109: They Told Us It Was Incurable - The Moment That Changed Everything About Healing with Dr. Aaron Hartman

This month we'll be doing things a little differently and actually sharing chapters from my book with you on the Monday podcasts. This is from Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds. Hope you really enjoy this, and if you enjoy the chapters we share here, you can get the entire book either on Amazon or on Audible. You'll find links to that in the show notes below. Hope you enjoy.

I can still remember the first time I saw Anna. It's etched into my mind like it happened just yesterday. We had just stepped into her foster home where she was receiving care. There she was on the floor of the living room, sitting in a bumbo chair placed gently on a Winnie the Pooh blanket. Her tiny body leaned forward, unable to support itself. A patch covered her strong right eye, not because it was injured, but because the left eye had suffered birth trauma so severe it no longer functioned. So it was a struggle for her eyes to track together. Her delicate hands were curled inward, held tightly to her chest, all symptoms of the lingering, visible imprint of the brain damage she'd endured over a year ago during birth. Despite everything, she had the cutest little smile. The only word she could say was hi. She was about 12 months old at that time, and I had no idea how profoundly this moment would change my life. Meeting Anna would not only change me, but it would also shape my family, influence how my family grew, and ultimately transform my medical practice and how I cared for patients. Anna had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, an incurable condition caused by brain damage before birth. But that wasn't all. Her birth mother had used crystal meth throughout her entire pregnancy, and Anna had suffered a stroke before she was even born. She had no pigment in the back of her eyes and was functionally blind for the first years of her life. She spent those early months in a drug induced coma, not interacting with the outside world other than when being fed. An earlier MRI showed that she had agenesis of the corpus callosum, meaning the part of the brain that connects the left and right hemispheres hadn't formed properly. When I first met her. I didn't fully grasp the severity of her condition. All I knew was that she had an incurable disorder and was about to lose her home. My wife, Becky, had been Anna's occupational therapist ever since she left the hospital. Like many medical foster children, Anna was facing yet another upheaval. Her foster home was closing and she needed a new place to live. Becky asked me if we would be willing to open our home to this little girl who had nowhere else to go. As a Person of faith. This was a defining moment. I had always professed to believe in caring for the orphaned and the homeless. And now I was being given the opportunity to live out those beliefs. Meanwhile, Becky saw something that no one else did. A spark in Anna. Something neither the doctors nor the therapists, nor even I could see. Becky told me she's going to be okay. Looking back, I realized that I thought okay meant that her condition would somehow disappear and that she would become a normal, typical child. In hindsight, that that was incredibly naive. But I trusted Becky and I had my faith. So we took Anna into our home. As a doctor, I knew it'd be rough. My brain cataloged the challenges ahead. Sleepless nights, medical complexities, and mounting bills. I have to admit that in the beginning, my heart wasn't immediately wrapped around this little girl. My connection to Anna was forged through battle. The daily struggle of coaxing one more bite into her mouth, celebrating small movements in therapy, and standing firm against specialists who only saw her limitations. My heart expanded as I defended her, fought for her future, and refused to accept the low expectations she had been saddled with. I truly fell in love with Hannah over that first year of advocacy. My faith may have led me to her, but the daily fight to believe in and help her reach her full potential transformed her from a