The Trusted Pharmacist

Steve Hoffart

The Trusted Pharmacist Podcast pulls back the curtain on the healthcare industry, exposing the flaws in the system and empowering listeners to take control of their health. Hosted by pharmacist Steve Hoffart, this show delivers science-backed insights, debunks medical myths, and highlights natural and medical solutions that truly work. Through candid solo episodes and expert interviews, Steve provides actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare. Whether you're looking to improve your health, understand your body's needs, or make sense of conflicting medical advice, this podcast is your go-to source for honest, practical information.

  1. 1d ago

    Natural Thyroid May Be Changing: Is Your Treatment Actually Optimized? w/ Nat Jones

    What happens if the thyroid medication that finally helped you feel like yourself becomes harder to access? Natural desiccated thyroid has been used for decades, and many women prefer it because it provides both T4 and active T3. Proposed FDA changes have raised questions about its future, but they also bring a much bigger issue into focus.  Why do so many women still struggle with fatigue, brain fog, weight changes, cold intolerance, and low energy even when they are taking thyroid medication and their lab results are considered "normal"? Pharmacist and compounding expert Nat Jones explains what more complete thyroid care can look like for women in perimenopause and menopause. We explore why T4 alone may not be enough for every woman, how stress and cortisol can interfere with thyroid function, and how compounded T4/T3 therapy can offer a more individualized approach.   What You'll Discover In This Episode  Why some patients prefer natural desiccated thyroid to levothyroxine T4 vs. T3: why having both can make a meaningful difference What your options are if desiccated thyroid becomes harder to access Why women still feel hypothyroid when their TSH is "normal" How compounded T4 and T3 can be customized to the individual patient Why standard thyroid ratios do not work equally well for everyone The overlooked role of cortisol and chronic stress in thyroid treatment The additional thyroid markers that may reveal what TSH misses How ferritin and nutrient deficiencies can affect thyroid function Why Hashimoto's requires more than simply replacing thyroid hormone   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 the Guest Nat Jones is a pharmacist and internationally recognized expert in pharmaceutical compounding. After more than 20 years as a compounding pharmacy owner, he joined Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA) in Houston, Texas, in 2014, where he serves in the Pharmacy Clinical Services Department. Dermatology is Nat's primary specialty, with additional expertise in wound and scar care, autoimmune disease, endocrinology, pain management, low-dose naltrexone, GLP-1 therapies, methylene blue, ENT, urology, and men's health. He has spent decades delivering continuing education lectures at medical seminars and webinars around the world and is known for translating complex compounding science into practical strategies healthcare providers can use. Nat was awarded Fellowship status by the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists in 2010. He has authored numerous professional articles, e-books, case studies, and consumer publications, and has helped develop hundreds of innovative compounding formulations used by practitioners across the United States.   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 1M on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.   Stay Ahead with Steve the Pharmacist! Loving the show? Want more insights into how your body works? Head over to TheTrustedPharmacist.com and sign up with your email! You'll get the latest episodes, plus exclusive health tips to help you take charge of your wellness. Don't miss out – join me today!

  2. Jul 23

    Menopause Skin Care: Collagen Loss, Copper Peptides, and What Actually Helps w/ Nat Jones

