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

🎒 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 his series exploring an important question: Why are you still sick? Why does your body seem stuck even after you’ve tried so many things?
This time, he turns his attention to Lyme disease—an infection that can present in different ways and may sometimes enter the differential diagnosis when people are dealing with persistent fatigue, body pain, migrating joint or muscle symptoms, neurological complaints, or other unexplained problems.
Dr. Hartman shares examples from his clinical experience, including patients with symptoms such as chronic fatigue, widespread pain, Bell’s palsy, sciatica, and foot drop. His broader message is that when a patient’s symptoms do not fit neatly into the expected picture, clinicians may need to take another look at the history, exposure risk, symptom pattern, and appropriate testing rather than relying on one isolated result.
He also discusses the challenges surrounding Lyme disease testing, including antibody testing, Western blot testing, immunoblot testing, and symptom-based clinical evaluation. Current CDC guidance recommends a two-step, FDA-cleared serologic testing process and notes that antibody tests can be falsely negative during the first several weeks after infection. IDSA guidelines also recognize that a classic erythema migrans rash can be diagnosed clinically without laboratory testing.
Key Topics Covered
Why Lyme disease may be considered when someone remains chronically unwell
Persistent fatigue, body aches, and migrating pain
Neurological presentations discussed in the episode
Lyme disease and Bell’s palsy
Dr. Hartman’s clinical experiences with unusual symptom patterns
Why timing matters with Lyme antibody testing
Standard two-tier Lyme disease testing
Western blot and immunoblot testing
The limits of relying on a single laboratory result
The importance of symptoms, history, and possible tick exposure
Dr. Hartman’s approach when clinical suspicion remains high
The MSIDS questionnaire discussed in the episode
Why chronic illness may involve more than one contributing factor
When a deeper evaluation may be appropriate
Continuing the search for overlooked contributors when someone feels “stuck”

In This Episode, You Will Learn
✅ Why Dr. Hartman considers Lyme disease in some patients with persistent or unusual symptoms
✅ Why Lyme disease does not always present in exactly the same way
✅ How symptoms such as fatigue, migrating pain, and certain neurological complaints may prompt further evaluation
✅ Why the timing of antibody testing can affect results
✅ How standard Lyme testing generally uses a two-step serologic process
✅ Why Dr. Hartman emphasizes looking at the whole clinical picture, rather than interpreting one test result in isolation
✅ How he approaches situations in which symptoms and previous testing appear not to match
✅ Why finding Lyme disease does not necessarily mean it is the only factor affecting a person’s recovery
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

🎒 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 children
Why people can appear highly functional while living in chronic fight, flight, or freeze
The “stress cup” and why accumulated stress matters
ADHD, anxiety, OCD, PANS/PANDAS, sensory challenges, and dysregulation
Device dysregulation and screen-time boundaries
Why smartphones and short-form content can be difficult for children to disengage from
Why simply removing one physical stressor may not fully regulate the nervous system
Nutrition, magnesium, gut health, mold, and nervous-system support
Big-T trauma, little-t trauma, and chronic everyday stress
Sympathetic nervous-system activation
Why consistency matters more than searching for one “magic” intervention
Breathwork, somatic exercises, Tai Chi, prayer, art, and other daily regulation practices
Neurofeedback, PEMF, and brain-based tools
Polyvagal theory and vagus-nerve regulation
Why parents need to regulate themselves before helping a dysregulated child
Co-dysregulation versus co-regulation
Generational patterns and emotional regulation within families
The 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

🎒 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 improving
Mold exposure and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)
What Dr. Hartman means by the biotoxin pathway
Innate versus adaptive immune responses
Direct toxicity from mold and mycotoxins
Mold and chronic inflammation
Potential connections with autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions
Water-damaged buildings and environmental exposure
Why common mold exposure can be easy to dismiss
Mold in HVAC systems and indoor environments
HLA-DR/DQ genetics and susceptibility
Why some people may have more difficulty handling biotoxins
Mold exposure versus immune-system dysregulation
Urine testing for mold toxins
Evaluating the building as well as the individual
Mold as a possible complicating factor in chronic Lyme disease
Dr. Hartman's clinical example involving Lyme disease, hypermobility, and POTS
Binders, phosphatidylcholine, environmental changes, and gut support discussed in his clinical approach
Why foundational health still matters when dealing with environmental exposures
RIFM'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

🎒 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

🎒 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 journey
The Hierarchy of Healing in naturopathic medicine
Dr. Hartman's Triangle of Health
Creating an environment that supports healing
Why feeling safe matters to the nervous system
Trauma, chaos, and nervous-system dysregulation
The relationship between mind, body, and healing
Connecting with nature and natural rhythms
Seasonal changes in food and lifestyle
The microbiome, polyphenols, mitochondria, and the environment
Nourishing the body with real food and clean water
Giving the body what it needs rather than only trying to remove what's wrong
Why meaning and purpose belong in a conversation about health
The biopsychosocial model of healing
Why foundational principles still matter in complex chronic illness
Turning 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