responsibility to my daughter, my little girl. Bringing Anna home with us was our inch at Cape Canaveral. That became our mile at the moon moment. What I mean is that this one small decision changed everything. Yes, Anna has changed me spiritually and emotionally. But the moment we opened our lives to her also reshaped me professionally. That decision changed how I viewed the healthcare system, how I saw the interactions between specialists and parents, how I understood trauma in children, and even how I conducted research and applied it to my patients. It changed my entire approach to medicine. Now, more than 18 years later, I can look back and see that this small step transformed everything. Not just for me and my medical practice, but for Anna. Healthcare has a history of blind spots. We got smoking wrong for over half a century. It took 7,000 research articles before the Surgeon General of the United States finally stated that smoking caused lung cancer. We got it wrong in the first half of the 20th century when we performed frontal lobotomies to treat mental health conditions and radical mastectomies to treat minimally invasive breast cancer. More recently, since the year 2000, we have incorrectly understood and practiced hormonal therapy for women. And it is only in the last year of this writing, 2025, that this life changing Therapy is once again allowed for use with menopausal women. The question I constantly ask myself is where are our system's current blind spots? What are we wrong about now that in 20 years we will view as the antiquated past? About what will we say in a superior voice? Can you believe those doctors used to? I wonder. But I do have some ideas about it. Anna's needs and treatment were a blind spot to the health professionals that cared for her. Today, she has defied every single expectation. She was a child who was born blind and was never supposed to see. She was never supposed to crawl, walk or talk. The health care system had set the bar so low for her that even the therapists who worked with her and cared deeply for her saw little hope for this child with brain damage and cerebral palsy. But Anna's story is one of overcoming every obstacle placed in her path. It is a story of breaking the mold, defying the experts and refusing to accept limitations. It is a story of a family that surrounded her with love and fought for her. It is a story of a father who Woke up at 4am to research cerebral palsy, autism, gene based nutrition, drug induced brain damage, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, energy therapy and a host of other treatments that would become part of Anna's healing journey. Built on the foundations of functional medicine, real food, a loving family, quality sleep and exercise, these interventions have produced nothing short of a miracle. At 19 years old, Anna can read. She can text on the phone. She spends hours a day talking and singing to her grandparents on the phone. She manages most of her own self care. She is a joy to be around and has an infectious laugh. What's even more remarkable is that every year she continues to improve. This is unheard of in the special needs world for a child with her diagnoses. And the message I have for you is if Anna can do it, you can do it too. Anna's story is one of hope. It is a testament to what is possible when you step outside the constraints of conventional medicine, forge your own path and build a personalized healthcare approach. It is about healing in situations deemed hopeless. If Anna can do it, you can too. That is the message of this book. So come alongside us. Let me introduce you to my family. Let me introduce you to Anna. Learn what we did and as you listen to our story, I want you to realize that if this little girl could beat the odds, nothing is stopping you from doing the same. Whatever that means for you. For the Hartman family, beating the odds and going against the grain has become a way of life. We take one step at a time, one day at a time, one intervention at a time. You have the same potential, and over time you will also see unimaginable results and a transformation in in your health.