    What if all the work you're doing to feel younger and healthier on the inside isn't being reflected in your skin?  As women age, collagen loss can accelerate, leaving the skin thinner, less resilient, and more prone to fine lines, wrinkles, and a crepey texture. But there are ways to support the collagen you still have and help your skin better reflect how good you feel. Pharmacist Nat Jones joins us to explain what happens to women's skin as they age and what we can do about it. We explore the role of hormones, inflammation, gut health, and collagen loss, as well as emerging ingredients such as GHK copper peptide, estriol, exosomes, and methylene blue.  His message? Supporting aging skin is not just about choosing the right ingredient. It's about understanding how the skin changes and making sure the products you use are actually formulated to work.   What You'll Discover In This Episode  Why your skin may not reflect how healthy you feel inside Why preserving collagen is easier than trying to rebuild it The connection between hormones, inflammation, gut health, and aging skin GHK copper peptide: how it supports collagen and skin renewal Why more copper peptide does not always mean better results The formulation mistakes that can make skincare products ineffective Why vitamin C and copper peptide should not be used together How estriol may support thinner, aging skin What exosomes add to anti-aging skincare The surprising potential of methylene blue for sun-damaged skin How long it takes to see visible changes in fine lines and skin texture   About the Guest Nat Jones is a pharmacist and internationally recognized expert in pharmaceutical compounding. After more than 20 years as a compounding pharmacy owner, he joined Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA) in Houston, Texas, in 2014, where he serves in the Pharmacy Clinical Services Department. Dermatology is Nat's primary specialty, with additional expertise in wound and scar care, autoimmune disease, endocrinology, pain management, low-dose naltrexone, GLP-1 therapies, methylene blue, ENT, urology, and men's health. He has spent decades delivering continuing education lectures at medical seminars and webinars around the world and is known for translating complex compounding science into practical strategies healthcare providers can use. Nat was awarded Fellowship status by the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists in 2010. He has authored numerous professional articles, e-books, case studies, and consumer publications, and has helped develop hundreds of innovative compounding formulations used by practitioners across the United States.   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 1M on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.   Stay Ahead with Steve the Pharmacist! Loving the show? Want more insights into how your body works? Head over to TheTrustedPharmacist.com and sign up with your email! You'll get the latest episodes, plus exclusive health tips to help you take charge of your wellness. Don't miss out – join me today!

  3. Jul 16

    Lexi Yoo on Perimenopause, Peptides, and Hormone Strategies That Actually Work

    Perimenopause, testosterone, estrogen patches, pellets, and peptides are finally getting the attention they should have had years ago. More women are asking better questions. More providers are taking symptoms seriously. And more patients are realizing that brain fog, poor sleep, weight gain, anxiety, joint pain, skin changes, and muscle loss are not things they simply have to tolerate. But this hormone renaissance isn't always a good thing. When every social media post is talking about hormones like they are magic, some very important points and questions get missed. Are we using hormones, peptides, GLP-1s, or regenerative therapies in the right order, for the right patient, with the right testing, the right monitoring, and the right clinical judgment? In this episode, I'm joined by women's health, hormone and peptide expert Lexi Yoo. We talk about what women and practitioners are still getting wrong about hormone therapy, how to think about estrogen delivery when patches are hard to find, and why peptides should sit on top of the foundations rather than replace them. What You'll Discover In This Episode Why women don't have to wait until they are fully menopausal to start talking about hormone therapy The hormone myth Lexi wishes would disappear, especially around testosterone and women's brain health How perimenopause can change cycles, sleep, mood, metabolism, stress tolerance, and body composition Why symptoms matter, but testing still plays a critical role in responsible hormone care Why hormone therapy isn't automatically off-limits for women with a family history of breast cancer Why estrogen patches are becoming harder to find, and what other options may be worth discussing with a knowledgeable provider How pellets can be helpful for some women, and why poor monitoring creates so many bad experiences How hormone metabolites can reveal whether the body is processing estrogen in a favorable or unfavorable way Why gut health, detox pathways, methylation, bowel regularity, and inflammation can all affect hormone outcomes How peptides like BPC-157, tesamorelin, thymosin beta-4, and GHK-Cu may be used in gut health, recovery, body composition, skin, and hair conversations Why peptide sourcing, provider education, pharmacy quality, consent, and follow-up matter so much How the peptide conversation has been distorted by black-market products, online misinformation, and regulatory confusion Why GLP-1s can be a net positive when used correctly, but risky when prescribed without body composition monitoring Why muscle preservation has to be part of every serious weight loss conversation What women entering their 40s, 50s, and beyond should understand about hormones, strength training, skin, collagen, recovery, and long-term 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 the Guest Lexi Yoo is a double board-certified nurse practitioner, functional medicine–certified clinician, women's health expert, and longevity medicine educator. She is the CEO of Yoo Direct Health, where she helps patients get to the root of complex hormone, metabolic, and wellness concerns through a more comprehensive, functional medicine approach. Her work is especially focused on the women who have been dismissed, rushed, or told to "come back when it gets worse" despite struggling with symptoms like brain fog, poor sleep, weight changes, anxiety, low libido, fatigue, skin changes, and the physical shifts of perimenopause and menopause. In addition to seeing patients clinically, Lexi trains and mentors other providers through her academy, helping clinicians better understand hormone therapy, peptides, GLP-1s, body composition, aesthetics, and longevity medicine. Her work lives at the intersection of clinical care and education, with a focus on helping both patients and providers approach women's health with more precision, curiosity, and clinical judgment. To learn more, visit https://lexiyoonp.com/ and follow Lexi 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 1M on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.   Stay Ahead with Steve the Pharmacist! Loving the show? Want more insights into how your body works? Head over to TheTrustedPharmacist.com and sign up with your email! You'll get the latest episodes, plus exclusive health tips to help you take charge of your wellness. Don't miss out – join me today!

