Aaron Hartman MD

I’m Dr. Aaron Hartman, a triple board certified physician and the founder of Richmond Integrative and Functional Medicine. My path in medicine has never been typical. It began with my daughter Anna, who was born with cerebral palsy. Helping her taught me what is possible when you support the body so it can self heal and self repair. More than twenty years later, I have seen the same principles help thousands of patients. When you discover what your body truly needs, your body responds. It knows how to heal. It knows how to repair. If you want to learn how to support your own body in this process, follow me, like, and subscribe. I would be honored to guide you on this journey.

She came to the ER with chest pain and was sent home with antacids. Three days later, she was dead. How does our system miss a heart attack in a woman? Medical gaslighting. We act like this is a recent problem, but it has likely been happening for generations. Women’s symptoms are dismissed. They are told it is anxiety or that it is all in their head. Many are blown off, especially when gut related symptoms connected to the heart are ignored. Have you experienced medical gaslighting? What symptoms were dismissed, and how did you discover something more serious was going on? Share in the comments. You protect yourself by recognizing these blind spots and understanding where gaslighting happens most.

Your past does not have to determine your present or your future health. Trauma and major life events can push your nervous system into a constant fight or flight state. The loss of a loved one or a child’s health struggle can truly change the trajectory of your health. But it does not have to stay that way. Healing requires meaning and purpose. You need an attachment to something greater than yourself. It may be your family or another calling, but connection and purpose are vital to real recovery. If you leave this out, your healing will never be as complete as it could be. Do not ignore this in your personal healing plan.

Purpose is healing. Do you have a higher purpose for your life? Family, friends, faith, a calling? Something greater than yourself? Just having that sense of something bigger can dramatically change how you handle stress. When you live with meaning and purpose, your body responds differently. You cope with stressors better. You face difficult diagnoses with more resilience. You recover more effectively from heart attacks and strokes. You are less prone to depression. Purpose is not just emotional. It is biological. That sense of meaning often comes down to community, family, and a connection to something greater than yourself. And it can be one of the most powerful foundations for healing.

Did you know that up to 30% of protein products on the market may contain detectable levels of lead? So how does lead end up in collagen or beef protein? Lead accumulates in bones. Animals are exposed through their environment and feed, and over time it can be stored in their skeletal system. When we concentrate bone based products like collagen or animal proteins, we can also concentrate what was stored there. You cannot see, taste, or smell heavy metals. So what can you do? Ask for the certificate of analysis. A reputable manufacturer should provide third party testing that shows exactly what is in the product, including heavy metals. If they cannot, you really do not know what you are putting into your body. If you pick three random protein products off the shelf, odds are at least one may contain lead. Even low level, daily exposure matters. We have resources on our website to help you find cleaner, properly tested options. You deserve transparency. Ask for the data. Do not assume all protein powders are equal.

Let’s talk about the difference between degenerative agriculture and regenerative agriculture. As Ashley Armstrong @strong_sistas explains, the degenerative model is like taking an antibiotic every day. You are wiping out the very organisms designed to protect and nourish you. When we farm this way, we are damaging the beneficial microbes in the soil, just like overusing antibiotics harms the gut microbiome. In a regenerative model, we take a different approach. Instead of destroying microbes, we support and foster them. We return to ancestral farming practices and work with the principles of nature, not against them. Healthy soil microbes help produce the compounds that support plant health and, ultimately, our health. When we degrade the soil, we degrade our food. When we restore the soil, we restore resilience to the entire system, including the human body. Check out my full conversation with Ashley Armstrong on YouTube here: youtu.be/E5cSgF-CQWs?si…

90% of patients with fibromyalgia are women. And women are disproportionately medically gaslit. For decades, women with fibromyalgia were told nothing was wrong. They were told it was stress. Anxiety. Depression. That it was all in their head. That they were overreacting. That was wrong. When a condition primarily affects women and medicine does not fully understand it, it too often gets minimized. Women are more likely to have their symptoms dismissed, psychologized, or brushed aside. That is medical gaslighting. It is not always intentional, but it is harmful. We now understand that fibromyalgia is often connected to underlying drivers like yeast overgrowth, Lyme disease, mold exposure, gut dysfunction, and nutrient deficiencies. These are not imagined problems. They are measurable and treatable. As a physician, I was trained to listen. When you truly listen, patients will tell you what is happening in their bodies. Somewhere along the way, many in medicine stopped listening to women. Have you ever felt dismissed by a doctor? Told not to worry when you knew something was wrong? We are collecting these stories because this has gone on far too long. If you have experienced medical gaslighting, especially as a woman, your story matters. You can help change this. You can help restore listening. You can be part of the movement to end medical gaslighting.

