10 Mistakes That Can Make Diarrhea Worse

Nobody wants to talk about diarrhea—until they can't think about anything else. This summer's multistate Cyclospora outbreak has a lot of people suddenly paying closer attention to their guts. Unlike the typical 24-hour stomach bug, the parasite can keep people sick for weeks—but once it's identified and treated with the right antibiotic, most people start feeling better within days.Regardless of whether your misery traces back to contaminated produce or a garden-variety stomach bug, gastroenterologists and infectious-disease doctors say the same handful of missteps tend to make a bad situation worse—and drag it out longer than necessary. Here's what to avoid if you're stuck making endless trips to the bathroom.1. Reaching for Imodium at the first crampYour instinct might be to slam the br