  4. Jul 9

    Dr. LaKeischa McMillan on How Perimenopause Affects Sex, Skin, Stress, and More

    Perimenopause and menopause are inevitable. But you can either crash into this transition or glide into it, and a few key factors make all the difference. This phase can feel like your entire body changed overnight and you didn't get the memo. Suddenly, you feel like a foreigner in your own skin. The clothes that used to feel fine suddenly feel irritating. Words disappear mid-sentence. You walk from one room to another and forget what you were doing. You're used to being sharp, capable, and dependable, but now getting ready, getting out the door, leading a meeting, keeping up at work, or holding the day together can feel harder than it used to. Then there is the part many women are least prepared to talk about: intimacy. Libido can shift. Sex can become painful, with burning, dryness, and discomfort showing up in ways they never used to. Then there's the impact this can have on your relationships and how this phase can leave you feeling confused, disconnected, and alone. But it doesn't have to be this way. Women are often told they have to push through or just accept this as a part of aging and carry the blame for how their bodies are changing. To glide into perimenopause and not crash, you need healthcare practitioners who understand that "normal labs" do not always tell the whole story. You need real conversations about estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, vaginal health, stress, sleep, metabolism, and the nervous system. You need a partner who listens without making the changes personal, and families, workplaces, and communities that understand this transition is real and support you. And you need to face an uncomfortable truth: that the stress, over-functioning, and constant responsibility that you used to carry effortlessly just won't work the same way anymore. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. LaKeischa McMillan, an OB-GYN, hormone expert, author, and speaker known as "The International Menopause Whisperer." We talk about what is really happening in the body during perimenopause and menopause, why some women feel blindsided by the transition, how stress can shape the experience, why progesterone deserves a much bigger conversation, why vaginal health is medical health, and how the right support can help women move through this season with more clarity, confidence, and care. Things You'll Learn In This Episode Menopause is bigger than the ovaries Perimenopause and menopause are not just sex-hormone events. Adrenals, gut, thyroid, brain chemistry, metabolism, and nervous system all shape this transition. What gets missed when women are treated as if only their ovaries are changing? The problem with "no uterus, no progesterone" Progesterone is often treated as estrogen's "accountability partner," or as something women only need if they have a uterus. But its role may extend into sleep, calm, anxiety, palpitations, and overall quality of life. How many women are missing support because progesterone has been framed too narrowly? Vaginal symptoms are medical, not personal Burning, dryness, painful sex, and vaginal atrophy are often misdiagnosed. How much confusion and distress could be avoided if women were given better language for what is happening in their bodies? Stress is not just a lifestyle issue Stress does not cause perimenopause, but it can shape how the body moves through it. When the adrenal glands and nervous system have been in overdrive for years, what happens when the body can no longer carry stress the same way? Partners need to listen before they fix Perimenopause can affect mood, touch, libido, patience, identity, and the way a woman feels in her own body. How can partners support women without blaming, minimizing, or taking the changes personally? 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 the Guest Dr. LaKeischa McMillan is an Integrative OB-GYN, hormone specialist, and Amazon best-selling author, the International Menopause Whisperer™. She's also the host of the Hormone Hottie Hotline™️ Podcast. Through her practice, programs, and writing, she helps women (and the practitioners who care for them) move beyond confusion and dismissal toward clarity, balance, and energy. To take Dr. LaKeischa's free quiz, go to hormonequiz.co or go to https://www.talkhormones.com/ to register for a consultation. Follow @drlakeischamd on Instagram and TikTok.   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 1M on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.   Stay Ahead with Steve the Pharmacist! Loving the show? Want more insights into how your body works? Head over to TheTrustedPharmacist.com and sign up with your email! You'll get the latest episodes, plus exclusive health tips to help you take charge of your wellness. Don't miss out – join me today!

