Hormones are at the center of women’s health. Unfortunately, the stories we’ve been told (and the treatment that’s provided) about are riddled with myths. Women believe that hormone replacement therapy is dangerous. They’re handed birth control pills for years without being told what it might mean for their long-term health. Perimenopausal women are told they can only get hormone replacement when they are in menopause. New mothers are left believing there’s little they can do about the hormonal crash that comes after pregnancy. The truth is far more nuanced. Hormones aren’t villains to fear or band-aids to hand out without thought. That’s where Elise Clark comes in. A nurse practitioner with deep experience in endocrinology, women’s health, and functional medicine, she’s made it her mission to dismantle these misconceptions and give women the clarity they deserve. Hormones are powerful tools that, when understood and used correctly, can protect long-term health and restore quality of life. Yet too often, women are left in the dark, navigating misinformation and missing out on solutions that could change everything. What are the biggest misconceptions about hormones? How do we tackle the hormone-related health challenges women face? In this episode, we dig into the most common hormone myths, from the breast cancer stigma around HRT, to the hidden downsides of birth control to postpartum hormone therapy. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Hormones and cancer: myth vs. reality The data is clear: bioidentical hormones don’t cause cancer; in fact, outcomes are often better. So why are women still told the opposite? -Birth control’s hidden costs Beyond pregnancy prevention, long-term use can disrupt metabolic health, mask PCOS, and raise inflammation. What are the overlooked tradeoffs no one explains? -The overlooked phase: perimenopause Hot flashes, heavy periods, mood swings, these aren’t just “part of life.” How can progesterone make the transition smoother? -Postpartum recovery and progesterone From anxiety to sleep struggles, women are often given expensive infusions or antidepressants. Could a simple, affordable hormone be the safer solution? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Elise Clark is a nurse practitioner, functional medicine expert, and health optimization expert. She has been in the nursing field for over 15 years, with the majority of that being as a nurse practitioner. She found her way into functional medicine after gaining experience in family practice and endocrinology. Elise realized there was more she could be doing for patients than what the traditional model offered, and she wanted to truly help people. She has been in the functional space for almost 10 years and has extensive experience with hormones, thyroid issues, female issues, gut health, nutrient deficiencies, and overall health optimization. Most recently, Elise co-founded a joint practice, Evergreen Functional Collective, to help expand patient access to functional care. To learn more, go to https://www.eliseclarkhealth.com/ and https://evergreenfunctional.com/. Follow @eliseclarkfnp on Instagram. 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!
Most of us know the gut microbiome matters, but hardly anyone talks about the vaginal microbiome. Yet this tiny community of bacteria plays an outsized role in women’s health. When it’s in balance, you don’t notice it. But when it’s not, it can quietly set the stage for a long list of problems: recurring UTIs, yeast infections, BV, dryness, painful intimacy, even infertility and pregnancy complications. What’s surprising is how often these issues get treated as separate problems when, in reality, the common thread is usually the same: an unhealthy or depleted microbiome. cause of stress, the microbiome weakens, and all those symptoms start to appear. The hopeful news is that balance can be restored. From vaginal probiotics and targeted strains to supplements, science now shows there are practical, effective ways to strengthen this first line of defense. And when you do, the ripple effect often improves far more than just vaginal health; it changes overall well-being. In this episode of The Trusted Pharmacist, I share how to finally break the cycle of antibiotics and recurring infections, and what it really takes to build lasting vaginal microbiome protection. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Why diversity isn’t always better Unlike the gut, the vaginal microbiome thrives on just a few defenders. What happens when too many different strains compete for space? -The hidden role of estrogen Estrogen protects your vaginal health. Could falling levels explain the sudden rise in UTIs, dryness, and discomfort during menopause? -Oral vs. vaginal probiotics Most people take probiotics orally, but evidence shows vaginal use resets the balance far faster. Which approach works best, and when should you use both? -How to stop the UTI spiral If you’ve been on antibiotics over and over again, you know the relief never lasts. What simple shifts and natural supports can actually stop infections from coming back? P.S. Are you looking for a vaginal probiotic tailored to your unique needs? Explore our Women's Restorative Probiotic and find the best solution for you: https://magnoliapharmacy.com/products/natures-womens-restorative-probiotic 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!
