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

🔥 Feeling “fine”… but wondering if something could be developing quietly beneath the surface? Read UnCurable to explore a deeper, root-cause approach to prevention and long-term health.

What if heart disease often develops silently… long before any symptoms ever appear?

In this minisode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman and Dr. Christian Jenski continue their vascular series by exploring how heart disease can progress quietly, without obvious warning signs.

They break down how plaque forms inside blood vessels, how inflammation and oxidative stress drive that process, and why many people may have underlying disease despite normal cholesterol levels or standard testing. The conversation also highlights the concept of “silent heart attacks” and why symptoms are not always the first signal that something is wrong.

This episode encourages a more proactive and informed approach to cardiovascular health, emphasizing the importance of early detection, deeper testing, and foundational lifestyle habits.

Key Topics Covered

• What silent heart attacks are and why they often go unnoticed
• How plaque forms inside blood vessels over time
• The difference between soft plaque and calcified plaque
• Why inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune dysfunction drive vascular disease
• How heart disease can develop even with normal cholesterol levels
• The limitations of standard cholesterol panels and stress testing
• Why many people fall into a “middle ground” of undetected risk
• The role of advanced testing in identifying early vascular changes
• How environmental factors like toxins and metals may contribute to risk
• Why prevention and early intervention matter more than waiting for symptoms

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

🔥 Ever feel like what you’ve been told about your health doesn’t fully add up… or keeps changing over time? Read UnCurable to explore a deeper perspective on how medical blind spots can shape care and outcomes.

What if some of the most widely accepted health beliefs today… are things we’ll look back on and question?

In this minisode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues the conversation on medical blind spots, exploring how certain ideas in healthcare can be accepted for years, sometimes decades, before being re-evaluated.

He revisits the history of dietary fat and how it was widely misunderstood, despite early evidence supporting its importance in human health. The episode also highlights more recent examples, including the evolving understanding of Lyme disease and long COVID, showing how recognition and treatment approaches can shift over time.

This conversation encourages listeners to stay curious, informed, and engaged in their own health, recognizing that medicine is constantly evolving and that asking thoughtful questions can play an important role in better outcomes.

Key Topics Covered

• What medical blind spots are and why they continue to happen
• How early beliefs about dietary fat influenced decades of health recommendations
• The difference between natural fats and highly processed alternatives
• Why some early research on cholesterol and heart disease was incomplete
• How Lyme disease went unrecognized despite growing evidence
• Why chronic Lyme disease is now receiving broader attention
• The emergence and recognition of long COVID as a real condition
• How medical consensus can take years to evolve
• The importance of safety and caution in medical decision-making
• Why patient awareness and self-advocacy are increasingly important

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

🔥 Feeling like your hormones aren’t the whole story… and something deeper might be driving your symptoms? Read UnCurable to explore a more complete, root-cause approach to your health.

What if the key to navigating perimenopause and menopause… isn’t just hormones, but what’s happening deep inside your gut?

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Cynthia Thurlow to explore the powerful connection between gut health and hormonal changes during midlife. Drawing from her new book The Menopause Gut, Cynthia explains why the microbiome plays a central role in how women experience perimenopause and menopause.

They discuss how shifts in estrogen and progesterone influence gut diversity, inflammation, immune function, and even mood and cognition. The conversation also highlights how symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, weight changes, and digestive issues may be linked to deeper imbalances in the gut, not just declining hormones.

This episode offers a more nuanced perspective on midlife health, emphasizing that while hormone therapy can be helpful, it is only one piece of a much larger puzzle involving lifestyle, stress, nutrition, and the microbiome.

