Blog & Columns
Useful information about health and Korean medicine.
Total 15 posts
When a health checkup finally makes up your mind
Patients who had been coming in for back or shoulder pain bring up their weight first after getting their checkup results. These are people who used to say, "I'll get to it someday." Having a trigger isn't a bad thing. But the more urgent people feel, the more often they reach for extreme methods first, so we talk about that first.
When you ask, "Will herbal medicine make me gain weight?"
Not all herbal medicine is the same. Its direction depends on what it's made for, and it isn't only about building up. Some people lack energy and need their body supported; others need what's blocked cleared out first. If the order is wrong, you can actually end up feeling heavier.
When you can't avoid drinking occasions
With drinking occasions and late nights again and again, they don't wake up refreshed and can't get a grip on their work during the day. They mention their body feeling heavy before they mention weight. Many also say something was flagged at their health checkup.
When you came looking for an easy fix, but something else has to come first
They come in thinking of something easy to take. The first thing they say is that they're too busy to set aside time. Many have long lived with late meals because of work and frequent work dinners.
When you move less, gain weight, and swelling piles on top
As they went out less and spent more time at home, they gained weight. It overlaps with a period when both their sleep times and mealtimes got thrown off. On top of that, their legs swell. By evening their shoes feel tight and their calves feel heavy. Some find this harder than the weight itself.
When you make a resolution every year and it fizzles out in a few days
They bought workout clothes, made a plan and even signed up — and quit within a few days. Several years like that have piled up. They come in seeing themselves as people with weak willpower. Many bring that up first in the consultation room.
When you say that once you start eating, it's hard to stop
Once they start eating, the bowl is empty in no time, and afterward they're left with regret. The next day they start their diet again, but the same thing happens. They also say hunger suddenly floods in, yet drops off sharply when they're stressed.
Will an obesity gene test help me?
It can serve as a reference. But the results won't tell you "this is how this person should lose weight." It's honest to say that first. Many people get tested because they want to know why they've failed. We understand that feeling. But what people expect and what the test can give are different. Whether you tend to gain weight easily, or tend to have trouble controlling appetite
Will losing weight help my knee pain?
It helps. The force on your knees when you walk is several times your body weight, so even a small drop in weight reduces the load on your knees by much more. Many people are stuck in a loop: their knees hurt so they can't exercise, they can't exercise so they gain weight, and the extra weight makes their knees hurt more. This loop has to be broken somewhere. Movement that puts less load on the knees
Why doesn't a method that worked for others work for me?
Because the reason weight was gained differs from person to person. If the same method is used for someone who gained weight from eating a lot and someone who gained weight despite eating little, the results are bound to differ. Many people copy a method that worked for someone they know. When it doesn't work, they blame themselves, but in most cases the method simply suited that other person. Broadly speaking,
What should I watch out for when taking herbal medicine for weight loss?
The first changes to watch for are a racing heart or trouble sleeping. Some of the herbs that suppress appetite also have these effects. We don't tell you that "it's herbal, so there are no side effects." Anything that acts on the body can also have effects you don't want. It's safer to know this before you start. If you have high blood pressure or
How are weight-loss injections different from herbal medicine?
They work in different places, and the strength of the evidence is different. Weight-loss injections are drugs that mimic hormones that regulate appetite, and their effects have been confirmed in large clinical trials. There's a reason we state this plainly first. It would not be honest to downplay the evidence for another treatment in order to recommend ours. The evidence for weight-loss injections is stronger than for herbal medicine.