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In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Dr. James T. Leathem, DO, a board-certified anesthesiologist and psychedelic integration coach, to explore ketamine therapy, psychedelic medicine, and a different way of thinking about mental health. Dr. Leathem shares his unconventional path from business to medicine, how a near-death experience helped redirect his life, and how his background in anesthesia eventually led him into ketamine-assisted care. The conversation focuses on depression, PTSD, trauma, chronic pain, neuroplasticity, and the importance of pairing the medicine with meaningful integration work.

Dr. Leathem explains that ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used at sub-anesthetic doses in this setting. He describes how ketamine interacts with the glutamate system through NMDA receptor blockade, which can influence AMPA signaling and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. He connects these mechanisms to synaptic plasticity, dendritic spine formation, and a period of increased neuroplasticity that may create an opportunity for new patterns and behaviors.

But for Dr. Leathem, the medicine itself is only part of the process. He emphasizes preparation, intention, integration coaching, mindfulness, journaling, sleep, and daily practices after treatment. His analogy is simple: ketamine may help put out the fire in your "mental health house," but it cannot rebuild the house for you. That rebuilding requires active participation after someone becomes unstuck.

The conversation also expands into the default mode network, spiritual experiences, stellate ganglion blocks, autonomic dysregulation, traumatic brain injury, and the wider landscape of psychedelic medicine. Throughout the episode, Dr. Leathem emphasizes individualized treatment rather than a cookie-cutter approach.

Key Topics Covered

• Dr. James Leathem's unconventional journey into medicine
• How anesthesiology led him toward ketamine and psychedelic medicine
• Ketamine therapy for depression, PTSD, trauma, and chronic pain
• The difference between anesthetic and sub-anesthetic ketamine
• Why Dr. Leathem prefers an individualized approach to ketamine therapy
• IV ketamine and different routes of administration
• Why the ketamine experience is only one part of the healing process
• Preparation, intention, and psychedelic integration
• The neuroplasticity window following ketamine treatment
• NMDA receptors, glutamate, and AMPA signaling
• Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
• Dendritic spine formation and neural circuitry
• Why mental health may involve more than the traditional neurotransmitter model
• Ketamine and the default mode network
• Psychedelic experiences and shifts in perspective
• The role of daily habits after ketamine therapy
• Mindfulness, journaling, sleep, and metacognition
• Stellate ganglion blocks and autonomic nervous system regulation
• Ketamine in patients with complex chronic illness
• Dr. Leathem's clinical experience with traumatic brain injury
• Classic versus non-classic psychedelics
• Psilocybin, LSD, DMT, mescaline, MDMA, and other psychedelic medicines
• Why psychedelic treatment requires attention to preparation, setting, and integration
• Turning trauma and suffering into growth and personal evolution

In This Episode, You Will Learn

✅ How Dr. Leathem went from anesthesiology to ketamine and psychedelic medicine

✅ How ketamine works differently from conventional approaches focused primarily on serotonin and other monoamine neurotransmitters

✅ Why NMDA receptors, glutamate, BDNF, and neuroplasticity are central to the conversation about ketamine

✅ Why Dr. Leathem believes the period after a ketamine experience can be as important as the infusion itself

✅ How preparation, intention, integration coaching, and daily practices can help patients work with the changes that follow treatment

✅ Why ketamine may help someone become "unstuck," while long-term rebuilding still requires active participation

✅ How the default mode network may relate to ego, thought patterns, and psychedelic experiences

✅ How ketamine and stellate ganglion blocks are being combined in Dr. Leathem's practice when addressing certain patterns of autonomic dysregulation

✅ How ketamine fits into the much broader and evolving field of psychedelic medicine

About Dr. James T. Leathem, DO

Dr. James T. Leathem is a board-certified anesthesiologist, Certified Psychedelic Integration Coach, and co-founder of Gilbert Chandler Ketamine Therapy Clinic and Scottsdale Ketamine Therapy Clinic. His background in anesthesia provided the foundation for his work with ketamine and altered states of consciousness.

After beginning his career in business and marketing, a series of deeply personal experiences led him toward medicine. He went on to earn his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and build a career in anesthesiology before transitioning into ketamine and psychedelic medicine. In the episode, he explains that his clinics have performed thousands of ketamine infusions and that his approach combines the medicine with preparation and integration rather than treating the infusion as a standalone intervention.

