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

Aaron Hartman, MD
  • 4.9 (72)
  • 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

    Gut Microbiome & Healthy Aging: Menopause, GLP-1s & Gut Health with Dr. Julia Malkowski | E190

    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 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ What if healthy aging is influenced not only by the number of birthdays you’ve celebrated, but also by the ecosystem living inside your gut? In this insightful episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Dr. Julia Malkowski, ND, DC, a naturopathic doctor, doctor of chiropractic medicine, and clinical educator at Doctor’s Data whose work focuses on the gut microbiome and functional diagnostics. Dr. Malkowski’s path into medicine began with a deeply personal experience. When her infant son developed a persistent skin rash, she sought answers beyond the explanations she had been given. She shares how seeing his skin improve after a dietary change redirected her career and inspired her to pursue naturopathic medicine. Today, that same curiosity shapes her work exploring “biome aging”—the idea that changes in the gut microbiome may offer insight into biological aging and health across the lifespan. Together, she and Dr. Hartman discuss microbiome diversity, inflammation, estrogen metabolism, perimenopause, menopause, GLP-1 medications, intestinal barrier function, and the influence of food and environmental exposures. The conversation ultimately returns to a practical message: supporting gut health begins with everyday foundations. From greens, beans, and berries to movement and time outdoors, Dr. Malkowski shares the habits she prioritizes before reaching for more complex interventions. Key Topics Covered The personal experience that led Dr. Julia Malkowski into naturopathic medicineWhat she means by “biome aging” and the gut’s biological clockMicrobiome diversity and changes across the lifespanGut health, inflammation, telomeres, and epigenetic aging clocksWhy perimenopause is an important transition in her approach to gut healthThe estrobolome, estrogen metabolism, and beta-glucuronidaseMenopause-associated changes in cholesterol and metabolic healthFiber as a foundation for feeding the gut microbiomeNaturally produced GLP-1 versus GLP-1 medicationsWhy nutrition quality still matters when appetite decreases on GLP-1 therapyFiber, polyphenols, and maintaining beneficial gut bacteriaKeystone microbes, including Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Faecalibacterium prausnitziiAkkermansia muciniphila and its role in the gut ecosystemShort-chain fatty acids and how microbes support one anotherWhat microbiome testing can reveal—and why repeat results need contextIntestinal permeability, zonulin, tight junctions, aging, and stressThe speakers’ clinical experiences and research questions involving peptidesQuestions about food additives, environmental exposures, and gut healthDr. Malkowski’s research comparing microbiome patterns across regionsEarly-life microbiome development, birth mode, and maternal influencesSimple food priorities: greens, beans, and berriesMovement, outdoor exposure, and social connectionVitamin D, turmeric, olive oil, and individualized probiotic considerationsGI360 stool testing and interpreting findings with a qualified clinician In This Episode, You Will Learn How her son’s health experience changed Dr. Malkowski’s career and approach to medicineWhat she means by a gut microbiome’s “age,” and why she pays attention to diversity rather than chronological age aloneHow she connects estrogen metabolism, microbial diversity, and intestinal barrier function when thinking about perimenopause and menopauseWhy she emphasizes feeding the microbiome with fiber and polyphenol-rich foods during a GLP-1 medication journey—not focusing only on protein or reduced appetiteHow thinking about the microbiome as an interconnected ecosystem changes the conversation about individual bacteria and probioticsWhy microbiome test results are a snapshot, and how diet and consistency matter when interpreting repeat testingWhy she considers intestinal barrier function and individual tolerance before assuming a probiotic is the right next stepHow greens, beans, berries, movement, and time outdoors fit into her practical approach to supporting gut healthWhat functional stool testing can contribute to a conversation with your clinician, and why results need to be considered alongside symptoms and medical history 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 Connect With Dr. Julia Malkowski Professional Website – Doctor’s Data: doctorsdata.com Instagram: @drjuliamalkowski LinkedIn: Connect With Dr. Julia Malkowski Facebook: Dr. Julia Malkowski Modern Human Podcast – Instagram & Updates: @themodernhumanpodcast 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

    Gut Microbiome & Healthy Aging: Menopause, GLP-1s & Gut Health with Dr. Julia Malkowski | E190

  2. 4d ago

    Thiamine Deficiency & High-Calorie Malnutrition: Could Hidden Nutrient Deficiencies Be Why You’re Still Sick? | E189

