Description: In this episode, Mark interviews Dr. Sinha about his battle on the front lines trying to convince the mainstream medical community that fat and cholesterol are not your enemy, and that the true risk factors for heart disease lay in overly stressful lifestyles, poor exercise habits, and a high insulin producing diet. Dr. Ron is an internal medicine physician who specializes in cardiovascular prevention. He is the medical director of employer services, serving major employee groups like Google, Oracle, and Yahoo. For these large employers, he designs health education lectures and wellness programs. Ron describes how mainstream physicians are seeing actual results with his alternative methods and hence embracing the principles of primal/paleo eating slowly but surely.
Dr. Sinha describes the challenges of dealing with a highly intelligent, goal-driven population of Silicon Valley tech workers – particularly those of South Asian descent whom he works with extensively – who unfortunately have neglected health in favor of career goals. Dr. Ron describes how, when this numbers and results-obsessed population sees actual improvement in blood numbers, they embrace Primal Blueprint lifestyle recommendations: a Primal-style eating pattern, getting adequate sleep, engaging in more everyday movement, and following a sensible exercise program. Mark and Ron talk about stress as being a major risk factor for heart disease and other health problems, and how to slow down the pace of our hectic days to improve cardiovascular and immune function.
Topic timestamps:
Introducing Dr. Ron Sinha/“The South Asian Health Solution”: 00:56
Is the medical community engaged?: 02:03
What kind of medicine do you practice, Dr. Ron?: 04:20
How do the doctors have time to help patients in lifestyle change?: 05:28
Working with cultural differences: 8:13
Gentler approach works: 11:37
Working with corporations: 15:37
Mobile clinic: 18:02
Metabolic 6-pack: 19:17
Controlling stress and sleep: 21:02
Dealing with Type A personalities: 23:13
Heart rate variability: 25:56
Relaxation is critical: 31:44