His work focuses on helping individuals struggling with conditions including depression, PTSD, trauma, chronic pain, and other mental health challenges, while emphasizing personalized care and the potential for lasting behavioral and personal change.

Connect With Dr. James T. Leathem

🌐 Gilbert Chandler Ketamine Therapy Clinic:

Gilbert Ketamine Therapy Clinic

🌐 Scottsdale Ketamine Therapy Clinic:

Scottsdale Ketamine Therapy Clinic

👨‍⚕️ Dr. James T. Leathem, DO:

Dr. James Leathem’s Profile

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

🎒 Back-to-School 2026: Back-to-School Bundle

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

Mentioned in this episode:

25% Off Back to School Support for Parents

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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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if recovering from a concussion isn’t about pushing harder, but understanding exactly what your brain needs to heal without exceeding its limits? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to explore how addressing inflammation, cellular health, nutrition, and the interconnected systems of the body can help support the natural healing process.

Concussion Recovery Requires More Than Rest: How to Support the Brain After a Traumatic Brain Injury

In this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman concludes his series on concussions and traumatic brain injuries by answering the question that follows understanding the causes, symptoms, and biological effects of TBI: What can you actually do to support recovery? He walks through the framework he uses with patients, beginning with strategies aimed at decreasing inflammation and supporting the brain during both acute and chronic stages of recovery.

Dr. Hartman discusses nutrition, healthy fats, omega-3s, choline, curcumin, blood-brain barrier support, mitochondrial restoration, hormone balance, magnesium, sleep, graded exercise, brain retraining, vagus nerve activation, and therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen. One of his most important messages is that recovery must respect the brain's metabolic threshold. If exercise or cognitive activity leaves you feeling worse the following day or takes several days to recover from, you may be pushing beyond your current capacity.

Rather than looking for one universal solution, Dr. Hartman emphasizes evaluating the bigger picture, including the gut, hormones, environment, toxins, emotional health, and other factors that may influence recovery. He closes the series with a message of hope for people dealing with persistent symptoms after traumatic brain injury.

Key Topics Covered

• The foundations of concussion and traumatic brain injury recovery
• Why reducing brain inflammation is an early priority
• The role of an anti-inflammatory TBI diet
• Healthy fats, omega-3s, omega-6s, protein, and choline
• Curcumin and other nutrients used to support brain health
• Supporting the blood-brain barrier after traumatic brain injury
• The relationship between leaky gut and leaky brain
• Phosphatidylcholine and cell membrane support
• Magnesium and its role in brain health
• Mitochondrial restoration and energy production
• B vitamins, CoQ10, and mitochondrial support
• Hormonal changes following traumatic brain injury
• Sleep disturbances and melatonin
• Graded exercise during concussion recovery
• Understanding your metabolic threshold
• Why pushing too hard can worsen symptoms
• Vestibular rehabilitation and neuro-ophthalmology
• Brain retraining and cognitive exercises
• Vagus nerve activation and nervous system regulation
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and sensory deprivation
• Long-term strategies for supporting brain resilience
• Why gut health, hormones, toxins, and environment may need to be addressed
• Hope for people living with persistent post-concussion symptoms

In This Episode, You Will Learn

✅ Why concussion recovery may require more than simply resting and waiting

✅ How an anti-inflammatory diet and specific nutrients may support brain health

✅ Why the blood-brain barrier, gut, mitochondria, and hormones can all matter during recovery

✅ How to recognize when exercise or cognitive activity has exceeded your metabolic threshold

✅ Why graded exercise and brain retraining should be approached carefully during the chronic phase of recovery

✅ How hyperbaric oxygen, nervous system regulation, and other supportive strategies fit into Dr. Hartman’s clinical approach

✅ Why persistent post-concussion symptoms may require looking beyond the brain at the whole person

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 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.

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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if the problem isn’t fat itself, but what happens to fats before they ever reach your plate? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to explore a different way of thinking about chronic illness, nutrition, and supporting the body’s natural capacity for health.

