Aaron Hartman, MD, argues that hypermobility spectrum disorder, affecting roughly 1 in 30 adults, is an overlooked driver of chronic disease. He links it to nutrient deficiencies, gut dysfunction, sleep problems, and conditions like ADHD and anxiety, and says recognizing it in clinical practice could reshape how we treat chronic illness.
Questions this video answers
Aaron Hartman, MD; video created October 28, 2022.
About 20% of children (UK pilot study).
At least one in 30 adults (hypermobility).
About 23% of the US population has the gene for mold-related illness (speaker's claim).
Vitamin C, trace minerals, B vitamins, and an increased need for collagen-rich protein sources.
Chapters
What I'm about to share with you all tonight will radically change how you take care of your patients or clients with chronic health concerns. What if I told you that I found the missing link between seemingly unrelated issues? Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic Lyme mold illness, even mast cell activation syndrome. What if I told you that that also found the missing link between kids with ADHD and autism and their parents with OCD and anxiety? And what if I told you this missing link is everywhere right in front of your eyes? A pilot study in the United Kingdom showed that 20% of kids there had this condition, which is an interesting number because in Germany, 19% of the population has more of the related illnesses of mast cell activation syndrome. While here in the United States, 23% of the population has the gene for mold related illness. Now, I know what you all are thinking right now. These cannot possibly be related, right? I'm here tonight to tell you there's one condition that links all these seemingly unrelated illnesses, and it's everywhere. If you see clients like the ones I've mentioned so far and you're not seeing this on a routine basis, you're missing it. What I'm talking about is hypermobility spectrum disorder, also known as being double jointed. In the dance world, it's referred to as a bendy body. In the traditional healthcare world, we only recognize the most extreme version of this. Ehlers Danlos syndrome. But generalized hypermobility syndrome is everywhere. Up to 20% of kids and at least. At least one in 30 adults. But how can hypermobility be related to so many seemingly unrelated illnesses? Our body's connective tissues are more than just part of our structural system, connecting bones to bones and tendons to bones. It's also part of our body's electrical system. Your connective tissues act like an insulator that surround your different body parts and tissue components at the same time. These tissues are packed full of nerve endings that send tons of information to your brain every second. This low level stretchiness elevates your cortisol and adrenal levels. And over time, this causes dysfunction in your gut, your immune system and your brain. In your GI tract, this stretchiness affects nutritional levels and causes low grade nutrient deficiencies. People with hypermobility have deficiencies in vitamin C, trace minerals, B vitamins, as well as an increased need for collagen rich protein sources. And finally, in your brain, the elevation of cortisol and adrenaline at night disrupts your sleep, causing poor sleep quality. And we all know that poor sleep is associated with every chronic illness. But it's actually not all bad. Hypermobility is also a superpower. People that are hypermobile are more athletic. They can run faster, jump higher, swim quicker. Think of someone like Michael Phelps. Also, they have quicker reaction times. That gives them a competitive advantage in sports. And hundreds of years ago, this was also a survival advantage. But in today's world of toxins, chemicals, mold, Lyme, processed food, stress, trauma, micro concussions, what used to be a superpower has now become kryptonite. And y', all, this is everywhere. If you see individuals like the ones I've mentioned so far in any of yalls practices, you are seeing this on a daily basis. You don't even know it and you're missing this link. This has radically changed the way I deal with my patients. It's changed how I deal with kids with adhd, autism and Pandas. It's changed how I work with my patients with chronic Lyme and mold disease. It's changed how I work with my patients with gut issues and autoimmune issues. It's even changed how I work with women with pcos, infertility and hormone issues. And if you start to see it in your clinic, it'll change the way you take care of your patients with chronic health concerns. If our healthcare system starts to see it, it'll change our paradigm of chronic illness in our country. We all need to realize that hypermobility spectrum disorder is a root cause in chronic disease. This is the missing link we've been looking for and it's been right in front of us the entire time. Thank. You.