Have you ever lost trust in your own body or in the doctors who were supposed to help you heal? It happens to millions of people who are stuck in the cycle of prescriptions, tests, and more questions than answers. That's why Dr. Aaron Hartman wrote his new book Uncurable. As a physician and a parent, he's lived through the pain of being told there's nothing more we can do. But instead of accepting that, he built a new path, one that combines traditional and functional medicine to uncover what's really driving illness. Uncurable is more than a book. It's a roadmap to help you find the root causes your doctor might have missed, reactivate your body's natural healing systems, and finally, believe in what's possible again. If you've lost hope or trust in the system, this book will help you take back control. Go to UncurableBook.com and grab your copy along with Dr. Hartman's free resources to help you start your healing journey today.

Introduction From Conventional Medicine to Comprehensive Wellness I never expected my medical career to take such a wild turn. I started out as a regular family doctor. I graduated with top honors in biology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1995. Then I received my MD from the Medical College of Virginia in 2000 and 20. I was on the usual path most doctors tread, finishing my residency and getting board certified. Then I had to fulfill my military commitments. My time in the air force from 2003 to 2007 really shaped me. I became a major, ran a clinic in Germany, and became medical supervisor of a clinic at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. I even got extra training in dermatology, cardiology, and nuclear biological warfare. During this time, I was on track to have a typical, successful medical career. But life had other plans for me. When my wife, Becky, and I brought Anna into our home, I initially responded to her medical needs by following the conventional methods, dutifully going through the motions of appointments, filling prescriptions, and following specialists recommendations. Yet beneath the surface, I felt increasingly helpless and discouraged by our limited options. As I searched for ways to truly help our little girl, I encountered rigid barriers within conventional medicine, a systemic resistance to outside the box thinking, and a concerning lack of curiosity about alternative approaches. When experts dismissed what I had discovered as promising treatment options without investigation, I realized I was facing more than just our daughter's medical challenges, I was confronting the limitations of the medical system itself. It became clear that to help her, I needed to think differently, venturing beyond traditional boundaries into unexplored territory. This personal crisis became professional and sparked my deep dive into integrative and functional medicine. I started using new ideas to treat not just my daughter, but other family members as well, and eventually my patients. In my medical practice, I became more active in medical education. In 2011, I became an assistant Clinical professor in Family Medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine. In 2010, I started the Virginia Research Center, a clinical research company where we offered new treatment options through FDA approved clinical trials. And I just kept learning. In 2012, I made it official by joining several national medical organizations and starting a training program in functional medicine. That same year, our journey with Anna led us to some unexpected places. Becky and I moved our family to a small farm near Richmond, Virginia, where we have learned how our health connects to the land, animals and food. This got me really excited about nutrition, ecology and toxicology in medicine. In 2015 and 2016, I earned certifications in integrative and functional medicine, which meant I could help my patients in ways I never thought possible. And I capped off this season in my life with my third board certification in metabolic, regenerative, Anti Aging and functional medicine in 2022. Today I lead Richmond Integrative and Functional Medicine, a practice I founded in 2016 with a clear to transform each patient's health in a truly individualized way using my extensive research, medical expertise and personal experience. Inspired by the astonishing response of my daughter, I am committed to helping others achieve similar life changing results. This powerful approach, often called functional medicine, translational medicine, or root cause medicine, goes beyond treating symptoms to uncover and address the true underlying causes of illness, empowering people to reclaim their health and vitality. My story encompasses both work and family. Becky and I adopted three kids between 2007 and 2016. Being foster parents and then adoptive parents has made our lives so much richer. But it's been ridiculously hard. If my work and our story can make any part of your health journey any easier, then all the work will have been worth it. Over the past 25 years, I've been privileged to care for patients in more than 100,000 clinical encounters spanning four continents. My work has extended far beyond everyday practice. I've contributed to over 70 clinical trials and published research in the Lancet, one of medicine's most prestigious journals. In my seminary thesis, I deeply explored how faith, work, and compassion can intersect to enrich learning and knowledge. Yet through all these professional accomplishments, my core drive has remained unchanged. First to help Anna overcome her challenges, then to apply those insights to improve my family's health, and finally to use this hard won knowledge to achieve better outcomes for my patients. Everything I've learned has flowed from that initial commitment to one little girl who defied the odds. This book serves as a guide to true wellness based on my personal and professional experiences. It's about the path we forged to health that goes beyond just treating symptoms. I will show you our path so that you can follow our lead, eventually forging your own path to reach your own health potential. And you will probably surprise yourself along the way. Just as Anna consistently amazes us, Together we'll explore how you can take control of your health. Just like I helped my daughter, my wife and countless patients get better, you'll learn how to unblock your health obstacles and get your energy back. This book will show you how to defy the odds and create your own health success story. Uncurable is Anna's story of resilience, courage and fortitude. It is a guide for anyone facing a tough medical diagnosis. It's for those who feel let down by our healthcare system and want a holistic approach to healing. In this book you'll How a wake up call can lead to transformative change in healthcare practices why battling a broken system might be necessary for you or your loved one's health the power of faith in action when combined with cutting edge medical approaches what this looks like in other real patient success stories how you can take ownership of your health and shape the future of medicine Ways to rethink conventional wisdom about uncurable conditions the unexpected impact of lifestyle changes on complex medical cases why challenging medical dogma might be the key to breakthrough healing how to navigate bureaucratic roadblocks in the healthcare system the surprising connection between faith, science and medical innovation this book invites you to join us on a journey of hope, strength and healing. It's a call to action for patients, doctors and anyone who thinks there's more to health than what normal medicine offers. Let's challenge the idea of Uncurable together. Throughout this book, I reference the same tools and resources I use every day in my clinic. The very ones that have helped transform the lives of my patients and my own family. These aren't generic tips or theoretical ideas. They are field tested, fine tuned frameworks I've spent years building, refining and sharing with people just like you. People facing overwhelming diagnoses and looking for real hope and real answers. I'VE also provided the sources for my research studies, journals, books and publications. As this is an important part of medical research. You will read about how the medical system is far from perfect, but there is so much value in understanding and respecting the research performed and published by experts in their fields. If you want a more complete and thorough bio about Me my training and credentials, you can find that on my website. Aaron hartmanmd.com Part 1 the Wake Up.

