Q. How does the Korean medicine clinic identify my body constitution and create a diet plan?

You’ve probably tried dieting many times before—I have too. That’s why I realized it’s essential to start by correctly identifying your constitution. In a Korean medicine clinic, the approach typically follows four steps. Step 1: Consultation and questionnaire — We ask in detail about your usual eating habits, digestive state, body shape, personality, sleep, sweating, and bowel movements. For example, questions like ‘Do you often eat cold foods?’ help gauge a tendency toward Spleen Deficiency (biheo), and ‘Do you experience phlegm or swelling?’ hints at possible Phlegm-Fluid (dameum). Since this is the first step in constitution differentiation, being honest in your answers is key. Step 2: Pulse diagnosis (maekjin) and abdominal diagnosis (bokjin) — We feel the pulse at your wrist to assess the strength or weakness of organ qi, and palpate the abdomen to check for cold areas or hard spots. A weak pulse suggests insufficient Spleen Qi (bigi), and a generally cold abdomen points to a Yang Deficiency (yangheo) constitution. Many patients say, ‘Oh, that’s exactly right!’ during this step. Step 3: Constitution classification and prescription — We start with broad categories like Taiyin (taeeumin), Shaoyin (soeumin), or Shaoyang (soyanging) types, but we actually consider more detailed patterns such as Spleen Deficiency, Kidney Deficiency (sinheo), or Liver Depression (ganul). For example, even within the same Shaoyang type, someone with ascending Fire (hwa) and someone with dampness (seup) accumulated below require completely different approaches. Based on this, we prescribe herbal medicine as the foundation, combined with dietary guidance (focus on warm foods, reduce digestive burden) and lifestyle advice (regular meal times, sleep patterns). Step 4: Regular check-ups and adjustments — You typically visit every 2 to 4 weeks for pulse checks and to assess symptom changes. When you give feedback like ‘My stomach feels better lately’ or ‘I’m sleeping well,’ we adjust the herbal formula or modify exercise intensity. Improving your constitution doesn’t happen overnight; the key is to proceed gradually according to your body’s response rate. We don’t promise drastic changes, but we help you maintain a steady, sustainable pace without overexertion.