1. LDN is a Modulator, Not a Single-Target Drug LDN (low-dose naltrexone) works as a regulatory agent—balancing immune and nervous system function rather than pushing physiology in one direction. It can help both hyperactive and underactive states, which is why it’s used across autoimmune, neuropathic, and
Functional Medicine
CLINICAL BLOG | INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE Parallel Worlds of Healing: Chinese Medicine’s Spleen and Kidney Schools Meet Functional Medicine Yoon Hang “John” Kim, MD, MPH Board-Certified, Preventive Medicine and Integrative/Holistic Medicine • Direct Integrative Care MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This article is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical
Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH | www.directintegrativecare.com In integrative medicine, the question is rarely whether emotional wellbeing matters — decades of data now link positive affect to better cardiovascular outcomes, stronger immune function, and longer life. The more practical question is what specifically a patient can do, today, that has
Integrative Oncology
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy arising from the epithelial lining of the biliary tree. The disease is traditionally divided by anatomic origin into three subtypes: intrahepatic (iCCA, arising from small bile ducts within the liver), perihilar (pCCA, at the hepatic duct confluence), and distal (dCCA, within the extrahepatic bile
Yoon Hang (John) Kim, MD, MPH | Board-Certified in Preventive Medicine | Integrative & Functional Medicine Physician | www.directintegrativecare.com Clinical Overview Elevated blood sugar — whether characterized as insulin resistance, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes — is one of the most common metabolic problems seen in integrative primary care. Patients frequently inquire
MCAS
Yoon Hang “John” Kim, MD, MPH Board-certified in Preventive Medicine and Integrative & Holistic Medicine • Direct Integrative Care Ketotifen is a dual-action second-generation H1 antihistamine and partial mast cell stabilizer that has been used for decades in allergology and is increasingly positioned in functional medicine as bridge
peptide
Yoon Hang “John” Kim, MD, MPH, FAAMA • Direct Integrative Care • April 2026 Every so often a topic drifts into my inbox from three directions at once. Right now, peptide bioregulators are that topic. Longevity podcasts talk about them. Patients ask about them by brand name. Colleagues in functional medicine swap
Functional Medicine
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE PERSPECTIVE By Yoon Hang “John” Kim, MD, MPH Board-Certified in Preventive Medicine and Integrative/Holistic Medicine Yoon Hang Kim MD| directintegrativecare.com KEY CLINICAL POINTS • Obesity is reframed as a hormonal disorder driven by chronic hyperinsulinemia, not simply an energy-balance problem. • Three complementary clinical frameworks — Westman
ketone
CLINICIAN-AUTHORED REVIEW Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH Board-Certified in Preventive Medicine | Integrative & Functional Medicine MD • Exogenous ketones — supplements that raise circulating β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) without requiring strict carbohydrate restriction — have moved from a niche athletic supplement to a metabolic therapy being tested in Alzheimer's disease,
Yoon Hang Kim MD | www.directintegrativecare.com Why Blood Sugar May Be High in the Morning Understanding the dawn phenomenon, overnight lows, and what to do about morning glucose spikes. Waking up to a high blood sugar reading can be frustrating and confusing. For many people, morning highs happen for
Glutathione
Glutathione and Cancer: An Honest Look at a Double-Edged Antioxidant Yoon Hang “John” Kim, MD, MPH, FAAMA • www.directintegrativecare.com Every month in my integrative oncology practice, a patient asks me some version of the same question: “Should I be taking glutathione?” The question usually comes after they’ve
by Yoon Hang “John” Kim, MD, MPH Board-Certified in Preventive Medicine | Integrative & Functional Medicine Physician Yoon Hang Kim MD • directintegrativecare.com If you’ve spent any time in integrative oncology circles—or even just scrolling health-related social media—you’ve almost certainly encountered claims about ivermectin and