  5. Jul 2

    The Testosterone Conversation Women and Men Need to Have

    Most people think testosterone is either a man's hormone, a gym hormone, or a dangerous hormone. So when a man in his 40s starts gaining belly fat, losing drive, struggling with focus, sleeping poorly, recovering slowly, and feeling like he's not quite himself, he's usually told one of two things: his testosterone is "normal," or he should jump straight into replacement. And when a woman in perimenopause or menopause loses her libido, energy, muscle, confidence, motivation, and sense of vitality, testosterone often isn't even part of the conversation. But the truth is more complicated and more important. Testosterone is not poison, and it is not magic. It is a powerful human hormone that plays a role in libido, metabolism, muscle, mood, bone health, brain function, recovery, and overall vitality. The problem is that too many providers are either afraid of it, casually prescribing it, or treating one number on a lab report instead of looking at the full picture. That's why the testosterone conversation has to move beyond the simple question of whether someone is low or not. The better question is: Is the hormone signal actually working? In this episode, I'm breaking down what testosterone really does in both men and women, why "normal labs" can miss the bigger picture, how poor dosing and delivery can create side effects, and what patients need to know before starting testosterone. Things You'll Learn In This Episode Women need testosterone, too Testosterone can play a role in libido, energy, mood, muscle maintenance, confidence, recovery, and vitality for women. Why are so many women still left out of this conversation entirely? More testosterone is not always better Too much testosterone can convert into estrogen or DHT, raising the risk of side effects. How do you find the lowest effective dose instead of chasing the highest number? Testosterone can affect male fertility For men who want children, testosterone replacement can suppress LH and FSH, the signals needed for sperm production. What should younger men ask before starting therapy? The delivery method matters more than most people realize Creams, gels, injections, sublingual forms, oral products, and pellets all behave differently in the body. Why can the wrong route or dosing schedule create problems even when the hormone itself is appropriate? 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 1M on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.   Stay Ahead with Steve the Pharmacist! Loving the show? Want more insights into how your body works? Head over to TheTrustedPharmacist.com and sign up with your email! You'll get the latest episodes, plus exclusive health tips to help you take charge of your wellness. Don't miss out – join me today!

  6. Jun 25

    Heart Disease Prevention: The Food Your Cardiologist Never Mentions w/ Dr. William Davis

    When it comes to heart disease, conventional medicine has told us the same thing: watch your cholesterol, take the medication if you need it, eat less saturated fat, and follow the guidelines. And most women do. They get the labs done, they fill the prescriptions, they cut the butter, and they trust that the system has thought this through. What they're rarely told is that the approach they're following has been shown, in study after study, to have almost no impact on whether heart disease actually progresses.   The marker their doctor is treating, LDL cholesterol, turns out to be the wrong target. And the dietary advice they've been given may be making things worse. The thing that actually moves the needle looks nothing like a prescription. For thousands of patients, it started with removing one food most of them considered healthy. Dr. William Davis is a cardiologist and the New York Times number one bestselling author of Wheat Belly. He spent nearly two decades performing cardiac interventions before concluding that the system he was trained in was treating the wrong problem, too late. In this episode, he breaks down why the standard prevention advice doesn't work, what wheat is actually doing to the body, and what women can do right now that most cardiologists will never tell them. Things You'll Learn In This Episode Standard heart disease protocol doesn't always work Studies show it has almost no impact on whether coronary disease actually progresses. Why does the conventional approach keep getting recommended when the evidence doesn't support it? Wheat does far more damage than most people realize When patients cut wheat, they lost weight, reversed diabetes, and resolved conditions unrelated to their reasons for coming in. Why does one food affect so many different systems in the body? GLP-1 drugs may be trading one problem for a much bigger one. When weight is lost through calorie reduction, muscle loss follows, and the research suggests it may be permanent. What does that mean for women's long-term health? A bacterial strain that does things no supplement is supposed to do. Patients reported better sleep, muscle retention, improved skin, and mood shifts from something that looks like yogurt and costs almost nothing to make. What is this microbe actually doing, and why does it matter especially for women? 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 the Guest Dr. William Davis is a well-known preventive cardiologist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wheat Belly. He's also a major advocate in the health and wellness world. He is also the author of many other bestselling books, including Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Be Smarter Than Your Doctor. Dr. Davis works to provide powerful, personally empowering health information that frees you from the doctor and the healthcare system. His newest book, Super Body, is available to order now. https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2026/01/what-is-a-super-body/. To learn more, you can also go to williamdavismd.com and innercircle.drdavisinfinitehealth.com. For Dr. Davis Infinite Health lifestyle tools, supplies, supplements, and "yogurt" making go to: https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/shop/.   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 1M on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.   Stay Ahead with Steve the Pharmacist! Loving the show? Want more insights into how your body works? Head over to TheTrustedPharmacist.com and sign up with your email! You'll get the latest episodes, plus exclusive health tips to help you take charge of your wellness. Don't miss out – join me today!

