Bloodwork Should Come Before Supplements, ‘The Skinny Confidential’ Says

If your wellness routine looks like a CVS receipt, The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast says you’re doing a lot of guessing. Lauryn Evarts Bosstick admits she’s not exactly the poster child for blood draws—“I would rather give birth 20 times than get my blood taken.” Still, she and husband Michael Bosstick chat with Geviti founder Nate Graville on why labs are the boring baseline that makes everything else make sense.

“I think a lot of people when it comes to this kind of thing, they are not only scared to look under the hood, but they feel if they look under the hood, that potentially then creates a greater chance for something to happen,” Graville states. And if you’re tossing supplements into your cart because an influencer made it sound like a miracle? Graville says: “You can’t fly blind with supplementation.” 

His point is to stop wasting money (and energy) on the wrong things, especially when “procrastination drives anxiety.” 

Your ‘healthy’ habits can still hide problems

“I feel fine” is unreliable. Graville explains that you can work out, eat well, and still miss what’s happening internally—because symptoms show up late, not early. That’s why he calls bloodwork “a blueprint to your health.” Someone can look healthy on paper while something serious is developing quietly. Without labs, there’s no early warning system—just vibes. And vibes don’t alert you to inflammation, cancer markers, or silent deficiencies until your body is already waving a red flag.

Stop letting Instagram build your supplement routine

Graville calls out the way most people end up supplementing—“Like network marketing, word of mouth,” or whatever a favorite influencer is selling that week. The result? Cabinets full of pills and very little clarity. Without labs, people guess based on symptoms, trends, or energy dips, which can backfire fast. He even warns that with certain nutrients, “you can take too much…and very bad things can happen.” Don’t ditch supplements altogether—just stop letting algorithms decide what your body needs and see a doctor first.

And not only that, it can be a waste of money, too. Graville describes people showing up with “like 8 different bottles of supplements that they take every single day,” often for years, without ever confirming whether they need any of them. When they finally look at their labs, the surprise is common: “you don’t need any of this.” In some cases, people are under-dosing what truly matters or overdoing nutrients that can cause problems long-term.

So spend your money smarter. Bloodwork helps redirect money away from random additions and toward what your body needs, at the right dose, for the right reason. Fewer bottles. Less waste. Better results.

Data shouldn’t send you spiraling

One of the smartest distinctions in the episode is between having data and actually knowing what to do with it. Graville is clear that raw lab results, on their own, can easily make things worse. Looking at over 100 biomarkers without context is “way too much information for just the average person to consume,” and for a lot of people, that turns curiosity into panic fast. Numbers without interpretation equals Google rabbit holes at 2 a.m.

The solution, he explains, is translation and prioritization. Results should be explained “in a way that’s digestible and doesn’t create anxiety,” paired with a plan that works around your life, not one that turns health into a second full-time job. That’s why he stresses sustainability and restraint over perfection. No drastic overhauls. No obsessive tracking. Just clear signals, clear next steps, and room to still be a human. Data, in this framework, becomes grounding—not something that sends you spiraling every time a number falls slightly out of range.

Twice a year is best

Lauryn openly admits the idea of blood draws makes her anxious. But avoidance has its own cost. Graville says if you do labs comprehensively, “it doesn’t need to be more than twice a year.” That consistency matters more than frequency. Putting it off because you feel fine or don’t want to deal with it only stretches uncertainty longer, and as he puts it, “procrastination drives anxiety.”

Waiting until something feels wrong often means you’re already behind. Twice-yearly testing creates a baseline you can actually compare against, catch changes early, and move on with your life instead of constantly wondering if something’s off. 

To hear Graville’s full conversation, listen to The Skinny Confidential wherever you get your podcasts.

Read More

• ‘SHE MD’ Says Your Brain Changes With Your Hormones, So Your Treatment Has to Change Too
• The Menopausal Brain Has a New Fuel Preference—’The Art of Being Well’ Explains the Fog
• Why Aging Parents Say No to Care—And What Can Actually Work, According to ‘With Whit’