For decades, cholesterol has been painted as the villain of heart disease. Doctors point to your LDL number, prescribe a statin, and send you home believing the problem is solved. It’s a clean, simple story, LDL is bad, HDL is good, but it’s also dangerously incomplete. Because here’s the reality: half of all fatal heart attacks happen in people with normal cholesterol levels. Which means the very test we’ve built our prevention strategy around is missing the mark. Lowering LDL might put out the smoke, but it doesn’t stop the fire. That’s where Dr. Yousef Elyaman comes in. A physician with nearly two decades of experience in cardiometabolic health and functional medicine, he’s seen firsthand how cholesterol misleads both patients and doctors. So what’s fueling the fire? Often it’s not cholesterol itself, but the hidden drivers behind it: chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and even genetics that shape how particles behave in the blood. Cholesterol is just the alarm bell, a signal that something deeper is burning. That’s why we need to reframe how we see cholesterol. Not as the cause, but as a clue. In this episode, we unpack the overlooked markers that reveal the real risk, and when statins may help in some cases but completely miss the point in others. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -The hidden fires behind high cholesterol Cholesterol isn’t the cause; it’s the smoke. How do inflammation, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress fuel the real fire of heart disease? -The triglyceride trap Most labs say 150 is “normal,” but the true target is under 80. What does that number expose about your metabolic health and fatty liver risk? -The panels that reveal the truth Standard cholesterol tests miss the real danger. Which simple, affordable labs give you a clear picture of heart risk most doctors overlook? -Statins: help or harm? They lower cholesterol, but also deplete key nutrients, and don’t work for everyone. When are statins lifesaving, and when are they just masking the real issue? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Dr. Yousef Elyaman is a highly accomplished and credentialed physician with an impressive academic background, including board certification in internal medicine and a cross-specialization in pediatrics. Additionally, he holds board certification in integrative medicine from the American Board of Physician Specialties. Moreover, Dr. Elyaman is one of the first graduates of The Institute for Functional Medicine, where he earned his certification in functional medicine. His expertise also extends to psychological trauma, and he holds certification from Spirit2Spirit Healing. As the founder and medical director of Absolute Health, located in Ocala, Florida, Dr. Elyaman has implemented a successful functional medicine approach to insurance-based primary care with a team that includes doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and lifestyle educators. He also serves as Integrative & Functional Medicine Director of The Guest House, an esteemed trauma and substance abuse center in Ocala, Florida. These accomplishments make Dr. Elyaman one of the most experienced voices in primary care functional and integrative medicine today; his knowledge is sought out for its ability to combine cutting-edge research with evidence-backed clinical applications that can be used effectively in real-world patient care scenarios. Follow @drelyaman and subscribe to his YouTube channel. 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 closely with patients and their physicians to address medication issues and provide personalized solutions that lead to improved 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!
When patients show up with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or long COVID, the heartbreaking truth is that many doctors don’t want to deal with them. These are the cases most physicians quietly dread, the ones that don’t fit into a clean diagnosis or respond to a simple prescription. Too often, patients are told their labs are “normal,” their symptoms are “just stress,” or worse, that it’s all in their head. But the reality is very different. These are not vague or imaginary conditions. They’re the result of the body being assaulted on multiple fronts: hidden infections, mold exposure, gut breakdown, mitochondrial dysfunction, hormone disruption, chronic inflammation, and relentless stress. When the system is overwhelmed from many angles, no single pill or protocol will ever be enough. Healing requires a multi-layered approach, one that methodically unravels each insult, quiets the chaos, and restores balance across every system. What are the key differences between chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia? How do you finally start feeling better? In this episode of The Trusted Pharmacist, I lay out exactly why these conditions confound the traditional medical model and what science now reveals about their true root causes. I also share how patients can take practical steps to begin healing, often with tools their doctors have never even considered. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Why single-diagnosis medicine fails Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and long COVID are layered conditions, not one-off problems. What happens when we stop chasing a single cause and start treating the whole picture? -The hidden drivers of fatigue and pain Infections, mold, gut imbalances, hormone disruption, and toxins quietly fuel these syndromes. Could the key to recovery be uncovering what mainstream medicine ignores? -Lifestyle levers that matter more than you think Restorative sleep, pacing movement, trauma healing, and toxin testing all influence recovery. Why do these “non-medical” choices often make or break progress? -Emerging interventions on the frontier of care From methylene blue to therapeutic plasma exchange, new tools are reshaping outcomes. Could these cutting-edge options offer relief where everything else has failed? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. 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!
When women struggle with hormone problems, PMS, irregular cycles, weight gain, insomnia, mood swings, or menopause symptoms, the blame almost always falls on estrogen. But here’s the surprising truth: it’s usually not estrogen at all. It’s progesterone. For decades, progesterone has been treated as little more than a “pregnancy hormone.” But in reality, it’s one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated hormones in the body. Beyond fertility, progesterone calms the brain, balances mood, protects bones, supports gut and bladder health, and even helps reduce breast cancer risk. The problem is that most doctors misdiagnose estrogen “dominance” when the real issue is low progesterone. And even worse, the number-one thing that wrecks progesterone isn’t aging, it’s stress. Chronic cortisol production steals away its building blocks and shuts down its receptors, making your body resistant to the very hormone it needs most. In this episode of The Trusted Pharmacist, I break down why progesterone, not estrogen, is the missing piece in so many women’s health struggles, how stress quietly sabotages your hormone balance, and why replacing progesterone properly is one of the most powerful (and overlooked) tools in restoring health. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Progesterone: the bigger story Progesterone isn’t just about reproduction; it’s neuroactive, bone-protective, mood-balancing, and even cancer-protective. Why has medicine overlooked its full impact for so long? -Estrogen myths, progesterone truths What’s often labeled as “estrogen dominance” is usually a progesterone deficiency in disguise. How does reframing the problem change the way we fix hormone imbalances? -Stress vs. aging: the real progesterone killer Yes, progesterone naturally declines with age, but high cortisol depletes it faster and blocks it from working. Could stress be more damaging to your hormones than menopause itself? -Smart replacement, not guesswork From capsules to creams to compounded options, how you dose and deliver progesterone changes everything. What’s the safest and most effective way to restore balance without overdosing? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. 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!
