Q. Can I receive non-face-to-face diet consultations at a Korean medicine clinic in Hanam? I'm curious about how it specifically works.

Many patients ask about the possibility of non-face-to-face consultations. At our Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic, the first visit (initial consultation) must be conducted in person. The reason is simple: the most fundamental aspects of Korean medical diagnosis are pulse diagnosis (脈診, maekjin) and abdominal diagnosis (腹診, bokjin). Especially for patients seeking weight loss, we need to directly assess conditions such as spleen deficiency (脾虛, biheo — weakened digestive and absorptive function) or phlegm-fluid retention (痰飲, dameum — accumulation of unnecessary substances in the body). Diagnosing these remotely increases the risk of misdiagnosis. Therefore, we strongly recommend that your first visit be to our Hanam clinic for a one-on-one consultation and pulse examination. During the initial visit, we conduct a simple body composition analysis and ask about lifestyle, dietary habits, sleep patterns, and more. This allows us to identify patterns—for example, 'this person has slow metabolism due to qi deficiency' or 'liver qi stagnation (肝氣鬱結, gangi uigyeol — blocked liver energy) from stress is the main cause.' We then prescribe herbal medicine for the first 1–2 weeks and provide instructions on how to take it along with dietary advice. After that, from the follow-up visit (after at least two weeks), non-face-to-face consultations become possible. We check changes in symptoms, side effects, and weight trends via phone or video call, adjusting prescriptions as needed. The herbal medicine is prepared and shipped by courier. Costs are billed separately for consultation fees and medicine fees. Some patients worry about the expense, and I initially felt the same way. However, because herbal medicine is custom-formulated to match each person's constitution, prices vary and are not uniform like Western medications. We can adjust the plan through consultation within a reasonable range, so there is no need to feel burdened. In summary: first visit in person in Hanam → then remote management possible. It is not a system that operates solely via non-face-to-face care from start to finish, but we run it to help busy office workers save time. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us by phone or through the bulletin board.