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

military-arthritis

Military Environmental Exposure Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis in Veterans

Environmental toxins have been shown in several studies to be a potential trigger for immune dysfunction and autoimmunity. Now new data, from ex-military personnel, adds to that evidence base. In this recent study, published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, U.S. veterans exposed to military burn pits and waste disposal were found to harbor more antibody markers for rheumatoid…

Green tea

Green Tea & Coffee Consumption Reduces Risk of Death in Type 2 Diabetes

A new study from Japan suggests people with type 2 diabetes who consume both green tea and coffee (quite a methylation adaptogen cocktail) have a lower risk of death. By a significant amount. Researchers studied nearly 5,000 patients over a five-year period and found that drinking either beverage alone helped reduce the risk of mortality (from any cause): Drinking…

covid data

Data Emerge on “Long” COVID Characteristics and Risk Factors

Long COVID is now recognized as a post-viral syndrome of chronic debilitating symptoms that can last for months. Similar post-viral syndromes that have been observed follow other infections such as influenza, pneumonia, Epstein-Barr virus, and HIV. New data from a recent study by Kings College London of 4 million individuals in the United Kingdom indicates that: It’s relatively…

Female feet on the scales with inscription help

Navigating Obesity in Immune Dysfunction

Everyone’s awareness about comorbidities, especially overweight and obesity, is heightened due to COVID-19. And in two recent WebMD polls, up to 47% of women and 55% of men report gaining weight during the lockdown – no surprise there – but this may imply patients may be more interested in achieving weight loss goals as part of their overall health care than in previous times. Except we know conventional weight loss programs that lead to a calorie deficit are woefully inadequate (even counterproductive), leading to poor resistance to infection and malnutrition, as Corey Schuler from Integrative Therapeutics explains in this blog below. Read on to learn about the immunometabolic changes brought about in obesity, how to counter them, and I for one, am super grateful Corey relays this encouraging fact: losing just 5% of body mass leads to significant benefits.

Dr. Tom Podcast cover

Best Tests and Treatment for Remediating Environmental Impacts and Optimizing Brain Health with Dr. Tom O’Bryan

There’s no better person to have on New Frontiers to talk about the underlying mechanisms that activate an immune response than Dr. Tom O’Bryan, a foremost expert in understanding wheat sensitivity and the development of autoimmune conditions and cognitive dysfunction. What a pleasure to talk to! Settle in: this is a great, fun, and informative podcast covering all the way back to Tom’s first exposure to EMF in 1978 to the hundreds of pounds of toxins we are all exposed to daily. We cover brain health (of course!) and Tom shares which labs he uses and why, how to interpret them, and the interventions he’s using to help fix his patients’ brains. Clinicians: you’re sure to grasp great insight to share with your patients, and we (practitioners or not!) can all learn A TON about food sensitivity and autoimmunity with this master teacher and clinician. Would appreciate you sharing, commenting, and rating – wherever you listen to New Frontiers! Thank you! ~DrKF

pregnant-stress

Maternal Psychological Stress During Pregnancy May Lead to Asthma in Children

Children whose mothers had anxiety and depression during pregnancy may have an increased risk of developing asthma at 10 years of age, according to a new prospective cohort study of over 4000 children. Results showed a 46-91% increased risk of asthma and lower lung function in children whose mothers experienced stress or depression while pregnant. Paternal stress…