    🎒 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 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this Made for Health solo minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues asking the question at the center of this series: Why are you still sick? Why are you stuck even after addressing Lyme disease, mold, MCAS, gut dysfunction, nervous-system dysregulation, and other potential drivers? This time, Dr. Hartman looks at something much more fundamental: Are you actually getting—and using—the nutrients your cells need? He explores thiamine, or vitamin B1, deficiency, including the possibility of milder functional deficiencies that may not resemble classic severe beriberi but could still overlap with symptoms such as fatigue, neurological complaints, dysautonomia, and POTS. He then expands the conversation to a larger concept: high-calorie malnutrition, where someone may consume plenty of calories while still being deficient in vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients required for normal cellular energy production. For Dr. Hartman, this raises another important possibility for people who have made progress but still feel stuck: What if part of the problem is not another disease—but a body that simply does not have enough of the raw materials it needs to function well? Key Topics Covered Why nutrient deficiencies may be overlooked in chronic illnessThiamine, or vitamin B1, deficiencyFunctional versus severe nutrient deficiencyWet and dry beriberiThiamine and neurological functionThiamine and cardiovascular functionDysautonomia and POTSChronic fatigue and fibromyalgiaMitochondrial dysfunctionCellular energy productionWhy some patients may respond to B1 supplementationThe concept of high-calorie malnutritionProcessed food and micronutrient densityB-vitamin deficienciesMagnesium and potassiumVitamin DOmega-3 fatty acidsMicronutrients and the Krebs cycleWhy calories alone do not equal nutritionFood fortification and nutrient loss from food processingIV vitamin C and the additional nutrients often included with itB-complex vitaminsNutrient testing in complex chronic illnessWhy rebuilding nutrient status may take timeReturning to foundational nutrition and real food In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ Why Dr. Hartman routinely evaluates thiamine and other nutrient levels in complex patients ✅ How vitamin B1 deficiency can affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and energy production ✅ Why some symptoms associated with POTS, dysautonomia, chronic fatigue, and neurological dysfunction may prompt him to consider nutrient status ✅ What Dr. Hartman means by high-calorie malnutrition ✅ How someone can eat plenty of food while still lacking essential vitamins and minerals ✅ Why heavily processed carbohydrates may increase metabolic demand while providing fewer of the micronutrients needed to process them ✅ Why mitochondria require multiple vitamins and minerals to efficiently produce cellular energy ✅ Why feeling better after a multivitamin, B-complex, or nutrient replacement may sometimes provide an important clue ✅ Why improving one nutrient may not be enough if several deficiencies are present ✅ Why Dr. Hartman keeps returning to the same foundational recommendation: eat real, nutrient-dense food 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

    Thiamine Deficiency & High-Calorie Malnutrition: Could Hidden Nutrient Deficiencies Be Why You’re Still Sick? | E189

  3. Oct 19

    The Metabolic Approach to Cancer: Trauma, Terrain, Mitochondria & Integrative Oncology with Dr. Nasha Winters | E188

