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The Trusted Pharmacist

The Trusted Pharmacist

By: Steve Hoffart
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 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.2025 Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • Gut-Brain Axis: The Hidden Root of Anxiety, Brain Fog and Fatigue

    Gut-Brain Axis: The Hidden Root of Anxiety, Brain Fog and Fatigue
    Oct 30 2025
    We've been taught to think of the brain as the command center of our mental health - sending orders, dictating moods, and controlling focus. What if the brain is just half the equation? What if the real commander is your gut? The brain and gut are far more connected than most people realize. Every bite you take sparks a chemical conversation between them; one that can calm your mind or trigger anxiety, brain fog, and low motivation. For years, we've tried to fix those symptoms with pills, hoping chemistry alone could restore balance. But the truth is, no drug can outsmart an inflamed gut. The science now shows that your mental health is not just in your head. It's shaped by the bacteria in your intestines, the food on your plate, and the way you manage stress, sleep, and community. When the gut falters, the brain follows, but when you repair the gut, you can literally rewire your mood and energy at the genetic level. How do we fix the gut, and how does that impact the brain? In this episode of The Trusted Pharmacist, I break down the five-step process to restore a healthy gut-brain connection. I talk about how to remove irritants, re-inoculate with key psychobiotics, repair the gut lining, and rebalance lifestyle habits that calm the nervous system. Things You'll Learn In This Episode The gut-brain highway Your gut talks to your brain every minute of the day. Could the anxiety and brain fog you feel be signals of distress from your microbiome? Inflammation: the hidden saboteur When gut bacteria leak toxins into the bloodstream, they inflame the brain's immune system. How do you quell this invisible fire? The nutrient-absorption trap Even the best diet or supplements can fail if your stomach acid and bile aren't working. Are you actually absorbing what your brain needs to thrive? Five steps to rebuild the connection From removing irritants to restoring vagal tone, what evidence-based strategies can transform mental clarity and mood from the inside out? References PMC 12436269 (2025) – Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Microbiota–gut–brain axis in neurodegenerative diseases: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets ScienceDirect (2025) – New Insights in the Gut–Brain Axis: Bioelectrical Microbiome. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214799325000839 Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (2025) – Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis in Mental and Neurodegenerative Disorders. Frontiers | The microbiota–gut–brain axis in mental and neurodegenerative disorders: opportunities for prevention and intervention PMC 12405295 (2025) – Neuroplasticity and the Microbiome. Neuroplasticity and the microbiome: how microorganisms influence brain change PMC 11846350 (2025) – Plasma Short‑Chain Fatty Acids and Cognition. Association between plasma short-chain fatty acids and inflammation in human immunodeficiency virus-associated neurocognitive disorder: a pilot study PMC 11959655 (2025) – Bile Acid Signal Transduction and Neurological Function. Dysregulation of bile acid signal transduction causes neurological dysfunction in cirrhosis rats PMC 12071821 (2025) – Mechanisms of Bile Acids and Receptors in Brain Inflammation. Research Progress on the Mechanism of Bile Acids and Their Receptors in Depression PMC 10051340 (2023) – Tryptophan and Kynurenine Pathway in Microbiota–Brain Interactions. The Tryptophan and Kynurenine Pathway Involved in the Development of Immune-Related Diseases Nature (2025) – The Stomach's Turn: Elucidating the Gut–Brain Axis. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220‑025‑00489‑1 10. Gut (2025) – Fasting and Cognition Via Microbiota Resets. https://gut.bmj.com/content/74/11/1828 11. Nature (2025) – Probiotics Reduce Negative Mood Over Time. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184‑025‑00123‑z 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 ...
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    21 mins
  • Food as Medicine: The Diet That Outperforms Any Drug w/ Dr. Barry Sears

