Q. What should I prepare to get a remote Korean medicine weight loss prescription in Gangnam, Seoul?

Even for remote consultations, a Korean medicine doctor needs basic information to evaluate the patient. For weight loss prescriptions, the current body state is more important than 'constitution'. For example, someone with Spleen Deficiency (脾虛, biheo) has poor digestion and absorption, while Phlegm-Fluid (痰飮, dameum) buildup leads to a heavy body and difficulty losing weight. I was initially skeptical about sending a tongue photo remotely, but through video consultation and examining the tongue and coating, surprisingly many clues are obtained. Specifically, the preparations needed: - Health checkup results: Liver and kidney function, thyroid hormones, fasting blood glucose, etc., serve as criteria for considering interactions when prescribing herbal medicine. - Medication and supplement list: Western drugs like Wegovy or Saxenda, as well as omega-3 or vitamin D, may overlap with or affect herbal medicine ingredients. - Past diet history: Patterns like 'starved then yo-yo' or 'only exercised then injured joints' help assess Spleen Deficiency or Blood Stasis (瘀血, eohyeol). - Tongue photo: This is the key inspection (望診, mangjin) material in remote care. Tongue color, coating thickness, and tooth marks are used to diagnose Spleen Deficiency, Phlegm-Fluid, Heat (熱, yeol), etc. On the day of the consultation, please check that your camera and microphone work properly beforehand; a disconnection can be more stressful. The consultation typically lasts about 20 minutes, and prescribed herbal medicine can be delivered by courier. However, if you take blood pressure or diabetes medication, you must inform the doctor before the consultation for safety.