Sweet Almond Apothecary

Thank you so much for visiting my site. I hope you enjoy scrolling through all the content as much as I enjoyed embarking on a new adventure.

I have always had a passion and draw towards the medical field, especially medication. I often wondered as a kid what made doctors choose one drug over another and what happens when medicine does not work! My curiosity grew as a teenager when I developed horrible acne. I tried everything under the sun...creams, pills, etc. One day a nurse sat me down and told me I must try Accutane. She said it's time I give it a shot even though I was so hesitant because of the monitoring and side effects. Turns out she was right and all the worry just disappeared as I put my trust into her.

I was in college at the time studying Psychology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Psychology, human emotions and human behavior have always been where my energy is drawn. Especially because I felt my acne/skin issues was an underlying reaction to stress. I decided to pursue a Bachelors of Science in Psychology as a Natural Science in order to gain all of my prerequisites for the health field. My hope was to bring together the human and scientific side of medicine.

I worked one year after school as a coordinator at a pharmaceutical marketing company. I took this time to decide what graduate program to pursue.  At last, I decided on a Doctorate of Pharmacy. I attended Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY for four years and graduated 2nd in my class. I next went on for a one year Pharmacy Residency program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Pharmacy is a very broad and diverse field, which in and of itself has advantages and draw backs. It is hard to know right away which setting you should practice. Retail pharmacy is a popular destination for many graduates. I wanted a more clinical experience, working side by side with physicians, other allied professionals and patients. I chose Hospital pharmacy. I worked for ten years at Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, NJ. A few of my proud accomplishments included:

*Helped to develop and grow the clinical pharmacy program

*Wrote numerous newsletters for education of hospital staff

*Developed policies/procedures to promote the proper and safe use of medications

*Helped educate physicians and decide which drugs should become part of the hospital formulary

*Started a discharge counseling program focusing on injecting anti-clotting medication for home use

*Developed the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, which established the effective use of agents in the hospital to minimize resistance bacteria.

During that time I also became the lucky mom to two beautiful children. I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis after my first child and was told I would be on lifelong powerful anti-inflammatory medicine. I refused to accept that as truth. I researched  and researched and found a support system - a Clinical Nutritionist, Acupuncturist, licensed Naturopathic Physician, Therapist...the list could go on. I managed to detox my body from inflammation and hormone imbalance and get my condition under control with a combination of medicine, diet and alternative medicine. I was so grateful and proud. I mostly used this knowledge for my own recovery, but my passion for Integrative Medicine grew at this time.

When I moved to northern NJ, I decided to leave my Jersey City position and focus on my family. I took a couple part time jobs, however none of them really resonated with me. After some serious soul searching I decided to start my own Holistic Integrative Pharmacy Practice.

I have become certified in Pharmacy Medication Management as well as a Pharmacist as an Immunizer and have continued learning and growing as a Pharmacist.

Starting my own practice will be a slow and exciting process.  However, I feel it all comes back to my inner passion of working with people and helping to prevent flares/illness and to gain control of their health. I hope to focus on educating people about the most effective strategies to manage their health concerns by combining the best of Conventional Medicine and Alternative Medicine. The goal is to always stay safe, healthy and happy!