You may not feel like diarrhea is doing anything but making you feel bad. [sigh] But diarrhea is your body's way of working to clear out viruses, bacteria, or other toxins.

So if you eat something undercooked, like chicken, or completely raw, such as shellfish, the food might be carrying an uninvited guest called bacteria.

When that happens, your body will do its best to get rid of it by, well, getting rid of it. [door shuts] Bacteria on food isn't the only cause.

Most often diarrhea is caused by a virus, and sometimes prescription and nonprescription medicines can be to blame.

And sometimes your body will even try to flush [toilet flushes] your stress and anxiety away with diarrhea.

Now, because diarrhea means you're losing a lot of fluids, your doctor may recommend that you drink more water. [gulp] He or she may also recommend an over-the-counter medicine.

Here are three things you can do to help yourself.

One, drink plenty of fluids.

Two, try eating yogurt that has live cultures.

Check the label.

It will say if the yogurt has them.

Three, until your symptoms are gone, it may help to avoid fruit, alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods.

So when you have diarrhea, there are some serious things to watch for. [phone dialing] Call your doctor if you have a new or higher fever, belly pain, blood in the diarrhea, dehydration, or if you're not better after 2 days.

Almost everyone has diarrhea now and then. [crowd noise] It usually isn't serious, and you'll feel better soon.

Take it easy.

And know that your body is doing its amazing job of getting rid of the bad so you can feel good.