Paradoxical diarrhea, also called overflow diarrhea, happens when liquid stool leaks around hardened, impacted stool in your colon. It’s often a symptom of mixed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-M).

Constipation affects 16 in 100 people in the United States. Stool becomes hard and clumpy when it doesn’t have enough water as it enters the colon. To soften stool naturally, increase fiber intake to ...