Q. Why is non-face-to-face diet herbal medicine prescription possible even if I live in a new town in southern Gyeonggi Province?

Yes, it is possible because the government temporarily permitted non-face-to-face telemedicine, allowing consultations via video call regardless of location. Even though you live in a new town in southern Gyeonggi, you can easily consult with our clinic in Seoul. You might wonder, 'Can a Korean medicine doctor make an accurate diagnosis without seeing me in person?' I initially had the same concern. Among the four basic examinations (望聞問切, inspection, listening/smelling, inquiry, palpation), pulse diagnosis (脈診) and abdominal diagnosis (腹診) require physical contact, which is not possible remotely. Therefore, for first visits or complex conditions, we strongly recommend coming in. However, for diet herbal medicine, inquiry (問診) can provide surprisingly much information. By carefully asking about eating habits, digestion, bowel movements, sleep, cold sensitivity, edema, and fatigue, we can identify patterns such as spleen deficiency (脾虛) or phlegm-fluid retention (痰飮). Tongue diagnosis (舌診) via photo also offers useful clues. From a biomedical perspective, assessing lifestyle and metabolic status is also effective. The main benefit is convenience: saving commuting time and making regular follow-ups easier—diet therapy requires consistency, and in-person visits can be a burden. The drawback is the lack of palpation data, especially abdominal diagnosis (腹診), which limits detailed assessment of zang-fu (臟腑) states. So I often ask non-face-to-face patients to visit at least once or twice before switching to remote care. In summary, non-face-to-face diet herbal medicine prescription is fully possible for residents of southern Gyeonggi new towns, and many are using it. However, for optimal diagnosis, initial in-person visits are recommended, followed by convenient remote management.