Dr. Kara Fitzgerald

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http://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/

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Dr. Kara Fitzgerald

Actively engaged in award-winning clinical research on epigenetics & longevity. IFM Faculty & renowned international speaker.

Director of New Frontiers Functional Medicine & Nutrition Clinic. Subscribe to get latest content at www.drkarafitzgerald.com

11/22/2025

A bold, root-cause approach is changing the game in depression care.

Our latest blog explores Healing Depression Project, a 45-day immersive program redefining what’s possible for treatment-resistant depression. Discover why standard treatments often fail, and how addressing metabolism, nutrition, and the brain-body connection can create lasting change.

💡 Key takeaways:
• 100% of participants improved within 30 days
• 80–90% reached remission or mild severity
• Integrative strategies, like nutrition, sleep, movement, and brain health, are proving essential, because depression is more than chemistry alone
🎧 If you’re a clinician, or someone who’s tried everything and still feels stuck, this post offers grounded hope and a practical roadmap.

https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/2025/11/11/residential-treatment-healing-depression-project/ to read the whole the article now.

11/21/2025

50% of supplements tested on Amazon failed ingredient testing.

Yes, half.

📉 While the sample size was small, the results are deeply concerning and highlight a growing issue: mislabeled ingredients, inadequate potency, and missing third-party verification.

This is exactly why we never recommend buying supplements from unverified online marketplaces.
At our practice, we purchase exclusively from trusted, professional-grade sources like Fullscript, and every partner we work on our podcasts and webinars with must pass a strict vetting process for purity, quality, and third-party testing.

Your health deserves better than guesswork.

https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/kfitzgerald

Source:https://files.supp.co/tested/2025-testing-retrospective.pdf

11/20/2025

mRNA technology deserves a deeper look.

Yes, it’s been controversial. But the science itself is evolving rapidly, and what’s emerging is worth our attention.
As a clinician, I’m watching the next generation of mRNA therapies with curiosity, particularly their potential in hard-to-treat cancers like pancreatic cancer, where early research is showing remarkable promise.

We can hold both scientific curiosity and healthy skepticism. That’s how progress happens.

It’s time for nuance, not noise.

11/19/2025

When a 32-year-old woman comes to me with brain fog, I don’t assume it’s “just in her head.”

In functional medicine, we look for the why because brain fog is rarely a mystery of the mind. It’s often a message from the body.

Even when labs look “normal,” I dig deeper. Thyroid shifts, low ferritin, blood-sugar fluctuations, or poor digestion can all cloud cognition.

When we correct those imbalances, with protein, iron, balanced nutrition, and gut support, focus and energy often return.

In root-cause medicine, symptoms are signals, not sentences.

Ready to uncover what your symptoms are telling you? Work with our clinical team to restore focus, balance, and resilience from the inside out.

👉 https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/our-clinic/our-services/

11/18/2025

If you’re navigating perimenopause, menopause, or hormone challenges of any kind… this episode is a MUST.

I sat down with the brilliant Dr. Carrie Jones, ND, MPH to talk about something most people never connect: 👉 Your mitochondria and your hormones.

Mitochondrial health shapes:
🔥 Hormone balance
⚡ Energy + metabolism
🧠 Mood + emotional resilience
🌙 Sleep quality
💪 How smoothly you move through hormonal transitions

Dr. Jones breaks down exactly how mitochondrial function shifts during perimenopause and menopause, and what we can do about it.

You’ll learn evidence-backed, functional-medicine strategies to strengthen your mitochondria for…
✓ better hormonal balance
✓ improved sleep
✓ more stable energy
✓ reduced symptoms
✓ healthier aging

If you want to understand your hormones on a deeper level, and support them at the cellular root, don’t miss this one.

🎧 Comment HELLO HORMONES and we’ll DM you the link or head to https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/2025/11/18/mitochondrial-health-womens-hormones/

11/17/2025

When a patient comes to me with high cholesterol, I don’t just aim to lower the number. I look for the “why.”
Cholesterol isn’t the enemy; it’s a messenger. It reflects inflammation, hormones, thyroid function, and how your body manages detoxification and repair.

By understanding the root cause, you can choose smarter interventions: real food, fiber, movement, stress resilience, and targeted labs to guide next steps.

💡 Remember: cholesterol is data, not a diagnosis.

✨ Our clinicians at the New Frontiers Clinic are trained by me and our faculty in the Younger You™ and Functional Medicine approach to help you translate your labs into actionable, personalized care.

11/13/2025

A large U.S. study just published in Pediatrics found that after the 2017 NIAID guidelines recommending early peanut introduction, the rates of peanut and food allergies dropped dramatically.

Over a two-year period:
- Peanut IgE-mediated food allergy ↓ 27.2%
- One or more IgE food allergies ↓ 37.9%
- Two or more food allergies ↓ 29.1% (all P < .0001)

Even more striking:
Children born after the early-introduction guidelines had a 43% lower cumulative incidence of peanut allergy compared to those born before.

