Made for Health | Peptides | Lyme | Chronic Infections | Long Covid | Insulin Resistance | Hypermobility

Aaron Hartman, MD
  • 4.9 (48)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

You were made for health—vibrant, thriving, and full of possibility. But navigating today’s broken healthcare system, endless misinformation, and confusion can feel overwhelming. On Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman cuts through the noise to deliver science-backed solutions that restore your health and reignite your hope. Join us each week for expert insights, practical tips, and inspiring conversations that empower you to harness your body’s incredible power to heal. Whether you're seeking clarity, direction, or just a trusted voice, this podcast is your roadmap to the vibrant life you were made for.

  1. 1d ago

    Why Your Child Is Dysregulated: Nervous System Regulation, Screen Time, and the CALMS Protocol with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge | E178

    🎒 Back-to-school season can bring changing routines, increased stress, new exposures, and added demands on the whole family. Support your family’s health this season with Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine’s Back-to-School 2026 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman welcomes back Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, a leading expert in emotional and behavioral dysregulation with more than 30 years of experience helping children and families. Their conversation explores what happens when the nervous system becomes chronically overwhelmed—and why addressing behavior alone may miss what is actually driving a child’s struggles. Dr. Roseann explains dysregulation as difficulty moving effectively between states of stress and calm. When the nervous system’s “stress cup” keeps filling without enough opportunities to release that stress, children and adults can remain chronically activated. That activation may show up through anxiety, emotional outbursts, attention difficulties, shutdowns, impulsivity, sleep problems, or other physical and mental health challenges. Dr. Hartman and Dr. Roseann also take a close look at screen time and device dysregulation. Rather than framing technology as inherently bad, Dr. Roseann emphasizes the importance of boundaries, especially because children can have difficulty disengaging once they are deeply absorbed in stimulating digital content. The conversation then moves into the heart of Dr. Roseann’s work: helping families regulate the nervous system first. Nutrition, gut health, magnesium, neurofeedback, PEMF, and other tools may all have a role, but she stresses that lasting change also requires consistent daily practices that help reduce nervous-system activation and create greater capacity for stress. Key Topics Covered What emotional and nervous-system dysregulation can look like in childrenWhy people can appear highly functional while living in chronic fight, flight, or freezeThe “stress cup” and why accumulated stress mattersADHD, anxiety, OCD, PANS/PANDAS, sensory challenges, and dysregulationDevice dysregulation and screen-time boundariesWhy smartphones and short-form content can be difficult for children to disengage fromWhy simply removing one physical stressor may not fully regulate the nervous systemNutrition, magnesium, gut health, mold, and nervous-system supportBig-T trauma, little-t trauma, and chronic everyday stressSympathetic nervous-system activationWhy consistency matters more than searching for one “magic” interventionBreathwork, somatic exercises, Tai Chi, prayer, art, and other daily regulation practicesNeurofeedback, PEMF, and brain-based toolsPolyvagal theory and vagus-nerve regulationWhy parents need to regulate themselves before helping a dysregulated childCo-dysregulation versus co-regulationGenerational patterns and emotional regulation within familiesThe CALMS Dysregulation Protocol®Regulation First Parenting®Dr. Roseann’s book, The Dysregulated Kid In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ Why dysregulation is about the nervous system’s ability to move between stress and calm ✅ Why chronic stress can affect the nervous system even when there has not been one major traumatic event ✅ Why correcting behavior may be ineffective when a child is already highly dysregulated ✅ How technology and device use can add another layer of stimulation for children ✅ Why supplements or advanced therapies alone may not replace daily nervous-system regulation ✅ How simple practices such as breathwork, movement, art, prayer, Tai Chi, and somatic exercises can become part of a daily regulation routine ✅ Why parents’ nervous systems influence their children through verbal and nonverbal cues ✅ How families can shift from co-dysregulation to co-regulation ✅ Why Dr. Roseann believes parents need to stop personalizing a child’s dysregulated behavior ✅ How the CALMS Dysregulation Protocol® gives families a practical framework for responding differently Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine 🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/ 🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle 📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD Mentioned in this episode: 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents

    Why Your Child Is Dysregulated: Nervous System Regulation, Screen Time, and the CALMS Protocol with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge | E178

  2. 4d ago

    Mold Exposure May Be Why You’re Still Sick: The Hidden Connection to CIRS and Chronic Inflammation | E177

    🎒 Back-to-school season brings changing routines, new exposures, and added demands on the whole family. Support your family’s health this season with Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine’s Back-to-School 2026 offer. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues exploring a question he hears frequently from patients: Why am I still sick? Why am I not getting better? What has been overlooked? Sometimes you've seen multiple doctors, received diagnoses, tried medications, completed specialized testing, and even worked with functional medicine practitioners, yet your recovery eventually reaches a plateau. According to Dr. Hartman, one potential piece worth investigating is mold exposure. He explains that mold and other biotoxins can interact with the immune system in complicated ways. One aspect of this is Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), which Dr. Hartman describes in relation to activation of the innate immune system by biotoxins. He also discusses direct toxin exposure and how mold-related problems may intersect with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. The challenge is that mold exposure can be easy to dismiss precisely because it is so common. A water-damaged environment or mold around an HVAC system may look “normal” to someone who sees it every day, but Dr. Hartman argues that common does not necessarily mean harmless for every individual. Key Topics Covered Why mold may be overlooked when chronic illness isn't improvingMold exposure and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)What Dr. Hartman means by the biotoxin pathwayInnate versus adaptive immune responsesDirect toxicity from mold and mycotoxinsMold and chronic inflammationPotential connections with autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditionsWater-damaged buildings and environmental exposureWhy common mold exposure can be easy to dismissMold in HVAC systems and indoor environmentsHLA-DR/DQ genetics and susceptibilityWhy some people may have more difficulty handling biotoxinsMold exposure versus immune-system dysregulationUrine testing for mold toxinsEvaluating the building as well as the individualMold as a possible complicating factor in chronic Lyme diseaseDr. Hartman's clinical example involving Lyme disease, hypermobility, and POTSBinders, phosphatidylcholine, environmental changes, and gut support discussed in his clinical approachWhy foundational health still matters when dealing with environmental exposuresRIFM's Healthy Building Guide and mold resources In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ Why Dr. Hartman considers mold when someone with a complex chronic illness stops progressing ✅ How he distinguishes mold exposure, direct toxin effects, and CIRS ✅ Why a water-damaged building may affect different people differently ✅ How Dr. Hartman describes the role of HLA-DR/DQ genetics in the body's ability to handle biotoxins ✅ Why simply finding mold-related toxins doesn't necessarily tell you whether your innate immune system is dysregulated ✅ Why evaluating your home or workplace environment can be an important part of investigating possible mold exposure ✅ How mold may complicate conditions such as chronic Lyme disease, autoimmune disease, mast cell activation syndrome, long COVID, and other complex health problems ✅ Why Dr. Hartman continues emphasizing nutrition, gut health, detoxification, and other foundations even when addressing mold Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine 🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/ 🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle 📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD Mentioned in this episode: 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents

    Mold Exposure May Be Why You’re Still Sick: The Hidden Connection to CIRS and Chronic Inflammation | E177

  3. Sep 7

    Best of: CIRS and the Bio Toxin Pathway: A Deep Dive into Detoxification and Healing with Dr. Jenski | E176

    🎒 Back-to-school season brings new routines, new exposures, and new challenges for the whole family. Support your family this school year with targeted nutritional support designed with whole-person health in mind. Get 25% Off the Back-to-School Bundle In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman, MD, and Dr. Jenski, MD, explore Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and the biotoxin pathway. They break down how exposure to biotoxins from mold, water-damaged environments, and chemicals can trigger complex immune responses, and how genetic factors such as HLA gene mutations may influence the way certain individuals respond to these exposures. The conversation examines the connection between biotoxins, chronic inflammation, detoxification, and seemingly interconnected health problems. Dr. Hartman and Dr. Jenski explain why CIRS can be complex to identify and manage and why treatment needs to be personalized rather than approached with a one-size-fits-all protocol. They also discuss strategies used to support the body during treatment, including omega-3 fatty acids and curcumin, while emphasizing the importance of addressing CIRS through a thoughtful, step-by-step process. This episode provides listeners with a clearer understanding of the biotoxin pathway, why chronic inflammation can persist, and how a structured approach can help guide CIRS treatment. Resources & Links: 🌐 Dr. Aaron Hartman – Richmond Functional Medicine: richmondfunctionalmedicine.com 🌐 LinkedIn – Dr. Aaron Hartman: Connect Here 📺 YouTube – Richmond Functional Medicine: Watch Here 🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle Mentioned in this episode: 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents

