Q. I'm eating healthy meals like tofu gratin for my diet; how does your clinic approach weight loss from a Korean medicine perspective?

Many people struggle with indigestion when following a 'healthy' diet because the core issue isn't the food itself, but whether the body can actually process it. At Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic, we follow a systematic approach: First, we assess your digestive and absorptive capacity. We check for 'Bi-heo' (脾虛), a deficiency in the Spleen/Digestive system. If digestive power is low, even healthy tofu-based meals can accumulate in the body as 'Dam-eum' (痰飮), which are metabolic waste products or phlegm-fluid retention. Next, we remove factors blocking your metabolism. If there is an excess of 'Eo-hyeol' (瘀血), or blood stasis, energy circulation is impaired, making weight loss difficult. We provide prescriptions to clear these stagnant areas and restore flow. Then, we establish a personalized dietary guide. We evaluate if menus like tofu gratin align with your specific constitution, ensuring there aren't too many 'cold-natured' foods or excessive proteins that could strain the liver. Finally, we activate your metabolism. Using herbal medicine, we naturally increase your basal metabolic rate while supplementing the lack of energy and hunger that often accompany dietary restrictions. Ultimately, it is less about 'what you eat' and more about 'how you digest and burn.' Rather than blindly following protein-heavy diets, it is essential to first repair your body's internal engine.