In short bursts, stress is protective. But what happens when your body’s “temporary survival mode” becomes your default state? That’s where so many of us live today, locked in fight-or-flight 24/7. Our hearts race, our sleep suffers, our moods swing, and we can’t seem to calm down even when nothing’s wrong. What once gave us an edge now keeps us wired and depleted. And when stress stops being occasional and becomes constant, it stops protecting you and starts dismantling your health. Chronic stress reshapes your cortisol curve, depletes essential nutrients, wrecks your thyroid, gut, and hormones, and sets the stage for premature aging and disease. It doesn’t just make you “stressed out”, it rewires every system in your body to run on empty. How does stress wreck every aspect of your health? How do we get our cortisol back under control? In this episode, I unpack why our modern stress load is unlike anything our ancestors faced, and how it’s hurting us. You’ll learn how to spot the warning signs, where stress is silently sabotaging your health, and how to build back your resilience. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Stress, the nutrient vampire Cortisol doesn’t just rev you up; it drains your reserves. Which vitamins and minerals disappear first under pressure, and why does that accelerate aging and inflammation? -How stress hijacks hormones & immunity Long-term cortisol dominance steals building blocks from sex hormones, shuts down thyroid function, and even drives infertility and autoimmune disease. Why does your body do this on purpose, and how can you reverse it? -A framework to heal your adrenals What’s the realistic timeline to rebuild healthy adrenals, and which steps matter most when you’re already burned out? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. 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!
What if your rash, redness, wrinkles, and breakouts have nothing to do with your skin? Eczema, acne, psoriasis, and rosacea are common skin conditions that are treated topically with creams, steroids, and antibiotics. And yes, they often clear up… but only for a while. If your skin issues keep coming back, the real trigger is deeper. Your skin isn’t just a surface; it’s a mirror of what’s happening inside your body. Inflammation, nutrient depletion, hormone imbalances, and leaky gut. These are some of the invisible forces that often erupt on your skin before they show up anywhere else. How do things like stress cause breakouts and skin irritation? How can you use your diet to clear up your skin? In this episode, I share the truth about why “band-aid” steroid creams and antibiotics miss the mark, and how to take a root cause approach to getting clear skin. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Why rashes aren’t skin-deep Why do steroids clear eczema temporarily but guarantee flare-ups later? How is your skin actually signaling a deeper internal imbalance? -The gut–skin connection most dermatologists ignore What role do antibiotics play in clearing acne, and why can they sometimes make things worse by disrupting the microbiome? -Nutrients, hormones, and toxins Which overlooked vitamins, minerals, and supplements directly restore skin integrity? How do hormone imbalances or toxin overloads masquerade as stubborn skin conditions? -A step-by-step healing framework What does a pharmacist’s action plan look like for repairing your gut, balancing hormones, detoxing safely, and rehydrating skin without relying on lifelong prescriptions? 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!
When people come into the pharmacy with mood issues like anxiety and depression, they are surprised to hear that there might be a physiological root cause. Traditional medicine doesn’t bother to dig into that. Most people are prescribed SSRIs and told they have drug-resistant depression when they don’t work. But what if those symptoms are actually signals from the rest of your body begging you to look deeper? That’s where functional psychiatry comes in. Board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner and certified functional medicine provider, Everest Goldstein has built a career doing exactly that. When it comes to mental health, Everest doesn’t see depression or anxiety as fixed “diagnoses” to medicate indefinitely; she sees them as symptoms pointing to deeper imbalances. In this episode, Everest shares the unfiltered truth about why conventional psychiatry misses the mark and the lab tests and functional tools that actually uncover what’s wrong. She also shares the under-the-radar compounds and supplements that can completely change the trajectory of your mental health. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Beyond the chemical imbalance myth “Low serotonin” isn’t the full story. How does conventional psychiatry’s diagnostic playbook miss the root causes of depression and anxiety? -Menopause, mood, and misdiagnosis How do hormonal shifts in perimenopause and menopause trigger anxiety, insomnia, and irritability? Do antidepressants often make things worse? -Psychobiotics and the gut-brain axis The gut and brain might be far away from each other, but they are very connected. What probiotic strains directly influence mood, anxiety, and cognition? -Functional compounds you’ve never heard of From methylene blue to low-dose naltrexone to lithium orotate, how do these overlooked tools reduce brain inflammation and help patients finally respond to treatment? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Everest Goldstein is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner who is also certified in functional medicine. She is the founder of Everest Functional Psychiatry and Wellness, and she works to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and expand access to care through advocacy and education. Everest takes a holistic approach to healing and believes in the connection between the body and mind. Integrating lifestyle, diet, medicine, and other innovative technologies, she views each patient individually to help them take control of their health and improve their quality of life and wellbeing. To learn more, visit https://everestpsychandwellness.com/ and follow @wellnesswitheverest on Instagram. 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 700,000 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!
