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. Rupa Health allows you to order, track and get results from 30+ lab companies in one, convenient,…
Weight gain is one of the most frequently seen complaints during perimenopause and menopause. In this blog we will explore why that is and how the female body changes during this magical and yet confusing life stage. Menopause and perimenopause typically begin for women around the age of 45 – 55 years. We start to notice changes in our bodies prior to the loss of our cycle including hot flashes or night sweats, change in frequency and how heavy our periods can be, and changes in mood. Perhaps the most unsettling for females is the change in weight and body mass distribution: clothes fit differently, your body feels different, your capacity at the gym and with physical activity feels futile! And this usually happens with little change to your current nutrition or activity routine.
In this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing Mark Newman, the president and founder of Precision Analytical, the company behind the revolutionary DUTCH test. Mark is a true pioneer in the field of hormone testing, and in our conversation, we delved into the latest developments in this rapidly evolving field. We discussed how the DUTCH test has expanded to include additional markers, providing even more comprehensive insights into hormone health. During our conversation, we also addressed the controversy surrounding saliva testing for hormone analysis. Mark shed light on the limitations of this method and why the DUTCH test offers a more accurate and reliable alternative. I’m sure you’ll find this interview as fascinating as I did, and it will be super helpful for identifying the best forms of hormone testing for your patients. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this enlightening conversation with Mark Newman. ~DrKF
Vascular health is fundamentally essential to longevity and health span, and that’s why I’m thrilled to be welcoming Dr. Michael Twyman to New Frontiers. Trained as an invasive cardiologist, Dr. Twyman has made the shift to a more preventative approach, moving beyond traditional cath lab results to focus on the health of the 60,000 miles of blood vessels that carry vital blood, oxygen and nutrients to every organ in the body, with hopes of reaching patients before they reach the end stages of disease.
Buckle up everybody, because this conversation is a big tour de force of where we are headed in regards to longevity and innovative technology within healthcare. I am joined by my friend, longevity investor and visionary, Sergey Young, to discuss his incredibly important mission of extending healthy lifespans of at least one billion people using technological breakthroughs AND by making longevity affordable and accessible. Sergey is a top 100 longevity leader and one of the co-creators of AGE REVERSAL XPRIZE, a global competition designed to cure aging. Today’s conversation looks at the fundamental issue of healthcare inequality, the democratization of access to healthcare, and dives into the current paradigm shift of using technology for disease prevention and reversal of biological aging. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did, and be wowed by the work of Sergey Young. ~DrKF
If you’ve followed my show for some time, you’ve probably come across the wealth of conversations I’ve had with the team at Precision Analytical about their DUTCH hormone tests – this is an ever-evolving topic that continues to pique my interest as a clinician looking to level up my toolkit. In today’s show, I’m pleased to dive into some of my favorite topics of fertility, menopause, and HPA function with Dr. Jaclyn Smeaton, ND. She’s the chief medical officer at Precision Analytical, and a naturopathic physician who specializes in reproductive endocrinology and hormones. Today’s conversation is all about the latest research on hormone testing, some of our favorite interventions to address hormone imbalances and much more as you consider the best testing options for your patients. This is an incredibly useful conversation so make sure to tune in! ~DrKF
Breast cancer may affect as many as 1 in 8 women. It’s important for patients and providers to understand the role that estrogen detoxification plays in breast cancer so that they can make more informed mitigation and treatment decisions.
Today we are taking on a revolutionary and provocative topic that can be quite liberating for women – a deep dive into how to optimize exercise training and performance from the perspective of pre/peri/or post-menopausal. This topic is of great importance to me as a cyclist, and I have to say, there’s a lot of nuance in the way we women should approach training depending on our hormones. My guest Dr. Stacy Sims is a huge talent and tremendous gift — listen as we discuss why women need to train differently than men, including specifics about protein intake, fasting, hormone replacement therapy, and what types of training are best depending on where you are in your cycle. Grab a pen, you’re going to want to take notes! ~DrKF
Dr. Fitzgerald’s latest research peer-reviewed publication (published March 2023 in the journal Aging) reports on a case series of women who followed a structured version of her 8-week bioage-targeting protocol. Collectively, the participants reduced their biological age by an average of 4.60 years compared to their baseline. In this month’s blog, we pose some key…
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard Dr. Terry Wahls’ dramatic personal story of healing and transformation from MS, yet this powerful experience gives me chills each time. She is a true testament to the importance of food as medicine, and the tremendous ability of the body to heal itself – when given the right inputs. Listen in as we discuss how Dr. Wahls radically improved her condition (lessons we should all heed for optimal health), what she’s been up to lately (you won’t want to miss this!), and a bit about a current study she’s recruiting for. I can never get enough of Terry Wahls, and if you’re new to her story, you’re in for a tremendous treat! -DrKF