    Best of: CIRS and the Bio Toxin Pathway: A Deep Dive into Detoxification and Healing with Dr. Jenski | E176

  4. Sep 4

    The Healing Hierarchy: Why Your Body May Need More Than the Right Treatment to Heal | E175

    🎒 Back-to-school season brings changing routines, new exposures, and added demands on the whole family. Support your family’s health this season with Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine’s Back-to-School 2026 offer. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues his series exploring a question he hears constantly from people dealing with chronic and complex health problems: Why am I still not getting better? You may have seen the specialists, received the diagnoses, taken the medications, completed advanced testing, or worked with integrative and functional medicine providers. Maybe you've made it 50% of the way—but something still feels missing. Dr. Hartman introduces the Hierarchy of Healing, a concept he says has existed within naturopathic medicine for more than a century. Rather than beginning with the newest test, supplement, or advanced treatment, this framework asks whether you've created the conditions your body needs to heal in the first place. That includes your physical environment, nervous system, connection with nature, food and water, and something medicine doesn't always know how to measure: meaning and purpose. Key Topics Covered Why some people improve but eventually become stuck in their healing journeyThe Hierarchy of Healing in naturopathic medicineDr. Hartman's Triangle of HealthCreating an environment that supports healingWhy feeling safe matters to the nervous systemTrauma, chaos, and nervous-system dysregulationThe relationship between mind, body, and healingConnecting with nature and natural rhythmsSeasonal changes in food and lifestyleThe microbiome, polyphenols, mitochondria, and the environmentNourishing the body with real food and clean waterGiving the body what it needs rather than only trying to remove what's wrongWhy meaning and purpose belong in a conversation about healthThe biopsychosocial model of healingWhy foundational principles still matter in complex chronic illnessTurning health information into meaningful action In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ What Dr. Hartman means by the Hierarchy of Healing ✅ Why the environment surrounding you can become part of your healing process ✅ Why nervous-system safety may matter when your body seems unable to move forward ✅ How natural and seasonal rhythms fit into Dr. Hartman's framework for health ✅ Why nourishment involves more than simply avoiding unhealthy foods ✅ How Dr. Hartman connects the microbiome, polyphenols, mitochondria, and environmental influences ✅ Why meaning, purpose, relationships, vocation, and creativity can be important pieces of a healing journey ✅ Why getting better shouldn't be viewed only through medications, testing, supplements, or procedures ✅ Why Dr. Hartman continues returning to foundational principles even when working with people experiencing significant chronic illness Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine 🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/ 🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle 📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD Mentioned in this episode: 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents

    The Healing Hierarchy: Why Your Body May Need More Than the Right Treatment to Heal | E175

  5. Aug 31

    Best of: Is It Really Fibromyalgia, MS, or Chronic Fatigue? – What Doctors Overlook with Dr. Richard Horowitz | E174