Prescription drug prices in the U.S. haven’t just crept up, they’ve spiraled into a full-blown crisis. The reason isn’t just Big Pharma or bloated insurance plans. The real culprits are PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers), corporate middlemen so deeply embedded in the system that they now control which drugs are covered, how much patients pay, and whether your local pharmacy can even stay in business. Doug Hoey, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, has spent years fighting these opaque and unregulated players. Doug has seen firsthand how PBMs operate. Quietly extract billions from the system, manipulating formularies, steering patients into mail-order services they own, and using aggressive tactics like clawbacks to recoup payments months after a prescription is filled. PBMs claim to reduce costs, but the opposite is happening. Patients are paying more, pharmacists are being pushed out of business, and entire communities are being left without access to care. What are some of the sneaky tactics PBMs use? How can we fix the healthcare system so local pharmacies don’t go out of business and patients can access the care they need? In this episode, Doug breaks down how PBMs became some of the most powerful and least accountable entities in healthcare, how their influence distorts medical decision-making, and what real reform could look like. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -The Real Reason Drug Prices Feel So Broken 70% of your prescription cost isn’t for the drug itself. How are PBMs driving up the cost of medication? -How PBMs Hijack Decisions From Your Doctor What happens when a corporation’s rebate deal with a drug company matters more than your diagnosis? -The Hidden Agenda Behind Mail-Order Prescriptions Why are PBMs pushing you out of your local pharmacy and into their own delivery networks? -The Pharmacy-Killing Practice No One Warned You About What does it mean when PBMs “claw back” money months after a prescription was filled, and how does that put small-town pharmacies out of business? -The Consumer Power That PBMs Don’t Want You to Use What simple questions can you ask your HR department or local lawmaker that could help overhaul the entire system? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Douglas Hoey is the CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association. The National Community Pharmacists Association represents the owners of nearly 19,400 small pharmacy businesses. These pharmacies are important to local economies, providing jobs for 215,000 people in their communities, and consumers consistently rank them as the top-rated pharmacies in the country. Hoey is a licensed pharmacist in Oklahoma, Virginia, and Texas, and practiced in a variety of community pharmacy settings, including his own family’s pharmacy before coming to NCPA. Hoey was NCPA’s first chief operating officer and in 2011 was named CEO. He is widely quoted by media as an industry expert on community pharmacy practice issues including drug supply and prescription drug pricing. Hoey also developed and taught pharmacology courses at George Washington University and Marymount University. He is president of the World Pharmacy Council, co-chairman of the Surescripts Board of Directors, chairman of the NCPA Innovation Center, and vice-chair for the CPESN® USA Board of Managers. Hoey served on the Pharmacy Quality Alliance board for six years and was chairman of the Mirixa board for eight years. His pharmacy degree is from the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, and his MBA is from the Oklahoma City University Graduate School of Business. Visit https://ncpa.org/ to learn more. 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!
You’ve probably heard the hype around GLP-1s, Ozempic, Wegovy, and semaglutide. They’re the “miracle drugs” that promise appetite control, blood sugar balance, and effortless weight loss. But what if the real problem isn’t a lack of synthetic GLP-1s… but a lack of your own? According to clinical dietitian Christina O’Connor, the problem might not be a lack of medication—it could be a lack of Akkermansia muciniphila, a little-known but powerful gut microbe that helps your body in so many ways. Here’s what most people don’t realize: GLP-1 is a hormone your gut is supposed to produce naturally. And it turns out your ability to make it depends heavily on Akkermansia. But for many people, Akkermansia is missing, wiped out by antibiotics, ultra-processed foods, stress, or simply never passed down at birth. And when this keystone microbe disappears, it’s not just your digestion that suffers. Your gut lining weakens, inflammation ramps up, and your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and appetite, via GLP-1, goes offline. In this episode, Christina O’Connor shares the real reason people may feel like their metabolism is broken. Christina explains how Akkermansia helps regulate GLP-1, strengthen the gut lining, and lower inflammation, plus why it often goes missing and how to bring it back. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -GLP-1 deficient or microbiome deficient? Could low GLP-1 levels be a symptom of a missing gut microbe, not a need for medication? -Can a microbe really compete with Ozempic? How can Akkermansia and other strains help you reduce post-meal glucose spikes and enhance satiety naturally? -Wake up your gut’s natural GLP-1 production What foods, fibers, and polyphenols help Akkermansia thrive and support hormone balance from the inside out? -Why most probiotics fail What’s the difference between live and pasteurized Akkermansia? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Christina O’Connor is a Clinical Dietitian and the Senior Healthcare Account Manager at Pendulum Therapeutics, where she works at the intersection of microbiome science, nutrition, and metabolic health. Her journey into gut health began in the NICU, where she saw firsthand how foundational the microbiome is from the very beginning of life. Today, she helps healthcare providers and patients understand the powerful role that keystone strains—like Akkermansia muciniphila—play in improving gut barrier integrity, supporting GLP-1 hormone production, and optimizing blood sugar control. Christina is also a mom of two budding athletes and brings a passion for translating cutting-edge science into practical strategies for lifelong health. To learn more, visit https://pendulumlife.com/. 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!
