The Functional Pharmacist

The Functional Pharmacist I talk about the health stuff no one explains. Energy, brain fog, gut issues, hormones, and more. Follow for clarity.

I'm a Pharmacist, a mom of 2, wife, and pharmacy owner. My passion has always been helping others through my work in pharmacy. Over the last 5 years, my approach has drastically changed. Early on, my role in healthcare was to educate and counsel patients about their prescribed medication at our local pharmacy. While I loved providing education, I always felt there was more that I could do. I hated

seeing 1 medication lead to 5 medications and many times my patients never felt any better. This lead me to studying functional medicine and learning how food, supplements, nutrients, hormones, and lifestyle play a major role in health. I am inspired by my patients who made drastic transformations to their overall health. In addition, I experienced what a healthy lifestyle and the right supplement plan did for me. Shifting the focus of my career to functional medicine and helping people achieve balanced health has brought an intensity to my practice to help as many people as I can.

You’re tired all day.You finally get into bed.Then somehow… you’re wide awake again at 3 AM.If that keeps happening, ple...
04/30/2026

You’re tired all day.
You finally get into bed.
Then somehow… you’re wide awake again at 3 AM.

If that keeps happening, please stop assuming it’s just a “bad sleep” problem.

Middle-of-the-night waking can be a clue.

And the reason may not be what you think.

A lot of sleep advice focuses on helping you fall asleep.
But staying asleep is a different conversation.

That’s exactly why I put together a guidebook on this.

Inside, I break down:

- why you may be waking up at night
- what patterns to pay attention to
- what could be contributing beneath the surface
- and what to start with first

Comment “SLEEP” and I’ll send it to you.

04/29/2026

This is something I wish more women were told:

Not every sleep issue should be treated like a melatonin deficiency.

If your sleep suddenly became lighter, more interrupted, or unpredictable in your late 30s, 40s, or early 50s, it may be worth looking beyond bedtime habits.

Many women are doing “all the right things”:

They stop caffeine early.
They dim the lights.
They take magnesium.
They use melatonin.
They follow a routine.

But they still wake up around 2–4AM feeling wired, restless, hot, anxious, or wide awake.

That does not mean they are failing at sleep.

It may mean their body is going through a transition that needs to be understood more clearly.

Perimenopause can affect sleep through hormone shifts, cortisol rhythm, blood sugar stability, stress resilience, and nervous system regulation.

So instead of only asking, “What can I take to sleep?”

We should also be asking, “Why is my body waking me up?”

That question changes everything.

04/25/2026

One reason perimenopause gets missed is because a lot of women are still having periods, so they assume what they’re feeling must be stress, aging, or just a bad season.

But perimenopause happens before periods fully stop, and it can show up as sleep disruption, more irritability, more anxiety, and problems with memory or concentration.

The NHS says a change in your usual period pattern is often the first sign, and ACOG says about 4 in 10 women have mood symptoms during perimenopause that are similar to PMS.

That means waking at 3 AM, forgetting simple words, and feeling much less patient than usual can absolutely be part of a bigger hormone pattern. What to do: write down what’s changing and when.

Look for cycle changes, middle-of-the-night waking, night sweats, mood shifts, and brain fog. If it’s affecting daily life, that is enough reason to bring it up.

Many women come in thinking they have multiple separate issues.Fatigue. Weight gain. Poor sleep. Anxiety. Cravings.But m...
04/24/2026

Many women come in thinking they have multiple separate issues.

Fatigue. Weight gain. Poor sleep. Anxiety. Cravings.

But more often than not, these are not isolated problems.

They are different expressions of the same underlying system working harder to maintain balance.

This is why early changes are often missed.

Markers like glucose, thyroid, or inflammation can appear “normal” while the body is already compensating behind the scenes.

Over time, that compensation becomes less effective and symptoms become more noticeable.

A lot of women think:“I started hormones… so why don’t I feel better?”Sleep is still off.Weight isn’t changing.Anxiety i...
04/22/2026

A lot of women think:

“I started hormones… so why don’t I feel better?”

