Q. When I'm stressed, I keep binge eating. How does a Korean medicine clinic resolve this?

Stress-induced binge eating is common in clinical practice. In Traditional Korean Medicine, we approach it in two main ways. First, binge eating similar to 'hwa-byung' (fire illness). Stress causes liver depression (肝鬱), which transmits heat to the stomach, producing stomach heat (胃熱). This leads to intense hunger cravings, especially for sweets or greasy foods. Treatment involves soothing the liver and reducing stomach heat using formulas like Chijachajultang (梔子加朮湯) or acupuncture at Taichong (太衝) and Zusanli (足三里). Second, binge eating due to exhaustion. Prolonged stress weakens spleen function (脾虛). The body instinctively seeks energy from food, but digestion is poor, leading to weight gain. Here, tonifying the spleen with Bobiyiktang (補脾益氣湯) is effective. In both cases, changing the pre-binge pattern is crucial. Start with small habits like 'drink a glass of cold water and wait 5 minutes.' At the clinic, we differentiate through pulse and tongue diagnosis for a targeted approach.