EPISODE · Jul 31, 2026 · 12 MIN
A Brain Injury Can Affect More Than Your Brain - How Traumatic Brain Injury Impacts Your Heart, Gut, Hormones, and Immune System with Dr. Aaron Hartman | Brain Injury | E166
🔥 What if a brain injury doesn't just affect your brain—but also your heart, gut, immune system, hormones, metabolism, and even the way your body heals? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to explore how seemingly unrelated symptoms can be connected through the body's complex biological systems.How a Brain Injury Can Affect Your Heart, Gut, Hormones, and Immune SystemIn this Made for Health minisode, Dr. Aaron Hartman continues his concussion series by explaining why a traumatic brain injury can have effects far beyond the brain itself. Using a "one brain, one body" perspective, he explores how the brain serves as the master regulator of nearly every system in the body. When that regulation is disrupted—whether by a concussion, emotional trauma, or PTSD-like events—it can contribute to problems involving the heart, digestive system, hormones, immune function, metabolism, and sleep.Dr. Hartman discusses the connections between the brain and the vagus nerve, heart rate variability, the gut microbiome, neurotransmitter production, immune regulation, hormone balance, metabolic health, and lipid membranes. He explains how understanding these interconnected systems can help clinicians recognize why symptoms that seem unrelated may actually share a common neurological origin, setting the stage for the next episode focused on practical treatment strategies. Key Topics CoveredThe "one brain, one body" approach to traumatic brain injuryWhy the brain acts as the master regulator of the body's systemsHeart rate variability (HRV) and the brain-heart connectionThe role of the vagus nerve in heart, gut, and immune functionHow traumatic brain injury may contribute to fatigue and exercise intoleranceThe gut-brain axis and neurotransmitter productionLeaky gut, the microbiome, and neuroinflammationButyrate and its role in brain protectionSleep disturbances following brain injuryBrain injury, immune dysregulation, and autoimmune conditionsEmotional trauma, PTSD, and adverse childhood experiences as potential contributors to brain dysfunctionHormonal changes that may influence brain recoveryMetabolic health, insulin resistance, and brain resilienceLipid medicine, phospholipids, omega-3s, and neuroprotectionWhy understanding whole-body connections can guide recoveryFollow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMDMentioned in this episode:25% Off Back to School Support for ParentsBack to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School SaleBack to School Support for Parents25% Off Back to School Support for ParentsBack to school asks a lot of parents, too. Support your body through the season with three physician-reviewed, foundation-first essentials: Twice Daily Multi, Quercetin + Nettles, and NAC. For a limited time, save 25% on the Back to School Support Bundle. Visit the link below ⬇️ Shop the Back to School SaleBack to School Support for Parents
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A Brain Injury Can Affect More Than Your Brain - How Traumatic Brain Injury Impacts Your Heart, Gut, Hormones, and Immune System with Dr. Aaron Hartman | Brain Injury | E166
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