    🎒 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 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ What if cancer is not simply an isolated enemy to attack, but also a signal to look more closely at the terrain in which disease developed? In this powerful episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Dr. Nasha Winters, ND, FABNO, L.Ac, Dipl.OM, a naturopathic doctor and Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology whose work focuses on metabolic and integrative oncology. Dr. Winters’ interest in cancer is deeply personal. At just 19 years old, after years of unexplained health problems, she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer involving multiple areas of her body and was told she may have only months to live. That experience ultimately redirected her education, clinical career, and understanding of health. Pasted text(20261018-195841) More than three decades later, she shares how that diagnosis changed the way she thinks about cancer, trauma, metabolism, environmental exposures, mitochondria, hormones, and the relationship between a person's biography and biology. Key Topics Covered Dr. Nasha Winters’ stage IV ovarian cancer diagnosis at age 19Why her early symptoms were repeatedly attributed to existing diagnosesWhat changed when one physician recognized that something was differentHer prognosis and the moment she decided she wanted to understand cancer rather than simply “fight” itThe unexpected experiences she believes influenced her early survivalFasting and metabolic stress in cancerChildhood trauma and the Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE, frameworkBig-T and little-T traumaEMDR and trauma processingPsychedelic experiences and confronting mortalityPsychoneuroimmunologyThe relationship between emotions, stress, nervous-system signaling, and physical healthCancer as a disease of the individual “terrain”Environmental exposures and the exposomeMitochondrial healthMetabolic dysfunction and cancerInsulin and growth signalingHormone metabolismIntegrative approaches to prostate cancerIntegrative considerations in breast cancerColon cancer and the rising burden of cancer in younger adultsWhy Dr. Winters believes patients should understand their individual terrainHow integrative oncology can work alongside conventional cancer careWhy patients may have more influence over their health than they realize In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ How Dr. Winters went from a 19-year-old pre-med student with advanced cancer to spending decades studying integrative and metabolic oncology ✅ Why finally having someone believe that “something is different” was an important moment in her diagnosis ✅ How childhood experiences and unresolved trauma became part of the way she understood her own illness ✅ Why she considers metabolic health, immune function, nervous-system regulation, environmental exposures, and emotional health together rather than viewing cancer through one pathway ✅ What she means when she talks about a person's “terrain” ✅ Why Dr. Winters evaluates factors such as insulin signaling, hormone metabolism, environmental burden, inflammation, and mitochondrial function ✅ How she approaches different cancer types through an individualized lens rather than assuming every person with the same diagnosis has the same underlying terrain ✅ Why she believes conventional oncology and integrative oncology do not need to exist in opposition ✅ How patients can begin learning about their own health patterns even before facing a cancer diagnosis 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 Connect With Dr. Nasha Winters 🌐 Website: https://drnasha.com/ 🎙️ Podcast: Tend the Terrain 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 Metabolic Approach to Cancer: Trauma, Terrain, Mitochondria & Integrative Oncology with Dr. Nasha Winters | E188

  4. Oct 16

    Nervous System Dysregulation: Could Trauma, Limbic Kindling & Vagal Dysfunction Be Why You’re Still Sick? | E187

    🎒 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 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this Made for Health solo minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues his ongoing series asking a deceptively simple question: Why are you still sick? Why does your body seem stuck even after you’ve addressed so many other pieces? After years of working with patients dealing with mold illness, Lyme disease, autoimmune issues, gut dysfunction, SIBO, hormonal problems, brain fog, mast-cell activation, and other complex conditions, Dr. Hartman says one pattern increasingly stands out: the nervous system itself may remain dysregulated even after other contributors have been addressed. Pasted text This episode explores what he calls a nervous-system triad involving limbic-system dysregulation, mast-cell activation, and vagal dysfunction, along with trauma, multiple chemical sensitivity, the “cell danger response,” and why some patients paradoxically feel worse when given treatments that seem biochemically appropriate. Pasted text The central idea is not that chronic illness is “all in your head.” It is almost the opposite: your brain, nervous system, immune system, mitochondria, and stress-response pathways may all be communicating with one another—and sometimes the body has difficulty returning to a state that feels safe enough for recovery. Key Topics Covered Why nervous-system dysregulation may keep some chronically ill patients feeling stuckWhy “it’s all in your head” can be a damaging oversimplificationBig-T trauma, little-T trauma, and healthcare-related traumaLimbic-system hypervigilanceThe amygdala, memory, emotion, and threat perceptionMultiple Chemical Sensitivity and TILTMast Cell Activation Syndrome as part of the nervous-system pictureVagal dysfunction and autonomic regulationFight, flight, freeze, shutdown, and overwhelmPolyvagal concepts discussed in the episodeChronic stress and the body’s sense of safetyThe “cell danger response” frameworkMitochondria and inflammatory signalingWhy some patients feel worse from supplements or detoxification protocolsReactions to glutathione, methyl donors, and other treatments discussed in the episodeBrain retraining and nervous-system regulationEMDR, somatic therapy, parts work, breathwork, and tappingWhy trauma work may sometimes need to happen earlier in the healing processWhy foundational work involving stress, sleep, environment, and nervous-system regulation still matters In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ Why Dr. Hartman believes nervous-system dysregulation can remain even after mold, Lyme, gut, hormonal, or autoimmune contributors have been addressed ✅ How limbic hypervigilance may lower the threshold at which the body perceives something as threatening ✅ Why sensitivities to foods, fragrances, chemicals, detergents, supplements, or capsule ingredients may sometimes occur alongside nervous-system dysregulation ✅ How vagal dysfunction may influence patterns of shutdown, overwhelm, autonomic symptoms, and recovery ✅ Why trauma does not have to mean one catastrophic event ✅ How illness itself—and even difficult experiences within the healthcare system—can become physiologically stressful ✅ Why some patients can react poorly to treatments that appear “correct” on paper ✅ Why Dr. Hartman increasingly considers nervous-system work alongside detoxification, infection treatment, nutrition, and other functional-medicine strategies 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

