What Your Blood Work Should Be Revealing About Your Health—Beyond Illness
Release Date: 03/27/2025
The Hidden Toxin Crisis and the Protocol That Actually Works w/ Paul Savage
The Trusted Pharmacist
Most people are toxic, and they don’t even know it. Their bodies are carrying a hidden load of chemicals, heavy metals, and environmental toxins picked up over years of daily life. In our modern society, no one’s safe from this. According to Dr. Paul Savage, a functional medicine expert and founder of one of the nation’s leading longevity clinics, this toxic burden is the silent culprit behind many of today’s most common health struggles. If you’ve tried everything: cleanses, fasting, supplements, sauna sessions, and you’re still battling fatigue, inflammation, brain fog, hormone...
info_outline
The Magnesium Deep Dive You Didn’t Know You Needed
The Trusted Pharmacist
IMPORTANT CORRECTION: I mentioned that Magnesium impacts 3000 enzymatic processes. I meant to say 300 (which is a big difference). The correct answer is that Magnesium impacts 300 enzymatic processes. The truth is important, and when we make a mistake, we own it. Magnesium is having a moment right now, and it’s easy to understand why. This gentle and inexpensive supplement might be the most underrated mineral in your health toolbox. It can help with everything from menstrual cramps and mood swings to blood pressure, weight loss, fatigue, and brain fog. But when it comes to magnesium,...
info_outline
Perimenopause: The Overlooked Phase Every Woman Needs to Understand w/ Dr. Dian Ginsberg
The Trusted Pharmacist
Perimenopause is the beginning of profound changes in your body that can go unnoticed until it’s too late. Many women don’t realize that perimenopause (the stage leading up to menopause) is when the hormonal rollercoaster truly begins. But by the time you start having symptoms like mood swings, irregular periods, or sleep disturbances, the imbalance may already be well underway. In this episode, Dr. Dian Ginsberg, a dual board-certified OB-GYN and anti-aging expert, shares why perimenopause is often the most overlooked phase in women’s health. What should perimenopausal...
info_outline
Rethinking Treatment: Why It’s Not One Drug for One Disease Anymore w/ Sebastian Denison
The Trusted Pharmacist
If you think pharmacy is still a “one drug for one disease” model, think again. People don’t get sick in a single silo, so why would we treat them that way? That’s why pharmacists today are unleashing the power of repurposing a drug at a lower dosage to get a benefit. Sebastian Denison, a compounding pharmacist on the frontlines of this shift, is the perfect person to have this conversation with! Using medications like low-dose Naltrexone, we’re able to tap into multiple mechanisms at once, reduce inflammation, calm an overactive immune system, and support whole-body healing! For too...
info_outline
Insulin Resistance 101: The Hidden Roadblock to Weight Loss & Energy
The Trusted Pharmacist
If you’re struggling with belly fat, stubborn weight gain, and food cravings that won’t go away, you might be dealing with insulin resistance. Maybe you eat healthy, exercise, and try to make all the "right" choices. But despite your best efforts, the scale won't budge, your cravings rage on, and your energy tanks halfway through the day. You’re not lazy, undisciplined, or broken. Your body’s internal system for managing blood sugar and energy has started to malfunction. This hidden process affects millions of people without obvious warning signs. Traditional lab work often misses it...
info_outline
Autoimmune Disease Doesn’t Just “Happen”—Here’s What Triggers It
The Trusted Pharmacist
Ever feel like your body is working against you—like you’re doing everything “right,” but you’re still exhausted, inflamed, or dealing with weird symptoms no one can explain? You might be dealing with an autoimmune disease, something that affects more Americans than cancer and heart disease combined. And yet, autoimmune diseases are often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. And here’s what’s rarely talked about: they can develop silently for years before symptoms ever appear. That’s why understanding autoimmune disease requires more than just managing symptoms. It demands...
