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Q. I keep binge eating because of stress. How can I improve this?
A.
Stress-related binge eating is seen in two main patterns in Traditional Korean Medicine. First, stress causes liver qi stagnation (gan-ul), which spikes appetite. Second, stress leads to spleen deficiency (bi-heo), allowing phlegm-fluid (dam-eum) to accumulate and trigger bingeing. Liver stagnation is treated with herbs and acupuncture to soothe the mind; spleen deficiency requires tonifying the spleen and resolving phlegm. Regular meal timing and light movement right before a binge episode can also help.
📝 Detailed Answer
Stress-induced binge eating—I’ve been through this myself, so I understand. In Traditional Korean Medicine, stress obstructs the liver’s function of free flow (so-seol), causing liver qi stagnation (gan-ul), or prolonged stress weakens the spleen-stomach system (bi-wi), leading to spleen deficiency (bi-heo). For the liver stagnation type: bingeing occurs when you feel angry or anxious. Stagnant liver qi can turn into fire, overstimulating the appetite center. Treatment uses liver-soothing herbs (e.g., si-ho, baek-jak-yak) and acupuncture at points like Shinmun (HT7) and Taechung (LV3). For the spleen deficiency type: stress builds up, digestion becomes poor, and you keep eating despite bloating. A weak spleen fails to transform and transport fluids, generating phlegm-fluid (dam-eum) that distorts appetite. Treatment employs spleen-tonifying formulas like Bojungikgi-tang or Ijin-tang to clear phlegm. Although the two patterns differ in approach, common advice is to maintain regular meal times and, when a binge urge strikes, get up and stretch for just five minutes—I found that effective myself. I don’t advocate simply “suppressing” the urge; the key is understanding the body’s signals and addressing them through the lens of Korean medicine.
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Dr. Yeonseung Choe
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