    Nervous System Dysregulation: Could Trauma, Limbic Kindling & Vagal Dysfunction Be Why You’re Still Sick? | E187

  5. Oct 12

    Medical Gaslighting Doesn’t Stop in the Exam Room: How to Trust Yourself and Build the Right Care Team with Dr. Efrat LaMandre | E186

    🎒 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 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this deeply personal episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Dr. Efrat “Dr. E” LaMandre, a family nurse practitioner, PhD in Integrative Medicine, host of the Medical Disruptor podcast, and a leading voice on medical gaslighting. What begins as a conversation about why patients feel dismissed when their tests come back “normal” becomes something much more personal. Dr. E shares that she was recently diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer after months of back pain that she repeatedly minimized herself. The experience transformed her from a clinician who teaches patient advocacy into a patient navigating the healthcare system firsthand. Pasted text Together, Dr. Hartman and Dr. E explore a rarely discussed side of medical gaslighting: the ways patients can begin gaslighting themselves. We may apologize for taking a clinician’s time, downplay symptoms, assume normal tests mean nothing is wrong, or ignore the internal sense that something has changed. Their message is not to reject conventional medicine. It is to understand what each clinician can and cannot provide, continue investigating when symptoms persist, and build a healthcare team capable of looking at the whole picture. Key Topics Covered What medical gaslighting actually meansWhy normal laboratory results do not automatically mean a patient feels wellWhy patients may feel dismissed even by well-intentioned cliniciansPopulations most affected by medical gaslightingWhy women may be especially likely to minimize their symptomsFatigue, migrating pain, unusual sensations, and GI complaints that can be difficult to fit into conventional diagnostic categoriesThe habit of “pre-apologizing” before describing symptomsHow patients learn to become “good patients”Why people sometimes trust test results more than their own bodily experienceIntuition as a form of pattern recognitionThe importance of knowing when something is different from your normalWhy self-advocacy does not mean rejecting doctorsUnderstanding the limitations of individual medical specialtiesWhy conventional testing still mattersHow to build a multidisciplinary healthcare teamChoosing clinicians and researchers over unqualified health adviceAvoiding overwhelm when facing a complex diagnosisWhy healing plans may need to be implemented graduallyThe emotional and mental challenges of serious and chronic illnessHope, family, purpose, and continuing to move forward In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ What medical gaslighting can look like even when the clinician has good intentions ✅ Why being told “your tests are normal” should not automatically end the conversation when symptoms persist ✅ How patients can unknowingly participate in their own medical gaslighting by dismissing or minimizing what they feel ✅ Why Dr. E now tells patients to get concerning symptoms checked instead of talking themselves out of evaluation ✅ Why self-advocacy is not the same as being confrontational or distrustful of medicine ✅ How intuition can reflect years of subconscious pattern recognition ✅ Why every specialist has a particular role—and why complex health problems may require an entire team ✅ How to decide whose medical advice deserves your attention when everyone around you has an opinion ✅ Why you do not have to make every lifestyle or treatment change at once ✅ What becoming a patient taught Dr. E about exhaustion, uncertainty, hope, and the emotional burden of illness Connect With Dr. Efrat LaMandre 🌐 Website: https://www.drefratlamandre.com/ 🎙️ Medical Disruptor Podcast: https://www.drefratlamandre.com/e-podcasts Dr. E shares additional education and updates under Dr. Efrat LaMandre across her social platforms. Her official website describes the Medical Disruptor podcast as a show featuring credentialed clinicians who examine the limits of conventional care while exploring integrative solutions. Dr E. 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

    Medical Gaslighting Doesn’t Stop in the Exam Room: How to Trust Yourself and Build the Right Care Team with Dr. Efrat LaMandre | E186

  6. Oct 9

    POTS and Dysautonomia: Could Nervous System Dysregulation Be Why You’re Still Sick? | E185

