What if the answers to chronic illness are often missed because medicine focuses on symptoms instead of root causes?

In this deeply personal and powerful episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, McCall McPherson welcomes Dr. Aaron Hartman, functional medicine physician, clinical researcher, and author of UnCurable: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds. Dr. Hartman shares how his daughter’s complex medical challenges transformed his understanding of healthcare, pushing him beyond conventional medicine and into a root-cause, patient-centered approach.

The conversation explores medical blind spots, medical gaslighting, and the limitations of symptom-focused care. Dr. Hartman explains why chronic illness often requires patients to become active participants in their health journey and how functional medicine can help uncover overlooked root causes. He also discusses environmental toxins, tick-borne illness, mold exposure, hypermobility syndromes, and the importance of personalized care strategies.

This episode offers hope, validation, and practical insight for anyone who has felt dismissed, misunderstood, or stuck searching for answers.

Episode Highlights

1. Dr. Hartman’s journey from conventional medicine to functional medicine through his daughter’s health challenges
2. The concept of medical blind spots and how healthcare recommendations evolve over time
3. Why chronic illness often requires individualized and investigative care
4. Understanding medical gaslighting and why patients, especially women, are frequently dismissed
5. How the healthcare system prioritizes acute care over chronic disease prevention and management
6. Why patients must become the “CEO” of their own health
7. The importance of building a collaborative healthcare team
8. Environmental and chronic illness drivers including mold exposure, Lyme disease, and bio-toxin illness
9. The connection between hypermobility, autoimmune conditions, neurodivergence, and chronic health symptoms
10. The role of lifestyle fundamentals including nutrition, sleep, environment, and relationships in healing
11. How faith, resilience, and patient-provider trust influence recovery and health outcomes
12. Why listening to patients is often the most powerful diagnostic tool in medicine
13. How education empowers patients to make informed healthcare decisions
14. Why modern medicine requires balancing conventional and functional approaches

In This Episode, You Will Learn

1. Why chronic illness often exists in gaps between medical specialties
2. How conventional medicine can miss environmental, infectious, and systemic contributors to illness

What if the reason thyroid eye disease feels so confusing is because it requires more than one specialist to treat it well?

In this episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, host McCall McPherson sits down with Dr. Sean Paul, a board-certified oculoplastic and orbital surgeon based in Austin, Texas, to explore thyroid eye disease (TED) from diagnosis through advanced treatment.

Dr. Paul explains what thyroid eye disease really is, why it is often underdiagnosed, and how it impacts both vision and quality of life. The conversation covers medical therapy, biologic treatments like Tepezza (teprotumumab), surgical options, and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. They also discuss emerging trends in aesthetic and reconstructive eye surgery, regenerative skin treatments, and why long-term maintenance and skin health matter just as much as procedures.

This episode offers clarity, hope, and practical guidance for anyone struggling with thyroid eye disease, Graves’ disease, or eye changes related to autoimmune thyroid conditions.

👤 About the Guest: Dr. Sean Paul

Dr. Sean Paul is a fellowship-trained oculoplastic and orbital surgeon and the founder of Austin Face and Body. He completed medical school in San Antonio and trained extensively in ophthalmology and oculoplastic surgery, with early experience in reconstructive eye surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Dr. Paul specializes in thyroid eye disease, orbital inflammation, eyelid reconstruction, and aesthetic facial surgery, blending functional restoration with natural-appearing cosmetic outcomes. His practice focuses on both medical necessity and patient confidence.

🔑 Key Topics Covered

1. What thyroid eye disease is and why it is an autoimmune orbital inflammatory condition
2. The connection between TED and Graves’ disease, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism
3. Early and subtle symptoms of thyroid eye disease, including dryness, redness, eyelid asymmetry, and double vision
4. Why thyroid eye disease is frequently underdiagnosed
5. The difference between active inflammatory disease and “quiet” or chronic disease
6. The emotional and social impact of eye changes in Graves’ disease
7. How oculoplastic and orbital surgeons are trained and what makes them different from general ophthalmologists
8. Medical treatment options including steroids, radiation, and biologic therapy
9. Tepezza (teprotumumab): how it works, how it is administered, and potential side effects including hearing changes
10. Surgical options for thyroid eye disease:
11. Orbital decompression (fat and bone)
12. Strabismus (eye muscle) surgery
13. Eyelid retraction repair
14. Typical recovery timelines and why disease

What if healthspan is not about adding more years to life, but protecting strength, energy, and independence as you age?

What if the real goal is not just living longer, but staying strong, capable, and energized for decades? In this episode, McCall sits down with Dr. Chris Renna, DO, founder of LifeSpan Medicine, to explore what healthspan really means and why most people start seeking answers only after symptoms have already taken hold.

Dr. Renna shares why he shifted from managing diagnoses to building true patient partnerships, and how consistent rhythms in sleep, food, movement, and perspective can change the way you feel day to day. They also discuss practical exercise targets, the role of gratitude and boundaries, and a fascinating look at emerging longevity therapies that may become far more common in the years ahead.

Key Discussion Points

1. Why Dr. Renna moved from disease management to preventive and longevity-focused care
2. Breaking the doctor-patient hierarchy so patients have agency and ownership
3. The most common goal he hears in practice: more energy
4. Why the body thrives on rhythm: consistent meals, sleep, movement, and mindset
5. A practical framework: work, family, self-care, and learning to say a kind “no”
6. Healthspan defined: maintaining function over time, not just extending years
7. Why strength training matters now if you want freedom later
8. Cardio basics vs improving VO2 max, including when high intensity intervals make sense
9. The “100th birthday” vision: driving yourself there, walking in strong, living fully
10. Longevity tools discussed: vitamin D, omega-3s, multivitamins, and beyond
11. Emerging therapies: plasmapheresis (therapeutic plasma exchange), EBO2, exosomes, stem cell trends, and hyperbaric oxygen
12. What may be next: wearables that coach in real time and more personalized longevity guidance

Some Questions We Explore

1. Why do so many people feel like they are doing “everything right” but still feel exhausted?
2. What does “healthspan” look like in real life, and how do we measure it?
3. How much exercise is enough if you are busy, tired, and already stretched thin?
4. What habits protect your energy most: food, movement, sleep, or mindset?
5. Which longevity therapies are promising, and which are still evolving?
6. What might preventive medicine look like in 10 years?

About the Guest

Dr. Chris Renna, DO is the founder of LifeSpan Medicine, a preventive and longevity-focused practice designed to help people prevent...