Q. I've been feeling motivated after seeing extreme diets on social media and by celebrities. What methods do you recommend at your clinic?

To be honest, when I was younger, I also tried every trending diet, only to end up feeling exhausted and dizzy. As a practitioner of Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), I've been through those trials and errors, so I completely understand how you feel. Extreme celebrity diets have a very clear trade-off. The advantage is that you see visible changes quickly and feel an immediate sense of achievement. That is where the benefits end. The problem is that the drawbacks are quite severe. Suddenly restricting meals can lead to 'Bi-heo' (脾虛), or Spleen Deficiency. This weakens your digestive and absorptive capacities and causes your basal metabolic rate to plummet. This inevitably leads to the 'yo-yo effect,' where your body transforms into a constitution that gains weight even after eating very little. Furthermore, if you simply starve yourself while ignoring accumulated 'Dameum' (痰飮, phlegm-fluid retention) or 'Eohyeol' (瘀血, blood stasis) in the body, you may lose weight, but your complexion will become dull and you will experience overwhelming fatigue. The answer lies in your current physical state. A method that works for someone else can be toxic for you. The fastest and most sustainable path is to examine your unique constitution (Sasang typology) and health status first, and then adjust your regimen accordingly. Please feel free to stop by the clinic so we can find the right path for you together.