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 solo episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman explores a part of vascular health that most people have never heard of: the glycocalyx.
The glycocalyx is a protective layer lining the inside of the vascular endothelium, the cellular surface that lines arteries, veins, and the smallest blood vessels throughout the body. Dr. Hartman describes the endothelium as a massive, often overlooked organ and explains why damage to this vascular barrier may affect blood flow, inflammation, clotting, kidney function, neurological symptoms, cardiovascular health, and aging.
The topic came into focus for him while attending a Lyme and tick-borne disease conference, where endothelial and glycocalyx dysfunction were discussed in relation to Lyme disease, Bartonella, Babesia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other infections.
But the implications extend far beyond tick-borne illness.
For Dr. Hartman, this is another example of how seemingly separate systems may actually be connected through vascular biology.
Key Topics Covered
What the glycocalyx is
The vascular endothelium as an overlooked organ
Why blood vessel health matters throughout the body
Lyme disease and endothelial dysfunction
Bartonella and Babesia
Tick-borne illness and blood flow
Brain fog and exercise intolerance
Nitric oxide and blood vessel dilation
The glycocalyx as a vascular barrier
Leaky gut, leaky brain, leaky arteries, and leaky kidneys
Microvascular dysfunction
Clotting and fibrinolysis markers
Urine microalbumin
Early endothelial dysfunction
Cardiovascular aging
Polyphenols and vascular health
Healthy fats
Fermented foods
Sleep and cortisol
Exercise and blood-flow signaling
Nitric oxide precursors
Beetroot, citrulline, and arginine
MMP-9
Endotoxins and LPS
Oral microbiome and systemic inflammation
Doxycycline and endothelial pathways discussed in the episode
Personalized medicine versus one-size-fits-all protocols

In This Episode, You Will Learn
✅ What the glycocalyx is and why it matters
✅ Why the endothelium affects much more than cardiovascular disease
✅ How Dr. Hartman connects endothelial dysfunction with Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses
✅ Why impaired microcirculation may contribute to symptoms such as brain fog, shortness of breath, and exercise intolerance
✅ How nitric oxide supports vascular dilation
✅ Why urine microalbumin may provide clues about vascular and kidney barrier function
✅ Which laboratory markers Dr. Hartman discusses when evaluating clotting and endothelial health
✅ How sleep, diet, exercise, polyphenols, and healthy fats may support vascular function
✅ Why endotoxins from the gut may affect the vascular lining
✅ Why Dr. Hartman prefers individualized treatment rather than disease-specific protocols
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 resources.
Back-to-School 2026:
https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/
In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Iron Chef winner Mark Tarbell, an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and longtime Arizona culinary figure, for a conversation about something deceptively simple:
How do you make healthy, real food taste incredible?
Mark shares the journey that took him from washing dishes in a small New Hampshire town to culinary training in Amsterdam and Paris, Michelin-level restaurant experience, and ultimately opening Tarbell’s in Phoenix. Along the way, he developed a philosophy centered on great sourcing, simple preparation, quality fats, local relationships, and food that leaves people feeling good after they eat it.
The conversation explores seed oils, beef tallow, olive oil, ingredient sourcing, sugar, wine, fermentation, local food, stress, slow meals, restaurant culture, and why healthy eating does not have to mean bland eating.
And at the end, Mark gives three practical pieces of advice anyone can use at home:
Cook with love. Keep it simple. Stay curious.
Key Topics Covered
Mark Tarbell’s journey from dishwasher to Iron Chef
Culinary apprenticeship in Amsterdam
Training in Paris and Michelin-level kitchens
The discipline and precision of classical culinary training
Why Tarbell’s moved away from seed oils
Cooking with beef tallow, olive oil, coconut oil, and other fats
Why flavor and health do not have to compete
The difference between real food and highly processed ingredients
How restaurant sourcing affects food quality
Why knowing your farmer or producer matters
Organic certification versus actual farming practices
Sustainable sourcing
Farm-to-table cooking
Hidden sugar in restaurant food
High-fructose corn syrup
Why Mark minimizes sugar in his own cooking
Slow meals, stress, walking, and the dining experience
Why food may feel different when traveling in Europe
Wine quality, farming, fermentation, and additives
Native yeast versus controlled fermentation
Commodity wine versus craft wine
Sourdough and traditional fermentation
Eating local and seasonal food
Why cooking at home may matter beyond the nutrients
How to start cooking better food without making it complicated

