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Dr. Frankie's Blog Posts


Minimum-Effective GLP-1: Microdosing and Every-Other-Week Strategies for Maintenance
GLP-1 medications (like semaglutide and tirzepatide) were designed for metabolic disease, but they’ve become the headline in weight loss. The hype is real—appetite suppression, weight loss—but so are the nuances: side effects and cost. In clinic, the smartest results come from matching dose and schedule to the person. I adjust GLP-1 dosing for clients almost every day—not by mechanically stepping up per the label, but by making evidence-based tweaks to match weight, body fat
Frankie Gan
Dec 5, 20253 min read


Genomic Testing: A Blueprint for Personalized Health
“Doctor, should I get one of those big gene tests so I’ll know what I’m going to get in the future?” That’s a very common question now. People see friends posting DNA results online, hear about celebrities like Angelina Jolie having preventive surgery for BRCA genes, or know a family member who had cancer or a heart attack “out of the blue.” It’s natural to wonder if your genes can give you a clear warning—or a clean bill of health. Genomic testing can be a powerful tool fo
Frankie Gan
Nov 28, 20258 min read


Why Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) Keeps Coming Back—and How to Prevent It
“Doctor, I wake up feeling fine. But by late afternoon, my stomach looks and feels swollen no matter what I eat.”That line shows up in clinic more often than you’d think. Sometimes it comes with gas, sometimes cramping, and sometimes constipation for weeks followed by sudden loose stools—or a frustrating mix of both. Many people have already tried cutting gluten, dairy, or whole food groups. A few feel better briefly. Others are told their tests are normal and start wondering
Frankie Gan
Nov 25, 20254 min read


Coffee and Your Heart: Enemy or Unexpected Ally?
In clinic, whenever coffee comes up, many people tense up. The same questions appear again and again: “Is it safe to drink coffee if I have a heart problem?” “If I don’t drink coffee I feel exhausted—should I force myself to quit?” It doesn’t help that media headlines often contradict one another. One day coffee is praised for lowering cancer risk and extending life; the next it’s labelled a trigger for high blood pressure and heart rhythm problems. No wonder so many people f
Frankie Gan
Nov 14, 20255 min read


Interpreting Your Lab Panel the Integrative Way
Lab results are useful—but only when read in context. In a functional–integrative model, I’m reading for drivers (inflammation/oxidative stress, mitochondrial energy, immune tone, nutrient status, hormones, gut–brain imbalances) and pattern clusters that explain what you feel day to day. One driver can produce many pictures. Chronic, low-grade inflammation, for instance, may look like joint pain, skin flares, brain fog, insulin resistance, slower recovery, or sleep that nev
Frankie Gan
Oct 28, 20253 min read


Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: A Clinician’s Guide to Precision Nutrition
Introduction “Eating better” is simple advice—but what works for you depends on your biology, sleep, stress, and even your gut microbes. Large studies show people can react very differently to the same meal ; microbiome, sleep, activity, and timing help explain why—which is exactly why personalization can add value beyond general guidelines. Precision nutrition makes food choices personal by combining the realities of preferences, with biomarkers (objective lab measures),
Frankie Gan
Oct 17, 20255 min read


Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine: A Salutogenic Way to Care
Why this lens (and how I arrived here) The single biggest turning point in my training came during a rotation at Weill Cornell’s pediatric endocrinology service. In a center for pediatric obesity, I watched children and families change—not because of one prescription, but because their whole context was addressed: food and sleep, movement and family systems, school and culture, even faith and community . When those elements lined up, outcomes were remarkable. I decided to d
Frankie Gan
Oct 17, 20253 min read


Functional Medicine, Explained
If you’re health-conscious, dealing with nagging symptoms, or aiming to age well with steady energy and clear thinking, this page explains how I practice—and why it may feel different from a typical clinic visit. Why I practice this way (a personal note) Early in my clinical practice, I kept meeting people whose tests looked “normal,” yet they didn’t feel well . Conventional medicine is excellent for diagnosing and treating specific diseases. But it often lacks the whole-syst
Frankie Gan
Oct 16, 20253 min read
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