Kara Fitzgerald, ND, received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She completed the first Counsel on Naturopathic Medicine-accredited post-doctorate position in nutritional biochemistry and laboratory science at Metametrix Clinical Laboratory under the direction of Richard Lord, PhD. Her residency was completed at Progressive Medical Center, a large, integrative medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Fitzgerald is the lead author and editor of Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine and is a contributing author to Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)’s Textbook for Functional Medicine. With the Helfgott Research Institute, Dr. Fitzgerald is actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. The
first publication from the study focuses on reversal of biological aging and was published 04-12-2021 in the journal Aging. She has published a consumer book titled
Younger You as well as a companion cookbook,
Better Broths and Healing Tonics and has an application-based
Younger You Program, based on the study.
Dr. Fitzgerald is on the faculty at IFM, is an IFM Certified Practitioner and lectures globally on functional medicine. She runs a Functional Nutrition Residency program, and maintains a podcast series, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine and an active blog on her website,
www.drkarafitzgerald.com. Her clinical practice is in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
Additional publications
So many of us in functional medicine use urine organic acids as an assessment tool, yet we rarely pause to think how they are so intricately connected with the wider world of applied metabolomics. And we should because research shows that a broader view of metabolomics (i.e. not just your standard organic acid markers) results in a six-fold higher diagnosis rate compared to traditional assessment methods. Impressive, isn’t it? I’m thrilled to be joined by my dear friend and metabolomics expert Dr. Betsy Redmond in today’s podcast.
This, perhaps surprising, dessert will please picky eaters and skeptical spouses alike! Our team testers gave it multiple thumbs up. Zucchini is a strange choice for dessert at first glance but when you really drill down it’s got a lot to offer! This dessert is also vegan, gluten-free, and compatible with an elimination diet. At…
New understandings of the intricate connections between gut and brain are revolutionizing medicine’s approach to mood, brain function and digestion, giving our “gut-wrenching experiences” or our “gut-feelings” a lot more meaning than they already have. The emerging evidence in this area is providing new tools to influence both gut and brain health.
As the name suggests, New Frontiers is about staying ahead of the curve in functional medicine, continually asking critical questions, and being open to self-critique. This couldn’t be more true than when it comes to advanced functional testing. Today I’m pleased to talk with a familiar face and renowned hormone testing expert, my friend Mark Newman. Mark created the DUTCH test based on his decade-long experience in novel test development, and joins New Frontiers to talk about all things hormones: from cortisol & thyroid health to estrogen, progesterone and androgens, the importance of analytical and clinical validation of tests, and his upcoming research on various hormone replacement therapy methods.
What can queen bees teach us about epigenetics? And what do polyphenols, stress, and sunlight have in common? Hint: it has to do with longevity science. To mark our exciting paper on the Potential Reversal of Epigenetic Age Using a Diet and Lifestyle Intervention we are hosting a series of podcasts focused on the science of epigenetics and longevity, and kick things off with talented researcher and Stanford lecturer, Dr. Lucia Aronica. Dr. Aronica is a passionate advocate of lifestyle medicine and is currently leading the epigenetic analysis for the largest randomized clinical trial in the field of personalized nutrition on low carb vs. low fat diets.
Most people don’t realize that inflammation is at the root of nearly every chronic disease, and the symptoms that go along with them. Things like joint and muscle pain, brain fog, fatigue, depression, anxiety, weight gain, and more are all rooted in inflammation. And while we do have medicine like NSAIDs to reduce inflammation, these come with side effects. Which is why natural solutions like turmeric are invaluable.
For clinicians, therapeutic dietary interventions such as an elimination diet, a cardiometabolic diet, intermittent fasting, or caloric reduction, are some of the most important tools we have in functional medicine. Transitioning to healthful eating can for some patients be a joyous experience of liberation, but then for others it can be restrictive and problematic, and sometimes fall in the continuum of eating disorders. How do we tease this out? How do we screen for vulnerability in disordered eating and support patients who fall within this spectrum? In this episode of New Frontiers, Dr. Carolyn Fisher PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in helping individuals with binge eating, emotional eating, chronic dieting, and other medical conditions heal their relationships with food.
All SCFAs have wide-ranging therapeutic benefits, but in this article we’ll focus on butyrate as a therapeutic agent for gut and brain health. Butyrate is the food for the colonocytes, the thin layer of cells that comprises the lining of the large intestine. Within the intestinal environment, it protects and supports the mucosa, gut motility, and the commensal bacteria of the colon. Although butyrate is largely present in the gut, it can also have effects on the brain via the gut-brain axis, as well as by lowering inflammation, stabilizing DNA structure, and sequestering harmful metabolic by-products like ammonia.