In This Episode, You Will Learn
✅ Why Mark believes quality food starts with sourcing
✅ How his classical culinary training shaped his approach to ingredients and precision
✅ Why Tarbell’s transitioned away from conventional frying oils
✅ Why Mark prefers fats such as beef tallow, olive oil, and coconut oil for different uses
✅ How changing cooking fats affected flavor, texture, and even kitchen cleanup
✅ Why “organic” does not automatically mean best
✅ Why knowing the farmer, rancher, fishmonger, or producer can matter more than a label
✅ How hidden sugar ends up in foods people would never expect
✅ Why slow meals, good company, lower stress, and walking may be part of the health equation
✅ How traditional winemaking differs from highly manufactured wine production
✅ Why simple home-cooked food can be more meaningful than complicated recipes
✅ Mark Tarbell’s three recommendations for families who want to eat better

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 Mark Tarbell
🌐 Tarbell’s:
https://www.tarbells.com/
👨‍🍳 Team & Bio:
https://www.tarbells.com/team
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 resources.
Back-to-School 2026:
https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/
In this final episode of the Made for Health “Why Are You Still Sick?” series, Dr. Aaron Hartman steps back and looks at the bigger picture.
What if you have already worked on mold, Lyme disease, MCAS, gut health, nervous-system regulation, nutrients, POTS, dysautonomia, and other major contributors, but you still feel stuck?
Dr. Hartman’s message is simple:
Just because one clinician says nothing can be done does not mean nothing can be done. It may simply mean they have reached the limit of what they know how to evaluate or treat.
In this rapid-fire roundup, he explores several additional areas that can influence inflammation, pain, neurological symptoms, energy, healing, and overall function, including hormones, detoxification, oxalates, salicylates, porphyria, structural instability, hypermobility, TMJ dysfunction, chronic pain, and cranio-cervical issues.
The goal is not to give everyone another long list of diagnoses to chase.
It is to reinforce one idea:
If you are still stuck, keep asking better questions.
Key Topics Covered
Why “nothing can be done” may simply mean one clinician has run out of tools
Hormones and their influence on inflammation and healing
Hormone balance in men and women
Detoxification and environmental burden
Mold, Lyme disease, and toxin load
Oxalates and tissue irritation
Gut bacteria and oxalate metabolism
Kidney stones and metabolic health
Salicylate sensitivity
Healthy foods that can still trigger symptoms in sensitive patients
Pyroluria
Porphyria and porphyrin-related disorders
Environmental and medication triggers
Hypermobility
Cranio-cervical instability
Atlanto-occipital instability
Cerebrospinal fluid flow
Neck pain and migraines
TMJ dysfunction
Trigeminal nerve signaling
Tinnitus and hearing symptoms
Fascial and structural pain
Chronic pain as a nervous-system stressor
Why structural problems can masquerade as systemic illness
Hope, persistence, and continuing the search for answers

In This Episode, You Will Learn
✅ Why hormones can influence inflammation, metabolism, cognition, sleep, and recovery
✅ How toxin burden may become one more stressor on the immune and neurological systems
✅ Why oxalates may contribute to pain, kidney stones, and connective-tissue symptoms in some people
✅ Why some otherwise healthy foods may become problematic in people with salicylate sensitivity
✅ How structural instability may contribute to headaches, neck pain, TMJ problems, tinnitus, and neurological symptoms
✅ Why people with hypermobility may experience chronic pain without realizing how much it affects their nervous system
✅ Why pain itself can become one more obstacle to healing
✅ Why Dr. Hartman believes there are still options to explore even after conventional and integrative evaluations seem exhausted
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 resources.
Back-to-School 2026:
https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/lp/back-to-school-2026/
In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Dr. Sabine Hazan, MD, a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, internal medicine specialist, and microbiome researcher whose work centers on the human gut microbiome and fecal microbiota transplantation, or FMT.
Dr. Hazan founded ProgenaBiome, a genetic sequencing research laboratory focused on understanding patterns within the microbiome, and she has spent decades working in clinical research. Her journey into microbiome science began through gastroenterology, biologic therapies, recurrent C. difficile, and a fundamental question: if changing the gut can change disease, what exactly are we changing?
The conversation explores fecal microbiota transplantation, stool testing, Bifidobacteria, gut-brain signaling, autism, Alzheimer's disease, long COVID, Crohn's disease, probiotics, microbiome compatibility, and the challenge of studying a biological ecosystem that may be far more individualized than medicine once assumed.
Throughout the discussion, Dr. Hazan repeatedly emphasizes that much of this work is still research in progress, and she frames several of her observations as hypotheses that need further replication rather than settled clinical conclusions.
Key Topics Covered
Why Dr. Hazan began studying the microbiome
Her background in gastroenterology and clinical trials
Crohn's disease and biologic therapies
Fecal microbiota transplantation
Recurrent C. difficile
Why microbiome testing needs validation and standardization
The limitations of commercial stool testing
CAP and CLIA laboratory standards
Why FMT may require donor-recipient compatibility
Why stool should not be treated like a one-size-fits-all product
Bifidobacteria and healthy aging
Bifidobacteria and immune function
The gut-brain axis
Autism and microbiome research
Alzheimer's disease and gut microbial patterns
Long COVID and microbiome changes
Crohn's disease and intestinal inflammation
Calprotectin and mucosal health
Probiotics and product-label accuracy
Why “more treatment” is not always better for the microbiome
Antibiotics and microbial shifts
Nutraceuticals and microbiome research
Light, sound, frequency, and environmental exposures as emerging research areas
Why microbiome restoration may take many months
The need for longitudinal testing and follow-up