    🎒 Back-to-school season brings new routines, new exposures, and new challenges for the whole family. Support your family this school year with targeted nutritional support designed with whole-person health in mind. Get 25% Off the Back-to-School Bundle In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman is joined by internationally renowned Lyme disease expert Dr. Richard Horowitz, who shares insights from his 35+ years of experience treating over 13,000 patients with chronic Lyme disease and complex chronic illnesses. Dr. Horowitz unpacks the 16-point treatment model he developed to address the multifactorial nature of chronic disease—including infections, inflammation, environmental toxins, mitochondrial dysfunction, and immune dysregulation. He explores how chronic Lyme overlaps with long COVID, mold illness, and autoimmune conditions, and emphasizes the importance of personalized, root-cause approaches to healing. This eye-opening episode also addresses the medical and political challenges faced by Lyme patients and practitioners, the need for systemic change, and how advocacy and collaboration can help reshape the future of chronic care. Show Highlights: ✅ What makes chronic Lyme disease so difficult to diagnose and treat ✅ Dr. Horowitz’s 16-point model and why it’s transforming chronic illness care ✅ The intersection of Lyme, long COVID, and other systemic health conditions ✅ How toxins, infections, and inflammation fuel long-term illness ✅ The political and institutional barriers to better care and research ✅ Real-world patient stories that highlight hope and healing ✅ Where patients and practitioners can access further education and support Some Questions We Explore: ✅ Why are so many patients misdiagnosed—or not diagnosed at all? ✅ How can chronic Lyme mimic other diseases like fibromyalgia or MS? ✅ What’s the role of mitochondrial health and detoxification in recovery? ✅ How do we move from symptom management to root-cause resolution? In This Episode, You Will Learn: ✅ What a truly integrative, systems-based approach to chronic illness looks like ✅ How to use Dr. Horowitz’s model to guide testing, diagnosis, and treatment ✅ Why collaboration between conventional and functional medicine is crucial ✅ How to advocate for better awareness, resources, and policy change Resources & Links: 🌐 Dr. Richard Horowitz – Official Website: cangetbetter.com 📘 Book – Why Can’t I Get Better? by Dr. Richard Horowitz 📘 Book – How Can I Get Better? by Dr. Richard Horowitz 🌐 Dr. Aaron Hartman – Richmond Functional Medicine: richmondfunctionalmedicine.com 🌐 LinkedIn – Dr. Aaron Hartman: Connect Here 📺 YouTube – Richmond Functional Medicine: Watch Here 🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle Mentioned in this episode: 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents

    Best of: Is It Really Fibromyalgia, MS, or Chronic Fatigue? – What Doctors Overlook with Dr. Richard Horowitz | E174

  6. Aug 28

    Why Can’t I Get Better? The 3 Foundations That May Be Keeping You Stuck — Gut, Stress & Sleep | E173

    🎒 Back-to-school season puts extra demands on the whole family. Support your health this fall with physician-vetted, foundational supplements from Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine. Get 25% off Back-to-School Support while the seasonal offer lasts. https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman begins a new series with a question he hears almost every day: “Why am I not getting better?” You may be doing everything you think you’re supposed to do. You’ve seen doctors and specialists. You’ve changed your diet, tried supplements, addressed your diagnosis, and worked hard on your health. Maybe you’ve improved 20%, 40%, or even 60%—but then something happens. Progress stops, symptoms linger, and you feel stuck. Before jumping to more complicated possibilities like mold, Lyme disease, mast cell issues, hormones, or advanced testing, Dr. Hartman argues that it’s worth returning to the foundations. In his clinical experience, three of the most commonly overlooked areas are gut health, stress, and sleep. He explores how nutrition, the microbiome, food reactivity, detoxification, stress and trauma, nervous-system regulation, and restorative sleep can influence the healing process. The goal isn't simply to chase the newest health trend. It's to identify what may be blocking progress, address what's lacking, and build a stronger foundation for healing. Key Topics Covered Why people can make significant progress and then suddenly get stuckThe danger of chasing the newest health trend or treatmentWhy foundational health still matters in complex chronic illnessGut health and the microbiomeReal food versus highly processed foodFood sensitivities and immune reactivityProtein, minerals, and nutrition in detoxificationPrebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, polyphenols, and fiberChronic stress and its impact on healingHealth-related and healthcare-related stressTrauma and nervous-system dysregulationEMDR, tapping, somatic therapy, and parts therapyThe default mode network and established brain patternsWhy sleep is essential for repair and recoveryDeep sleep, REM sleep, memory, and nervous-system regulationWhy the basics should come before more complex interventions Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine 🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/ 🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle 📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD Mentioned in this episode: 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents

    Why Can’t I Get Better? The 3 Foundations That May Be Keeping You Stuck — Gut, Stress & Sleep | E173

  7. Aug 24

    Best of: Feel Dismissed by Doctors? – The Truth About Root-Cause Healing & Empowerment with Dr. Jill Carnahan | E172

