Health Blog
Written by Dr. Heo Ji-young. Each piece takes a single symptom and follows what is actually happening in the body.
The Claim That Herbal Medicine Damages the Kidneys
Behind the claim that herbal medicine ruins the kidneys, there was a real incident. The material at fault was withdrawn in 2005, and what is dangerous now is medicine where you do not know who put in what.
Where Did That Herb Come From — The Things I Check
The worries about pesticides and heavy metals in herbs were not baseless. That is why the system changed. But passing inspection and this medicine being right for you are different things, and the system does not do the second one for you.
The Saying That Herbal Medicine Makes You Gain Weight
In the claim that herbal medicine made someone gain weight, three different things are mixed together. Water retention, improved digestion, and already gaining weight to begin with. I distinguish these three by weighing you.
Why Herbal Medicine Is Made Differently for Each Person
Two people arrive with the same complaint and leave with different medicine. A medicine presses a switch — and whether that switch is the one your body needs right now differs from person to person. Reading that is the work.
May I Give My Child Herbal Medicine?
A child is not a miniature adult. The very machinery that processes medicine is different. With a child I set the goal narrow, the duration short, state the cautions first, and use it. And the children who must be sent on, I send on.
When Heat Rises to Your Face and Your Chest Feels Tight, but the Tests Are Normal
There are people whose face burns while their hands and feet are cold. It is not that there is too much heat — the heat has lost its way. Put out only the heat above, and below grows colder still. I look at reconnecting the circulation that has been cut off.
What Herbal Medicine Does — Not Working in the Body's Place, but Letting It Repair Itself
Herbal medicine is not a drug that goes in one door and spreads. Some compounds pass straight through the membrane; some knock on the mucosa's channels on the way past; some ride the gut's nerves straight to the brain. The doors are several, and they open at different times. Set the tilted environment back, and the body does the repair.
A Medicine's Benefit and Its Side Effect Come From the Same Place
I do not simply believe the claim that herbal medicine is mild and fine to take for a long time. The switch that produces the effect, pushed too far, becomes the side effect itself. Using licorice as an example, I explain why a medicine's benefit and its boundary come from the same place.
The Same Remedy Works Differently When the Gut Is Different
There's a reason the same prescription works differently from person to person. Many herbal compounds become medicine only after gut bacteria activate them. Before changing the remedy, I first look at the state of the gut that completes it.
When the Gut Tenses, the Mind Tenses Too
Why does stress upset my stomach, and stomach trouble make me anxious? The gut and brain exchange signals in both directions, so what to address first depends on which side changed first; weight loss, bloody stool, or pain that wakes you at night needs testing first.
Two Ways to Calm Inflammation
For long-standing inflammation, forcefully putting out the fire doesn't work well. It's because the signal that keeps calling the embers back is still there. Before anti-inflammation, I first look at why the alarm keeps going off.
When should the medicine be stopped
As important as finding a good medicine is knowing when to stop. Medicine only needs to stay at your side until the body can stand on its own. From the moment I first give a medicine, I set the ending together with you.