By Lauren Castle, PharmD, MS – Founder & CEO, FMPhA.org
In the fields of anti-aging, integrative, and functional medicine, pharmacists have long been sought after as members of the patient care team, particularly for their unique scope of practice to compound customized medications for patients. But in recent years, the role of the pharmacist on functional medicine care teams has expanded well beyond the compounding counter.
While sugar may seem like an innocuous substance to some, the compound can cause severe damage to both physical and mental health when consumed in excessive amounts. Experts believe that high sugar intake is one of the leading causes of rising obesity and chronic disease rates across the globe. What’s more, chronic overconsumption can increase future cravings for sugar and ultimately result in sugar addiction, which has become prevalent in the population. Many people remain unaware of the negative health effects the substance has on their bodies and even the amount they are consuming on a daily basis, as sugar is often a hidden ingredient in various food products. These individuals experience a heightened risk of developing one or more of the many conditions associated with high sugar consumption, including but not limited to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
The speed and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic response highlighted the fragmentation of current healthcare systems across the globe and how it significantly impairs the ability to respond effectively. Making matters worse, the impact of the pandemic on population health and the functionality of healthcare systems has been and will continue to be far-reaching and long-lasting.
As the world attempts to rebuild from the pandemic, many individuals are left with serious and lingering health issues that require immediate and consistent attention. Healthcare practitioners are now facing a rising prevalence of chronic disease, growing cases of long COVID infection, as well as pandemic-influenced mental, physical, and emotional crises.
Addressing the devastating psychological and physical aftereffects of the pandemic will require deviation from the current standard of medicine. An integrated approach to patient care heavily grounded in functional medicine is emerging as the solution to healing global public health and repairing the siloed structures of the healthcare industry.