In This Episode, You Will Learn
✅ Why Dr. Hazan believes the microbiome should be studied as an ecosystem rather than treated as a single supplement target
✅ How her early work with FMT made her question whether every donor sample is appropriate for every patient
✅ Why she believes microbiome compatibility may eventually matter in a way similar to blood-transfusion compatibility
✅ Why stool tests should be reproducible before clinicians base treatment decisions on them
✅ How Bifidobacteria became one of the central organisms in her research
✅ What she has observed in research involving autism, Alzheimer's disease, long COVID, Crohn's disease, and other conditions
✅ Why the gut-brain relationship may involve both loss of beneficial microbes and overgrowth of other organisms
✅ Why she cautions against repeatedly adding antibiotics, antifungals, probiotics, or other interventions without understanding what they are doing to the microbial ecosystem
✅ Why microbiome improvement may require long-term monitoring rather than one short intervention
Resources & Links
🌐 Dr. Sabine Hazan:
https://sabinehazanmd.com/
🧬 ProgenaBiome:
https://progenabiome.com/
🔬 Microbiome Research Foundation:
https://microbiomeresearchfoundation.org/
📘 Let's Talk Sh!t
By Dr. Sabine Hazan
Dr. Hazan notes that ProgenaBiome's stool testing is conducted within research protocols and cautions that participants should not treat research sequencing results as direct treatment instructions.
Connect With Dr. Sabine Hazan
🌐 Official Website:
https://sabinehazanmd.com/
🧬 Research & ProgenaBiome:
https://progenabiome.com/
🔬 Microbiome Research Foundation:
https://microbiomeresearchfoundation.org/
Dr. Hazan also shares research updates through social platforms including X and Instagram.
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 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:
Why are you still sick? Why are you stuck? Why aren’t you healing the way you expected?
This time, he focuses on a less-discussed source of inflammation: endotoxins, also known as lipopolysaccharides or LPS.
Dr. Hartman explains that LPS comes from the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. These bacterial products can become relevant through environmental exposure, especially in damp or water-damaged buildings, but also through the gut when intestinal permeability allows bacterial components to interact more directly with the immune system.
For people dealing with brain fog, bloating, autoimmune issues, SIBO, chronic inflammation, or lingering symptoms despite treating mold, Lyme disease, MCAS, and other conditions, Dr. Hartman suggests that endotoxin exposure may be another piece worth investigating.
Key Topics Covered
What endotoxins are
Lipopolysaccharide, or LPS
Gram-negative bacteria
Environmental endotoxin exposure
Water-damaged buildings
Actinomycetes and bacterial contamination
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome
Gut-derived endotoxins
Intestinal permeability and “leaky gut”
SIBO and bacterial overgrowth
Immune activation
Systemic inflammatory response
Brain fog and neurological symptoms
Autoimmune disease
PANS and PANDAS
Mold and biotoxin illness
Butyrate and gut health
Activated charcoal as a binder discussed in the episode
Oral IgG
BPC-157
Testing for immune responses to endotoxins
Why gut testing may reveal overlooked drivers of inflammation

In This Episode, You Will Learn
✅ What endotoxins are and where they come from
✅ Why Dr. Hartman distinguishes mold exposure from other components of water-damaged buildings
✅ How gram-negative bacteria can contribute LPS to the environment and the gastrointestinal tract
✅ Why intestinal permeability may allow bacterial products to interact with the immune system
✅ How endotoxin exposure may overlap with inflammatory symptoms such as brain fog, bloating, immune activation, and autoimmunity
✅ Why SIBO can involve more than gas and bloating
✅ How Dr. Hartman connects endotoxins with inflammatory pathways he first encountered in hospital medicine
✅ What testing approaches he considers when evaluating possible endotoxin-related immune activation
✅ Which supportive strategies he discusses for reducing exposure and addressing the gut
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