Key Topics Covered

• What the gut microbiome is and why it plays a central role in overall health
• The connection between gut health and hormones during perimenopause and menopause
• How declining estrogen impacts gut diversity and inflammation
• The role of the “estrobolome” in processing and eliminating estrogen
• Why symptoms like brain fog, mood changes, and weight resistance may reflect gut dysfunction
• How leaky gut and inflammation can influence brain health and immune function
• The relationship between stress, cortisol, and microbiome imbalance
• Why perimenopause can act as a “litmus test” for underlying health issues
• How ovarian aging and mitochondrial health are influenced by lifestyle and environment
• The importance of individualized approaches rather than “one-size-fits-all” solutions

Therapies / Concepts Referenced

• Gut microbiome and microbial diversity
• Estrobolome (estrogen-processing component of the microbiome)
• Gut-brain, gut-ovarian, and gut-immune connections
• Leaky gut and microbial translocation
• Hormone replacement therapy (bioidentical vs synthetic considerations)
• Cortisol and stress response
• Sleep optimization and circadian rhythm
• Nutrition: protein intake, fiber, whole foods
• Digestive support (enzymes, stomach acid, bile function)
• Exercise balance (strength training, recovery, metabolic health)

📚 Featured Resource

📘 Book: The Menopause Gut by Cynthia Thurlow

👉 https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/777129/the-menopause-gut-by-cynthia-thurlow-np/

A comprehensive guide to how gut health impacts hormones, inflammation, metabolism, and aging—designed to support women navigating midlife and beyond.

About the Guest

Cynthia Thurlow is a nurse practitioner, author, and internationally recognized expert in women’s health, particularly perimenopause, menopause, and metabolic health. With a background in cardiology and over two decades in clinical practice, she now focuses on helping women understand the connection between hormones, lifestyle, and the microbiome. She is also the host of the Everyday Wellness podcast and a leading voice in integrative health education.

Resources & Links

🌐 Website: https://www.cynthiathurlow.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthia_thurlow_/?hl=en

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

🔥 Ever feel like health recommendations keep changing… and you're left trying to make sense of what to trust? Read UnCurable to explore a deeper perspective on how medical blind spots can shape care and outcomes.

What if some of the biggest health decisions made over the last few decades… were based on incomplete or misunderstood data?

In this minisode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues the discussion on medical blind spots, focusing on two major areas where conventional guidance has recently shifted: hormone replacement therapy and dietary fat.

He walks through how earlier research led to widespread fear and reduced use of hormone therapy for women, despite more recent data suggesting broader benefits in areas like heart health and cognitive function. The episode also revisits the long-standing narrative around dietary fat, highlighting how recommendations have evolved after decades of low-fat guidance.

This conversation encourages listeners to reflect on how medical recommendations are shaped, and how staying informed and curious can help navigate an ever-evolving healthcare landscape.

Key Topics Covered

• How medical blind spots can shape long-term health recommendations
• What changed in the understanding of hormone replacement therapy
• How earlier studies influenced widespread fear around hormone use
• Why newer data suggests a different perspective on hormone therapy
• The potential connection between hormone balance and heart health
• How long low-fat dietary guidance influenced public health trends
• Why fats are being reconsidered in modern nutrition
• The role of metabolism, blood sugar, and satiety in dietary patterns
• How medical recommendations can be influenced by systemic factors
• Why awareness and education can support better health decisions

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

🔥 Trying to make sense of what to eat… and why so much nutrition advice seems to keep changing? Read UnCurable to explore a deeper, root-cause perspective on health and healing.

What if much of what we’ve been told about fats, cholesterol, and even milk… isn’t the full picture?

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Sally Fallon Morell, author of Nourishing Traditions and founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation, to explore the foundations of traditional nutrition and how modern dietary guidelines have evolved over time.

They discuss the role of nutrient-dense foods like animal fats, raw milk, and organ meats, and how shifts toward processed foods and industrial oils may have influenced long-term health trends. The conversation also explores how cholesterol, saturated fats, and fat-soluble vitamins support brain function, hormones, and overall physiology.

This episode invites a broader perspective on nutrition, encouraging listeners to look beyond simplified labels like “good” or “bad” and instead consider how whole foods, preparation methods, and individual needs can all play a role in health.