What you believe about the future changes your biology. Take a moment and ask yourself where you see your life five or ten years from now. Where do you see your health. Where do you see your family. Those expectations matter. Purpose and direction shape the choices you make every day. They influence what you eat, how you sleep, how you manage stress, and how you show up the next morning. A future vision creates momentum. At the same time, we are becoming less connected to what makes us human and more driven by technology. You can see the impact in rising rates of anxiety and depression. For the first time, we are facing a generation of children who are not expected to outlive their parents. That should stop us in our tracks. Having a sense of purpose and meaning, and having goals that extend into the future, can literally change your life. It influences longevity. It supports health. And it reminds your biology that there is something worth moving toward.

I hear this all the time. Patients tell me their labs came back normal, yet they still do not feel well and they do not know what to do next. Here is the truth. Normal labs do not mean you are healthy. They simply mean your results fall within a statistical range for the general population. That range is based on averages. About 95 percent of people are included, regardless of whether that population is actually well. But what if diabetes is common? What if low vitamin D is common? Suddenly abnormal becomes normal, and that is exactly what has happened with many lab markers today. This is where functional lab evaluation matters. It looks at optimal versus suboptimal versus disease. Our current system is primarily designed to identify disease, not to define health. We offer a lot of resources to help with this. Through our website blogs, podcasts, and courses, we walk you through what optimal labs actually look like. We also give you the opportunity to have your own labs evaluated in a meaningful way. Get on your own path. Get your own labs. Figure out what optimal looks like for you.

Your healing journey needs a guide, not a savior. I often think about Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. He carried the responsibility. He held the ring. But he was never meant to do it alone. He had a fellowship around him. Legolas. Gandalf. And Samwise, who quite literally carried him when he had nothing left. Healing works the same way. You need people who can guide you, support you, and walk beside you. But you are still the one who has to take the steps. You are the one who carries the weight. You are the one who moves forward, one choice at a time. So take a look at the group around you. Make sure you have people who do not give up on you. People who believe in you. People who remind you who you are when you forget. Healing is not a solo journey. Community is essential to self healing and self repairing.

Quietness and stillness may be the most powerful superdrug and superfood we have. In today’s culture, we are constantly run ragged. There is no space to sit, reflect, or even think. One hundred and fifty years ago, before electricity extended the day, people were naturally forced into stillness when the sun went down. Now, with constant light, screens, and technology, we rarely create time to contemplate, journal, or process the day. This has a direct impact on your nervous system and your gut health. Did you know that nearly 25 percent of your digestive enzymes are released simply by experiencing your food? By slowing down. By being present. By thinking about what you are eating. Calming your nervous system is essential for healing. You must develop a daily practice that allows your body to shift out of stress and into repair. This is not optional. It is critical for your healing journey moving forward.

People do not just lose hope. It is often taken from them. So many patients are told there is nothing more that can be done. They are told it is all in their head. Year after year, this creates deep helplessness and hopelessness in people who need answers the most. The truth is there are answers. I have found them for thousands of patients. I have cared for more than 100,000 patients across seven countries and four continents. What I have learned is this. Answers exist, but you cannot stop looking for them. Hope is essential to the healing process. My book UnCURABLE tells the story of my daughter, who was told she would never walk, talk, or crawl. Today, she does all of those things. Trust me when I say there are answers out there. But to find them, you cannot give up. You have to hold onto hope.

Food can heal or food can harm. Food can inflame or it can calm the body. The details matter. When you eat inflammatory foods or foods that disrupt your gut, it affects your hormones, your sleep, and your ability to heal. When you eat nutrient-dense foods, they work as powerful anti-inflammatories. Saturated fat is a fatty acid your body actually needs to survive. It is not the enemy. It is essential. There are many factors that influence your health, but having the right nutritional information and knowing how to apply it can change everything. Between my book, the resources on our website, our course, and our social media channels, there are multiple ways we can help you start your healing journey today.

