Q. I want to know why I keep gaining weight. How can I identify the cause of my obesity?

There is always a reason behind continuous weight gain. As a Korean Medicine doctor, I have seen many cases where it is clearly not just due to lack of exercise. In Korean Medicine, obesity is broadly classified into patterns such as Spleen Deficiency (biheo), Phlegm-Fluid (dameum), and Blood Stasis (eohyeol). Spleen Deficiency occurs when the spleen’s function weakens, reducing digestive capacity and causing food residues to accumulate in the body. This leads to difficulty losing weight even with small meals and frequent bloating. Phlegm-Fluid results from imbalanced substance metabolism, where waste products accumulate like water – often causing heaviness and swelling in the face or legs. Blood Stasis arises from poor blood circulation, which may manifest as body aches or skin blemishes. The checklist I provided is a rough tool to guess these patterns. For example, severe morning swelling with loose stools suggests Phlegm-Fluid or Spleen Deficiency; chronic fatigue with frequent body pain points to Blood Stasis. However, mixed patterns are common. I have personally learned through trial and error that professional diagnosis is the fastest path. If needed, you can visit a clinic for abdominal diagnosis (bokjin) and tongue diagnosis (seoljin) to accurately identify the root cause by examining your pulse, abdomen, and tongue condition.