The Perfect Pumpkin and Breast Cancer: An Ode to Autumn and Functional Medicine
by Melissa Parker As part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, one of our clinic’s nutritionists, Melissa Parker, MS CNS CDN, bravely and graciously shares her own story, highlighting the differing options she was offered for breast cancer treatment and…
Winter Squash Soup
Yes, you can eat your methylation nutrients! This delicious burger is rich in methylation amino acids (methionine, cysteine, taurine), as well as B vitamins, betaine, choline and zinc, cofactors for homocysteine metabolism and necessary for forming methionine and the all-important…
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Using Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy as a Part of a FxMed Approach to Treatment
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a condition affecting up to 22 million Americans and close to 1 billion people worldwide. This condition can have serious impacts on overall health and has been shown to be a contributing factor to: heart disease…
Subway Bread Cannot be Defined as Bread, Irish Court Rules
When is bread not actually bread? When it’s Subway bread, according to a ruling by the Irish Court. The case in question was brought by Bookfinders Ltd, Subway’s Irish Franchise, who sought to make their sandwiches tax exempt under Ireland’s Value-Added…
New Diagnostic Test Suggests Chronic Lyme Disease Associated with Altered Gut Microbiome
Over 800,000 Americans suffer from chronic Lyme disease and experience associated symptoms such as malaise, neurological disorders, cardiac complications, and arthritis. Lyme disease is often treated with antibiotics, however 10-20% of Lyme patients develop posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). A study published…
Poorly-Implemented Gluten-Free Diets Are Potentially Harmful
Is there a dark side to a gluten-free diet (GFD)? With nearly one-third of Americans having tried a gluten-free or gluten-reduced diet in recent years, there is more and more research on both the positive and negative effects of going…
Respiratory Health and the Microbiome: The Gut-Lung Axis
Respiratory conditions, both chronic and acute, are some of the most common issues seen in clinical practice. In 2016, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) alone accounted for around 3 million deaths, and was the third leading cause of death worldwide.…
FDA Acknowledges Risk of Mercury-Containing Dental Amalgams for Certain Groups of Individuals
The FDA has updated their recommendations regarding potential risks associated with mercury-containing dental amalgams in high risk individuals. It is unusual for regulatory bodies to acknowledge variable levels of vulnerability in our population. The high-risk groups the FDA recommends avoiding dental amalgams…
Lancet Revises Editorial Policy Following Scandal Over Hydroxychloroquine Study
Three months ago, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet published, and then later retracted, a study on the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. The retraction was prompted by questions that were subsequently raised about the integrity of the data used…
Natural Interventions to Lower Furin Levels As a Factor in SARS CoV-2 or Role of Furin Proteases in COVID 19 & Therapeutic Interventions
Elevated furin levels are not only associated with Covid-19 but also linked to comorbidities including diabetes, obesity, and hypertension – perhaps one reason why these comorbidities are linked with worse COVID-19 outcomes. In this peer-reviewed publication, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald discusses the…
Increased Coffee Intake Linked to Survival in Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Coffee may benefit those with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. A study of over 1100 patients published in JAMA Oncology found significant associations for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee with decreased cancer progression and increased survival. Researchers found that participants who drank…
Inflammatory Diet and High BMI Increase Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis
We know that an anti-inflammatory diet is linked to improvements in a variety of symptoms and conditions. A new prospective cohort study of nearly 5,000 individuals, over 1200 of whom developed knee osteoarthritis (OA) during the study period, offers excellent data…
The Nuances of Leaky Gut as a Contributor to Chronic Illness
Reviewed by Romilly Hodges (October 2020) Leaky gut is often written and talked about as a black and white concept: Either you have it or you don’t. And if you have it, you’ll want to ‘heal’ it. While this is…
Boost your Vitamin D Levels to Reduce COVID-19 Risk
Vitamin D is a superstar nutrient for supporting the immune system and reducing the risk of a cold, flu and acute respiratory tract infection. Researchers are now linking low vitamin D status (less than 20 ng/mL or 18 pg/mL, respectively) to an increased risk…
Myocarditis Symptoms in One-Third of Big Ten Athletes Positive for COVID-19
UPDATE: A clarification was issued by Penn State university the doctor was unintentionally citing outdated numbers. “During his discussion with board members, (Sebastianelli) recalled initial preliminary data that had been verbally shared by a colleague on a forthcoming study, which unbeknownst…
FDA Again Flags N-acetylcysteine as a Drug Not a Supplement
While it’s great it’s being studied for COVID, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is again being flagged by FDA as a potential drug not a supplement. Seven companies selling NAC for alcohol hangovers received warning letters from FDA stating NAC is an unapproved new drug…
Eating Too Quickly? You’re Increasing Your Risk for Metabolic Syndrome
You’ve likely heard of the many reasons to eat slowly, including improved digestion, increased satiety, decreased overeating, and even weight loss. But did you know that eating too quickly can contribute to a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS)?…
Natural Fertilizers Tryptophan & Glycine Increase Nutrient Density of Apples
We know that chemical fertilizers are harmful to us and the environment, but are there good alternatives? This new study comes up with an intriguing option! The known effects of chemical fertilizers include an increased risk of cancer, impaired fetal brain development,…
Bifidobacterium Adolescentis Strains Identified as GABA-Producers
Several mood-altering human neurotransmitters originate from microbes in the digestive tract. Now science is starting to dig into which bacterial strains are responsible.
A Few Surprises About Ketogenic Diets and Their Effects on the Microbiota and Th17
As you know, here at drkarafitzgerald.com we like to push the boundaries of what we know, and sometimes this means being a little contrarian. In this blog, our Nutrition Director, Romilly Hodges CNS takes us on a tour of some…