About Me

I was blessed to have a very good education.  I received a Doctorate Degree in Pharmacy from  the University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy and graduated with honors and a member of Rho Chi.  I have practiced as a Registered pharmacist for a number of years in the state of California.  Practice settings include, managed care, long term care and retail pharmacy.  My level of service included several years in management. This was my gateway to understanding science and medicine and the nuts and bolts of how the health care system functions. I was fortunate to discover functional medicine, on that fateful day, when I ran across  an article in Drug Topics, a pharmacy magazine, in which a fellow pharmacist and leader, Ross Pelton, was recruiting pharmacists to complete Post Graduate Studies in Clinical Nutrition.  I completed the courses and  passed the boards to become recognized as a Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN).  I say fortunate, because, I consider functional medicine to be a premier clinical form of health care that gets to the root cause of chronic illness and therefore offers great hope and true wellness to people every single day.  My quest for knowledge continues to grow every single day as I try to listen to and attend as many courses, webinars and trainings as possible.  

​

Midway through my career, as a pharmacist, and prior to getting my CCN, I had a deep realization and concern that people were just not getting better when it came to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and arthritis.  Not only were the prescriptions never ending, there disease state seemed to continue to progress and their medication dosages increased or more drugs were prescribed.  I had to grapple with learning that two very dear clients, died from some mix up or other with regard to their medications.    Drugs, most definitely,  have their place, but they are not the cure or answer in a lot of situations, especially if the cause has not been addressed first. This approach to health care, is very discouraging.  My customers needed an advocate, though.  The best you can do in those situations, is to provide consultations that help patients avoid the negative aspects of drug therapy and be aware of important precautions and supportive steps they can take to handle things like side effects, nutrient depletions, and things to be aware of when navigating the health care system. 

​

I have a deep concern and special interest in helping people who struggle with weight gain and blood sugar dysregulation.  I have had my own struggles in both of these areas and want very much to help those who struggle in these areas to know that there is hope and help for them.