Reviewed by최연승대표원장
I'm curious why non-face-to-face diet herbal medicine prescription is possible even if I live in a new city in southern Gyeonggi Province.
You must be very curious, right? I was also wondering at first if there were regional restrictions for new cities, but actually, non-face-to-face treatment is more about the treatment method and legal conditions than the patient's location. Domestic non-face-to-face treatment was temporarily allowed after COVID-19, and now it has settled as a pilot project. For Korean medicine clinics, only the first visit must be in-person, and subsequent visits can be non-face-to-face for herbal prescriptions. This applies equally whether you live in a new city in southern Gyeonggi or anywhere else. However, depending on the patient's condition, in-person treatment may be necessary.
Can you receive herbal medicine prescription non-face-to-face even if you live in a new city in southern Gyeonggi? Yes, it is possible. But it's not for 'anyone, anytime' – there are conditions. First, from a Western medical perspective, non-face-to-face treatment is a method of prescribing based on the patient's self-reported symptoms, existing test results, and past medical history. For diet herbal medicine, periodic self-reports of weight changes, appetite, digestive status, etc., can allow for medication adjustments. In Korean medicine, this process identifies patterns such as 'biheo (脾虛)' – a weakened spleen function leading to slow metabolism, or 'dameum (痰飮)' – accumulation of unnecessary fluids in the body. Even non-face-to-face, one can examine the tongue (舌診) via photos or videos, and infer pulse and abdominal conditions through conversation. Legally, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's non-face-to-face treatment pilot project guidelines, Korean medicine clinics follow the principle of first visit in-person and subsequent visits non-face-to-face. Our Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic also follows this framework. Advantages include saving time and transportation costs, and convenience for regular management. Disadvantages are the lack of direct examinations like pulse diagnosis (脈診) and abdominal diagnosis (腹診), which may reduce precision, and the responsibility on the patient to accurately communicate symptoms. Especially for diet herbal medicine, which may contain appetite suppressants or digestion-promoting ingredients, side effects (dizziness, heartburn, etc.) can occur, so initial in-person visits are recommended, followed by a combination as appropriate. In conclusion, living in a new city is not an obstacle. Instead, it is important to check your own health status, medication history, and whether the clinic's non-face-to-face system is suitable.