By Yoon Hang (John) Kim, MD, MPH · Board-Certified in Preventive Medicine | Integrative & Functional Medicine After more than two decades of caring for patients with complex, multi-system chronic illness, I have come to believe that the most important clinical skill in this work is not diagnostic pattern recognition
Vitamin D
Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH • www.directintegrativecare.com Vitamin D is one of the most studied, most prescribed, and most self-administered nutrients of the last two decades, and for good reason. Adequate vitamin D status supports bone integrity, immune regulation, cardiovascular function, insulin sensitivity, and numerous processes that touch
calcium
What the Evidence Actually Says About Benefits, Risks, and Practical Strategy Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH Board-Certified in Preventive Medicine and Integrative/Holistic Medicine MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information provided is not a substitute
mold
Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH | Board Certified in Preventive Medicine| Integrative & Functional Medicine Physician Focusing on Root Causes | www.directintegrativecare.com MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Laboratory testing should be ordered, interpreted, and acted upon only under
RA
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) frequently ask whether a specific probiotic strain can help their disease, and Lactobacillus casei comes up more than any other.
Pentosan
Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium (PPS) From Bladder Pain to Broad-Spectrum Tissue Protection A Comprehensive Academic Review
mammogram
Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH www.directintegrativecare.com MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your physician before making changes to your health care plan. Introduction Mammography remains the cornerstone of breast cancer screening for average-risk women, and its
Long Covid
Long COVID as a Post-Infectious Syndrome: The Autoimmune and Immunopathic Dimensions
Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH • www.directintegrativecare.com Introduction Few laboratory tests are ordered more often, or interpreted more reflexively, than thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Major guidelines from the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) identify serum TSH as the single best screening test
Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH | www.directintegrativecare.com KEY DISTINCTION An immunostimulant pushes the immune system in one direction — typically up. An immunomodulator calibrates the immune system bidirectionally, raising what is too low and calming what is too high. In autoimmune disease, the latter is almost always what we want.
LDN CKD Kidney Failure
Yoon Hang Kim, MD, MPH · www.directintegrativecare.com Low-dose naltrexone (LDN), typically dosed between 0.5 and 4.5 mg at bedtime, has become a widely used off-label therapy for autoimmune disease, chronic pain, and complex chronic illness. One of the questions I am asked most often in
ldn
Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN): A Functional Medicine Approach to Autoimmunity, Lyme Disease, Long COVID, and Chronic Illness