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

Polyphenols, Novel Probiotic Strains & Metabolic Health: The Latest in Microbiome Science

How much do we really know about the microbiome? What does it take to identify new probiotic strains and their associated health benefits? And is it time to move beyond single strains and into synergistic blends? I am grateful to be talking once again joined with the brilliant scientist and incredibly courageous entrepreneur Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe. With over 20 years experience managing and leading teams in biotech, pharma, and academia, I just love picking her brilliant brain! Colleen completed her postdoc research at Northwestern’s Children’s Memorial Hospital and got her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from John’s Hopkins, and in this episode of New Frontiers, we explore novel probiotic strains such as Clostridium bytircum, Clostridium beijerinckii & Anaerobutyricum hallii, their synergy in producing short-chain fatty acids and potential to stimulate satiety-inducing GLP-1, and so much more!

How to Be Your Own Genetic Engineer, Save Money, and Live Longer, with Dr. Michael Roizen

Dr. Michael Roizen is an extraordinarily well-read, well-researched, and experienced physician in the field of longevity medicine. He dates his first interest in the field back to 1979 as head of an intensive care unit, when he recognized that patients who were biologically younger dramatically reduced their risk for post-operative disease and death. Since then, he has worked tirelessly in many ways to help individuals get physically and mentally younger, improving the lives of patients and documenting millions of dollars of savings per year in employee healthcare costs at Cleveland Clinic. In our conversation he shares his lifestyle-forward approach, one that sits well alongside the Younger You program. Tune in to find out the importance of “posse, purpose, play, and locus of control,” how you can be your own genetic engineer, his take on emerging anti-aging interventions, and much more. As Dr. Roizen reminds us, it’s never too late to start: “until you’re six feet under, it ain’t too late to do this.” -DrKF

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Building Resilience for Optimal Functioning with Dr. Stephen Sideroff

Why are we often resistant to tackling stress and preprogrammed thought patterns? It’s a curious phenomenon that occurs even in those of us who really know the central role these psychological factors play in health, disease, and even aging. That’s why it’s one of the important topics I address with resilience expert Dr. Stephen Sideroff in this episode of New Frontiers. After all, a full 25 percent of the bio-age clock we used in our clinical study is driven by epigenetic patterns on stress-related genes. That means how we handle stress is intricately interwoven into how well we age biologically.

2022

Best of 2022 in Functional Medicine and Longevity

This might just have been our most exciting year yet here at Dr. Kara Fitzgerald! With the launch of three books through major publishing houses, authored by my team and myself, we have barely had a moment to touch ground. Yet, delivering high value content in the functional medicine and longevity space, across all channels,…

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Hydrogen Sulfide in Health, Disease & Longevity

I always appreciate a well-justified challenge to our current thinking and a chance to build a more nuanced approach that will improve patient results. And in this month’s New Frontiers in Functional Medicine® podcast, Dr. Tom Fabian delivers just that with a fascinating topic of hydrogen sulfide: a compound we clinicians typically think of as the “problem child” behind certain difficult SIBO cases. However, there is a LOT more to know about it, such as its ability to convert to potent antioxidant compounds, and its therapeutic roles in cardiovascular and metabolic disorders (diabetes and NAFLD), neurodegenerative disorders, and more.

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What to do When Autoimmune Patients Fail Standard Elimination Diets

Functional medicine providers are well versed in addressing the myriad manifestations of autoimmune disease, but while our success rates are remarkably high, we still aren’t always able to help everyone using current toolsets (labs, sophisticated elimination diets, gut protocols, and so on). Enter Mymee, a digital app and coaching platform that helps plug that gap – this sophisticated tool helps identify elusive trigger foods and lifestyle factors that may still be contributing to an individual’s disease process. Mymee’s work with COVID long-haul patients and the Mount Sinai post-COVID treatment center (long-COVID is highly autoimmune-related) is impressive and especially relevant for clinicians and patients alike. Some fascinating patterns are emerging from their long-COVID patient data that feed directly back into how to approach these cases differently. I am sure you will find this as interesting and useful a conversation as I did! Please review New Frontiers wherever you hear my voice and let us know what you think! ~DrKf

The Protein Magic Formula

How Much Should We Eat For Optimal Health & Longevity? Plus my thoughts on combining with Younger You epinutrient targets   About a month ago, I podcasted with Valter Longo, PhD, a highly respected scientist and director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. Of course, our conversation hit on protein, something…

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The Evolving Tale of the Critical Role Telomeres Provide in Aging, Senescence, and Disease

It’s always a pleasure to tap into Dr. Raffaele’s brain, and in this podcast he doesn’t disappoint. In fact, his practical contextualization of where we are with anti-aging medicine might just be one of the smartest you’ve heard yet. What is truly remarkable about Dr. Raffaele is not just his grasp of the field both scientifically and clinically, but his ability to apply a nuanced approach that is tailored to each individual patient. After all, as he eloquently points out, we must first figure out which of the many components of aging needs improvement or correction, then target our approach accordingly. The simplicity of that statement belies his firm grasp of the complex landscape of anti-aging assessments and interventions, as you’ll see.