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Health Partner Coaching
  • About Me
  • Services
    • Weight Loss Management
    • Stress Management
    • Sleep Optimization
    • GLP-1 Support Coaching
  • Lab Tests
    • Recommended Products
  • Health Quiz
  • Blog
    • Weight Loss
      • Diet
      • Foods
    • Menopause
    • Health
    • Oxalate Content in Common Foods: Complete Guide
    • Seed Oils
    • Supplements
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Self Love

Dealing with Empty Nest Syndrome

By Irina Plakas, RPh | September 28, 2024 | Comments Off on Dealing with Empty Nest Syndrome
Dealing with Empty Nest Syndrome

Dealing with Empty Nest Syndrome The transition to an empty nest syndrome marks a significant milestone in a parent’s life.…

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Embracing Body Changes: Building Confidence and Self-love

By Irina Plakas, RPh | September 14, 2024 | Comments Off on Embracing Body Changes: Building Confidence and Self-love
Embracing Body Changes: Building Confidence and Self-love

Embracing Body Changes: Building Confidence and Self-love Midlife is a journey of transformation—a time when women experience significant changes in…

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I filled thousands of statin prescriptions as a ph I filled thousands of statin prescriptions as a pharmacist. Here's what the research shows: Millions of people are prescribed statins and told they're protecting their heart. But nobody talks about what these drugs are quietly doing to the rest of your body. Muscle pain & chronic fatigue. Up to 29% of statin users report muscle aches, weakness, or exhaustion that won't go away. Doctors often dismiss it. Patients assume they're just "getting older." They're not. CoQ10 depletion. Statins block the same pathway your body uses to produce Coenzyme Q10 a molecule your heart literally depends on to function. The irony? A drug meant to protect your heart may be starving it of what it needs most. Cognitive decline & brain fog. Your brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ in your body. It needs cholesterol to function. Statin users have reported memory loss, confusion, and difficulty concentrating symptoms serious enough that the FDA added a warning to statin labels in 2012. That's not a fringe concern. That's the FDA. Increased diabetes risk. Long-term statin use has been linked to higher blood sugar and a measurably increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Trading one chronic condition for another is not prevention. Always talk to your prescribing physician before making any changes to your medications. I'm saying you deserve the full picture not just a prescription and a pat on the back. Your body is not a collection of isolated numbers on a lab report. Cholesterol is one piece of a much bigger story, and there are ways to support your cardiovascular health that don't come with a side effect sheet. If you're on statins and feeling "off" tired, achy, foggy, forgetful that's not normal aging. That's your body talking. I help people take back ownership of their health. DM me or book a free coaching call (link in bio) and let's look at the whole picture together.
I went to the movies last night. The popcorn smell I went to the movies last night. The popcorn smelled incredible... But as a pharmacist turned health coach, my brain immediately went somewhere else. Here are 3 things worth knowing about movie theater popcorn: 1. It's a blood sugar bomb 💣  A large popcorn can pack 60–80g of carbs — roughly the equivalent of 4–5 slices of bread in one sitting. Add the "buttery topping," which blunts satiety signals, and you've got a guaranteed glucose spike followed by the crash that hits on the drive home. (You know the one.) 2. Glyphosate residue is a real concern ☠️ Conventionally grown corn is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the US. Non-organic popcorn almost certainly carries glyphosate residue — an herbicide linked to gut microbiome disruption and classified as a probable carcinogen by the WHO. Worth thinking about. 3. That "butter" is not butter 🤮 It's typically refined soybean or canola oil, artificial flavoring, and preservatives. When seed oils are heated to high temperatures, they produce oxidative compounds that drive inflammation. Your body has to process all of it. So what do you do? → Eat a real meal before you go (simple and effective) → Bring your own — I do this. Small bag, coconut oil, sea salt. Nobody has ever stopped me. → Or just watch the movie. You'll enjoy it just as much, I promise. The best health decisions aren't always about restriction. Sometimes they're just about knowing what you're actually saying yes to #moviepopcorn #healthtip #seedoil #movies #healthychoicesً
Lose 15 lbs before summer. 12 weeks. 1:1 coaching. Lose 15 lbs before summer. 12 weeks. 1:1 coaching. This is for you if: ✔ You're done guessing and want a real plan ✔ You're 40+ and feel like nothing is working anymore ✔ You're busy but you're ready to make this a priority ✔ You want to work directly with a pharmacist-trained health coach What's included: → Full metabolic and lifestyle assessment → Personalized nutrition strategy built for your hormones and schedule → Movement protocol that doesn't spike cortisol or wreck your energy → Weekly 1:1 check-ins with me directly → Support between sessions — real access, not a portal 2 spots available. Starting this month. Reply "15LBS" and let's talk. Photo: that's me, I walk this walk daily. #weightloss #loseweight #HealthCoach #pharmacist #lifestyle