Breathwork isn’t just a wellness buzzword. It’s the single most overlooked health game changer of our time. The way you breathe affects far more than your mood. It shapes your nervous system, brain function, immune health, sleep, and even how much weight you lose. The problem is, most of us are walking around with breathing dysfunction, and it’s affecting our health in 50+ ways. In this episode, functional medicine trailblazer and chiropractor Dr. Sachin Patel reveals why he calls breath the most powerful health technology everyone has access to. As the founder of The Living Proof Institute and a breathwork facilitator to thousands worldwide, Dr. Patel blends ancient techniques with modern science to explain how overbreathing, mouth breathing, and unconscious patterns are sabotaging our health. As long as you’re alive, breathing is something you’re doing 24/7, so it’s no wonder that it’s so pivotal to your health. If we want less stress and we want our brains and bodies to function better, working on our breathing should be a priority. And the best part is: it’s totally free! Why does breath control so much of our overall health? How do we start breathing better? In this conversation, we take a deep dive into how conscious breathing helps regulate your nervous system, reduce inflammation, and help your body heal naturally, without a single prescription. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -The power of sleep Sleep is 8 hours of uninterrupted breathwork (if we’re doing it right). What are some of the ways our sleep breathing sabotages our health? -How to unlock health by breathing better Where our tongues sit in our mouths and breathing through our noses might seem like small things, but they affect our well-being. Why do these simple things have such a huge effect on our bodies? -Breath is like gears on a bike What are the 3 “breathing gears” to regulate stress, increase energy, or tap into rest and digestion mode? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Dr. Sachin Patel is a father, husband, philanthropist, functional medicine practice success coach, speaker, author, breathwork facilitator, and plant medicine advocate. He's a breathwork expert, chiropractor, and founder of the Living Proof Institute, where he helps people unlock their innate healing power through conscious breathing and self-awareness. Sachin's mission is powerful but simple: to help people become their own best doctor. He's coached thousands around the world, blending ancient practice with modern science to treat the root cause of disease, not just the symptoms. To learn more, visit https://thelivingproofinstitute.com/. Breathwork Resources https://breathworkwithsachin.com/ "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" by James Nestor “The Oxygen Advantage” by Patrick G. Mckeown Elemental Rhythm 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. Toda,y 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!
Far too many people visit their doctors with low thyroid symptoms, get tested, and the test results say their levels are normal. Or they’re already on thyroid medication, but are still symptomatic. Or their doctor keeps upping their thyroid numbers, but they still feel cruddy. This sums up all the things conventional medicine gets wrong about diagnosing and treating thyroid issues. Most of the time, doctors are using the wrong tests and ignoring critical nuances that give a true picture of a patient’s thyroid function. A true functional medicine approach evaluates the full thyroid panel and looks at your symptoms to get a clear picture of what's really going on in your body. It even looks at factors like stress, gut issues, and nutrient deficiencies, and how they might be affecting your thyroid. Why does traditional medicine constantly miss the mark on thyroid treatment? How can someone be on thyroid meds but still feel awful? How does compounding help thyroid patients increase their quality of life? In this episode, I’m laying out all you need to know about thyroid dysfunction, what doctors miss, and how to finally get better. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -“Normal” isn’t optimal A normal TSH doesn’t mean your thyroid is functioning. How does the brain mask what your body truly needs? -The labs your doctor isn’t running What are T3, reverse T3, free T4, ferritin, and thyroid antibodies, and how do they reveal the real story? -Your meds might be making you worse Why does Synthroid-only treatment fail? How do stress, gut issues, and nutrient deficiencies block your body from converting hormones? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. 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!
