Dr. Melody Hartzler uses her voice as an advocate for functional medicine pharmacy; an educator via functionalmedicinece.com and two adjunct pharmacy professor roles; and an entertainer in the form of podcasting. We cover it all in this episode of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!
Bio (October 2022)
Dr. Hartzler has developed a passion for functional medicine and treating the underlying causes of disease. Her focus areas are functional gastrointestinal disorders, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic conditions, and autoimmune conditions. She is also a nationally recognized speaker on diabetes and functional medicine. She is currently Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Specialist (BCACP), and is Board Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM). She is the owner of PharmToTable, LLC, where she develops continuing education for pharmacists and provides a platform for functional medicine telehealth visits. She is passionate about working as a team to change the landscape of pharmacist provided care. She is also the Director of Clinical Services for Profero Team, LLC.
In addition to leading a team of functional medicine providers, she does spend time in clinical practice serving patients in Ohio via telehealth and in person in the greater Dayton/Cincinnati areas to address a variety of chronic conditions with a focus on diabetes and functional gastrointestinal conditions.
She is a graduate of Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy and completed her residency training at Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center. Her functional medicine education has come from a variety of different conferences, educational programs, and clinical experience. She has completed Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP) from Institute of Functional Medicine and is in the process of completing a Fellowship of Anti-Aging, Metabolic and Functional Medicine (FAAMFM) with the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M).
She and her team are ready to help transform lives, from not feeling well, tired, stressed, and experiencing GI symptoms; to thriving, symptom free and back to enjoying life! You can find her and her team at https://pharmtotable.life/.
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Links from this episode
Pharm to Table Website https://pharmtotable.life
Functional Medicine CE Website https://functionalmedicinece.com (Nov12, 2022 Conference)
Pharm to Table Podcast https://pharmtotable.life/podcast
Pharm to Table Blog https://pharmtotable.life/blog
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/pharmtotable.life/
https://www.instagram.com/pharmtotableteam/
https://www.instagram.com/fxmedce/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/PharmToTableTeam
https://www.facebook.com/PharmtoTable.Life
https://www.facebook.com/FxMedCE
https://www.linkedin.com/company/pharmtotable/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melody-hartzler-12667569/
Cedarville University School of Pharmacy (Cedarville, OH)
University of Findlay College of Pharmacy (Findlay, OH)
Lara Zakaria, PharmD https://www.linkedin.com/in/lara-zakaria/
Kara Fitzgerald, Naturopathic Physician https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-n-fitzgerald-b77265b/
New Frontiers in Functional Medicine Podcast https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/fxmed-podcast/
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Highlights from our conversation
During the first part of our conversation, Melody talked about her Pharm to Table Team’s upcoming Functional Medicine CE Virtual Symposium on November 12, 2022. The focus is on functional medicine approaches to anxiety and depression. To learn more and register, visit https://functionalmedicinece.com. 7 hours of CPE are available. Cost is listed on the website. Previous CPE offerings are also available for purchase on the website.
https://functionalmedicinece.com is an online continuing education platform for pharmacists interested in learning more about functional and integrative medicine. According to Melody, “Pharmacists are really poised for being part of that functional medicine team and really helping those patients get better outcomes.”
This Virtual Symposium is a great opportunity for ALL pharmacists. It is not exclusive to functional medicine pharmacists. In fact, it may even help pharmacists who have a personal interest in improving their own anxiety and/or depression.
Why are so many pharmacists going into functional medicine?
Melody responded with a several reasons as well as some functional medicine pharmacist traits:
- A desire and passion to help and serve people
- Value relationships
- Being accessible to patients
- Opportunity to innovate in the profession of pharmacy
- Attracted to entrepreneurship
- Interested in finding and addressing the root cause of an illness
Where do functional medicine pharmacists meet with their patients?
According to Melody, locations include:
- At the pharmacy counter
- Integrated into a physician’s office
- Telehealth (primarily how Pharm to Table pharmacists meet with patients)
- Coffee shops! (i.e. Meeting patients, “Where they’re at!”)
What’s the Pharm to Table Team like?
More than 30 pharmacists are contracted with Pharm to Table. They live across the US, and 100% are women (as of Sept 2022). The team is growing, and men are invited to join the team as well. Mentorship is part of Pharm to Table’s recipe for success. The more “seasoned” pharmacists develop and support less-experienced pharmacists. If you’re interested in joining the Pharm to Table Team, send Melody a message through the Contact Tab on https://pharmtotable.life/.
Patient cases paint a colorful picture. Melody mentioned several patient’s health conditions that improved through the impact of functional medicine. For example, Hashimoto’s, gut issues, and more were mentioned. When quality of life and activities of daily living improve, patients feel better and really appreciate their functional medicine pharmacist.
One challenge functional medicine pharmacists face is demonstrating the monetary value they provide to patients. It’s hard to put a price on feeling better.
Melody has a teacher’s heart. Not only does Melody educate her patients and other healthcare professionals, but she also educates pharmacy students. Melody is an Adjunct Professor at Cedarville University School of Pharmacy and the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy (Findlay, Ohio).
Podcasting is one of Melody’s skills. She is the host of Table Talk Podcast. You can find it at https://pharmtotable.life/podcast/. Melody said that she envisioned a podcast listener/patient, “Sitting at the table with us, having a conversation about their health or having a conversation about a health topic.” At the time of this recording, 20 episodes were published. Topics include, “Foundations of health,” “What is functional medicine,” and specific topics, like insulin resistance and diabetes. The podcast is not a deep dive into the science of functional medicine. For a deep dive, Melody recommends listening to Naturopathic Doctor Kara Fitzgerald’s podcast called New Frontiers in Functional Medicine.
What’s next for Pharm to Table?
In addition to the Functional Medicine CE Virtual Symposium on November 12, 2022, Pharm to Table is also offering a group coaching program in November. It’s called, “14 Day Reset.” To learn more, visit https://pharmtotable.life/shop/14-day-reset/.
Thank you Dr. Melody Hartzler for being my guest on The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!
O-H…..I-O!
Thank you for listening to episode 181 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!