    🎒 Back-to-school season brings new routines, new exposures, and new challenges for the whole family. Support your family this school year with targeted nutritional support designed with whole-person health in mind. Get 25% Off the Back-to-School Bundle In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman welcomes Dr. Jill Carnahan, a leading expert in functional and integrative medicine, for a powerful conversation about resilience, healing, and the root causes of chronic illness. Dr. Carnahan shares her deeply personal story—surviving breast cancer at 25, living with Crohn’s disease, and overcoming debilitating mold toxicity. These challenges became the catalyst for her shift from conventional to holistic, patient-centered care. Together, she and Dr. Hartman explore the connection between trauma, toxic exposures, belief systems, and spiritual healing in the path to true wellness. This is more than a medical discussion—it’s an invitation to reclaim your health through compassionate, root-cause medicine that honors both science and soul. ✅ Show Highlights:Dr. Carnahan’s journey through cancer, autoimmune disease, and mold illnessWhy trauma and belief systems play a critical role in recoveryHow conventional medicine often overlooks root causesThe role of diet, detoxification, and the environment in healingHer shift from protocols to personalized, whole-person careThe impact of spirituality and mindset in chronic illness recoveryInsights from her new book and documentary 🎯 Some Questions We Explore:How did Dr. Carnahan’s personal health battles shape her medical philosophy?What’s the connection between trauma, the immune system, and chronic disease?Why are environmental toxins often missed in conventional care?How can spiritual practices aid physical recovery? 💡 In This Episode, You Will Learn:The importance of addressing trauma in healing complex illnessWhy belief, choice, and action are cornerstones of recoveryFunctional medicine tools for detox, gut healing, and immune regulationHow to become an empowered advocate for your own healthWhere to start if you feel dismissed or overlooked in traditional healthcare 🌐 Resources & Links:Dr. Jill Carnahan – Official Website: https://www.jillcarnahan.comBook – Unexpected: Finding Resilience through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith: Buy Here Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine 🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/ 🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle 📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD Mentioned in this episode: Get Dr. Hartman's New Book - UnCURABLE If you’ve been let down by the system, you’re not alone — and you’re not powerless. Dr. Hartmans wrote UnCURABLE to help you take back control of your health and your hope. Visit the link below ⬇️ to get your copy and start your transformation today. Get the new book UnCURABLE 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents

    Best of: Feel Dismissed by Doctors? – The Truth About Root-Cause Healing & Empowerment with Dr. Jill Carnahan | E172

  8. Aug 17

    Ketamine May Help the Brain Get Unstuck - The Science of Neuroplasticity Trauma and Mental Health with Dr. James Leathem | E171

