unable to keep fluids down, very little urine, fainting, confusion, severe abdominal pain, high fever or significant blood in stool/vomit requires prompt or urgent care.
Related reading & Singapore resources
This page provides general health education, not an individual diagnosis or emergency plan. Sudden, severe, worsening or red-flag symptoms should be assessed through appropriate conventional medical or emergency care.