Even as a physician, Dr. Aaron Hartman found himself in an impossible situation while advocating for his infant daughter’s best interests within the modern medical system. Her cerebral palsy diagnosis led to a failure to thrive assessment, prompting her GI specialist to insist on a feeding tube.
As fate would have it, Dr. Hartman’s wife was an experienced pediatric occupational therapist who had firsthand experience with feeding tubes in children. She was hesitant to rely on the feeding tube as it could lead to other complications and delays, so they made the hard decision to try another way.
Dr. Hartman’s inclination to follow his wife’s wisdom and advocate for an alternative for his daughter was met with a call to child protective services by the medical system. As a practicing doctor, the experience didn’t just test his medical training — it transformed it.
From Crisis to Calling
Driven by the desire to give his daughter the best outcomes and care, he dove into functional and integrative medicine, a field that examines root causes rather than masking symptoms. That search and many years in the medical field and clinical research led him to found Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine (RIFM) — a practice dedicated to treating complex chronic illnesses, metabolic disorders, and environmental sensitivities with a holistic, systems-based approach.
Becoming Richmond’s Trusted Functional Medicine Physician
Dr. Hartman has become one of Richmond’s most trusted functional medicine doctors, known for taking on “difficult” or medically complex cases. His name has been recommended to me personally many times for my family’s mold exposure. One recommendation came from a gentleman who was having almost stroke-like neurological symptoms from a mold exposure at work. He credited Dr. Hartman with his recovery and hope for continued wellness, which is an aspiration lost to many of us with chronic conditions.
It’s certainly a comfort to know that Dr. Hartman and his team at Richmond Integrative and Functional Medicine are working to restore that hope and improve health in our area.
On this episode:
This conversation is packed with new insights about mold and mold-related illness. We cover toxicity in synthetic fiber rugs, mold illness in veterans, and its surprising cause — along with why proper building inspection and remediation can make all the difference when done correctly.
We also talk nutrition, sugar and its effects on kids, and building-related illness outbreaks from decades past right here in Chesterfield County.
Dr. Hartman shares why he believes we should take the reins on our own health journeys rather than wait for systemic reform — and opens up about his own family’s path to better health. It’s refreshing to speak with a doctor who’s also been on the patient advocacy side of the conversation.
Sharing Knowledge Is Better Medicine
Dr. Hartman’s belief in continual medical education has made him a powerful voice for informed, self-directed health. His website, RichmondFunctionalMedicine.com, is packed with free resources — from research-based articles on mold and CIRS, to metabolic health, hormone balance, and more. His blog and YouTube channel distill complex science into approachable insights for everyday readers.
He also hosts the Made for Health Podcast — a series dedicated to cutting through noise and misinformation to empower people to take ownership of their well-being.
This commitment to transparency reflects a core philosophy: that medicine shouldn’t be a mystery, and access to health information shouldn’t depend on privilege or proximity.
A Book — & A Broader Mission
Next month, Dr. Hartman will release his new book, Incurable: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds. His book will dive deeper into his family’s story and their interactions and experiences in the medical system. It’s not just another wellness title — it’s a call for a cultural shift in how we think about care, evidence, and empowerment. We’ll add the link when it officially launches.
A Legacy Rooted in Love and Intuition
Dr. Hartman’s career was born not from ambition, but from necessity — and love. His daughter’s challenges revealed systemic blind spots. His wife’s instinct illuminated new paths. And together, they proved that compassion and curiosity are just as essential to healing as credentials and data.
Their story reminds us that sometimes the greatest revolutions in medicine begin at home — in the quiet conviction of a parent who refuses to accept “there’s nothing more we can do.”
Through his clinic, podcast, blog, and soon-to-be-released book, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues to honor that conviction: to leave medicine, and the world, a little better than he found it.
🔗 Explore More
Website: Richmond Functional Medicine
Blog: RIFM Blog
Podcast: Made for Health
YouTube Channel: Aaron Hartman MD