    🎒 Back-to-school season brings new routines, new exposures, and new challenges for the whole family. Support your family this school year with targeted nutritional support designed with whole-person health in mind. Get 25% Off the Back-to-School Bundle In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Dr. James T. Leathem, DO, a board-certified anesthesiologist and psychedelic integration coach, to explore ketamine therapy, psychedelic medicine, and a different way of thinking about mental health. Dr. Leathem shares his unconventional path from business to medicine, how a near-death experience helped redirect his life, and how his background in anesthesia eventually led him into ketamine-assisted care. The conversation focuses on depression, PTSD, trauma, chronic pain, neuroplasticity, and the importance of pairing the medicine with meaningful integration work. Dr. Leathem explains that ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used at sub-anesthetic doses in this setting. He describes how ketamine interacts with the glutamate system through NMDA receptor blockade, which can influence AMPA signaling and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. He connects these mechanisms to synaptic plasticity, dendritic spine formation, and a period of increased neuroplasticity that may create an opportunity for new patterns and behaviors. But for Dr. Leathem, the medicine itself is only part of the process. He emphasizes preparation, intention, integration coaching, mindfulness, journaling, sleep, and daily practices after treatment. His analogy is simple: ketamine may help put out the fire in your "mental health house," but it cannot rebuild the house for you. That rebuilding requires active participation after someone becomes unstuck. The conversation also expands into the default mode network, spiritual experiences, stellate ganglion blocks, autonomic dysregulation, traumatic brain injury, and the wider landscape of psychedelic medicine. Throughout the episode, Dr. Leathem emphasizes individualized treatment rather than a cookie-cutter approach. Key Topics Covered Dr. James Leathem's unconventional journey into medicineHow anesthesiology led him toward ketamine and psychedelic medicineKetamine therapy for depression, PTSD, trauma, and chronic painThe difference between anesthetic and sub-anesthetic ketamineWhy Dr. Leathem prefers an individualized approach to ketamine therapyIV ketamine and different routes of administrationWhy the ketamine experience is only one part of the healing processPreparation, intention, and psychedelic integrationThe neuroplasticity window following ketamine treatmentNMDA receptors, glutamate, and AMPA signalingBrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)Dendritic spine formation and neural circuitryWhy mental health may involve more than the traditional neurotransmitter modelKetamine and the default mode networkPsychedelic experiences and shifts in perspectiveThe role of daily habits after ketamine therapyMindfulness, journaling, sleep, and metacognitionStellate ganglion blocks and autonomic nervous system regulationKetamine in patients with complex chronic illnessDr. Leathem's clinical experience with traumatic brain injuryClassic versus non-classic psychedelicsPsilocybin, LSD, DMT, mescaline, MDMA, and other psychedelic medicinesWhy psychedelic treatment requires attention to preparation, setting, and integrationTurning trauma and suffering into growth and personal evolution In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ How Dr. Leathem went from anesthesiology to ketamine and psychedelic medicine ✅ How ketamine works differently from conventional approaches focused primarily on serotonin and other monoamine neurotransmitters ✅ Why NMDA receptors, glutamate, BDNF, and neuroplasticity are central to the conversation about ketamine ✅ Why Dr. Leathem believes the period after a ketamine experience can be as important as the infusion itself ✅ How preparation, intention, integration coaching, and daily practices can help patients work with the changes that follow treatment ✅ Why ketamine may help someone become "unstuck," while long-term rebuilding still requires active participation ✅ How the default mode network may relate to ego, thought patterns, and psychedelic experiences ✅ How ketamine and stellate ganglion blocks are being combined in Dr. Leathem's practice when addressing certain patterns of autonomic dysregulation ✅ How ketamine fits into the much broader and evolving field of psychedelic medicine About Dr. James T. Leathem, DO Dr. James T. Leathem is a board-certified anesthesiologist, Certified Psychedelic Integration Coach, and co-founder of Gilbert Chandler Ketamine Therapy Clinic and Scottsdale Ketamine Therapy Clinic. His background in anesthesia provided the foundation for his work with ketamine and altered states of consciousness. After beginning his career in business and marketing, a series of deeply personal experiences led him toward medicine. He went on to earn his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and build a career in anesthesiology before transitioning into ketamine and psychedelic medicine. In the episode, he explains that his clinics have performed thousands of ketamine infusions and that his approach combines the medicine with preparation and integration rather than treating the infusion as a standalone intervention. His work focuses on helping individuals struggling with conditions including depression, PTSD, trauma, chronic pain, and other mental health challenges, while emphasizing personalized care and the potential for lasting behavioral and personal change. Connect With Dr. James T. Leathem 🌐 Gilbert Chandler Ketamine Therapy Clinic: Gilbert Ketamine Therapy Clinic 🌐 Scottsdale Ketamine Therapy Clinic: Scottsdale Ketamine Therapy Clinic 👨‍⚕️ Dr. James T. Leathem, DO: Dr. James Leathem’s Profile Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine 🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/ 🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle 📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD Mentioned in this episode: 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents 25% Off Back to School Support for Parents Back to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School Sale Back to School Support for Parents

    Ketamine May Help the Brain Get Unstuck - The Science of Neuroplasticity Trauma and Mental Health with Dr. James Leathem | E171
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You were made for health—vibrant, thriving, and full of possibility. But navigating today’s broken healthcare system, endless misinformation, and confusion can feel overwhelming. On Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman cuts through the noise to deliver science-backed solutions that restore your health and reignite your hope. Join us each week for expert insights, practical tips, and inspiring conversations that empower you to harness your body’s incredible power to heal. Whether you're seeking clarity, direction, or just a trusted voice, this podcast is your roadmap to the vibrant life you were made for.

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