Made for Health | Medical Gaslighting | Lyme | Chronic Infections | Metabolic Syndrome | Insulin Resistance | Mystery Illness

What if one of the most powerful tools for improving hormones, metabolism, and long-term health isn’t a supplement or treatment, but the quality of the food you eat every day?
In this episode, Dr. Aaron Hartman talks with Ashley Armstrong, PhD, former engineer turned regenerative farmer and co-founder of Nourish Food Club. After experiencing her own health challenges, Ashley began questioning mainstream nutrition guidance and the modern food system. Her journey led her into regenerative agriculture and a mission to help people access food they can trust.
Together, they explore how changes in farming practices, food processing, and fat composition may be influencing metabolic health, hormone balance, and chronic disease. The conversation also breaks down the differences between industrial agriculture and regenerative farming, why food sourcing matters, and how small consumer choices can support both personal health and a more resilient food system.
Listeners will also learn how Ashley co-founded Nourish Food Club and Angel Acres, creating a cooperative model that connects small regenerative farms directly with consumers while preserving soil health, animal welfare, and nutrient density.
Key Topics Covered
Ashley’s personal health journey and transition from engineering to regenerative farming
How modern nutrition guidance has influenced fat intake and metabolic health
The role of food quality and sourcing in energy, hormones, and gut health
How government policy and industrial agriculture shaped today’s food system
The difference between saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and changing dietary patterns
Why the fatty acid composition of food and livestock feed matters
What CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) are and how they differ from traditional farming
How regenerative agriculture supports soil health, nutrient density, and ecosystem balance
The connection between soil health, animal health, and human health
Why many small farms struggle economically and how cooperative models can help
How Nourish Food Club connects consumers with small regenerative farms
Practical advice for consumers: starting with one food item and improving sourcing over time

Therapies / Concepts Referenced
Regenerative agriculture
CAFO (confined animal feeding operations)
Ancestral and traditional food patterns
Fatty acid balance (saturated vs polyunsaturated fats)
Soil microbiome and nutrient density
Cooperative food distribution...

What if chronic fatigue, brain fog, or unexplained pain are not random symptoms, but signs of a hidden infection that was never fully recognized?
In this minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman highlights Lyme disease and tick borne infections as a growing but often overlooked factor in chronic illness. While standard care focuses on identifying acute infections, many patients experience persistent or reactivated symptoms that do not fit the traditional model.
He explains why Lyme is considered a “great imitator,” how current testing methods can miss cases, and why symptoms may appear years after the original exposure. This short episode offers important context for understanding why chronic infections remain a clinical blind spot and why careful history and ongoing evaluation often matter more than a single test.
Key Topics Covered
Why Lyme disease is more common than many people realize
The difference between acute infection and persistent or recurrent patterns
How Lyme can present as fatigue, brain fog, pain, or neurological symptoms
The role of co infections such as Bartonella and Babesia
Limitations of standard screening and antibody testing
Why many people never recall a tick bite or classic rash
How infections may remain dormant and flare during stress or immune suppression
Why clinical suspicion and patient history are critical in complex cases

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine
Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/
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

What if the greatest breakthroughs come not from following the system, but from knowing when to question it?
In this UnCurable audiobook episode, Dr. Aaron Hartman shares the deeply personal story of his daughter Anna and the journey that reshaped how he understands medicine, diagnosis, and healing. What began as a cerebral palsy diagnosis quickly became a lesson in how standard care can overlook individual potential, especially in complex cases.
Through years of advocacy, research, and careful restraint, Dr. Hartman and his family learned that saying “not now” or “no” to the status quo can open doors to better long term outcomes. This episode also connects Anna’s story to other patients whose symptoms were dismissed or misidentified, illustrating how root causes are often missed when medicine focuses on labels instead of people.
This conversation is not about rejecting medicine, but about choosing thoughtful care, informed advocacy, and practitioners who are willing to see the whole person.
Key Topics Covered
Why one size fits all medicine often fails complex conditions
The importance of slowing down and avoiding rushed, irreversible interventions
How patient advocacy can change long term outcomes
Why asking “will this help ten years from now?” matters
Translational medicine and learning from parallel research when data is limited
How nutrition, movement, and non invasive therapies supported progress
Why diagnoses should be starting points, not limits
Recognizing when “standard of care” prioritizes appearance over function
The power of informed persistence in pediatric and chronic care
How overlooked conditions like POTS can be misread as anxiety
Why root cause thinking leads to real improvement, not symptom suppression
Helping patients learn how to question diagnoses and treatment plans safely