info_outline
The Chronic Inflammation Crisis and How to Reverse It
The Trusted Pharmacist
Inflammation may be the body’s own protective process that helps us heal, but it’s something we don’t want too much of. In the right amount, it’s essential. It helps us recover from a broken bone, fight off infections, and calm down irritated skin. In excess, inflammation can actually trigger the very diseases it was meant to protect us from. We’re not just talking about a swollen ankle or a red rash. What I’m talking about here is chronic inflammation, a low-grade, long-term state of internal stress that quietly fuels disease in the background. Chronic inflammation...
info_outline
Menopause Isn’t the End: How to Harness Hormones and Stay Healthy
The Trusted Pharmacist
Thanks to the shortcomings of traditional healthcare, women have been led to believe that menopause is a time when their bodies fall apart, and there's nothing they can do about it. The sleepless nights, stubborn weight gain, mood swings, and discomfort? That’s just a “natural” part of aging, they’re told. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Menopause isn’t the end. It’s a powerful opportunity to reclaim your health, elevate your quality of life, and confidently step into this next chapter. And the most effective way to do that? Hormone replacement therapy. The...
info_outline
Why Menopause Care Should Be as Unique as You Are w/ Dr. Pamela Smith
The Trusted Pharmacist
Aging is inevitable, and every woman goes through menopause. But your hormonal journey and how your body responds? That’s unique to you. The problem is, a lot of what we’ve been told about menopause— even in clinics, pharmacies, and doctor’s offices—just isn’t accurate. Traditional healthcare often treats menopause like a one-size-fits-all situation, missing the mark on the unique needs of every woman’s body. That’s why a personalized approach isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the key to feeling your best through this transition. Hormones play a major role in...
info_outline
GLP-1 Medications: How They Work and How to Make Them Work for You
The Trusted Pharmacist
GLP-1 medications have quickly taken the world by storm—and for good reason. Just last year, over 90 million prescriptions for these medications were filled, and that number is only growing. Here’s why. In my years as a pharmacist, I’ve never seen a drug like this. Medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro have revolutionized weight loss treatments, offering dramatic results for many. But before you jump in, it’s important to understand that these drugs are not a quick fix. Without a solid plan, you could set yourself up for disappointment. One key thing to know if you're...
info_outlineIn the realm of getting your blood work done, there are two categories of tests. The ones that are designed to identify illness, and the ones that help you proactively prevent inflammation and maintain wellness.
Unfortunately, the typical panels most people get fall into the former category. They don’t give you in-depth data about your true health status and they miss great opportunities for disease prevention. Your annual checkup doesn’t have to be just another routine; it can be an opportunity to ensure you're truly thriving. If you add 6 essential tests such as fasting insulin and vitamin D levels, you get a fuller picture of your health, and you can make small tweaks that could make all the difference. These markers don’t come in your standard blood panels, you have to ask your doctor for them specifically, but I believe they are worth it.
In this episode, I share how you can use blood work to proactively manage your health. I’ll explain how to ask your doctor for the right tests, and why taking a functional medicine approach is key to unlocking your body’s full potential. I also discuss how inflammation markers like HS-CRP are often overlooked, yet they play a major role in predicting disease.
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
Normal vs. optimal - When you’re doing blood work for wellness, a normal blood panel just doesn’t cut it. How do we test blood with health optimization in mind?
The most important blood markers for disease prevention - Preventing inflammation is the key to warding off disease. How can we make sure our blood work can spot early signs of inflammation?
Blood work to find illness vs. blood work to keep you healthy - How do we set up a foundation of wellness instead of waiting till we’re sick to get our blood work done?
About Your Host
Steve Hoffart is an award-winning pharmacist, entrepreneur, speaker and podcaster. As the visionary founder of Magnolia Pharmacy, Steve saw a need for a more personal pharmacy that could make a bigger impact. Today Steve and his team of experts deliver on that promise, working with patients and their physicians to solve medication problems and offer personalized solutions to achieve better health and wellness. As host of The Trusted Pharmacist podcast and through his combined reach of over 250,000 on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.
Follow the Trusted Pharmacist on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone’s life!