#costcofinds #costco #HealthyAging #midlifehealth #costcofinds #costco #HealthyAging #midlifehealth #shopping
Real Client, Real Blood Work! Here's what 90 days Real Client, Real Blood Work! Here's what 90 days of health coaching with me looks like. A client came to me with Hashimoto's and pre-diabetes, looking to lose weight. Been told to "eat better and exercise more" but no one had helped to build a plan that actually worked with her body. During 90 days, we focused on sustainable habits, not restriction. Root causes, not quick fixes. Accountability, not perfection. These latest labs tell the story: Blood Sugar: 120 → 108.9 Total Cholesterol: 255 → 195.6 LDL: 159 → 112.1 ALT (Liver Marker): 74 → 40.4 Every single marker improved. Not through a fad diet. Not through a supplement stack. Through coaching. This is what's possible when someone has the right support, the right framework, and the consistency to show up for themselves. Individual results vary. But the process works. If you're a healthcare provider who wants to offer this kind of transformation to your patients or if you're someone ready to invest in your own health I'd love to connect. Irina Plakas, Pharmacist | Certified Health Coach #BloodSugarBalance #HealthJourney #HealthCoach #pharmacist #lifestyle
You're probably going to regain weight when you st You're probably going to regain weight when you stop GLP-1. Here's why it matters. GLP-1s suppress appetite. You lose weight fast. But they don't fix how your body regulates hunger or address why you were overeating. What the research shows: A 2026 BMJ meta-analysis (37 studies, 9,000+ people) found people regain 0.4 kg per month after stopping GLP-1s—and that regain happens faster than after diet alone. Cardiometabolic benefits reverse within 1.4 years. The researchers concluded: "These findings suggest caution in short term use without a more comprehensive approach." Translation: GLP-1 without behavioral work = renting weight loss, not building it. So here's the real work: While you're on GLP-1 and appetite is suppressed, we rebuild your eating patterns. Identify triggers. Retrain your relationship with food. Fix sleep, stress, movement. By the time you come off, your body has changed—not just temporarily lost weight. That's what actually prevents regain. If you're considering GLP-1, know upfront: it's a tool, not magic. You have to do the work inside that window. That's what my GLP-1 coaching is for. #GLP1WeightLoss #WeightLossMaintenance #MetabolicHealth #HealthCoachingWorks #SustainableWeightLoss
If you eat at Popeyes, here's what's actually in y If you eat at Popeyes, here's what's actually in your food. That fried chicken? Cooked in a blend of canola, soybean, sunflower, cottonseed, corn, and palm oils—depending on location. The fries, the biscuits, the sauces. All of it. Here's why that matters: those oils are all high in omega-6 fatty acids. And if you're eating a typical American diet, you're already getting way more omega-6 than omega-3. That imbalance creates a pro-inflammatory state in your body. Does this mean you shouldn't eat Popeyes? No. But if you eat there often, your body is spending energy managing inflammation from a single meal type. What does that feel like? If you're sensitive to it, you might notice: Joint achiness the next day Digestive sluggishness Brain fog Skin flare-ups Some people don't feel it at all. Others feel it immediately. Your individual response matters more than the food itself. If you want healthy: Try cooking fried chicken at home in avocado oil or tallow. Same satisfaction, different inflammatory load. You'll probably notice a difference in how you feel. Here's the real thing though: What you do 80% of the time matters infinitely more than one meal. If Popeyes is once a month, your body handles it fine. If it's twice a week, you're creating a chronic state. The goal isn't perfection. It's understanding your choices so you can make them intentionally. What's a food you eat regularly that you've never actually looked into? #fastfood #seedoils #HealthyEating #healthyhabitsforlife
You're doing everything right — and the scale stil You're doing everything right — and the scale still won't move. 💙 Before you blame yourself, there's something worth looking at: your medication list. As a registered pharmacist with 25+ years of experience, this is one of the most overlooked barriers to weight loss I see — especially in women over 40. Some of the most commonly prescribed medications quietly work against your metabolism: 🔹 Antidepressants (SSRIs) — can add 10-15 lbs with long-term use 🔹 Beta blockers — slow your metabolism AND make exercise feel exhausting 🔹 Antihistamines (yes, even daily Zyrtec) — block the receptors that suppress appetite 🔹 Sleep medications — disrupt the hormones that control hunger overnight 🔹 Depo-Provera — linked to an average of 20+ lbs in 18 months This isn't your doctor's fault. They're focused on treating your condition. Reviewing the downstream metabolic effects? That's where a pharmacist comes in. If you suspect your medications might be holding you back, I'd love to help. 📅 Book a free 30-minute clarity call with me — link in bio. We'll look at your full medication list together and find out what's working against you — so we can work with your doctor to change it. You deserve answers, not just another diet plan. 💙 #WeightLoss #PharmacistCoach #WomensHealth #HealthOver40 #MidlifeWellness MedicationManagement HealthCoach MetabolicHealth HormoneHealth WeightLossJourney HealthyLiving PharmacistAdvice WomenOver50 MidlifeHealth FunctionalHealth
