Meet Integrative Health Pharmacist Peter Lee!

How it All Started for Me

I first started in the pharmacy profession as a pharmacy technician at a large corporate drugstore back in the mid 90's. After realizing I had an aptitude and strong interest for the profession, I pursued my pharmacist education at UBC in 1998. I graduated in 2002 and became a licensed pharmacist.

How I was Inspired

I feel so fortunate and privileged to have practiced pharmacy in a number of different settings. Along the way, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with many inspiring mentors who have helped me grow professionally and shape me into the pharmacist I am today! I have practiced in both conventional drugstores and natural pharmacies over this time period. Accordingly, I have learned a lot about both western medicines and natural remedies.

How my Perspective on the use of Pharmaceuticals Changed as time passed by

Over the years I began to realize that chronic use of pharmaceuticals was generally not healing my clients or curing them of their illness. This was through my observations and clinical interactions with my clients over the years and to this very day.

Consequently, my philosophy towards pharmaceutical usage has changed greatly since my introduction to them in the mid 90's. After attending a workshop many years ago where the speaker challenged the audience with the question "how many drugs are really designed for long term use?", it dawned upon me that I really needed to think outside the box. It raised my awareness that I needed to explore other alternatives if I were to truly help my clients get better. After this workshop, I began to realize that most of these chemicals that doctors prescribe and pharmacists dispense are not really designed for long term use contrary to my original belief. The potential for side effects, nutrient depletions and drug interactions is relatively high when used chronically. More importantly, there are very few people with chronic illnesses who are actually cured or healed from taking these chemicals on a long term basis. However, I do realize that in certain situations chronic use of a particular drug might be warranted as the benefits may outweigh the risks, and I fully support the use of them in this type of application.

To a Great Degree, I believe we Predispose Ourselves to Becoming Sick based on How We Live

I have also come to realize that the majority of our population seems to get sick or unwell due primarily to what one eats or drinks, how one views life or health in general, how one lives their life, and how much abuse/stress one inflicts on their bodies. I have seen this over and over again with clients, family, co-workers and friends. One of my goals is to raise awareness that the level of tranquility in your environment (i.e., both work and home) and the relationships you cultivate with the people around you play a very key role in how your health is impacted both now and in the future. In addition, a positive disposition and a "can do” attitude towards health will play a vital role on your journey to healing as they are the most important factors between a successful health outcome and an unsuccessful one. To live a long and healthy life, I also strongly believe an individual needs to follow their passions whatever that might be!

My First Introduction to Natural Medicine

I was first introduced to natural medicine and bio-identical hormones back in 2002. Since then, after practicing in a wide variety of pharmacy settings and attending numerous seminars/workshops/conferences, my knowledge has grown in these areas over time. Having said that, there is still so much to learn as the sky is really the limit when it comes to medical knowledge. I am a sponge who is looking to soak up more knowledge whenever I can!

How a More Natural Focus has Improved my Own Health and My Family's

What is fascinating to me since learning more about how drugs, supplements, nutrient depletions, food, beverages and environmental factors affect one's body; my own well being has improved dramatically over the years. I no longer suffer from seasonal allergies, I have better overall energy and vitality, and I sleep more soundly and deeply (just ask my wife) - and all done through a more natural means! I feel better now than I did 15 years ago. What is amazing is that I do not notice any significant decline in vitality and overall well being with every year that passes by! Thus I am a huge advocate on healthy aging and feeling vibrant as possible as we age.

My wife and I are thankful and grateful for the aid of natural hormone balancing, as without it we may not have had our precious little girl Calista! With the right dosage of progesterone cream cycled appropriately and a solid supplement program, my wife was able to get pregnant within 4 cycles! I have learned that natural progesterone is very important for both implantation and preventing miscarriages in the first trimester of any given pregnancy.

Why I created Balanced Health

By nature, I am a pharmacist practitioner and not your traditional dispensing pharmacist. That is, I really enjoy talking to my clients and asking them questions about their health so that I can help guide them and give information that complements the doctors' treatment plan. I also like to learn from my clients. For me, that is the best evidence if something really works or not!

Originally my goal was to work for someone else so that I can focus all my energy on consulting clients and not have to worry about the day to day operations of a business. However, after bouncing around many different pharmacies looking for the ideal practice setting, I was never able to find an environment that was conducive to my vision. At that point, I knew I had to venture out on my own and take the chance to open up my dream pharmacy practice. It definitely has been a challenge for me to learn the business side of things and wear the so called entrepreneur cap. To be honest, it really has been more work than I had ever anticipated. However, it has been extremely rewarding to have built my own unique brand of pharmacy.

Ironically, I am not intentionally trying to be different from my pharmacist colleagues or other pharmacies. Rather, I am just pursing my passions about health and wellness and my strong desire to educate my clients. At the end of the day, I am just wanting to practice pharmacy the way I think it should be practiced - and ultimately helping my clients achieve a positive health outcome along the way!

My other Passions outside of the Pharmacy

In my spare time I really enjoy playing ice hockey, performing modifications and simple maintenance on my cars as I have an affinity for Mustangs, traveling to different vacation destinations, reading and keeping up to date on health and wellness, and of course spending quality time with my wife and little girl!

I Look forward to Working with You - Bringing a New Dimension to your Health!

I hope that you will allow me the opportunity to give you some guidance with improving your health, whether it is a simple issue or a more complex situation. I will do my absolute best to look after you or at the very least refer you to the appropriate practitioner who can. After all there are so many medical conditions, pharmaceuticals, supplements, diets, treatment modalities, etc. out there. No one practitioner can know it all. I look forward to sharing with you the knowledge and information I have gained in over 21 years of progressive pharmacy experience!

Sincerely,

Peter Lee

Integrative Health Pharmacist/Natural Hormone Consultant
Founder of Balanced Health Integrative Pharmacy

"The Greatest Wealth is Your Health" Virgil

"Balancing Your Health as Naturally as Possible"