From time to time, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald invites selective guest contributors to submit content for publication on her website that aligns with her vision and mission, and high standards for quality and scientific rigor.

Heat and Light as Medicine: What Research Shows About Infrared Therapy, Cardiometabolic Health, and Longevity

Heat and Light as Medicine: What Research Shows About Infrared Therapy, Cardiometabolic Health, and Longevity

Functional medicine often focuses on nutrition, exercise, and stress management as the foundational pillars of health. But what other powerful environmental inputs could be leveraged with greater precision? What if heat and light could be used as biological inputs in a way that is measurable and clinically relevant?

How Helping Older Dolphins Unlocked A Secret To Healthy Aging

How Helping Older Dolphins Unlocked A Secret To Healthy Aging

Did you know that 1 in 3 older dolphins develops the same aging-associated conditions as humans? While continually helping to improve the health of older Navy dolphins living in San Diego Bay, veterinarians found that some dolphins had elevated cholesterol, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and fatty liver disease – just like some of us.

Urolithin A for mitochondria and immune health

Human Clinical Evidence Supporting High-Dose Urolithin A for Mitochondrial and Immune Function

Age-related declines in muscle function, immune resilience, and cellular energy are closely linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, making mitochondrial-targeted interventions a key focus of aging research. In this context, recent placebo-controlled human trials show that a Urolithin A dose of 1000 mg produces broader and more pronounced effects on mitochondrial gene expression, muscle performance, and immune markers than lower doses.

Targeting Immune Aging: New Findings from the MitoImmune Study on Urolithin A (Mitopure®)

Can Mitopure®, and its active ingredient Urolithin A, support an aging immune system? As we recognize immune aging as a primary driver of age-related disease, this question has taken on new clinical importance. The newly published MitoImmune study in Nature Aging provides the first rigorous clinical evidence to address this question. Conducted by researchers from Timeline, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and the lab of Professor.

The Power of a 10-Day Detox: A Functional Medicine Reset for Energy, Focus, and Epigenetic Balance

The Power of a 10-Day Detox: A Functional Medicine Reset for Energy, Focus, and Epigenetic Balance

As functional medicine practitioners, we know that nutrition and lifestyle are among the most powerful levers for preventing and reversing all chronic disease, from cardiovascular disease and hypertension to cancer and type 2 diabetes. Yet we also see firsthand how challenging it can be for patients to translate recommendations into sustained daily practice. Deeply ingrained habits don’t shift overnight. In fact, a meta-analysis of 20 studies involving more than 2,600 participants found that health-related habits typically take 2–5 months to form, which is far longer than the popular “21-day” myth suggests.

Treatment-Resistant Depression: Why Standard Care Fails and What to Do About It

Treatment-Resistant Depression: Why Standard Care Fails and What to Do About It

Despite a dramatic rise in antidepressant use in the United States since 1988, the number of Americans suffering from depression has not decreased. This leaves clinicians with a stark reality: more medication, without improvement. This reality raises the central question that inspired the Healing Depression Project: Is depression truly treatment-resistant, or are current treatments simply not effective?

Moving Beyond Glucosamine: The Future of Functional Joint Care

Moving Beyond Glucosamine: The Future of Functional Joint Care

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating, chronic joint disease affecting about 33 million adults in the United States. As the aging population grows and obesity rates climb, this number is expected to surge. By 2030, nearly 67 million Americans will be living with arthritis, with OA being the most prevalent form. OA is not just a condition of the joints – it’s a systemic burden that increases the risk of serious comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression, significantly impairing quality of life and increasing healthcare costs.

What Urinary Hormone Metabolite Testing Tells Us about Estrogen Metabolism and Breast Cancer Risk

What Urinary Hormone Metabolite Testing Tells Us about Estrogen Metabolism and Breast Cancer Risk

Estrogen is a life-giving hormone with which modern humans have a complicated relationship. Over two decades ago, The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) findings mistakenly reported that combined estrogen and progestin hormone therapy increased the risk of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, and venous thromboembolism in postmenopausal women. This led to a pervasive vilification of estrogen therapy that has affected generations of women.