Sleep is still off.
Weight isn’t changing.
Anxiety is still there.

Here’s what’s often missed:

Hormones don’t just need to be present.
Your body has to actually respond to them.

And things like blood sugar instability, chronic stress, inflammation, and early metabolic dysfunction can block that response.

For example:
In insomnia, cortisol can run 15–20% higher at night. Up to 88% of adults show signs of metabolic dysfunction, even with “normal” labs

So yes… hormones matter.
But they’re not the whole picture.

If you want a clearer direction on what to actually test and look at first. DM me "LABS" and let's talk about your symptoms!

04/20/2026

This is one of the biggest reasons perimenopause gets missed. A lot of women are waiting for one obvious sign, but what often shows up first is broken sleep, worse focus, more irritability, and that quiet feeling of “I do not feel like myself lately.”

Mayo Clinic says the menopause transition can include irregular periods, sleep problems, mood changes, and brain fog, and that perimenopause often lasts 2 to 8 years, with an average of about 4 years.

That means women can spend a long time blaming stress, overwork, or themselves before realizing there is a bigger hormonal pattern underneath it.

What women should do is start tracking symptoms together instead of one by one. Look at your cycle, your sleep, your mood, your patience, and your energy as one conversation.

Try to protect sleep, limit things that clearly make symptoms worse, and bring the full pattern to your clinician if it is affecting quality of life.

04/17/2026

A lot of women laugh this off as being “hangry,” but if not eating for a few hours makes you shaky, snappy, anxious, teary, or suddenly unable to think straight, your body may be struggling with blood sugar swings. That usually means the issue is not just hunger. It can be how long you went without eating, what you ate earlier, or how hard your body crashed after a quick spike.

A good place to start is looking at your first half of the day. Did you have enough protein? Did you mostly have coffee? Was breakfast tiny or skipped? Was lunch mostly carbs? Those details matter more than people think.

What helps:
- eat earlier
- build meals around protein + fiber + carbs instead of carbs alone
- stop waiting until you are starving to eat
- notice whether the crash happens after certain meals or long gaps without food

If this keeps happening, do not just make it into a personality trait. Your body may be asking for more stability, not more willpower.

Late-night hunger is often dismissed as a habit or lack of discipline. In reality, it can reflect changes in sleep quali...
04/16/2026

Late-night hunger is often dismissed as a habit or lack of discipline. In reality, it can reflect changes in sleep quality, hormone balance, and how the body is managing energy.

04/12/2026

A lot of women brush this off as “I just stood up too fast,” but when dizziness shows up alongside heavy periods, it can be worth looking at iron levels.

Heavy bleeding can slowly drain iron over time, and iron deficiency can show up as tiredness, weakness, dizziness, feeling cold, headaches, shortness of breath, or hair shedding.

Start by paying attention to how heavy your periods are, whether you feel wiped out around your cycle, and whether standing up makes you lightheaded often.

That is a pattern worth bringing up with your doctor, especially if your periods are super heavy month after month.

Consistently waking up in the middle of the night is something a lot of people normalize.But when it happens at the same...
04/10/2026

Consistently waking up in the middle of the night is something a lot of people normalize.

But when it happens at the same time repeatedly, it often points to a deeper pattern in how the body is handling stress and recovery.

That’s why it tends to stick around.

Comment SLEEP and I’ll send you a simple guide on what to focus on first.

04/09/2026

Probiotics can play a simple but important role in keeping your gut balanced.

04/08/2026

A lot of women joke about being “hangry,” but if not eating makes you shaky, snappy, anxious, dizzy, or suddenly unable to think straight, that can be a sign your blood sugar is not staying steady.

Low blood sugar can show up as shakiness, hunger, dizziness, confusion, or irritability, and in some people it can happen a few hours after eating, too.

A helpful place to start is making your meals more balanced instead of relying on coffee, carbs, or long gaps without food.

Think protein, fiber, and enough food earlier in the day, then notice whether your mood and energy stay more stable. It also helps to track when it happens, what you ate before, and how long you went without eating. If it keeps happening, bring that pattern up with your doctor.

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