Conventional thyroid care is broken. Most patients are handed a TSH test, put on Synthroid, and told they’re fine, even when they’re clearly not. Board-certified internist and functional medicine expert Dr. Sarah Zielsdorf knows this firsthand. She spent years battling Hashimoto’s with little help from mainstream medicine until she discovered that thyroid issues are almost never just about the thyroid. They're about gut health, inflammation, immune dysregulation, environmental triggers, and trauma. In this episode, Dr. Zielsdorf, the founder of Motivated Medicine, shares the real reason women are tired, bloated, anxious, and stuck on an endless search for answers. She explains what labs actually matter, why your meds might be making things worse, and how to finally start healing. This episode breaks down what’s actually behind thyroid dysfunction, chronic illness, and autoimmune flares, and how the right testing, meds, and mindset can change everything. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -TSH isn’t the full story If your doctor is only testing TSH, they’re missing the real issue. Why do T3, reverse T3, and antibodies matter more than you think? -You’re on the wrong meds Many people are taking T4 but still feel awful. Why isn’t your body converting T4 to T3, and how can compounded meds change that? -Inflammation, not just hormones Could mold, stress, diet, or your environment be behind your thyroid symptoms? Does your liver have to do with it? -Low-dose naltrexone for autoimmunity How does LDN help calm the immune system and radically improve mood and pain? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Dr. Sarah Zielsdorf is an internal medicine physician, functional medicine expert, and founder of Motivated Medicine, a cutting-edge practice based in the Chicago area. Motivated Medicine specializes in complex chronic conditions like thyroid disorders, autoimmune disease, hormonal imbalances, and digestive dysfunction. She holds a master's in microbiology and immunology and a medical degree from Loyola. Dr. Zielsdorf is a board-certified internist, and she's also certified by the Institute of Functional Medicine. What sets her apart is her ability to bridge rigorous science and real-world healing, something she knows first-hand as she's learned to do this as a Hashimoto patient herself. Dr. Zielsdorf is also a national educator and medical advisor for the LDN Research Trust, helping to advance the use of low-dose naltrexone in chronic illness care. Visit https://motivatedmedicine.com/ to learn more. 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!
PCOS is often treated like a hormone issue: “take some birth control, and come back when you want kids”. But board-certified physician and functional medicine expert Dr. Sakina Davis knows that approach is dangerously outdated, not just because she treats hundreds of women with PCOS, but because she’s lived it herself. After years of misdiagnosis, she discovered that PCOS is a complex metabolic, inflammatory, and endocrine disorder that affects far more than your ovaries. And pills alone won’t fix it. Because when the weight won’t budge, your skin flares up, your energy disappears, and your cycle is all over the place, something deeper is going on. And it’s not something a one-size-fits-all treatment plan can solve. Could PCOS require something more than birth control, spironolactone, and metformin? What if the real solution isn’t found in a prescription pad, but in your pantry, your gut, or even your shampoo? In this episode, Dr. Davis breaks down the real drivers of PCOS, why you don’t need to have cysts or be overweight to struggle with PCOS, and why so many women fall through the cracks of conventional care. Dr. Davis shares how she helps patients uncover the real root causes, finally get results, and find solutions. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Take a root cause approach You don’t need to have cysts or excessive hair growth to have PCOS. Are many women suffering because they don’t have “typical” symptoms? -“Gluten-Free” doesn’t mean healthy Could gluten-free foods actually be spiking your blood sugar worse than bread? What should you eat instead? -Birth control isn’t the solution Most women are prescribed the pill for PCOS, but that doesn’t actually deal with the root cause. What’s the smarter, more sustainable approach? -Inflammation, Not Just Hormones Treating PCOS as a hormone issue doesn’t give you the full picture. Could mold, toxins, and even your shampoo be worsening your symptoms? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Dr. Sakina Davis is a board-certified physician and fellowship-trained expert in anti-aging and functional medicine. She’s the founder of Woodlands Wellness and Cosmetic Center in The Woodlands, Texas, and she specializes in hormone optimization, weight management, and personalized root-cause care. Dr. Davis blends conventional training with integrative therapies like bioidentical hormone replacement, IV nutrition, genetic testing, and low-dose naltrexone to help women rebalance their hormones and reclaim their health. She’s especially passionate about educating women on PCOS and guiding them toward lasting natural solutions. She’s the author of the book Unlocking the Mysteries of PCOS, and we are grateful to have her join us today to talk about a functional approach to treating PCOS. Visit https://www.woodlandswellness.com/ to learn more. 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!
