Ola El Garawany The Functional Lifestyle Pharmacist

30/10/2025

🦋 Is your thyroid really being tested properly?

Many people are told their thyroid is “normal” — but regular blood tests often don’t check for thyroid antibodies or a full thyroid panel.

To truly understand your thyroid health (and detect autoimmune issues like Hashimoto’s early), it’s important to test more than just TSH.

✅ Ask for these key tests:
1️⃣ Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPO Ab)
2️⃣ Thyroglobulin Antibodies (Tg Ab)
3️⃣ Free T3
4️⃣ Free T4

Get the full picture of your thyroid health and take back control of your energy, mood, and metabolism. 💪

📩 For more information or to book in-depth bloodwork, contact Ola at fmpractice1@gmail.com or visit 🌿 www.olafmp.ie

21/09/2025

I am honored to lead the way in implementing Functional Medicine at my community pharmacy business. Being certified with the Institute for Functional Medicine as the first community pharmacist in Ireland is a personal and professional achievement I am proud of. Since embarking on this journey in 2017, I have met inspiring Practitioners who have enriched my experience. Yesterday's conference, organized by the Nutrition Collective, was filled with valuable clinical insights that I am excited to incorporate into my practice. .

31/03/2025

A recent 12-week randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of flaxseed powder supplementation on patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The researchers divided 50 participants into two groups: one received 30 grams of flaxseed powder daily + health education, while the control group received only health education (and no flaxseed).

The researchers reported that the flaxseed group experienced significant improvements, including reduced liver fat content, better liver function, improved body composition, and enhanced lipid metabolism compared to their baseline measurements. Additionally, flaxseed supplementation positively influenced gut microbiota by increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing harmful ones.

Personally, I've been a fan of flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds) for years. I store them in my refrigerator and add them to smoothies for additional fiber. Check with your healthcare practitioner whether flaxseed meal would be a beneficial addition to your daily diet.

23/03/2025

02/06/2024

I am delighted to add to my expertise as a Functional Medicine practitioner and a clinical pharmacist the knowledge and the education of Nutrigenomics.
The science of understanding the genes and how they can impact health.
Nutrigenomics, also known as nutritional genomics, is the study of the interactions between an individual's genetic makeup and their diet. This field aims to understand how specific nutrients and dietary patterns influence gene expression and how genetic variations affect the body's response to nutrients. Nutrigenomics seeks to provide personalised dietary recommendations to improve health and prevent or treat diseases based on an individual's genetic profile.The individual's blueprint!

Key aspects of nutrigenomics include:

Gene-Diet Interactions: Exploring how different foods and nutrients can activate or suppress certain genes, thereby influencing health outcomes.
Genetic Variations: Identifying genetic differences among individuals that may affect how they metabolise and respond to various nutrients.
Disease Prevention: Understanding how diet can be tailored to an individual's genetic makeup to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.
Personalized Nutrition: Developing customised dietary recommendations based on genetic profiles to optimise health and wellness.It has the potential to revolutionise dietary guidelines and public health approach by shifting from generalised recommendations to personalised nutrition and supplementations plans.

29/05/2024

New NHI study finds that introducing peanut in infancy prevents peanut allergy into adolescence by 71%!
"That would give confidence for parents and care givers that introducing peanuts to young children can provide lasting protection from peanut allergy"
National Institute of Health.

04/02/2023

It is not only Calcium that we need to have healthy bones!
in fact taking calcium as a supplement for prevention of osteoporosis is not always healthy .did you know that?
Calcium can build up around the arteries which may lead to arterial calcification and plaque in the arteries which means heart diseases!
While If we take vit D3 and K2 along with Calcium (Calcium preferably from our diet)the Calcium plaque in the arteries can be reduced!
Oh yes!
K2 and D3 facilitate the Calcium absorption and shift it into the bones
Where it is needed most!
Vit K2 regulates normal blood clotting and also activates the protein , osteocalcin, which integrates Calcium into bone.
Be careful when taking supplements and always check how you get the best out of them .
Also eating balanced diet rich in vegetables and fermented food will help with bone and heart health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5613455/

20/11/2022

That was THE most important question of the day today!
Do middle aged women need Hormonal replacement therapy aka HRT?
And the answer is.....yes and no 😅😅
It depends on many factors!

16/11/2022

I am really looking forward to attend the Functional Medicine conference this weekend in Galway.
Dr Joel Evans 's experience in the Hormonal system is incredible.
I had the pleasure to meet him in person in Chicago few years ago when I started my journey to study Functional medicine.
The conference's theme this year is all about Female Health .It will be an amazing weekend packed with great speakers! cant wait!

31/05/2022

In celebration of Lifestyle Medicine Week, we are very excited to announce our panel discussion with Edelle, Ola and Padraic will go live this Friday. They will be teaching us all about Lifestyle Medicine, healthy behaviours and how our choices can have an impact on chronic disease
Edelle O'Doherty - Knowledge4Health - comes with significant experience and knowledge with regard to preventing chronic illnesses and provides education, tools and support to enable people to make informed nutrition and lifestyle choices. To name a few, she studied Nutritional Therapy, Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice, Immune & Cardiometabolic health at The Institute for Functional Medicine, Prevention and support in Alzeiheimer's Disease at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and is a certified ketogenic nutrition specialist with the American Nutrition Association.
Ola El Garawany The Functional Lifestyle Pharmacist - qualified as a Pharmacist, later as a diet counsellor and finally studied functional medicine. She has successfully run her own pharmacy business since 2007 and has established a healthstore within the pharmacy since 2015. Her main objective is to be a great access to the community offering a broad knowledge in both conventional and non-conventional approach, believing good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle may ultimately reduce the occurrence of illnesses, believing treating the root cause of a disease rather than treating only the symptoms is the optimum approach.
Dr Pádraic Dunne is an immunologist, practicing psychotherapist and meditation teacher, based at the new Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University of Medicine and Health Sciences. As an RCSI Lecturer, Dr Dunne is interested in the development of Health and Wellbeing programmes for postgraduate healthcare professionals, corporate work forces, as well as for patients suffering with chronic disease and the general public.
American College of Lifestyle Medicine

20/05/2022

2 weeks to a healthier you..for more info to how to sign up please contact me at fmpractice1@gmail.com.
Closing date to sign up if Friday the 27th of May.