Healthy Fats, Omega-3s, and Seed Oil Myths: What Most People Get Wrong About Fat

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with legendary health educator Udo Erasmus, founder of Udo’s Choice and author of Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, for a deep conversation about healthy fats, essential fatty acids, oil processing, and the nutritional myths that have shaped the way we think about fat. Udo shares how his experience with pesticide poisoning pushed him to take greater responsibility for his health and begin studying the relationship between nutrition and disease. That investigation eventually led him to focus on oils, which he believes are among the most easily damaged components of our food supply.

Udo explains why omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential nutrients and challenges the idea that all seed oils or omega-6 fats should automatically be considered harmful. Instead, he argues that the condition, processing, balance, and handling of these fats matter. He and Dr. Hartman explore how oils can be affected by heat, light, oxygen, industrial processing, and frying, as well as why Udo developed a method of producing oils with health rather than shelf life in mind.

The conversation ultimately expands beyond nutrition. Udo shares his broader philosophy of total health, explaining why physical health is only one part of the picture and why emotional health, social connection, environment, awareness, and inner peace also deserve attention.

Key Topics Covered

• Udo Erasmus’ journey from pesticide poisoning to studying nutrition and healthy fats
• Why he began investigating how commercial oils are produced
• The difference between healthy fats and damaged fats
• Why omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential nutrients
• The controversy surrounding omega-6 fats and seed oils
• Why Udo believes processing is a critical part of the seed oil conversation
• How light, oxygen, and heat can affect sensitive oils
• Industrial refining, bleaching, and deodorization of oils
• Why frying can further alter oils
• Udo’s approach to producing oils with health in mind
• Why omega-3 fats require careful handling
• The balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
• How dietary fats support the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients
• The relationship between fats, mitochondria, and cellular function
• Udo’s “oil change” concept for thinking about dietary fats
• Common myths about fats and essential fatty acids
• Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill
• Your Body Needs an Oil Change
• Why Udo believes health should become a teachable field
• The physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, and inner dimensions of total health

In This Episode, You Will Learn

✅ Why Udo Erasmus believes the conversation about dietary fat needs to distinguish between healthy and damaged fats

✅ Why omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are both essential to human nutrition

✅ How processing, heat, oxygen, and light may change sensitive oils

✅ Why Udo challenges the blanket claim that all seed oils and omega-6 fats are inherently bad

✅ How healthy fats can support the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients

✅ Why Udo compares changing the fats in your diet to giving your body an “oil change”

✅ How his philosophy of health has expanded beyond nutrition to include emotional wellness, environment, awareness, relationships, and inner peace

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

Connect With Udo Erasmus

🌐 Udo’s Choice:

https://udoschoice.co.uk/

📸 Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/udoerasmus/

📘 Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/theudoerasmus/

💼 LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/udoerasmus/

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.

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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if the reason you're still struggling months or even years after a concussion isn't the injury itself, but the hidden factors keeping your brain stuck in a cycle of chronic inflammation? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to discover how identifying and removing the roadblocks to healing can help support your body's natural ability to recover from complex chronic illness.

Why Some People Never Fully Recover from a Concussion: The Hidden Causes of Chronic Brain Inflammation

In this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman explores why some people continue to experience post-concussive symptoms long after the expected recovery period. While many individuals improve within weeks or months, others remain stuck with brain fog, fatigue, headaches, cognitive changes, and other persistent symptoms for years. Dr. Hartman explains that these ongoing challenges may not simply be the result of the original injury, but of biological processes that continue to fuel inflammation and prevent the brain from fully healing.

Using a functional medicine perspective, Dr. Hartman discusses the many factors that can keep the brain trapped in this inflammatory cycle, including blood-brain barrier dysfunction, gut dysbiosis, food sensitivities, environmental toxins, mold exposure, hormonal imbalances, sleep deprivation, chronic stress, insulin resistance, nutrient deficiencies, and low omega-3 levels. Rather than treating concussion as an isolated brain injury, he explains why evaluating the whole body may be essential for helping the brain return to its natural healing state.

Key Topics Covered

• Why some people develop persistent post-concussion symptoms
• Chronic neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury
• Blood-brain barrier dysfunction and brain healing
• The connection between leaky gut and leaky brain
• Gut dysbiosis and chronic inflammation
• Food sensitivities that may contribute to neuroinflammation
• Mold exposure, mycotoxins, and environmental triggers
• EMF exposure and blood-brain barrier health
• Hormonal deficiencies that may slow recovery
• Sleep deprivation and chronic stress
• Heavy metals and other neurotoxic exposures
• Insulin resistance, metabolic health, and brain function
• Omega-3 deficiency and inflammation
• Why functional medicine evaluates the whole person after a concussion
• Preparing for a comprehensive recovery plan

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 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.

