Q. I'm curious about what's needed when getting a non-face-to-face diet herbal medicine prescription in Gwangju.

Even for non-face-to-face consultations, basic health data is essential. First, prepare your ID and health insurance card. Since we cannot take your pulse or perform abdominal palpation (pokjin), recent blood tests (within 3 months) for liver function, kidney function, fasting blood sugar, and thyroid hormones help greatly in assessing your constitution and determining deficiency (heo) or excess (sil). Weight and blood pressure records are also required. In Traditional Korean Medicine, diet is not simply about losing weight; we first examine mechanisms such as spleen deficiency (biheo), phlegm-fluid retention (dameum), and blood stasis (eohyeol). For example, with spleen deficiency, the digestive system weakens, leading to poor absorption and water retention that causes weight gain—in such cases, taking herbal medicine alone is not effective. Therefore, before the consultation, jot down your usual appetite, digestion, bowel movements, sleep patterns, sensations of cold or heat, and stress levels. This allows me to narrow down the cause—say, phlegm-fluid retention—and tailor the prescription accordingly. The prescription itself can be done remotely, and the decoction (tangyak) will be prepared and delivered by courier. However, before receiving the medicine, you must measure and report your basic vital signs (blood pressure and pulse) for safety. The first 2 to 4 weeks require follow-ups every 1 to 2 weeks via video call or phone, then every 4 weeks for adjustments. I was initially hesitant about non-face-to-face care, but with thorough preparation from patients, the accuracy rivals in-person visits. Of course, if acute inflammation or cardiovascular abnormalities are suspected, an in-person visit is absolutely necessary.