There’s no shortage of strategies for building a healthier body. But if you don’t feel safe in your body, none of them will work. Dr. Jill Carnahan learned this the hard way. As a high-achieving physician who battled both Crohn’s disease and aggressive breast cancer, she realized the key to healing wasn’t just in protocols, it was in feeling safe enough to heal. For years, she followed the rules: the labs, the diets, the medications, but realized there was something deeper to health. That’s when she began to connect the dots between her emotional history and her physical breakdown. She discovered something most medical schools don’t teach: When your nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight, your gut can’t digest, your cells can’t repair, and your immune system can't regulate. Your body isn't ignoring your efforts. It's protecting you the only way it knows how. In this episode, Dr. Carnahan explains how unresolved emotional patterns can trigger gut dysfunction, autoimmune flares, inflammation, and even resistance to treatment. She reveals why healing your gut starts with healing your story, and why no pill can replace the power of safety, connection, and nervous system repair. If you’ve ever felt like your body is working against you, this episode might help you understand that it’s actually been fighting for you all along. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -The gut is ground zero How does one layer of gut lining determine everything from your immune health to your mood, and what damages it in the first place? -When the immune system won’t turn off Could mold, trauma, or long COVID be triggering mast cell activation syndrome? -Your body won’t heal if it doesn’t feel safe Your mental health could be the missing link to a healthier body. How do trauma, toxic beliefs, and stress shape your biology? What do you do when your body is stuck in fight-or-flight? -The healing power of breath, belief, and rewiring From breathwork to box breathing, what are some low-cost, science-backed tools that regulate your nervous system and accelerate recovery? Guest Bio Dr. Jill Carnahan is Your Functional Medicine Expert®. She uses functional medicine to help patients find the root cause of their illness and identify nutritional and biochemical imbalances that may be contributing to your symptoms. Dr. Jill will search for underlying triggers that contribute to your illness through cutting-edge lab testing and tailor the intervention to your specific individual needs. She uses nutrition, supplements, lifestyle changes, or medication to treat your illness, and always seeks the gentlest and least invasive way to help you find hope, restore health, and optimize healing. Dr. Jill is a survivor of both breast cancer and Crohn’s disease and is passionate about teaching patients how to live well and thrive in the midst of complex and chronic illness. She is also a widely sought-after inspirational speaker and travels around the world to teach physicians the principles of personalized and functional medicine. She is a prolific writer, speaker, and loves to infuse others with her passion for hope, health, and healing! She has been featured in Shape Magazine, Parade, Forbes, MindBodyGreen, First for Women, Townsend Newsletter, and The Huffington Post as well as seen on NBC News and Health segments with Joan. Visit https://www.jillcarnahan.com/ for more information and follow @drjillcarnahan on Instagram. 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.
Most people wait until they’re sick to take their health seriously. But by then, it’s often too late to reverse the damage. According to pharmacist and integrative health expert Jim LaValle, your blood holds the answers long before symptoms show up or a diagnosis is made. It’s a fortune-teller for what’s coming next, if you know what to look for. Hidden inside your labs are trend lines and early warning signs: subtle imbalances, rising inflammation, depleted nutrients, and patterns that point to what your body is headed toward next. In this episode, Jim unpacks the real root causes behind why so many people look healthy on the outside but feel exhausted, foggy, and inflamed on the inside. He explains how chronic stress and cortisol silently hijack your metabolism, gut, hormones, and brain function, speeding up aging even when your checkups say you’re “normal.” You’ll learn how to spot the red flags most doctors miss, how metabolic inflammation accelerates disease, and how to finally identify and fix your body's hidden roadblocks. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Fit but inflamed Many people look lean and train hard, but are metabolically wrecked underneath. How do you make sure fitness isn’t hurting you? -Why your labs are lying to you Your blood is a fortune teller of future disease. What blood markers predict future issues? -Brain on fire How do stress, gut issues, and inflammation activate your brain’s immune system, and how do we shut it down before it leads to anxiety, memory loss, or worse? -The new frontier of peptides and personalized medicine Why are peptides exploding in popularity, and how could they revolutionize aging and recovery if used correctly? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio James LaValle is an internationally recognized clinical pharmacist, author, board-certified clinical nutritionist, and expert and educator in integrative and precision health. James is best known for his expertise in personalized integrative therapies, uncovering the underlying metabolic issues that keep people from feeling healthy and vital. A thought leader in drug/nutrient depletion issues, he has published numerous books and 3 databases in this area alone. As such, he has over 35 years’ experience integrating natural and integrative therapies into various medical and business models. His latest research is in drug-induced microbiome disruption. To learn more, follow @therealjimlavalle on Instagram or visit https://www.jimlavalle.com/ and https://www.metaboliccode.com/. 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!
As a pharmacist who has filled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions, spoken with countless patients, and had a front-row seat to the sick care system, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when health goes wrong. We live in a society that normalizes feeling lousy, accepting being sick, exhausted, anxious, inflamed, and over-medicated as the norm. Here’s the truth the healthcare system often hides: your body can heal itself. With a preventive wellness approach, we can reduce illness and avoid the daily cocktail of medications just to get out of bed. The secret? Don’t wait for symptoms to appear before taking charge of your health. By adopting preventive maintenance, you can nip illness in the bud and live a vibrant life without endless prescriptions or feeling drained and anxious every day. What practical steps can we take to maintain our health before it breaks down? How do we shift from a sickness mindset to one of wellness? In this episode, I share the lessons I’ve learned over 30 years in pharmacy and how you can apply them to avoid the common mistakes so many make. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -How to get your body working again Our bodies are designed to heal, so why do we have so many people struggling with non-stop sickness? -The dangers of daily dosages This might be surprising to hear from a pharmacist, but we shouldn’t be taking as many daily medications as we do right now. Can we reduce our dependency? -The bad news (and the good news) You can’t medicate your way out of a problem you behaved your way into. How do we use behavior to influence better health? PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. 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!
