Who Am I - and Why I Do This Work (Part One)

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Welcome to The Wellness Blueprint, your weekly dose of actionable insights to help you reclaim your health and vitality.

Who Am I-and Why Do I Do This Work (Part One)

I want to take a step back this week and share a little more about me - not just the science, not just the protocols, but the story behind why I do this work.

I was born in Korea in 1981. When I was four, my mom left me in the care of my grandparents. My grandfather became my father figure. He was a disciplined businessman - no matter how late he got home, he rose with the sun, washed, combed his hair with pomade, and sat down for breakfast with his newspaper. That routine and discipline left a deep imprint on me.

My grandmother was the heart of the home. She woke before dawn to pray, gather vegetables, prepare porridge, fish, fruit, and sides for my grandfather. She even took me for monthly acupuncture sessions. Without realizing it, I was being taught that health isn’t just medicine - it’s rhythm, food, nature, and care.

Some of my fondest memories were hiking the mountains of Seoul with my grandfather. We’d stop at Buddhist temples to collect spring water - “medicinal water,” the monks called it. Today, I know it was structured, mineral-rich water. Back then, it was just a tradition. Looking back, it feels almost sacred.

Fast forward: I went to pharmacy school. I loved learning pathophysiology and therapeutics, but something felt missing. Nutrition was barely covered. Lifestyle medicine? ALMOST NEVER!
Professors dismissed supplements as “unproven.” Yet in my heart, I remembered what I’d seen growing up-food as medicine, water as life, discipline as health.

Then came the wake-up call. During an emergency medicine rotation, I met a woman who came in week after week with uncontrolled blood pressure. The solution? More medications. Adjust the dose, add another pill, send her home. No one ever asked about her diet, her stress, or her lifestyle. I saw the disconnect between what we were taught and what people really needed.

And then I met a pharmacist in Texas who practiced holistically. People drove hours just to see him. He helped patients lower their pill burden, reduce inflammation, and reclaim their health. That was the moment I knew: this is the path I need to take.

I dove headfirst into functional medicine (holistic medicine) after pharmacy school and completed my fellowship certification. At first, I thought I’d found the answers. But over time, I realized something: even functional medicine had its limits. Too often, it was just swapping pharmaceuticals for supplements - a different label, but the same pill-for-an-ill mentality.

Then came my own health crisis - a heart attack followed by the unravelling reality of mold toxicity. Everything I thought I knew was put to the test. I had to learn, firsthand, how biotoxins disrupt health at the deepest cellular level.

That’s why I do what I do now. This isn’t theory. This is lived experience, science, and practice all woven together.

My mission? To guide people who feel stuck, dismissed, or overwhelmed back to recovery by digging deeper than protocols and getting to the real root.

This is Part One of my story. In Part Two, I’ll share my recovery journey-what I actually did to heal, the steps that worked, and the lessons I now pass on to my patients.

So stay tuned-it’s coming soon.

Wishing you health and balance,

John Kim, Pharm.D.

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