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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if there isn't a single treatment for Long COVID because there isn't a single biological process causing it? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to learn how identifying what's blocking your body's natural healing process can help create a more personalized path toward recovery from complex chronic illness.

Long COVID Treatment Requires More Than One Approach: Integrative Strategies for Recovery

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman and Dr. Christian Jenski conclude their three-part Long COVID series by exploring the therapeutic strategies they have found most helpful when caring for patients with persistent post-viral symptoms. They explain why Long COVID is rarely driven by a single mechanism, making individualized care essential. Rather than focusing on one treatment, they discuss how clinicians often layer therapies based on each patient's biology, symptoms, and underlying contributors.

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Hartman and Dr. Jenski discuss integrative approaches including low-dose naltrexone (LDN), GLP-1 receptor agonists, mast cell stabilizers, phospholipid therapy, antivirals, peptides, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, nutritional support, and other targeted interventions. They emphasize that treatment decisions should always be made with qualified healthcare professionals and that these therapies are selected based on an individual's unique clinical presentation rather than a one-size-fits-all protocol. The episode closes with an encouraging reminder that patients living with Long COVID should not lose hope, as new research and clinical experience continue to expand available options.

Key Topics Covered

• Why Long COVID treatment requires an individualized approach
• Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) and its role in immune modulation
• LDN for chronic pain, fatigue, autoimmune conditions, and Long COVID
• GLP-1 receptor agonists and microdosing strategies
• Mast cell stabilizers and antihistamine approaches
• Addressing dysautonomia and POTS-related symptoms
• Sleep support and nervous system regulation
• Antiviral therapies for selected patients
• Phospholipid therapy and cell membrane health
• IV phosphatidylcholine and mitochondrial support
• Peptides and emerging integrative therapies
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
• Nutritional and supplement strategies
• Why treatment plans often involve combining multiple therapies
• The importance of working with experienced healthcare professionals

In This Episode, You Will Learn

✅ Why there is no single treatment that works for every person with Long COVID

✅ How low-dose naltrexone (LDN) is being used as part of integrative care for chronic inflammatory conditions

✅ Why clinicians may consider different therapies based on each patient's symptom pattern

✅ How mast cell stabilization, mitochondrial support, and nervous system regulation may fit into personalized care

✅ Why restoring cellular health and reducing inflammation are important considerations in functional medicine

✅ Why hope, education, and individualized care remain central to Long COVID recovery

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 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.

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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if a brain injury doesn't just affect your brain—but also your heart, gut, immune system, hormones, metabolism, and even the way your body heals? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to explore how seemingly unrelated symptoms can be connected through the body's complex biological systems.

How a Brain Injury Can Affect Your Heart, Gut, Hormones, and Immune System

In this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues his concussion series by explaining why a traumatic brain injury can have effects far beyond the brain itself. Using a "one brain, one body" perspective, he explores how the brain serves as the master regulator of nearly every system in the body. When that regulation is disrupted—whether by a concussion, emotional trauma, or PTSD-like events—it can contribute to problems involving the heart, digestive system, hormones, immune function, metabolism, and sleep.

Dr. Hartman discusses the connections between the brain and the vagus nerve, heart rate variability, the gut microbiome, neurotransmitter production, immune regulation, hormone balance, metabolic health, and lipid membranes. He explains how understanding these interconnected systems can help clinicians recognize why symptoms that seem unrelated may actually share a common neurological origin, setting the stage for the next episode focused on practical treatment strategies.

Key Topics Covered

• The "one brain, one body" approach to traumatic brain injury
• Why the brain acts as the master regulator of the body's systems
• Heart rate variability (HRV) and the brain-heart connection
• The role of the vagus nerve in heart, gut, and immune function
• How traumatic brain injury may contribute to fatigue and exercise intolerance
• The gut-brain axis and neurotransmitter production
• Leaky gut, the microbiome, and neuroinflammation
• Butyrate and its role in brain protection
• Sleep disturbances following brain injury
• Brain injury, immune dysregulation, and autoimmune conditions
• Emotional trauma, PTSD, and adverse childhood experiences as potential contributors to brain dysfunction
• Hormonal changes that may influence brain recovery
• Metabolic health, insulin resistance, and brain resilience
• Lipid medicine, phospholipids, omega-3s, and neuroprotection
• Why understanding whole-body connections can guide recovery

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 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.

