Q. I'm curious about constitution-based diet methods. What is the process like at a Korean medicine clinic?

Yes, I understand your curiosity about constitution-based diet methods. Before becoming a Korean medicine doctor, I also failed at dieting many times. The simple advice 'eat less and move more' can be quite irresponsible—your body just doesn't cooperate. At a Korean medicine clinic, we view dieting as a process of correcting bodily imbalances. Here's how it proceeds: **Step 1: Constitution Diagnosis (Sasang Constitution or Organ Pattern Identification)** We comprehensively assess your body type, digestion, sweat, bowel movements, sleep patterns, and personality. For example, - *Soeumin* (少陰人) often have weak digestive systems, - *Taeeumin* (太陰人) have active liver function but a weak spleen (bi, 脾), making them prone to weight gain. We always perform pulse diagnosis (脈診, maekjin) and tongue diagnosis (舌診, seoljin). A white coating on the tongue (白苔, baektae) and a weak pulse indicate spleen deficiency (脾虛, biheo), meaning the spleen fails to properly digest and absorb food, leading to accumulation of phlegm-fluid (痰飲, dameum) or blood stasis (瘀血, eohyeol). **Step 2: Customized Herbal Prescriptions and Dietary Advice** Prescriptions vary entirely by constitution. For a spleen deficiency type, we use formulas like *Bojungikgi-tang* (補中益氣湯) to strengthen the spleen. For a heat-prone constitution, we use *Hwangryunhaedok-tang* (黃連解毒湯) for heat-clearing (淸熱, cheongyeol). We never promise 'take this and lose 3 kg'—both due to medical law and because individual responses vary greatly. Instead, we calmly explain the mechanism behind how your body will change. **Step 3: Lifestyle Correction (Sleep, Exercise, Stress)** In Korean medicine, we explain that '11 PM–1 AM is the gallbladder meridian time, and 1–3 AM is the liver meridian time,' emphasizing how sleep rhythm affects weight loss. Exercise recommendations also differ by constitution. For *Soeumin*, intense cardio may deplete energy (氣, gi) and cause fatigue—I experienced that myself. Forced exercise never lasts long. **Step 4: Regular Check-ups and Prescription Adjustments** We typically re-evaluate pulse and check for changes or side effects every 2–4 weeks. For example, if you say 'the medicine makes me feel bloated,' we add digestive aids like malt (麥芽, maeg-a) or medicated leaven (神麴, singok) or adjust dosage. The key is for you to subjectively report feeling 'lighter' or 'relieved from constipation.' We don't miss those signals. Finally, remember that constitution is not fixed—it can change with environment and age. So the diagnosis isn't a one-time event; we discover it together through the process. Don't feel pressured—feel free to ask any questions anytime.