    🎒 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 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues exploring an important question: Why are you still sick? Why does your body seem unable to get back into a healing state? This time, he focuses on dysautonomia and POTS—Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome—conditions involving dysfunction in the autonomic nervous system, which helps regulate processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, digestion, sleep, and the body's response to stress. Pasted text For some people, the signs are dramatic. For others, they can be subtle: feeling lightheaded when standing, experiencing a racing or pounding heart seemingly out of nowhere, waking suddenly at night, struggling with brain fog, cold hands and feet, unusual skin color changes, temperature intolerance, or simply feeling significantly better after fluids, electrolytes, compression, or time spent calming the nervous system. Pasted text Dr. Hartman explains why dysautonomia can easily become one more overlooked layer in complex chronic illness—and why identifying what originally disrupted the nervous system may be just as important as identifying POTS itself. Key Topics Covered What dysautonomia meansWhat POTS is and how it relates to dysautonomiaThe sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systemsLightheadedness and dizziness after standingHeart racing and unexplained palpitationsBrain fog and difficulty thinkingWaking at night with a racing heartCold hands and feetChanges in skin color and circulationProblems regulating body temperatureSleep, mood, hormonal, and gastrointestinal symptomsWhy mild dysautonomia may be overlookedFluids and electrolytesCompression garmentsNervous-system regulationDysautonomia after concussion or head injuryLong COVID and post-infectious dysautonomiaLyme disease and nervous-system dysfunctionHypermobility and POTSMast Cell Activation SyndromeAutoimmune and gastrointestinal overlapWhy the patient's history can guide treatmentThe NASA Lean TestPhysical examination findings Dr. Hartman considersWhy treating the underlying trigger matters In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ Why POTS is only one form within the broader category of dysautonomia ✅ How autonomic nervous-system dysfunction can affect much more than heart rate and blood pressure ✅ Why symptoms may sometimes resemble anxiety or panic ✅ Why someone can have significant autonomic symptoms without fitting a textbook presentation ✅ How POTS and dysautonomia may overlap with hypermobility, mast-cell activation, mold illness, Lyme disease, autoimmune issues, gut problems, and post-infectious conditions ✅ Why Dr. Hartman asks when the symptoms started and what happened around that time ✅ How concussion, illness, trauma, infection, or other physiological stressors may become part of the clinical timeline ✅ Why fluids, electrolytes, compression, strengthening, and nervous-system regulation may become part of an individualized approach ✅ How the NASA Lean Test can help collect heart-rate and blood-pressure information over time 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

    POTS and Dysautonomia: Could Nervous System Dysregulation Be Why You’re Still Sick? | E185

  7. Oct 5

    Best of: How Adopting a Child with Special Needs Led to a Medical Revolution | E184

    🎒 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 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this special episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman shares the deeply personal story behind his journey from conventional family medicine into integrative and functional medicine—and why Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine exists today. The turning point began with his daughter, Anna. When Dr. Hartman and his wife began caring for Anna, who had cerebral palsy and significant medical needs, they quickly found themselves questioning recommendations from specialists. One of the earliest moments involved a recommendation for a feeding tube because Anna was considered extremely small on a standard growth chart. Dr. Hartman and his wife declined, believing there might be another path. Months later, they discovered a growth chart specifically for children with cerebral palsy—and Anna was right in the middle of the expected range. Pasted text That experience fundamentally changed how Dr. Hartman viewed expertise, medical decision-making, and the importance of looking at the right frame of reference for the individual patient. From there, his family continued exploring alternatives when standard medicine seemed to offer only procedures, medications, or surgery. Their search took them into nutrition, genetics, advanced gut testing, functional neurology, rehabilitation technologies, neuromodulation, and other approaches that were often being used elsewhere long before they became familiar in mainstream American medicine. Pasted text Today, Anna continues to make progress far beyond what her family was originally told to expect. Dr. Hartman shares how that experience shaped not only his life as a father but also his identity as a physician, researcher, and lifelong student of medicine. Pasted text Key Topics Covered How Dr. Hartman originally entered medicineThe difference between learning medicine and truly learning how to healHow adopting Anna changed his personal and professional lifeRaising a child with cerebral palsy and significant medical needsWhy his family began questioning specialist recommendationsAnna’s feeding-tube recommendation and the importance of the correct clinical reference pointWhy medical experts can sometimes be wrongMedical gaslighting and families with special-needs childrenLooking beyond one-size-fits-all treatmentWhy function mattered more than appearance in Anna’s careExploring nutrition, genetics, gut health, and functional neurologyTechnologies and therapies used in neurological rehabilitationWhy Dr. Hartman became increasingly interested in root-cause medicineHis transition from traditional family medicine into functional medicineThe role of clinical research in shaping his thinkingIFM, integrative medicine, functional medicine, and advanced trainingLearning about mold, CIRS, mast-cell activation, and hypermobilityHow his understanding of chronic illness evolved over timeWhy short conventional appointments were not enough for complex patientsThe creation of Richmond Integrative & Functional MedicineWhy complex patients need time, curiosity, and individualized careMoving the practice to a fully functional-medicine modelThe role of faith, family, persistence, and continuing educationDr. Hartman’s vision for the future of personalized medicine In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ Why caring for his daughter became the biggest turning point in Dr. Hartman’s medical career ✅ How using the wrong clinical reference point almost led Anna toward an unnecessary feeding tube ✅ Why Dr. Hartman began questioning the idea that specialists always have the complete answer ✅ How parenting children with complex health needs pushed him to investigate nutrition, genetics, neurology, and rehabilitation more deeply ✅ Why functional medicine appealed to him as a way of asking “Why?” rather than only treating the diagnosis ✅ How research helped him recognize that many “new” therapies are often built on decades of previous science ✅ Why conditions such as mold illness, mast-cell activation, hypermobility, and complex chronic illness required him to keep expanding his training ✅ Why he eventually realized complex patients needed much more than a 10- or 12-minute appointment ✅ How Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine grew from a personal family journey into a practice serving patients with complex chronic conditions 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: How Adopting a Child with Special Needs Led to a Medical Revolution | E184

