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
Quenching the cytokine storm. In part, it might be our own immune system – made dysfunctional, imbalanced in its hyper response to certain viruses (COVID19, influenza) – that needs interruption. Two key interventions are topping my list: Omega 3 fatty acids for their ability to generate specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs). Or, since some of…
Helfgott Research Institute March 20, 2020 2220 SW 1st Ave Portland, Oregon 97201 To all complementary and integrative health practitioners: The world needs you more than ever before to help provide supportive care during the COVID-19 crisis. An element of this urgency is the need for more information regarding complementary and integrative health practices, contributions…
The cytokine storm seen in SARS Cov1 and Cov2 might be due to chronic pyroptosis activation. However, known activators of NLRP3 in SARS-CoV differ from CoV2. While SARS Cov1 and COVID19 are genetically very similar, the extraordinarily high rate of infectivity of COVID19 is unique. Prepublication research suggests the cause might be a unique furin-like cleavage site on the spike protein of Cov2 that was absent in Cov1.
Have time but can’t travel? Going stir crazy sitting at home? The following Functional Medicine learning resources for professionals have been made accessible online during COVID-19. If you know of any others, email us at kara@drkarafitzgerald.com and we will add them. Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference (new dates TBD) Personalized Medicine Lifestyle…
For those interested, here is the link to Nick Ortner’s page for free tapping meditations for anxiety, stress, and fears around the Coronavirus. You can also check out the science and research.
While working as a psychiatrist at a maximum-security hospital, John Cannell screened his patients for vitamin D and found that all had very low levels.
Test kits for COVID-19 are still scarce. For clinicians looking for potential sources, here are two:
Quercetin is a great flavonoid for many reasons: It’s a known anti-histamine. It’s considered essential in anti-aging protocols.
Role of Fat-Soluble Vitamins A and D in the Pathogenesis of Influenza: A New Perspective So here’s a topic I’ve wanted to dive into: the idea that it’s the ratio of D:A (D must be greater than A) for effective influenza tx/prophylaxis (and SARS in this hypothesis)… Vitamin A is essential, but if we dose…
While older individuals and those with underlying health conditions are still most at risk from COVID-19, more than one-third of those who have contracted the virus are aged 44 years and below. This age group also accounts for 20 percent of all hospitalizations and 12 percent of ICU admissions. None of us can be complacent…