    Food as Medicine: The Diet That Outperforms Any Drug w/ Dr. Barry Sears
    Oct 23 2025
    Most people think of food as fuel: calories in, calories out. But that’s not even close to the truth. Food is information. It’s the language your body speaks in to turn genes on or off, to heal or to harm. Every bite you take is either moving you closer to inflammation and disease… or reprogramming your body to perform like a Ferrari instead of an old pickup truck. That’s not an exaggeration. It’s the foundation of Dr. Barry Sears’ life’s work. Long before “biohacking” was a buzzword, he was using food as a drug, manipulating macronutrients and omega-3 fatty acids to literally engineer metabolism at the genetic level. What if you could treat your metabolism the same way an engineer tunes a high-performance machine, not by adding more fuel, but by optimizing the signals that keep it running? That’s the promise behind using food as a drug. Because inflammation isn’t random, it’s a software glitch. When the signals between your cells and hormones get scrambled by poor nutrition, stress, or the wrong kinds of fat, your metabolism breaks down. You gain weight, lose focus, and speed up the aging process without realizing it. But the same mechanism that breaks you down can also rebuild you. The right balance of protein, carbohydrates, and omega-3s doesn’t just prevent disease, it reprograms how your genes behave. You can turn off chronic inflammation, sharpen mental clarity, improve insulin sensitivity, and even reverse conditions like type 2 diabetes with precision nutrition. How do we eat to reprogram our bodies? Why does the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats determine everything? In this conversation, the leading biochemist, Metabolic Engineering pioneer, and creator of the Zone Diet shares how food can do what a pill can’t, and how to lower inflammation, reverse diabetes, and improve performance at every age. Things You’ll Learn In This Episode -Food as genetic code What if food isn’t fuel but software? How can the right mix of protein, carbs, and omega-3s reprogram 30 trillion cells for peak performance? -The real cause of aging and disease Most people think it’s genetics, but what if it’s unresolved inflammation below the pain threshold, silently damaging your cells every day? -The omega-3 to omega-6 equation Japanese longevity isn’t luck. What ratio of fats keeps inflammation in check, and why are most Americans twenty times out of balance? -Why “balance” beats every fad diet From keto to fasting, extreme diets miss the point. What happens when you bring your metabolism back to its therapeutic zone instead? P.S. Are you looking for a high-quality Omega supplement? Buy our Ultra Omega Max here: https://magnoliapharmacy.com/products/ultra-omega-max. Guest Bio Dr. Barry Sears is an author, leading biochemist, and creator of the Zone diet. He is considered the founder of Metabolic Engineering based on his ground-breaking research on the dietary manipulation of the hormones that control the initiation and resolution of inflammation. Dr. Barry Sears' groundbreaking research on diet, hormones, and inflammation has sold millions of books worldwide. As the founder of the Inflammation Research Foundation, he has dedicated his career to showing how food acts as medicine to treat chronic disease and extend health span. To learn more, go to https://zoneliving.com/ and https://drbarrysears.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!
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    47 mins
  • Hormones Aren't Just Reproductive, They Are Your Body's Wifi w/ Dr. Lindsey Berkson

    Hormones Aren't Just Reproductive, They Are Your Body's Wifi w/ Dr. Lindsey Berkson
    Oct 16 2025
    When most people think about hormones, they think sex, reproduction, or maybe aging. But that's far too narrow. Hormones are the Wi-Fi of your body. They are the invisible signals that keep your brain sharp, your gut sealed, your heart protected, and your immune system resilient. When that Wi-Fi weakens, nothing else runs the way it should. That idea comes straight from Dr. Devaki Lindsey Berkson, a trailblazer in functional medicine who has spent decades translating complex hormone science into clear, practical insights. And it matters, because the story most of us have been told about hormones is flat-out wrong. Estrogen has been vilified, progesterone dismissed, and women told they've "missed their window" for therapy. But that narrative isn't based on science; it's fueled by fear, bias, and outdated education. The research actually shows that natural hormones protect against disease, support healing, and can transform quality of life well into a woman's seventies, eighties, and nineties. In this episode, we cut through the myths and confusion about hormones. We unpack why synthetic progestins are so harmful, how emotional arguments have overshadowed evidence, and what the science really tells us about hormone therapy at every stage of life. Things You'll Learn In This Episode -Hormones as the body's Wi-FiHormones don't just regulate reproduction; they run the signals for your brain, gut, immunity, and healing. What happens when that Wi-Fi goes offline? -The progesterone vs. progestin problemMost women are prescribed synthetic progestins, not real progesterone. What harm do these impostors cause, and why aren't patients told the difference? -Emotion vs. science in hormone debatesMuch of the fear surrounding hormones is emotional, rather than evidence-based. How does science actually stack up against the myths? -The myth of the "estrogen window"Is it really too late to start hormones after your 60s or 70s, or can thoughtful replacement transform health at any age? 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. Devaki Lindsey Berkson, MA, DC, CNS, DACBN, ACN, is known as a thought leader in functional medicine. With an emphasis on hormones, nutrition, and digestion, Dr. Berkson has been a distinguished scholar at an estrogen think tank from Tulane University. She is a best-selling author of 22 books, such as the first gut/body/mind/nutrition book (Healthy Digestion the Natural Way, Wiley, 1998) and the breakthrough book on endocrine-disrupting compounds (Hormone Deception, McGraw-Hill, 2000). Berkson has taught relicensing seminars to professionals (MDs, pharmacists, chiropractors, NDs, acupuncturists, nutritionists) as well as symposiums for the lay public for almost four decades. Dr. Devaki Lindsey Berkson specializes in complex cases, high-risk hormonal patients, and severe gastroenterologic cases, trying to avoid surgery. Berkson knows how to connect the dots of cutting-edge research and has a large background of personal clinical experience with success in difficult cases to pull from. Dr. Berkson is an agile thinker with lots of clinical, academic, and scientific background and has been in practice as a nutritionist since the mid-1970s and as an integrative nutritional, gastrointestinal, and endocrine specialist since the early 1980s. Berkson consults all over the world. She works remotely as a consultant and can also work with your own doctors and become part of your personalized healthcare team. Visit https://drlindseyberkson.com/ to learn more, or subscribe to her Substack https://drlindseyberkson.substack.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!
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    51 mins
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