  8. Oct 2

    Hypermobility and Fascia: Could Your Connective Tissue Be Why You’re Still Stuck? | E183

    🎒 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 resources. Back-to-School 2026: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/ In this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues exploring the question at the center of this series: Why are you still sick? Why does your body seem stuck even after addressing so many other pieces? This time, he turns to something that connects nearly every structure in the body but often receives far less attention: fascia and connective tissue. Dr. Hartman explains that fascia helps support organs, tissues, joints, nerves, and other structures throughout the body. For people with hypermobility, those tissues may be more lax or stretchy, which he believes can influence everything from joint stability and pain to nervous-system activation and complex chronic illness. Pasted text And hypermobility doesn't always mean someone can still perform obvious “double-jointed” tricks. Dr. Hartman explains that people who were very flexible when younger may become increasingly tight and painful as they age because the surrounding fascia can stiffen and develop areas of restriction—even while certain joints remain hypermobile. Pasted text Key Topics Covered Why fascia and connective tissue may be an overlooked part of chronic illnessWhat hypermobility actually meansWhy hypermobility is more than being “double-jointed”The relationship between fascia and the nervous systemWhy loose connective tissue may increase sensory input to the brainHypermobility as both a potential strength and vulnerabilityWhy hypermobile people may become tighter with ageFascia, pain, and nervous-system activationEhlers-Danlos syndrome versus the broader hypermobility spectrumThe Pentad Super Syndrome discussed by Dr. HartmanHypermobility and Mast Cell Activation SyndromeHypermobility and POTS/dysautonomiaGastrointestinal issues and connective tissueAutoimmune conditions and hypermobilityAssociations with ADHD, autism, OCD, and other neuropsychiatric conditions discussed in the episodeBruising, bleeding, joint instability, and sports injuriesNutrition and connective-tissue repairProtein and collagenVitamin C and collagen productionTrace minerals and connective-tissue healthBone broth, organ meats, and mineral-rich foodsWhy childhood flexibility history may matter in adultsThe Beighton score as a screening tool In This Episode, You Will Learn ✅ Why connective tissue may deserve more attention when chronic symptoms aren't improving ✅ Why hypermobility affects more than just joints ✅ How Dr. Hartman connects fascia with sensory signaling and nervous-system activation ✅ Why someone can be hypermobile and still feel extremely stiff as an adult ✅ How hypermobility may overlap with POTS, dysautonomia, mast-cell activation, gastrointestinal problems, and autoimmune issues ✅ Why childhood flexibility can provide important clues even if you are no longer flexible today ✅ Why hypermobile athletes may sometimes experience repeated injuries despite being strong and highly trained ✅ Why Dr. Hartman pays particular attention to protein, collagen, vitamin C, and mineral status in hypermobile patients ✅ How the Beighton score can help identify physical signs associated with hypermobility 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

    Hypermobility and Fascia: Could Your Connective Tissue Be Why You’re Still Stuck? | E183
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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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