Q. I tend to binge eat suddenly when I'm stressed. Is there anything I can do right away to cope with this?

Sudden bursts of appetite are not simply a lack of willpower. In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), this is viewed as a combination of psychological anxiety and an imbalance of the internal organs. Specifically, when there is Spleen Deficiency (Bi-heo, 脾虛), energy metabolism becomes inefficient, making you feel hungry more quickly and more susceptible to false appetite. When this is coupled with 'Qi Stagnation' (Gi-che, 氣滯)—a phenomenon where energy clumps due to stress—the body instinctively seeks strong-tasting or stimulating foods to relieve that feeling of congestion. I experienced this during my own studies, feeling dizzy and hungry when stressed, only to realize it wasn't physical hunger, but an 'emotional hunger.' These impulses can also be a reaction to the stagnation of metabolic waste, such as Phlegm-Fluid (Dameum, 痰飮) or Blood Stasis (Eo-hyeol, 瘀血), which hinders circulation. The immediate priority is to assist circulation with warm water and release the stagnant Qi through light physical movement. Of course, there are times when such impulses feel impossible to control on your own. In those cases, rather than simply enduring it, it is important to pinpoint exactly where the imbalance lies in your body. By working together to find the root cause of these cravings, managing them will become much easier.