Pharmacy Daily | Pharmacy, nutrition and menopause

PHARMACIST and nutritionist Sarah Gray has successfully blended two of her passions into a niche career, combining evidence-based, scientific pharmacy skills with a holistic approach to diet and supplements as she coaches clients to better health and nutrition.

In addition, the dual-qualified health professional is now a published author, drawing on over two decades' work in healthcare and helping women in her clinics to write a book about perimenopause.

Gray (pictured) told Pharmacy Daily that she decided to write the book so she could help women beyond those she saw in the clinic.

"I was helping lots of women, and getting really good feedback, but you can only help so many people one-on-one, and I wanted to have more of an impact," she explained.

"The book goes through the steps I usually take patients through, a really evidence-based approach to all those areas of midlife health and perimenopause, combining supplements and science-based lifestyle solutions," she said.

Gray trained first as a pharmacist, registering with the pharmacy board in 2005, and worked in community pharmacy for about 10 years.

She followed that up with a Masters of Nutrition, and more recently became a certified menopause lifestyle practitioner.

The combination of pharmacy and nutrition has led to roles such as her current one as Chief of Health Operations & Innovation and Advisory Board Member with HealthyLife, the health and wellness digital arm of the Woolworths Group.

And in her practice, called The Nutrition Pharmacist, Gray helps people - mainly women - with nutrition and lifestyle advice.

This is what led to her interest in perimenopause and how to manage it.

"As a nutritionist, lots of people come to you to lose weight - that's usually the main reason they speak to you," she told PD.

"But I was finding that most women coming to my clinic were having very similar problems, which were very often related to the hormonal changes of perimenopause in their late 30s or early 40s.

"So working with them - because the pharmacy and nutrition go nicely together - I can go through their nutrition foundations, their supplements, their lifestyle, their medications, and then even support them in talking to their doctor."

And that, in turn, led to the book, so she could provide a resource available to everyone.

While no longer working as a pharmacist, Gray has maintained her pharmacist registration.

"I still work with brands on regulatory affairs and providing advice on therapeutic goods," she explained.

"And I still feel like a pharmacist at the core, so it's really important to me that I keep up with all the things required of me as a pharmacist - especially when I'm seeing patients taking medications and then wanting to know how that interacts with foods or supplements."

Gray is excited about the growing awareness and willingness to talk about menopause at the moment.

"I can see how much is going on in this space with Priceline and other pharmacies at the moment, it's really good - it's a great space to work in right now," she said. KB

Sarah Gray's book, It's Not You, It's Perimenopause, was released this week and is available through booksellers and online.