  7. Jun 18

    Perimenopause Symptoms Women Shouldn't Ignore w/ Dr. Anna Garrett

    A lot of women hit their mid-to-late 30s or 40s and suddenly feel like their body changed the rules without telling them. They start waking up at 3 AM. Their anxiety increases, their weight starts shifting toward the middle, even though they're eating the same way and exercising the same way.  And when they finally ask for help, their symptoms are dismissed, normalized as stress. Or they are told different things: either they're too young for perimenopause, or this is just a part of aging.  But perimenopause is not always a clean, obvious hormone story. It can look like burnout, thyroid dysfunction, blood sugar issues, gut problems, stress overload, poor sleep, mood changes, or a body that suddenly feels harder to manage. That's why so many women (and clinicians) miss it. Dr. Anna Garrett, pharmacist and hormone expert, helps women understand what is actually happening underneath those symptoms. Her approach is not "everyone needs hormones," and it's not "just push through it."  It starts with the person in front of her. What are her symptoms? What is her stress level? How is she sleeping? Is she ovulating regularly? Is she constipated? How is her body clearing estrogen? What role are alcohol, blood sugar, gut health, exercise, under-eating, or over-functioning playing? In this episode, we unpack why your body changes so much in your mid to late-30s and early 40s, and what to do when you're sure that you're not the way you used to be.    Things You'll Learn In This Episode  Perimenopause can start earlier than you think Women in their 30s and 40s are often dismissed because they don't fit the outdated picture of perimenopause. So what are the signs that your body may already be entering perimenopause, even if your labs look "normal"? Your symptoms may be signals, not separate problems How do you stop treating each symptom in isolation and start asking what the body is trying to communicate? It's not random insomnia Middle-of-the-night wakeups can be tied to progesterone changes. If sleep is the symptom, what is actually waking the body up?   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. Anna Garrett is a clinical pharmacist, functional health coach, hormone strategist, and midlife health detective. For more than 30 years, she's helped women understand their bodies, advocate for themselves, and create a clear path forward. Dr. Garrett's work combines clinical pharmacy, functional medicine, advanced lab testing, health coaching, and mindset support to help women in midlife feel clearer, stronger, energized, and in control. To learn more, visit https://drannagarrett.com/, join her private Facebook Group, The Hormone Harmony Club, and follow her 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 1M on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.   Stay Ahead with Steve the Pharmacist! Loving the show? Want more insights into how your body works? Head over to TheTrustedPharmacist.com and sign up with your email! You'll get the latest episodes, plus exclusive health tips to help you take charge of your wellness. Don't miss out – join me today!