Key Topics Covered

• How dietary guidelines have changed over time and why that matters
• The role of saturated fats in supporting cell membranes and hormones
• Why cholesterol is essential for brain function and overall health
• Differences between traditional fats and processed vegetable oils
• The importance of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K
• How butter, egg yolks, and organ meats contribute to nutrient density
• The potential connection between fat intake and cravings or satiety
• How raw milk differs from pasteurized milk in structure and function
• The role of nutrient-dense foods in supporting development and resilience
• Why food quality, sourcing, and preparation methods may matter

About the Guest

Sally Fallon Morell is the author of the best-selling cookbook Nourishing Traditions and a leading advocate for traditional, nutrient-dense diets. She is the founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to restoring whole, ancestral foods to modern diets. Her work focuses on the benefits of raw milk, animal fats, organ meats, bone broths, and traditional food preparation methods.

Resources & Links

🌐 Weston A. Price Foundation: https://www.westonaprice.org/about-us/welcome-from-sally-fallon-morell/#gsc.tab=0

📸 Instagram (Sally Fallon Morell): https://www.instagram.com/sallyfallonmorell/

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

🔥 Ever wonder if some “accepted” health advice might actually be missing the full picture? Read UnCurable to explore a deeper perspective on how medical blind spots can shape care and outcomes.

What if some of the most trusted medical advice… was once completely wrong?

In this minisode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues the conversation on medical blind spots, exploring how widely accepted ideas in healthcare can sometimes be incomplete, delayed, or even incorrect.

Using powerful historical examples, he walks through how practices like smoking recommendations and even surgical interventions were once considered acceptable, despite long-term consequences. The episode also highlights how research, bias, and systemic influences can shape what becomes “standard” in medicine, sometimes delaying important shifts in understanding.

This conversation encourages a more thoughtful and curious approach to health, reminding listeners that medicine is always evolving, and that asking informed questions can be an important part of better care.

Key Topics Covered

• What medical blind spots are and how they develop
• Historical examples of harmful practices once considered acceptable
• How smoking was promoted before being linked to disease
• Why it can take decades for medical consensus to change
• The role of bias and external influence in shaping medical recommendations
• How newer trends like vaping may follow similar patterns
• The concept of medical error and its impact on outcomes
• Why some systemic issues in healthcare may go unaddressed
• The importance of patient awareness and asking questions
• How curiosity and education can support better health decisions

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

🔥 Trying to make sense of your blood pressure, heart rhythms, or early symptoms that don’t quite add up? Read UnCurable to explore a deeper, root-cause approach to understanding your health.

What if high blood pressure isn’t the starting point… but the result of changes happening much earlier in your body?

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues his conversation with Dr. Christian Jenski, taking a deeper look at how hypertension develops and how it connects to electrical heart issues, vascular health, and whole-body physiology.

They explore how blood pressure is influenced by far more than just the arteries, including the nervous system, hormones, kidney function, nutrient status, and lifestyle patterns. The conversation highlights how early signals like subtle blood pressure changes, sleep disturbances, or irregular rhythms can point to deeper dysfunction long before a diagnosis is made.

This episode also emphasizes the connection between structural changes in the heart and electrical disturbances, showing how untreated hypertension can gradually lead to arrhythmias, heart remodeling, and more serious complications over time.

Key Topics Covered

• Why optimal blood pressure is lower than many people realize
• How vascular stiffness and endothelial dysfunction contribute to hypertension
• The role of hormones, kidneys, and nervous system in blood pressure regulation
• Why early blood pressure changes should not be dismissed
• How hypertension can lead to structural changes in the heart
• The connection between heart remodeling and electrical rhythm disturbances
• What PVCs, PACs, and arrhythmias may indicate about heart health
• Why EKGs and heart rhythm monitoring provide important early insights
• How electrolyte balance (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) affects heart rhythm
• The link between lifestyle factors and conditions like atrial fibrillation

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

🔥 Ever feel like your symptoms are being dismissed or not fully understood? Read UnCurable to explore a deeper perspective on how health is understood and where medicine can sometimes miss the mark.