📖 About UnCurable
UnCurable blends memoir and medicine, weaving personal family experience with decades of clinical insight. It challenges conventional models of chronic illness and empowers patients to pursue healing through personalized, root cause focused care.
Discover the book:
📘 Amazon: UnCurable: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds
🎧 Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/UnCurable-Audiobook/B0G4NNPSF2?srsltid=AfmBOoqovf36lmHnQPTbTM9YhGlzJ40P8kCAnzrGjXknVrygXQ7az_y4

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine
Website:

What if healing is not about finding the perfect protocol, but learning how to become an informed and engaged patient?
In this UnCurable audiobook episode, Dr. Aaron Hartman shares reflections drawn directly from his book UnCurable: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds. Through patient questions, personal stories, and decades of medical experience, he explores how nutrition, environment, self education, and advocacy shape real world healing.
This episode walks through common challenges people face when shifting toward natural and integrative care, while also confronting a harder truth: the modern health care system has blind spots that can place patients at risk. Dr. Hartman explains why becoming an informed, engaged participant in your care is not optional, especially for those navigating chronic or complex conditions.
Key Topics Covered
How to transition toward real food nutrition without overwhelm
Why small, consistent lifestyle changes matter more than perfection
Addressing skepticism from friends and family while staying grounded
Why healing often unfolds slowly and how to recognize early progress
Common nutrient deficiencies in modern diets and how food diversity supports resilience
Detox reactions during lifestyle changes and how to support the body safely
Balancing natural healing approaches with conventional medical care
How fear, liability, and fragmented care shape medical decision making
Why medical error remains a leading cause of death
The importance of patient advocacy, second opinions, and informed consent
How medical blind spots have delayed life saving discoveries throughout history
Recognizing red flags in providers, protocols, and rushed care
Why integrative and functional medicine aim to bridge gaps between specialties

📖 About UnCurable
UnCurable blends memoir and medicine, weaving personal family experience with decades of clinical insight. It challenges conventional models of chronic illness and empowers patients to pursue healing through personalized, root cause focused care.
Discover the book:
📘 Amazon: UnCurable: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds
🎧 Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/UnCurable-Audiobook/B0G4NNPSF2?srsltid=AfmBOoqovf36lmHnQPTbTM9YhGlzJ40P8kCAnzrGjXknVrygXQ7az_y4

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine
Website:

What if hypermobility is not a problem to fix, but a pattern that needs the right support to become a strength?
In this minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman explores hypermobility as a commonly overlooked pattern that can influence coordination, sensory input, nervous system regulation, and long-term health. He explains how hypermobility can function as a strength when supported, but may contribute to anxiety, poor sleep, inflammation, and chronic symptoms when paired with nutrient deficiencies, environmental exposures, or infections.
This conversation helps listeners understand why hypermobility often shows up alongside chronic inflammatory conditions, neurodivergence, autonomic symptoms, and heightened stress responses, and why supportive foundations like nutrition, environment, and self-regulation matter so much for these individuals.
Key Topics Covered
What hypermobility is and why it is more common than many people realize
How connective tissue and fascia send constant sensory input to the nervous system
Why hypermobility can increase coordination and reaction time, but also overstimulation
The link between dysregulated hypermobility and anxiety, sleep disruption, and hypervigilance
How nutrient depletion, especially vitamin C and B vitamins, can worsen tissue resilience
Why environmental stressors like mold or chronic infections may compound symptoms
The role of trauma and emotional stress in shifting sensitivity from strength to vulnerability
How intuition and emotional intelligence may be heightened in some hypermobile individuals
Why addressing environment, nutrition, movement, and self-regulation is foundational

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine
Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/
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