Content & Clinical Summary

Host: Dr. Yoon-Hang Kim

Duration: Approximately 46 minutes (6:24 PM – 7:10 PM CST)

Format: Facebook Live Q&A with real-time viewer comments

Note: This was a Friday evening session, part of the new alternating schedule being tested for Australian/international members.

1. Session Overview

Dr. Yoon-Hang Kim hosted a Friday evening live stream Q&A for the LDN Support Group and Root Cause Wellness Hub communities. The session covered a wide range of clinical topics including menopause and LDN, capsule vs. tablet formulations, endorphin deficiency, neuropathy dosing, vision loss, TMJ, trigeminal neuralgia, and the 5R gut restoration protocol. Dr. Kim also shared personal clinical philosophy, practice updates, and extensive community management guidance. Throughout the session, he actively modeled and enforced Facebook-compliant language, correcting multiple viewer comments in real time.

2. Key Topics Discussed

2.1 Menopause & LDN

In response to Sarah’s question, Dr. Kim provided a comprehensive overview of how LDN fits into menopause management:

• Mechanism: LDN modulates opioid receptors transiently, lowering endorphins and prompting a compensatory rise. This improves pain, mood, and sleep.
• Estrogen decline & inflammation: Menopause shifts the immune system toward a pro-inflammatory state; LDN provides anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects.
• Symptom relief: Chronic pain, fibromyalgia-like symptoms, brain fog, fatigue, and mood can improve with LDN during menopause.
• Bioidentical hormones + LDN: Studies suggest synergistic effects when combined. Dr. Kim uses progesterone for sleep; estrogen may help with sleep maintenance.
• Herbal approaches: Classical naturopathic tools can significantly reduce the need for hormone replacement in some cases.
• Personal context: Dr. Kim noted his mother suffered breast cancer twice, which shapes his preference to minimize breast cancer risk in his practice.

2.2 Capsules vs. Tablets

Tracy asked about switching from capsules to tablets:

• Filler content: Tablets generally contain fewer fillers than capsules.
• Individual tolerance: Some people react to fillers, others don’t. Response is highly individual.
• Cost advantage: Tablets are significantly cheaper. Dr. Kim used to instruct Medicaid patients to learn to self-dilute from standard 50 mg naltrexone tablets, which were covered by insurance.
• SIBO concern: Fillers like Avicel can trigger SIBO symptoms in sensitive individuals (bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine).

2.3 Endorphin Deficiency & Individualized Dosing

This was a major recurring theme, discussed in the context of a community member (Michelle) experiencing difficulties:

• Core concept: If a person is already endorphin-depleted and takes too high an LDN dose, it creates further depletion. Some people cannot recover from this.
• Dosing formula: Based on three dimensions — sensitivity level, duration of illness, and vitality. Each qualifying dimension reduces the starting dose by a factor of 10 (0.1 mg → 10 mcg → 1 mcg).
• Extreme sensitivity case: One patient could not tolerate even 1 mcg and required further dilution before tolerating and building up.
• Neuropathy exception: Neuropathic pain requires higher doses. Dr. Kim shared his personal experience of needing to escalate quickly despite significant side effects, using a challenge-and-rest approach.

2.4 Vision Loss & LDN

Maria asked whether LDN could help with vision loss:

• Current cases: Dr. Kim is treating two patients — one with macular degeneration and another with optic nerve and retina inflammation.
• Approach: Combining LDN with transcranial electrical nerve stimulation.
• Results: One patient progressed from needing assistance to walk to being able to drive independently.

2.5 TMJ

A viewer asked about TMJ:

• Root cause approach: The key question is why there is TMJ in the first place.
• Multi-modal treatment: Dr. Kim uses multiple approaches including LDN and acupuncture neurology.

2.6 Trigeminal & Postherpetic Neuralgia

• Trigeminal neuralgia: In Dr. Kim’s practice, LDN is effective 80–90% of the time.
• Postherpetic neuralgia: LDN can be helpful where conventional options (pregabalin, gabapentin) may not work or cause side effects.
• LDN as first-line: In his practice, LDN is the first thing he reaches for in these conditions.

2.7 IFM 5R Gut Restoration Protocol

Dr. Kim briefly discussed the Institute for Functional Medicine’s 5R framework:

• Remove the bad stuff
• Replace what’s missing
• Reinoculate with beneficial organisms
• Repair the mucosal lining
• Rebalance lifestyle factors

He noted that Chinese medicine has emphasized the primacy of digestive function for thousands of years.

2.8 Acupuncture Neurology vs. Dry Needling

• Dry needling: Described as a “weak version of acupuncture” performed by PTs who learned one technique without understanding acupuncture theory.
• Acupuncture neurology: A neuroscience-based approach. Dr. Kim’s teacher came from China and applies neuroscience principles rather than traditional acupuncture theory.
• Application: Used for neurological conditions, pain management, and “resetting” the system.

2.9 Side Effects Overview

3. Practice & Personal Details Shared

• Practice is fully virtual, covering Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Texas, Georgia, and Florida
• Also sees patients in person in Fredericksburg, Texas
• Typical patient intake runs 30 minutes to 2 hours
• Screens new patients for willingness to do “homework”; turned away a potential patient who refused
• Maintains Illinois licensure to serve a medically underserved tri-state area (Iowa, Missouri, Illinois)
• Previously practiced in California; relocated to Texas due to cost of living
• Dream of purchasing a van to visit patients state-to-state
• LDN combined with keto reversed his own autoimmune disease; temporarily stopped LDN until neuropathy required it again

4. Notable Quotes (Paraphrased)

On root cause medicine: “I didn’t know that I loved integrative medicine because I thought that’s more of a root cause than conventional medicine.”

On individualized dosing: “What is the optimal dose? It doesn’t matter — because that’s your dose, not other people’s dose.”

On LDN’s potential: “I didn’t know I can reverse autoimmune diseases. I didn’t know that I can treat neuropathy.”

On sharing information: “If you don’t share information, where are you gonna get the information? From the blind leading the blind.”

On his motivation: “I realized I probably have 20 to 30 good years left, and so I can’t possibly see all of them.”

On community: “We saw the biggest and the oldest group get vaporized. So we don’t want that to happen to our group.”

Summary prepared by Claude for the LDN Support Group