What if some of what we believe about health today… will one day be seen as completely wrong?

In this minisode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman introduces a powerful concept: how medicine can sometimes miss the mark through blind spots, misinterpretation, and systemic gaps in understanding.

He walks through real historical and modern examples to illustrate how medical thinking evolves, from early misconceptions around infection control to more recent challenges in understanding conditions like chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. The episode also highlights how differences in physiology, especially in women, have sometimes led to missed or delayed diagnoses.

This conversation invites listeners to approach health with curiosity and awareness, recognizing that medicine is always evolving and that asking deeper questions can play an important role in better outcomes.

Key Topics Covered

• What medical blind spots are and how they develop over time
• A historical example of how handwashing was once dismissed in medicine
• The concept of medical gaslighting and how it can affect patients
• How chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia have been misunderstood
• The evolving understanding of brain and immune-related conditions
• Differences in how women and men may experience symptoms
• Why heart attack symptoms in women can look different
• How systemic assumptions can lead to missed diagnoses
• The importance of questioning long-held medical beliefs
• Why staying open to new information matters in healthcare

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

What if cholesterol isn’t the problem… but a signal pointing to something deeper happening in your body?

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman sits down with Dr. Christian Jenski to take a deeper look at cholesterol through the lens of metabolic cardiology and vascular health.

They explore why cholesterol is often misunderstood, and how focusing on a single number can miss the bigger picture. Instead, they break down how cholesterol functions in the body, why it’s essential for survival, and how factors like inflammation, metabolism, toxins, and nutrient balance can influence whether it becomes a risk.

This conversation shifts the perspective from “lower is always better” to a more individualized approach, helping listeners understand how to interpret their labs in context and what may actually be driving changes in their lipid profile.

Key Topics Covered

• Why cholesterol is essential and not inherently harmful
• The difference between total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides
• How cholesterol levels relate to overall health and longevity
• Why very low cholesterol may be problematic in some cases
• The role of LDL particle size, oxidation, and density
• What dysfunctional HDL is and why it matters
• How triglycerides reflect metabolic health and insulin sensitivity
• The importance of ratios like triglyceride to HDL
• How inflammation and oxidative stress influence lipid patterns
• Why diet alone does not fully explain cholesterol levels

Discover the book here: https://uncurablebook.com/

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD

What if heart disease isn’t something that suddenly happens, but something that builds quietly over time inside your blood vessels?

In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues his conversation with Dr. Christian Jenski, exploring coronary artery disease through the lens of metabolic cardiology and vascular health.

They break down how heart disease develops step by step, starting with subtle damage to the arteries and progressing toward plaque buildup, reduced blood flow, and eventually events like heart attacks. The conversation highlights how this process is not limited to the heart, but can affect any organ in the body, including the brain, kidneys, and eyes.

This episode also emphasizes the difference between emergency care and prevention. While modern medicine excels at treating acute events, much of the earlier progression is often overlooked. By understanding vascular health earlier, there may be opportunities to shift outcomes before irreversible damage occurs.

Key Topics Covered

• What coronary artery disease actually is and how it develops over time
• How plaque forms, grows, and affects blood flow in the arteries
• The difference between soft plaque, calcified plaque, and stenosis
• How symptoms can progress from none to exertional chest pain to events
• The role of inflammation, oxidative stress, and vascular dysfunction
• Why heart disease can affect multiple organs beyond the heart
• The difference between ischemia and myocardial infarction
• How the body adapts and remodels in response to vascular stress
• Where conventional cardiology is most effective in acute care
• Why early detection and prevention may change long-term outcomes

Discover the book here: https://uncurablebook.com/

Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine

🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD