Stephen T. Sinatra (born 1946) is a board certified cardiologist, nutritionist, and anti-aging specialist specializing in integrative medicine. He is also a certified bioenergetic psychotherapist. Dr. Sinatra has written or contributed to more than a dozen books on cardiovascular health, nutritional supplementation, and nutrition, as well as more than twenty articles published in various medical journals. He has appeared on national radio and television broadcasts, including CNN’s “Sunday Morning News,” XM Radio’s “America’s Doctor Dr. Mehmet Oz,” and PBS’s “Body & Soul." CNN Transcript - Sunday Morning News: Women Face Heart Ailments Specific to Their Gender - February 11, 2001 Body & Soul with Gail Harris IHRSA - Speaker - Sinatra He is also the author of the monthly newsletter Heart, Health & Nutrition and founder of Heart MD Institute.
Dr. Sinatra graduated from New York’s Albany Medical College in 1972, and earned his certification in internal medicine from the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1975. He is board-certified by the American College of Cardiology and has been a fellow of the American College of Cardiology since 1977. His additional credentials include certifications from the Massachusetts Society for Bioenergetic Analysis (1992), the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine (1998), and the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists (2000). He is also a fellow of the American College of Nutrition.
Having pioneered the use of coenzyme-Q10 (or CoQ10) in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, Sinatra has become a leading expert on Coenzyme Q-10, and has published several books, booklets, and articles on CoQ10. His experience with CoQ10 led him to develop a new branch of cardiology in the United States: "metabolic cardiology." Metabolic cardiology involves preventing and treating cardiovascular disease at the cellular level with nutraceuticals which improve ATP production in heart cells. Dr. Sinatra currently lectures nationwide about metabolic cardiology as well as energy medicine, focusing on the use of electroceuticals such as grounding or "earthing" to improve the body's capacity to heal at the cellular level.
Dr. Sinatra has been affiliated with Manchester Memorial Hospital (Connecticut) throughout his career, beginning as an attending physician in internal medicine and cardiology. Subsequent positions included terms as the hospital’s Director of Medical Education, Chief of Cardiology, Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Director of the Weight Reducing Program. Sinatra has also had various teaching responsibilities with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and is a member of theBoard of Scientific Advisors within the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) American Academy of Anti-Aging Advisory Board.
In his books, newsletter, and interviews, Dr. Sinatra advocates treatment approaches that combine conventional medical therapies with nutritional and mind-body therapies to enhance the body’s natural bioenergetics and heal the heart. He promotes five specific pillars of cardiac health: (1) an anti-inflammatory diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, and healthy oils, similar to the Mediterranean Diet [Dr. Sinatra has also developed an anti-inflammatory, low-glycemic nutrition plan called the Pan-Asian / Modified Mediterranean (PAMM) Diet]; (2) nutritional supplementation that includes a high-potency multi-nutrient, fish oil, magnesium, vitamin C, and coenzyme Q10; (3) regular exercise; (4) detoxification; and (5) stress reduction.
Dr. Sinatra is particularly aware of the impact one’s emotions have on overall health and the need to resolve emotional blockages as well as physical ones. He has stated that “whenever you confront a person with an illness, you have to involve everything, including the spiritual.Every illness has a psychological and a physical component.” Such interconnectedness can be seen in the relationship between unexpressed negative emotions...anger and sadness, for example...and the development of high blood pressure and heart disease. Sinatra also believes that heart disease manifests differently in women than in men, and that such differences ultimately affect diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women.
Dr. Sinatra’s 2005 presentation at the American College for the Advancement of Medicine’s Conference on Scientific Integrative Medicine introduced the concept of “metabolic cardiology.” This type of therapy involves giving patients supplemental doses of substances that occur naturally in the body in order to enhance metabolic reactions in cells. Dr. Sinatra believes coenzyme Q10, D-ribose, and L-carnitine to be especially important in this process because of the roles they play in the production and use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body’s basic cellular fuel. In this context, he has called coenzyme Q10 a “wonder nutrient,” especially in women, for its ability to help the heart pump more effectively. Heart Sense for Thyroid Patients His ACAM presentation also suggested that low levels of coenzyme Q10 may result in the development of heart disease.
Dr. Sinatra has often been critical of the over-emphasis on cholesterol as an independent risk factor for heart disease and of what he considers the over-prescription of statin drugs. Most statin drugs, which block an enzyme pathway necessary for the body to produce cholesterol, also block the enzyme pathway by which the body naturally produces coenzyme Q10. Sinatra acknowledges that these drugs accomplish their goal of reducing cholesterol, but maintains that they also deprive the heart and other muscles of a vital nutrient and thereby set the stage for potential heart failure.
Dr. Sinatra is also critical of refined sugar, which he has called “public enemy number one when it comes to heart disease, not cholesterol.” Dr. Mehmet Oz: 'Sugar Shock' He believes the surges of insulin that occur when too much sugar is consumed create a “yo-yo effect” that, over time, damages the inner lining of the blood vessels. He also believes that sugar is linked to the proliferation of cancer cells.
Dr. Sinatra formulates and sells nutritional supplements under the brand name Advanced BioSolutions. Products are available at his web site, drsinatra.com.
In 2009, Dr. Sinatra founded [Heart MD Institute], a web site dedicated to increasing public awareness of integrative medicine. Heart MD Institute, or HMDI, is an educational platform through which people can learn about preventative lifestyle habits, as well as health issues related to various body systems or gender. One branch of Heart MD Institute, which expands upon Dr. Sinatra's pillars of cardiac health, is dedicated to “heart-healthy lifestyle" topics; it features information about diet, supplementation, exercise, detoxification, alternative healing modalities, and mind-body medicine. Through the "health concerns" branch people can find information about conditions such as cancer and diabetes, and issues related to the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems, for example. Another section is dedicated to breaking news in medicine. Themes pervading most content Heart MD Institute include inflammation, metabolic cardiology, the doctor-patient relationship, prescription drug independence, and a preventative lifestyle. Heart MD Institute is a free information resource through which the public may learn about issues related to integrative medicine. It is not a substitute for medical advisement, diagnosis or treatment.