I read the ingredients on a bag of gummy bears. He I read the ingredients on a bag of gummy bears. Here's what I found. Corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, citric acid, sorbitol, natural and artificial flavors, titanium dioxide, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1. Let's break that down. The first two ingredients are sugar and more sugar. Corn syrup is liquid glucose listed first, meaning there's more of it by weight. According to the EWG, Haribo Gold-Bears are 47% sugar. Nearly half the bag. One serving = 4 teaspoons of added sugar. The WHO recommends kids get no more than 6 per day. One handful is two-thirds of a child's daily limit. Now the dyes. Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1. All petroleum-derived. Not hyperbole — literally made from petroleum. In Europe, any food containing these dyes must carry a warning: "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." That's been required since 2010. In the UK, Fanta is colored with pumpkin and carrot extracts. In the US? Red 40 and Yellow 6. McDonald's strawberry sundaes in Britain use real strawberries. In America? Red 40. Same companies. Same products. Different standards depending on where you live. Norway and Austria banned Red 40 and Yellow 5 outright. The FDA banned Red Dye No. 3 in January 2025 for cancer risk. The others remain fully legal. Food dye consumption per person in the US has increased 5x since 1955. Titanium dioxide makes gummy bears shiny. The EU banned it as a food additive in 2022 after determining it could no longer be considered safe. Still approved in the US. Here's what gets me: these companies already make these products without synthetic dyes. They're doing it right now in Europe. They just haven't done it here. Because they don't have to. I'm not telling you to never eat a gummy bear. I'm telling you to flip the bag over. What's an ingredient that surprised you in a common food? Drop it below 👇 #ingredientlabels #readthelabel #foodingredients #foodlabels #gummybears
#costcofinds #HealthyEating #costcoshopping #costc #costcofinds #HealthyEating #costcoshopping #costco
Standard blood work tells you if you're sick. Thes Standard blood work tells you if you're sick. These six tests tell you if you're heading there. Most doctors run the same basic panel year after year. By the time those tests show problems, you've often had declining health for years. Here are six markers that predict disease long before standard labs catch it: 1. Fasting Insulin Rises years before glucose becomes abnormal. Standard labs only check glucose—by then you've likely been insulin resistant for many years. Optimal fasting insulin: <5 µIU/mL (most labs say <25 is "normal"). 2. ApoB (Apolipoprotein B) Counts the actual number of atherogenic particles in your blood, not just cholesterol content. Far more predictive of cardiovascular disease than standard cholesterol panels. Optimal: <80 mg/dL. 3. hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) Measures chronic systemic inflammation—the driver behind heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia. Optimal: <1.0 mg/L. 4. Homocysteine Elevated levels indicate increased risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cognitive decline. Signals methylation dysfunction and B vitamin deficiencies. Optimal: <7-8 µmol/L (most labs say <15 is fine—it's not). 5. RBC Magnesium Serum magnesium is nearly useless—it stays normal even when you're severely deficient. RBC magnesium shows actual cellular levels where it matters. Most people are insufficient. 6. Vitamin D Affects immune function, mood, cardiovascular health, and cancer risk. Optimal range: 50-80 ng/mL (not the bare minimum 30 ng/mL most labs use for "sufficient"). These tests aren't exotic or expensive. They're just not part of the standard protocol. Ask your doctor about adding them to your next physical. If they push back, I can order comprehensive blood work and help you understand what the numbers actually mean—not just whether you're in "normal" range. Your health deserves better than waiting for disease to announce itself. #PreventativeHealth #FunctionalMedicine #HealthOptimization #MetabolicHealth #BloodWorkMatters
DIY Healthy Toothpaste 1-2 tsps Organic Coconut Oi DIY Healthy Toothpaste 1-2 tsps Organic Coconut Oil 1-2 tsps aluminum free baking soda 6-8 drops of peppermint oil #diy #toothpaste #ToxinFreeLiving #HealthCoachLife #pharmacist
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