Call.

1 the Status Quo interrupted the moment we adopted Anna. Everything I thought I knew about medicine was put to the test. Dr. Aaron Hartman beep beep beep. The rhythmic sound of monitors fills the nicu, blending with the sharp scent of disinfectant. Behind the glass of an incubator lies a tiny, fragile baby, Anna, born too soon, too small, fighting battles before she even knew the world. But I didn't meet her then. That moment wouldn't come until a year later, when everything I thought I knew about medicine would be put to the test. When I met Anna, my world flipped upside down. My medical degree no longer meant anything. Those years of training failed to prepare me for this tough, resilient, broken little girl. You too are about to go on a wild ride that will likely shake up everything you think you know about medicine. You'll find out why top doctors were so wrong about Anna, and you'll realize they might be missing something about you or your loved ones as well. This part of the book serves as both a story and a wake up call. In print, you'll see the medical world in a whole new way. You'll start to question dogma and challenge the way things are done. This is all good. In order to go down an alternate path to healing, the old paradigms have to be shaken up a bit, or maybe even completely remade. So let's walk through medical school together. That's where they teach us to trust the system, to obey authority and value prestige. You'll also sit with me as I watch that system fail Anna over and over. You'll get fired up when you realize that sometimes being a good doctor means breaking the rules. Many people accept the status quo as the final word. That's just how it is, we say to ourselves, unknowingly complicit in maintaining a broken system. Forget that you're about to learn why we sometimes need to go around the medical rules, rewrite them or throw them out. You'll learn about the things medicine has missed for years. You'll cringe at old medical mistakes like cutting into brains to fix mental health or removing entire Reproductive systems for cancer. But this book isn't just about pointing out problems. It's about finding new ways to help people. Personalized healthcare is a crucial concept with real importance. You'll learn about new treatments that could change lives, treatments that some doctors might call impossible or unproven. Just like they said, Anna couldn't get better. This book is going to tell you to question everything, to take charge of your health like never before. Because if Anna taught me one thing, it's that our bodies and spirits can do amazing things. We just need the right tools and direction. You'll find out why doctors, even when they try their best, don't know everything. You'll see why the system sometimes works against the people it's supposed to help. And most importantly, you'll learn why your health and your life is too important to leave only in other people's hands. By the end, you'll see doctor's offices differently. You'll go in ready with questions and not afraid to speak up for yourself and your family. That's what I had to do for Anna. And that's what changed everything. Listen, you're about to have your mind blown. You're going to see medicine in a whole new light. Not as a set of rigid protocols, but as a dynamic journey of discovery. What doctors label impossible might just be the starting point of what's achievable. The same system that told Anna she'd never walk, talk, or thrive has been proven wrong time and again. Not just with her, but with countless patients who refused to accept someone else's prescribed limitations as their doomed destiny. But this isn't about rejecting science. It's about taking what is known, expanding it, and pushing boundaries until a breakthrough happens. A quick word about the title of this. I am trying to turn the idea of uncurable on its head. When we adopted Anna, we were told her health conditions were absolute and that there was no cure for any of her health complications we would inevitably encounter. As you'll read, we rejected the idea that she was uncurable. And eventually I learned with my patients that uncurable is not a diagnosis. I want my family, my patients, and you to abandon this word and its limitations and to empower yourself by focusing instead on curable. Whether you're a practitioner, an advocate, or a patient, by the time you finish this book, you'll no longer see uncurable as a sentence, but as a challenge, one that you're fully equipped to confront. Get ready to rewrite medical expectations, reclaim your power, and prove everyone wrong, including the voice in your head that whispers, maybe this is as good as it gets. It's not. The revolution starts now. Let's shake things up. Let's rewrite what's possible. Welcome to the Rebellion.

If you've lost trust in your body or in the system that was supposed to heal you, don't give up. Dr. Aaron Hartman's book, Uncurable will help you rediscover what's truly possible. Visit UncurableBook.com to get your copy and and start your healing journey today.