09/01/2026
🎙️ What happens when the science you were trained in is only part of the healing equation?
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with my friend and colleague Dr. Lauren Castle for a conversation that felt especially meaningful because it traces so much of the evolution of my own career.
I started in traditional pharmacy and eventually found my way into emergency medicine and critical care — work I still deeply value.
But my own health challenges forced me to start asking different questions.
Not just:
What medication treats this symptom?
But…
Why is this happening in the first place?
That question led me into functional medicine.
And eventually, another question emerged:
What if even functional medicine is only part of the picture?
Because healing isn't purely biochemical.
Our stress, beliefs, emotions, nervous system, relationships, trauma, sense of purpose, and connection to something greater all influence the physiology we're trying to change.
In this episode, Lauren and I talk about the journey from conventional pharmacy into functional medicine, the importance of understanding our scope of practice, practitioner autonomy, coaching and mindset work, and why I now see healing through the lens of body, mind, heart, and soul.
One of the things I shared in our conversation sums up where my work has evolved:
✨ We are energetic beings having a physical experience.
That doesn't mean abandoning science.
It means expanding the conversation around what creates health.
I believe pharmacists are uniquely positioned to be part of that evolution — bringing our deep understanding of physiology, pharmacology, and evidence-based medicine into a much broader conversation about root-cause and whole-person healing.
Thank you, Lauren, for creating space for this conversation and for the work you're doing to help pharmacists imagine what else is possible for our profession. đź’ś
🎧 Listen/watch the episode here:
[LINK]
I'd love to hear from my fellow pharmacists and healthcare practitioners:
Has your definition of “healing” changed since you first entered healthcare?
Dr. Lara May spent over a decade in emergency and acute care pharma...