Your stress is not just in your head. It lives in your cells. New science describes something called the cell danger response. This is where stress shows up at a cellular level, and it directly affects your mitochondria. Chronic stress, past trauma, or ongoing pressure at work or at home can block your body’s ability to self heal and self repair. Over time, the body stays stuck in survival mode. If unresolved trauma from the past is carrying into the present, if sleep is poor, or if you are not getting enough movement or time outdoors, your cells lose their ability to heal and repair efficiently. If you want practical biohacks and simple strategies to help restart your mitochondria and support cellular healing, follow us and begin your mitochondria healing journey today.

If you have seen multiple doctors and specialists and still do not have answers, that is usually the point when people come to us. We specialize in connecting the dots. Specialists are excellent in their specific area of expertise, but the reality today is that chronic and complex health issues are becoming the norm. Many factors can combine to create a very complicated and interconnected health picture. Our job is to unwind that. We take the time to map out your unique path, identify which dots are connected, uncover what is keeping you stuck, and determine what your body needs so it can begin to self heal and self repair. If you are ready to start that journey for yourself, follow us today and let’s get you on that path.

Movement is medicine, and it does not need to be extreme to be effective. About 150 minutes of movement per week can lower your risk of heart disease by 20 to 30 percent, and the benefits continue to increase from there. A simple daily practice like yoga, tai chi, or morning stretching can have a profound impact on your health. I stretch for about 20 minutes every morning, and I have never had a major back injury. These small, consistent habits dramatically improve how your body handles stress. Movement is directly connected to brain function, which is why people who stay active have a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia. If you want to learn more or build a movement routine that actually works for your life, follow along and start your movement today.

Hydration is not really about water. It is about minerals. Most people think they are well hydrated, but at a cellular level their water volume is low. Water cannot get into your cells and stay there without minerals. Trace minerals and rare earth minerals are what allow your body to actually hold onto water. Magnesium, potassium, chromium, barium, silica, lithium. There are over 90 minerals and rare earth minerals the human body needs, and they must be present in your water if hydration is going to work. Minerals are also critical for brain function, connective tissue, and heart function. Deficiency in these rare earth minerals is a major reason we see so many chronic health issues today. This is why bone broth is so powerful. It is why mineral water and alkaline water are so powerful. It is also why electrolytes have become so popular. If you want to learn the right way to get these rare earth minerals into your body, follow us and start learning about your minerals today.

Unfortunately, our food system is not working. As Ashley Armstrong (@strong_sistas) points out, our food system has changed dramatically. Fertility is declining. Obesity and chronic disease are rising. We are developing illness earlier and dying younger. This system is not working. Food is medicine. What we eat every day is one of the biggest drivers of our health outcomes. We are now seeing the consequences of this broken system. The good news is that change is possible. As a consumer, you have a role in what you choose to buy, and those choices do influence the food system. Check out the full conversation with Ashley Armstrong through the YouTube link here: youtu.be/E5cSgF-CQWs?si…

You’re not “too sensitive.” Your body is trying to communicate with you. I see patients every day who react to foods, chemicals, environmental exposures, and even certain smells. When that happens, they can experience brain fog, feel off, develop anxiety, or struggle to sleep. This is your body sending signals. It may be mast cell activation syndrome. It may be toxic induced loss of tolerance. These are science based conditions, and when you understand what is happening, you can actually do something about it. If you want to learn more about common triggers and better understand what your body is reacting to, follow along.

Your morning routine matters more than you realize. Morning sunlight helps set your cortisol rhythm for the entire day. A few quiet minutes to meditate or breathe can regulate your nervous system and improve your capacity to handle stress as the day unfolds. Even that simple morning coffee ritual that feels grounding and calming plays a role in how your body settles into the day. Caffeine is best avoided after noon, since it can interfere with deep, restorative sleep at night. Small choices like this quietly shape your health in powerful ways. Small changes create big movement. Small levers move big boulders. Follow along as we continue to share simple, practical shifts that can make a massive impact on your daily health.

Your story matters more than your lab results. As a clinician, I was trained that up to 80% of a diagnosis can come from your story alone. Where did you grow up? What happened during childhood? Were you breast-fed? How many antibiotics did you take? Where did you go to college? Did you serve in the military? Your entire story matters when it comes to your current health. We cannot only look at what is happening today, even though that is the current standard. We need the full picture. We need to understand what brought you here. Sometimes healing is about unraveling that history and using it to chart a better path forward. If I see 20 people with the same symptoms, they should not receive the same treatment. There should be 20 different plans. Follow us so we can help you find your unique path to healing today.