Q. When I get stressed, I keep eating. How can I improve this? Binge eating has almost become a habit.

I used to be the same—wondering why I kept eating when stressed. In Korean medicine, the liver (肝) governs stress; when liver function becomes excessively tense, qi (氣) reverses toward the stomach, stimulating appetite. Over time, this weakens the spleen and stomach (脾胃) function, leading to poor digestion and constant cravings. This is spleen deficiency (脾虛), where the spleen fails to properly sense fullness, causing endless eating. Treatment is typically divided into three stages. The first 1-2 weeks focus on using herbal medicine to relieve liver depression (肝鬱) and calm the stomach, making the abdomen feel comfortable and reducing the urge to eat urgently. After about a month, food intake naturally decreases, and by two months, appetite stabilizes. In addition to herbal medicine, acupuncture or moxibustion may be added depending on your constitution to also improve heartburn or bloating that follows binge eating. The key point is not to forcibly stop the binge eating; as your body becomes more comfortable and balanced, the tendency naturally subsides. Treatment costs and duration vary by individual, so an in-clinic consultation is recommended for accurate guidance.