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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if Long COVID isn’t one condition, but a collection of biological processes keeping your body stuck in survival mode long after the infection is gone? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to explore how chronic illness can involve the immune system, mitochondria, inflammation, and the body’s ability to recover.

Why Long COVID Can Trigger Brain Fog, Fatigue, and Autoimmunity: The Hidden Biology Behind Persistent Symptoms

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman welcomes back Dr. Christian Jenski to continue their deep dive into Long COVID and the complex biological mechanisms that may keep symptoms going long after the initial infection. Rather than viewing Long COVID as a single condition, they explain why it may represent multiple overlapping processes involving chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, mast cell activation, nervous system changes, and persistent cellular stress.

Dr. Hartman and Dr. Jenski discuss how functional and integrative medicine approaches complex illnesses by identifying patterns across multiple body systems instead of focusing on isolated symptoms. They explore the science behind Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), the Cell Danger Response, mitochondrial dysfunction, senescent cells, autophagy, autoimmunity, and nervous system dysregulation. Throughout the conversation, they emphasize that understanding which mechanisms are driving an individual's symptoms is essential for creating a personalized treatment strategy under the guidance of an experienced clinician.

Key Topics Covered

• Why Long COVID may involve multiple overlapping biological processes
• How functional medicine approaches complex chronic illness through systems biology
• Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and persistent inflammation
• Why mast cells can contribute to fatigue, brain fog, digestive symptoms, skin issues, and pain
• Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and biotoxin illness
• How environmental exposures may contribute to chronic inflammation
• Mitochondrial dysfunction and the Cell Danger Response
• Why cells can become "stuck" in survival mode
• Senescent ("zombie") cells and chronic immune activation
• The roles of autophagy and apoptosis in healthy cellular turnover
• Understanding DAMPs and PAMPs in chronic immune signaling
• How persistent inflammation may contribute to autoimmunity
• Nervous system dysregulation and limbic retraining
• Why personalized testing and clinical oversight are important when evaluating Long COVID

In This Episode, You Will Learn

✅ Why Long COVID may involve much more than a lingering viral infection

✅ How mast cell activation can contribute to a wide variety of persistent symptoms

✅ The connection between chronic inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and fatigue

✅ Why damaged cells may continue sending inflammatory signals long after an illness

✅ How chronic immune activation may contribute to autoimmune conditions

✅ Why functional medicine focuses on identifying each patient's unique combination of biological drivers

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 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.

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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if the lingering effects of a concussion don’t always look like headaches or dizziness, but instead show up as brain fog, sleep problems, vision changes, hormone issues, or emotional shifts that seem completely unrelated? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to explore a deeper perspective on chronic illness, brain health, and why identifying overlooked connections can be an important part of understanding what is happening in the body.

What if symptoms that seem unrelated could actually trace back to an old concussion?

In this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues his series on concussions and traumatic brain injuries by exploring the many ways post-concussion symptoms can appear beyond the signs most people recognize. Headaches, dizziness, nausea, and light sensitivity may be familiar warning signs, but concussion-related changes can also affect cognition, emotions, vision, balance, hormones, sleep, and nervous system regulation.

Dr. Hartman explains how post-concussion symptoms generally fall into somatic, cognitive, and emotional categories before diving into subtler patterns that may be overlooked. He discusses vestibular dysfunction, visual tracking difficulties, slower processing speed, memory problems, difficulty switching between tasks, hormonal disruption, autonomic dysregulation, and sleep disturbances. He also explains why emotional changes such as anxiety, depression, irritability, and difficulty handling stress may sometimes reflect changes in brain function rather than being purely psychological.

