Q. I'm thinking of trying a 2-week diet. What would you recommend at a Korean medicine clinic?

I've tried a 2-week diet myself and learned a lot from the experience. (Laughs) On the plus side, the short period makes goals clear and motivation high, and seeing visible weight loss can be very rewarding. However, there are clear downsides. First, drastic calorie restriction can put the body into 'starvation mode,' lowering basal metabolic rate, which makes rebound weight gain likely once normal eating resumes. Second, nutritional imbalance can lead to muscle loss and poor skin or hair quality. From a Korean medicine perspective, this type of short-term diet often worsens 'spleen deficiency' (biheo). The spleen governs digestion and water metabolism; overloading it can cause bloating, constipation, and chronic fatigue. Additionally, stress may produce 'blood stasis' (eohyeol) or 'phlegm-fluid' (dameum), which block blood and lymphatic circulation, impairing waste removal and potentially shifting the body toward a more obesity-prone constitution. My recommendation is to get a pulse diagnosis (jinmaek) before starting. A Korean medicine doctor can assess biheo, eohyeol, or dameum and combine customized herbal medicine and acupuncture to safely manage short-term changes. For example, severe spleen deficiency may call for tonifying herbs like ginseng (insam) or astragalus (hwanggi); blood stasis may require blood-activating herbs like angelica (danggwi) or cnidium (cheongung). Acupuncture can help stabilize appetite centers and boost metabolism. However, I cannot promise a specific kilogram loss, as each person's constitution and lifestyle differ. The key is to use the two weeks efficiently while avoiding strain on the body. For healthy, sustainable weight control without rebound, a long-term perspective is essential, and Korean medicine can be a valuable starting point.