Omega-3s don’t get nearly the attention they deserve, but they should. This essential fat is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory tools you can add to your wellness routine. Your supplement stack could be missing a key component without it. From brain fog and mood swings to joint pain and cardiovascular health, omega-3s support nearly every major system in the body. But here’s what most people miss: you’ll only see the benefits if you’re taking the right kind, in the right form, at the right dose. There are different types of omega-3s, and they’re not interchangeable. Some are well-absorbed and powerful. Others? Practically useless or worse. Unless you know what to look for on a supplement label (purity, dose, and sourcing), it’s easy to waste money on a product that does nothing… or worse, one that’s oxidized and harmful. What makes fish oil such a game-changer in your health? What do you need to know before you buy it? In this episode, I break down everything you need to know to choose the right omega-3 supplement, avoid common mistakes, and finally make this underrated fat work for you. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode Why omega-3s matter What is omega-3 so powerful? What are the only two forms that truly make a difference in your body? Quality beats quantity What makes a supplement ultra-pure, and how can taking a low-quality omega-3 do more harm than good? The truth about fish oil alternatives There’s a lot of debate about plant-based Omega-3 and krill. Are they worthy alternatives to fish oil? How to read an omega-3 supplement label How do you find the real dose of EPA and DHA, and whether it’s enough to move the needle? P.S. If you’re looking for omega-3 with a quality, purity and freshness you can trust, explore our omega-3 collection here. 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!
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 imbalances, or stubborn weight… toxins could be the reason nothing’s working. These invaders don’t just make you feel off. They hijack your immune system, disrupt your hormones, accelerate aging, and can set the stage for chronic disease. Worse? You might feel fine and still be full of them. And once they’re in your system, they’re tough to eliminate even with common “detox” protocols. But Dr. Savage has developed a method that could help flush out up to 99% of these dangerous toxins, for good. Why are we more prone to toxins than we were decades ago? How do toxins drive everything from cancer and Alzheimer's to fatigue and sleep issues? In this episode, Dr. Paul Savage breaks down what toxins are really doing to your body, why traditional approaches aren’t enough, and the protocol that’s helping people finally feel better. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -What is a toxin, really We throw around the word, but what exactly are toxins doing in your body, and why are they so hard to get rid of? -Why your detox isn’t working Juice cleanses and saunas aren’t enough. Most detox methods remove less than 30% of toxins. So what actually works? -How an “oil change” for your blood resets your body What is TPE, and how does it remove up to 99% of toxic buildup? Is it the future of how we treat chronic illness? -The most dangerous toxins hiding in your body right now From BPA to pesticides to PFAS (forever chemicals), these are the top offenders, and what they’re secretly doing to your health. PS. If you enjoy the show, remember to leave a review on your favorite podcast app! Reviews help the podcast reach a wider audience and help more people. Guest Bio Dr. Paul Savage is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of MDLifespan. He is revolutionizing personalized medicine by blending cutting-edge science with a patient-centered approach. Under his leadership, the development of the patent-pending PlasmaXchange™ protocols addresses the global toxin crisis, fostering improved vitality and accessibility to innovative healthcare solutions. Dr. Savage’s journey from an overwhelmed ER physician to a trailblazing leader in wellness exemplifies the transformative power of determination and innovation. At 36, he faced a personal health crisis while working as an evening ER doctor at one of the world’s largest trauma centers. Severely overweight, smoking, pre-diabetic, and chronically stressed, he realized that traditional medicine alone could not provide the answers he needed. His relentless curiosity led him to explore hormonal therapies, integrative treatments, and lifestyle interventions that ultimately transformed his health. This personal evolution inspired him to challenge traditional healthcare practices and create companies and technologies that empower patients to take control of their well-being. At MDLifespan, Dr. Savage spearheads the development of data-driven protocols like PlasmaXchange™, which combines therapeutic plasma exchange with patient education, advanced diagnostics, and tailored therapies to deliver sustainable, transformative results. His focus on making these solutions practical, scalable, and impactful ensures that MDLifespan is accessible to diverse communities and prepared to address today’s most pressing health challenges. Visit https://mdlifespan.com/ to learn more. 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!
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, there’s an important caveat many people miss: You’ll only get the benefits if you take the right kind, at the right dose, for the right reason. Most people don’t realize that there are many forms of magnesium, and they’re not interchangeable. Some types target the brain. Others help with muscle recovery, sleep, or digestion. And unless you know what to look for on a supplement label, it’s easy to pick the wrong one… or take a dose your body can’t absorb. In this episode, I break down all you need to know about magnesium, what you need to take, and how to decode supplement labels and avoid wasting your money. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -The power of magnesium Magnesium is an inexpensive and gentle supplement that packs a punch in health and wellness. What makes it so great? -Many types of magnesium Choosing the right form of magnesium matters as much as what you’re taking it for. How do you find the right magnesium for your health concern? -How to know if you’re low on magnesium Many Americans are magnesium deficient, and they don’t even know it. What signs should you be on the lookout for? -How to find your dosage sweet spot Dosage is key to getting the benefits of magnesium. What are the telltale signs you’re taking too much or too little? 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!