Key Topics Covered

• Why post-concussion symptoms can persist much longer than expected
• The somatic, cognitive, and emotional categories of concussion symptoms
• Headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and sensory sensitivity after a concussion
• Why seemingly minor acceleration and deceleration injuries may affect the brain
• Memory problems, brain fog, and slower processing speed
• Why multitasking and switching between tasks may become more difficult
• Vestibular dysfunction and unexplained dizziness
• Visual dysfunction, eye tracking problems, and reading fatigue
• How concussion may affect the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and hormone function
• The connection between brain injury and autonomic nervous system dysregulation
• Sleep initiation, sleep maintenance, and poor-quality sleep after concussion
• Why restorative sleep is especially important for brain recovery
• Anxiety, depression, irritability, and emotional dysregulation after brain injury
• Why some post-concussion symptoms may be mistaken for unrelated conditions
• The importance of looking at the bigger picture when symptoms persist

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 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.

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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if Long COVID isn't an entirely new condition, but another chapter in a much older story of infections triggering chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, and symptoms that refuse to go away? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to explore a deeper perspective on complex chronic illness, root-cause medicine, and why understanding what keeps the body stuck may be the key to moving healing forward.

What if Long COVID is still affecting millions of people while the resources created to study it are disappearing?

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman and Dr. Christian Jenski begin a new series on Long COVID and the larger world of post-infectious chronic illness. They discuss why people continue to experience persistent symptoms years after infection, even as federally funded Long COVID programs and research initiatives wind down without establishing a single standardized approach to diagnosis or treatment.

Dr. Hartman and Dr. Jenski explore why Long COVID may not be an entirely new phenomenon, but part of a broader pattern of post-infectious illness seen throughout medical history. They discuss its overlap with chronic fatigue, POTS, dysautonomia, mast cell activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammatory response, and other complex conditions. They also explain why functional medicine approaches these patients through a systems-based lens, looking at inflammation, immune regulation, metabolic health, nutrition, gut health, environmental exposures, and other potential contributors rather than treating each symptom in isolation.

Key Topics Covered

• Why Long COVID remains a major health challenge years after the pandemic
• The winding down of federally funded Long COVID clinics and research programs
• Why standardized diagnostic and treatment pathways remain limited
• The history of post-viral and post-infectious syndromes
• Why Long COVID may share patterns with other complex chronic illnesses
• The overlap between Long COVID, chronic fatigue, POTS, and dysautonomia
• Mast cell activation and chronic inflammatory response
• Mitochondrial dysfunction and persistent post-viral symptoms
• Why multisystem illness can be difficult to address through separate medical specialties
• How functional medicine uses a systems-based approach to complex illness
• The role of metabolic health and underlying inflammation
• Nutrition, nutrient optimization, and the gut-brain axis
• Why treatment needs may change from acute infection to chronic illness
• How infections may trigger or uncover previously hidden health vulnerabilities
• Why individualized care matters when treating complex chronic conditions

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 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.

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.

Back to School Support for Parents

🔥 What if the symptoms that linger after a concussion aren't because the injury was severe... but because the brain is still trying to heal? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to discover how inflammation, cellular health, and root-cause medicine are changing the way we think about chronic conditions.

A Mild Concussion Can Have Lasting Effects on the Brain

In this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues his series on concussions and post-concussion syndrome by explaining what actually happens inside the brain after a head injury. While many people assume a concussion is only serious if someone loses consciousness, the science tells a different story. Even a mild traumatic brain injury can trigger inflammation, disrupt cellular energy production, and lead to symptoms that persist for months.

Dr. Hartman walks through the biology of concussion, including changes to the blood-brain barrier, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and why the brain's electrical activity after a concussion can resemble seizure-like patterns. He also explains why factors such as metabolic health, nutrition, gut health, and previous injuries may influence recovery and discusses emerging strategies that may help support the healing process.

Key Topics Covered

• Common myths about concussions and loss of consciousness
• Why mild traumatic brain injuries can cause long-lasting symptoms
• How concussion affects the blood-brain barrier
• Mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired energy production
• Brain inflammation and cytokine activation
• Why concussion may resemble seizure activity
• Factors that can influence recovery after a brain injury
• The potential role of omega-3s, magnesium, and metabolic health
• Why concussion should be treated as a whole-body condition

In This Episode, You Will Learn

✅ Why losing consciousness is not required for a concussion to be serious

✅ How brain inflammation can affect the entire body

✅ What happens to brain cells immediately after a concussion

✅ Why mitochondrial dysfunction can prolong recovery

✅ How nutrition and overall health may influence healing

✅ Why understanding the biology of concussion helps guide treatment

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

Mentioned in this episode:

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