Episode 30: Compounding Pharmacy and Personalized Medicine with Dr. Norman Ruiz-Castaneda

<p>Today&#39;s guest is someone near and dear to my heart: my brother, Dr. Norman Ruiz-Castaneda, whom I lovingly call Tito. After earning his doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Florida, he spent the last decade specializing in compounding pharmacy and personalized care, and in 2020 he and his wife Christy opened Uptown Chemist, North Naples&#39; first USP 800-compliant compounding pharmacy.</p><p>We get into the heart of his work: compounding pharmacy and why it matters. We talk about why the same dose doesn&#39;t fit everyone, how compounding solves real problems, why a made-to-order medication takes time, and why that&#39;s a good thing. If you&#39;ve ever wondered why compounded care feels so different from the retail pharmacy experience, this explains it.</p><p>We also explore several medications being used and studied in the functional and longevity space, including methylene blue and low-dose naltrexone, and the broader concept of repurposed drugs, medications with an established use being explored, under a provider&#39;s guidance, for new ones. We touch on ivermectin as well, and the complicated, contested history of how it was discussed during the pandemic.</p><p>A quick and important note: this is one of our more clinical conversations. Everything here is educational, not medical advice, and it reflects our guest&#39;s perspective and clinical experience. Some of what&#39;s discussed remains genuinely debated in the medical community, and we&#39;d encourage you to weigh it with your own clinician.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Follow us</strong></p><p>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mimi_aprn/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mimi_aprn" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ReverWellness" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedes-mimi-deal-a38116347/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reverwellness.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reverwellness.com/the-rever-rundown-podcast" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener norefe