  8. Jun 11

    Advanced Tests Don't Always Make You Healthier, Here's Why w/ Dr. Cheryl Burdette

    Food sensitivities and intolerances have become a much bigger conversation in health and wellness. More people are starting to wonder whether the foods they eat every day could be contributing to symptoms such as bloating, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, skin issues, mood changes, weight-loss resistance, or inflammation.  And because testing has become more accessible, many people are now ordering food sensitivity tests themselves, cutting out the foods that show up, and trying to figure it out from there. But for most people, that creates more confusion.  Food sensitivity testing is still widely misunderstood. Some people dismiss it completely. Some people treat every result like a permanent diagnosis. And many people end up with a long list of foods to avoid but no clear understanding of what the test is actually showing them, why their bodies are reacting in the first place, or what they're supposed to do next. That's the problem. Elimination diets are not forever food ban lists. They were never meant to make someone's diet smaller and smaller until eating becomes stressful. They are meant to be used as a therapeutic tool: to reduce inflammation, calm the immune system, repair the gut, and eventually understand how and when foods can be reintroduced. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Cheryl Burdette, a naturopathic doctor, co-founder of Precision Point Diagnostics, and medical director for KHS. We talk about the difference between food allergies and food sensitivities, and why a food sensitivity test is only useful if it helps change the plan. We also get into the bigger issue with advanced testing in general. A lab result should not just give you a number, a list, or another thing to worry about. It should help you understand the process happening underneath the symptoms.    Things You'll Learn In This Episode Elimination diets are not forever food ban lists Many people take a food sensitivity test, remove the foods, and then get stuck there. How are you actually supposed to use these diets?  Food allergies and food sensitivities are not the same thing An IgE allergy can be immediate and obvious, while an IgG sensitivity may show up hours or days later. How do we understand the difference without oversimplifying either one? Leaky gut changes how the immune system sees food When the gut lining becomes more permeable, food particles and bacterial toxins can cross into places they do not belong, triggering immune reactions. What do markers like zonulin, LPS, diamine oxidase, and food antibodies actually help us see? Advanced testing should help you know what to do next Testing itself isn't the problem; testing without a plan is. How do we use labs to guide diet, gut repair, probiotics, immunoglobulins, antioxidant support, and prevention instead of just collecting more numbers?   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. Cheryl Burdette is a naturopathic doctor, co-founder of Precision Point Diagnostics, medical director of KHS, and Director of Education at Progressive Medical Center, which hosts a Naturopathic residency, at one of the largest integrative clinics in the Southeast.  She is the co-founder of Precision Point Diagnostics, a laboratory that focuses on gut-based health and wellness. There, she designs clinical profiles and trains clinicians on their utilization. She has a rich history in the integrative medicine laboratory space. She designed and teaches the clinical curriculum for Origins Incubator, a practice management group that has helped to launch many successful practitioners. She is on the board of advisors for TheraDura Diagnostik, a German-based lab company. She serves on IRB boards, is involved in study design and translational research, and has lectured extensively worldwide. Dr. Burdette's passion is teaching about the practice of Integrative and Naturopathic Medicine, to increase awareness of evidence-based natural therapies, to both rule in and rule out tools that are effective in-patient care. To learn more, visit https://www.progressivemedicalcenter.com/ or send an email to cburdette@precisionpointdiagnostics.com.    Resources  Here are the five biomarkers Dr. Burdette recommends paying attention to: 8-OH-DG / 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine - oxidative stress/DNA damage marker Oxidized LDL - damaged LDL; discussed as more predictive for cardiovascular risk than standard cholesterol Vitamin D - broad immune, hormone, bone, brain, and inflammation relevance CRP / C-reactive protein — general inflammation marker Hemoglobin A1C — blood sugar/glycation marker, long before diabetes becomes the only concern   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 1M on social media, Steve shares actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare.   Stay Ahead with Steve the Pharmacist! Loving the show? Want more insights into how your body works? Head over to TheTrustedPharmacist.com and sign up with your email! You'll get the latest episodes, plus exclusive health tips to help you take charge of your wellness. Don't miss out – join me today!

4.8
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

The Trusted Pharmacist Podcast pulls back the curtain on the healthcare industry, exposing the flaws in the system and empowering listeners to take control of their health. Hosted by pharmacist Steve Hoffart, this show delivers science-backed insights, debunks medical myths, and highlights natural and medical solutions that truly work. Through candid solo episodes and expert interviews, Steve provides actionable advice on nutrition, supplements, and wellness strategies while advocating for meaningful change in healthcare. Whether you're looking to improve your health, understand your body's needs, or make sense of conflicting medical advice, this podcast is your go-to source for honest, practical information.