Q. Is it possible to get non-face-to-face diet herbal medicine prescriptions in Daejeon? I'm curious how it works without an in-person visit.

Yes, I understand your curiosity. I used to wonder whether non-face-to-face prescriptions could be accurate, but after working with it, I've found the pros and cons are clear. First, the advantages: For office workers, it's burdensome to take time to visit the clinic. With non-face-to-face care, you can have a video consultation during lunch or after work, and the herbal medicine is delivered by courier. Also, herbal prescriptions typically need adjustment every 2–4 weeks, so this saves you the effort of coming in each time. This is a great benefit for those who want consistent management. On the other hand, the disadvantages are definite. The foundation of Korean medicine diagnosis is the 'Four Examinations' (望聞問切: inspection, listening/smelling, inquiry, and palpation). Non-face-to-face consultations rely only on inspection (tongue, complexion) and inquiry (symptom questioning). Palpation (pulse diagnosis) and abdominal diagnosis are impossible. Differentiating conditions like spleen deficiency (脾虛: weakened digestive function), phlegm-fluid retention (痰飲: abnormal fluid accumulation), or blood stasis (瘀血: circulatory disturbance) heavily depends on pulse diagnosis for key clues. Without it, prescription precision may decrease. Therefore, I recommend that first-time patients or those with frequent bloating, menstrual irregularities, or other symptoms come in for at least one in-person diagnosis before switching to non-face-to-face. Non-face-to-face care is advantageous in certain situations. For instance, if you have already been treated at our clinic a few times and your constitution and condition are well understood, and you just need a refill or are temporarily too busy for an in-person visit, it works well. Conversely, if you are concerned about side effects or are sensitive to medications, an in-person pulse exam is safer. In conclusion, think of it as a 'complementary tool' rather than a 'complete replacement.' Since you are in Daejeon, many patients start with an in-person visit and then transition to non-face-to-face as needed, managing their health well this way. Rather than saying non-face-to-face is absolutely good or bad, choose based on your health status and schedule.