New Frontiers in Functional Medicine® Podcast Sponsors Dr. Kara Fitzgerald is eternally grateful to our sponsors who, by blogging, podcasting and advertising with us, enable me and my team to devote energy and time to writing and publication. This episode is brought to you in partnership with MitoQ, a mitochondrial antioxidant designed to target oxidative…
Cardiovascular disease is the number one threat to healthspan and longevity. But, aging in women doesn’t follow the same trajectory as it does in men. Alongside perimenopause, as the protective effects of estrogen wane, dyslipidemia, metabolic dysregulation, and weight gain arrive in a rush. This transition still catches even our healthiest patients (and their clinicians) off guard. The downstream effects are vast–brain, bone, microbiome, joints, and barriers (including intestinal and endothelial) all become compromised. Cardiovascular risk can skyrocket.
It feels like every patient walking into our offices right now is hearing the same message—eat more protein. But maybe the more important question isn’t just how much protein someone is eating, but whether their gut can actually digest and absorb it effectively. Dr. Tom Fabian, Research Specialist at Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory, joins me again to unpack the emerging science around the gut–muscle axis and what it may mean for our patients. And in a moment when so many people are on GLP-1 medications that suppress appetite and slow digestion, that becomes an especially important clinical lens. It’s a fascinating shift in how we think about gut health and muscle resilience. ~DrKF
More and more in practice, we’re working with what I often think of as “tough guts,” patients arriving on increasingly restricted diets, afraid to expand foods because nearly everything seems to trigger symptoms. A big part of our work now is helping rebuild resilience: restoring dietary diversity, supporting the microbiome, and getting people back to eating, and living more fully again. That’s one reason I was so glad to welcome Colleen Cutcliffe back to the podcast. I’ve long admired Pendulum’s philosophy of supporting the microbiome as an ecosystem rather than chasing quick fixes. This conversation really reflects the direction many of us are moving clinically—toward rebuilding function, flexibility, and long-term resilience for our patients. ~DrKF
I just had a really fascinating conversation with the scientists at Sōlaria biō—Mark Charbonneau and Alicia Ballok—about a line of research that genuinely made me stop and rethink how we approach bone health. We talked about their journey from isolating microbes living inside edible plants, to identifying synergistic microbial interactions, to building out the preclinical work and then taking it all the way into human clinical research. It’s a rare and thoughtful progression, and the science is compelling. Their first clinical focus has been bone loss, and the results they’ve seen so far are striking. In an early clinical study, they reported a substantial reduction in bone loss—up to 80% in certain groups—along with meaningful reductions in CTX, one of the key markers we use to assess bone turnover. They’re now recruiting for a follow-up study in postmenopausal women in collaboration with Harvard, and we’ll share details in the show notes for anyone who may be eligible. This is a rich, science-forward conversation, and I think you’ll find it as interesting as I did. ~DrKF
Exosomes are having a moment right now, but this is the first time I’ve felt like I was able to sit down and really unpack what matters, the science behind them, the variability in sources, and why not all exosome products are created equal. In our conversation, Alisa Lask, CEO of Rion Aesthetics, helped bring clarity to a field that’s quickly becoming noisy, and I found myself genuinely impressed by the rigor and precision behind the platelet-derived exosomes she describes. For those of us watching regenerative aesthetics evolve, this discussion offers a grounded, thoughtful look at what’s real, what’s emerging, and what clinicians should be paying attention to. I think you’ll find it as illuminating as I did.
New Frontiers in Functional Medicine® Podcast Sponsors Dr. Kara Fitzgerald is eternally grateful to our sponsors who, by blogging, podcasting and advertising with us, enable me and my team to devote energy and time to writing and publication. Exclusive Offer for New Frontiers Listeners Book a practitioner call and receive a complimentary bottle of beta-glucan…
It really takes courage to completely change course and walk away from a successful hospital medicine career. Dr. Brooke Stubbs did just that after realizing the pace and pressure of her work were costing her health. She found her way to lifestyle medicine, and that shift changed everything about how she practices—and how she lives. In our conversation, Brooke talks about what she’s learned along the way—how to build a concierge practice that actually works, set boundaries, create supportive systems, and price her services in a way that’s fair and sustainable. She also shares how Vibrant’s customizable panels have helped her provide consistent, comprehensive care. I love her honesty about learning through trial and error and her passion for building community. Her story is such a great reminder of what’s possible when we combine science, purpose, and heart in medicine. ~DrKF
Hair loss isn’t just cosmetic. It’s a visible marker of aging biology and a profound emotional burden, and I think this is even more true for women. The last time Carolina Reis Oliveira joined me on the podcast, we explored the OS-01 peptide for skin. This time, she’s back to share new research on how it can be applied to hair, not only outperforming minoxidil in clinical trials but also pointing us toward protocols that address stress, hormones, UV exposure, and the scalp microbiome. I love OneSkin’s deep commitment to science and the curiosity that drives their work, which is exactly what allows them to bring discoveries like this forward. This is the kind of science that changes the way we think about both aging and patient care. ~DrKF
Have you ever struggled to understand why some patients just don’t respond as expected, even when you’re following all the usual gut protocols? In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Tom Fabian, who breaks down the latest insights from StoolOMX and GI-MAP testing and shows us how to put them into practice for our most complex cases. We dive into how identifying specific types of inflammation, bile acid patterns, and microbial imbalances can guide more precise interventions, whether it’s introducing fiber, addressing biofilms, or supporting secondary bile acid production. Dr. Fabian makes the science practical, helping us see not just what’s happening in the gut, but what to do about it in real-world clinical settings. ~DrKF