This reinforces that microexposures, not avoidance, may be key in shaping immune tolerance early in life.

As we better understand how the immune system learns what’s safe vs. dangerous, this approach aligns beautifully with functional medicine principles:
→ Appropriate exposure
→ Microbial diversity
→ Nutrient sufficiency
→ A resilient, educated immune system

It’s a reminder that timing and context matter, and that small, safe exposures can lead to powerful protection.

📖 Guidelines for Early Food Introduction and Changes in Food Allergy Prevalence
(Pediatrics, 2024 | DOI: 10.1542/peds.2024-070516)

11/12/2025

Why your social circle is more than just “nice to have.”

New research shows that among adults aged 50-100, the absence of close relationships and lower perceived support from friends or family were significantly associated with accelerated biological aging (via DNA methylation clocks).

In simpler terms: your relationships impact your age-at-the-cell level, not just your mood.

Here’s what I want you to take away:
- Quality counts: It’s not just about being “busy” socially — having supportive relationships with friends/family associates with slower biological aging.
- Strain matters: Lower support + higher interpersonal strain = worse epigenetic aging markers. PubMed
- Longevity strategy: If you’re focused on healthy aging, add “relationship health” to your plan — alongside nutrition, sleep, movement, and stress management.

Actionable start:
- Choose one friend/family member this week for a meaningful check-in.
- Schedule one “offline” social interaction this month.
- Reflect: Which relationship gives you support and nourishment — and which might be draining your biology?

Your body doesn’t just age with time. It ages with context, connection, and community.

Let’s treat our relationships like a longevity nutrient.

🔖 PMID: 37683960

11/11/2025

Today, we honor those who have served. Veterans Day is a moment to express gratitude, and to look more closely at how we can better care for those who’ve sacrificed so much.

Research continues to reveal the long-term biological impact of military service. One study found that veterans exposed to burn pits and other environmental toxins had a 66% higher likelihood of developing antibodies linked to rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that these exposures can leave an immune imprint that persists long after deployment.

These findings underscore what we see so often in functional medicine:

Environmental inputs, from toxins to nutrition, interact with genetics and immune function to shape long-term health outcomes.

On this day of remembrance, let’s pair gratitude with action:
🔬 Advocate for better understanding of service-related exposures
💚 Support detoxification and resilience-building strategies in clinical care
🙏 Continue pushing for research that honors the lived experience of our veterans

To every veteran and military family, thank you for your courage and service.

📖 Head to https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/2020/11/03/military-environmental-exposure-linked-to-rheumatoid-arthritis-in-veterans/ to read the full article

11/10/2025

💗 Love on a Molecular Level. When we fall in love, our biology notices.

In a two-year longitudinal study, researchers found that falling in love up-regulated Type I interferon response genes (those involved in antiviral defense and dendritic-cell activation) and down-regulated α-defensin genes linked to inflammation.

In plain terms: love may prime the immune system for connection, balance, and resilience. These effects were independent of sexual contact, illness, or loneliness, suggesting a unique, coordinated immune shift associated with early romantic bonding.

The takeaway? Our relationships don’t just shape our emotions. They influence our gene expression.

📖 Murray DR et al., Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 100:120-126. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.043

11/09/2025

Most people have heard of creatine monohydrate. It’s the go-to form for athletes looking to boost strength and performance.

But what’s really interesting about this new study is that it used creatine hydrochloride (HCl), a form that’s more soluble, often better tolerated, and may reduce bloating (a common complaint with monohydrate).

A randomized controlled trial found that just 1.5 g/day of creatine HCl for 8 weeks increased brain creatine levels by 17% in peri- and postmenopausal women, along with a 7% improvement in reaction time.

Participants also reported better mood and lipid profiles than those on placebo or lower doses.
While research on creatine HCl is still emerging, these results are exciting, suggesting that even low doses of this highly bioavailable form may support brain energy, cognition, and emotional balance during menopause.

💡 Key takeaway:
Creatine isn’t just for athletes. It’s a mitochondrial nutrient that supports neurological resilience, metabolic health, and healthy aging.

PMID: 40854087

11/07/2025

While brain volume and plasticity naturally decline over time, new research suggests that creativity may help slow that clock.

A study using machine learning and brain imaging found that experts in creative pursuits, like tango dancers, musicians, artists, and even gamers, had “younger” brains than their non-expert peers, in some cases by as much as 6 years.

Even short-term learning made a measurable difference, reducing the brain’s age gap by more than 3 years.

The takeaway? Creativity keeps the brain young.

Engaging in skill-based, multisensory activities strengthens neural networks, boosts BDNF (a key molecule for brain plasticity), and enhances resilience across motor, cognitive, and emotional domains.

You don’t have to be a professional. The brain doesn’t care what you practice, only that you keep learning.

🎨 Dance, play, write, create. Your brain will thank you for it.

Source: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64173-9

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