If you need a nudge to quit - early data shows that smoking worsens COVID outcomes

Several recent scientific publications indicate that smokers are more likely to be admitted to ICU with COVID-19. In addition, among those who have died of the virus, more have been smokers than nonsmokers. We’ll know more conclusively as more data become available, however it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Prior to COVID, studies have shown that smokers are more than twice as likely to get the flu and have worse symptoms. Smokers also had a higher mortality rate during the previous MERS-CoV outbreak.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7083240/

Author: Romilly Hodges, MS CNS

https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/

Romilly Hodges, CNS CKNS CDN IFMCP mBANT CNHC, is a clinical nutritionist and Programs Director for Dr. Kara Fitzgerald. Romilly has written peer-reviewed publications, book contributions and many online articles. She is the author of the book Immune Resilience; The Breakthrough Plan to Protect Your Body and Fight Disease published in 2022 by Avery, a division of Penguin Random House. She has contributed to professional training courses and supervised practice programs for functional medicine and nutrition professionals. Romilly has also worked in clinical research, including designing the study diet for the first-of-its-kind epigenetic diet study run through the National University of Natural Medicine, as well as follow-up clinical research. She currently serves on the Board of the Accreditation Council for Nutrition Professional Education. We have both the opportunity and responsibility to change the trajectory of chronic disease through targeted, personalized nutrition, lifestyle and environmental interventions.

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The info you are putting out is awesome. You’re playing an enormous role in helping so many practitioners and people to better understand the immune system and all the wonderful bioactives and lifestyle modifications that can make a difference. Thanks for all the time, effort, and research that you put in on a daily basis to help others. You should certainly be proud of what you do.

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Dr. Fitzgerald’s book is an extraordinary integration of a vast amount of diverse information that makes practical sense of the complex interplay between our genes, the folate/vitamin B12 cycle, homocysteine, and the clinical importance of methylation.

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I was thrilled to see the principles of a methylation food plan. This helped to confirm my teaching principles.

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The nutrition methylation webinar has fabulous information on methylation and specific nutrients that are required to support the process. I think I can speak for our team of dietitian nutritionists in saying that it is valuable to connect the science and biochemistry from Dr. Fitzgerald’s point of view with the nutrition and implementation from Romilly. They are a knowledgeable team! I love that this is a food-first approach with an emphasis on food and dietary intervention for sustainable long-term nutritional support. Food is not just medicine, it’s information for methylation and you can’t supplement your way out of a bad diet!

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I enjoyed the presentation and really appreciated the food first approach. There were many talking points to help solidify this concept with patients, particularly those that don’t “buy in” to the food first approach or simply want to take a supplement.

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Dr. Kara Fitzgerald always produces clinically relevant and compelling cutting-edge content in her blogs, PodCasts and newsletters and I try to never miss one. Her dept of knowledge in the functional medicine paradigm and its relevance to modifying the course of the chronic disease epidemic is not only valuable, but inspiring. She is a respected colleague and I always appreciate the effort she puts into keeping up the important dialogue between integrative and functional medicine clinicians, as well as her clear desire to educate the health care consumer in the process. Dr. David M. Brady (University of Bridgeport, Designs for Health, Inc., Diagnostic Solutions Labs, LLC, and DrDavidBrady.com)

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I’ve had the opportunity to review Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s blogs. She is a well-recognized leader of functional, integrative medicine. Her blogs effervesce with her enthusiasm for her subject matter and convey her genuine warmth and compassion for her patients. She writes in an engaging style while conveying significant and meaningful information about the varied topics she has covered. They are simply fun to read and easy to learn from her wealth of experience.

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Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s writing style is clear, concise, well-translated from scientific gobbledygook to understandable every language. And most importantly, it’s accurate.

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Of the myriad blogs I receive in my inbox, Kara’s is one that I actually read! It’s funny, clinically relevant and smart.

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I am a regular reader of Dr Fitzgerald’s blog/newsletter. I read it because it is useful. Dr. Fitzgerald, stimulated by a recent article, looks into the bulk of the literature and synthesizes the relevant takeaways. Dr Fitzgerald is brilliant and always delivers clinical pearls.

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Wading through emails is not an ideal part of my day. For this reason, I’m very particular about who’s information I want coming into my inbox. When I see an email come in from Dr Fitzgerald, I stop what I am doing and I read it fully right then so I don’t miss it. Her content is always interesting, clinically relevant, cutting edge and many times entertaining as well. I only wish one thing: that she’d write more!

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Dr. Kara Fitzgerald is a clear, brilliant, and insightful clinician. She always seems to unwrap the story of the patient so well, then identifies the pertinent imbalances and together with the patient initiates the therapeutic plan with successful treatment. She is rare in the education and clinical circles. I always learn from her blogs, conversations, case studies, and lectures. She is an outstanding educator and functional medicine physician.

P. Michael Stone, M.D., M.SCertified Functional Medicine Clinician

I am so happy to have found Dr. Fitzgerald, Romilly and Rhonda who all care about my well being. My life has changed for the better and I will continue whatever staff recommends so I can enjoy my family and feel great.

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If you need a nudge to quit – early data shows that smoking worsens COVID outcomes

Author: Romilly Hodges, MS CNS

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