Dr. Kara Fitzgerald | New Frontiers in Functional Medicine, Longevity, Epigenetics

In this New Frontiers in Functional Medicine® podcast, Dr. Tom Fabian delivers a well-justified challenge to our current thinking and a chance to build a more nuanced approach that will improve patient results around the topic of hydrogen sulfide, a compound that we have typically thought 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. But how do we start to both broaden and nuance our approach to assessing hydrogen sulfide status? And what interventions can not only supply the substrates for beneficial hydrogen sulfide production, but also help achieve that all-important balance between too little and too much. Listen in to find out, and let us know what you think! ~DrKF

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

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. One of the important topics that surfaced in our conversation is the role of telomere length. Dr. Raffaele has been measuring telomeres in study cohorts and in his patient population for well over a decade. Has looked at well over 2,000 telomere length measurements, many of them longitudinally. Not only that, but he has also integrated telomeres alongside other biomarkers of aging, including DNA methylation clocks, and tried-and-true metabolic markers such as lipids. So, if you thought newer approaches to biological age assessment were making telomeres and other assessments redundant, think again. We’re entering a time where we must wrestle with how to incorporate and act on all these important measures. ~DrKF

Jill Sheppard Davenport, a certified nutrition specialist with two decades of experience, shares her insights on the healing powers of broths and tonics. She dives into the importance of superfoods and epinutrients for health and biological age reversal. The discussion includes safe broth-making and the surprising findings on lead contamination levels in bone broths, reassuring listeners about their health benefits. Jill also emphasizes how diet and lifestyle can influence gene expression, paving the way for improved well-being.

Are we getting enough nutrients from our diet? And why do nutrient deficiencies persist even in those of us who are putting a lot of attention to what we're eating? Join me and Chris Kresser as we dive into all things nutrient insufficiencies on this episode of New Frontiers. Chris is the founder of the Kresser Institute and the co-founder of the California Center for Functional Medicine. He’s the bestselling author of The Paleo Cure and Unconventional Medicine and a highly respected clinician in our space. We talk about the inadequacies of RDAs, the latest statistics on nutrient insufficiencies, the importance of nutrient bioavailability and nutrient synergy and why taking supplements on top of a really poor diet is not going to help. We also marvel at the wonders of magnesium, the interplay between vitamins D, K2 and A, and calcium plus so much more! It is a conversation filled with clinical pearls and practical implications, so get ready to take notes and tune in! ~DrKF

Many of us in the functional medicine space are thinking about Akkermansia: what exactly makes this gut bug a keystone strain for health and longevity? I am excited to tackle this with a founder of Pendulum Therapeutics, Colleen Cutcliffe, PhD, an excellent scientist and a leader in biotech. Her passion to help her daughter, and many others, overcome food sensitivities inspired Colleen to use biotech and research to develop products that have the efficacy of a drug, but the safety of a probiotic. We cover it all, and then some! Enjoy, and let me know what you think. ~DrKF

Folks, WOW — what a great conversation on all things hormone testing with Dr. Laura Neville from Doctor’s Data! We share the same alma mater, National University of Natural Medicine, as well as extensive experience in clinical lab testing, so had lots to talk about! On this episode of New Frontiers, we discuss what different testing methods tell us about patient’s hormone status, which specimens are best for monitoring hormone replacement therapy and non-HRT interventions, why high dose progesterone carries risks, and what makes liquid urine testing stand out from the rest. Dr. Neville shares many clinical pearls from her experience reviewing thousands and thousands of tests with physicians from around the world. You’ll absolutely want to bookmark for future reference! Thanks for listening and please share, comment, and leave us a starred review if you wouldn’t mind! ~DrKF

Dr. Morgan Levine, renowned for her research on biological aging, talks about vetting bio age clocks, using standard labs to calculate bio age, challenges of cellular reprogramming, and racial disparities in biological aging.

Eating for longevity. A topic I’m very passionate about and one that has received incredible attention lately. How much protein should we eat to live longer? What about ketones, carbohydrates, and blood sugar spikes? Where does fasting fit in all of this? And what physical activity confers the most benefit for our healthspan? On this episode of New Frontiers, I pose all of these questions and more to one of the most brilliant minds in longevity science – Dr. Valter Longo. I’m so excited to have him as my guest once again – his grasp on the longevity literature is extraordinary, as is his immense contribution to this growing body of research. Dr. Longo and I discuss the fasting-mimicking diet, biological aging, macronutrient targets, the lifestyle pillars of centenarians, and much, much more. It was such a fun (and research-packed)conversation, just wait until you get your ears on it! As always, I would appreciate a thumbs up and a kind review wherever you listen to New Frontiers. - DrKF

What do we know about using specific probiotics for different health conditions? And is it time to move away from broad-spectrum probiotics and into condition-specific strains? With an explosion of new research on probiotics and a recent change in nomenclature, it’s easy to get confused. In this episode of New Frontiers, I lean on Dr. Noelle Patno’s extensive research knowledge to tease apart the science on probiotics. Dr. Patno holds a PhD in Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition and has designed and monitored clinical trials on microbiome and immune health. Together, we dive into the latest evidence on therapeutic uses of specific probiotic strains, including Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1, for women’s health and other conditions. Dr. Patno also shares excellent pearls on dosing, duration, delivery methods and antibiotic resistance. Many thanks to Noelle and the team at Metagenics for always leading the way and researching interventions. Appreciate you listening, sharing, and commenting, and always, thanks for subscribing. - DrKF