Stephen Sinatra

Training and practice

Sinatra graduated from New York’s Albany Medical College with an MD in cardiology 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. He has certifications from the Massachusetts Society for Bioenergetic Analysis (1992) and the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists (2000). He has certification from the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine (1998), which is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties or the American Medical Association. American physicians cannot be officially board-certified in anti-aging medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Nutrition.

Having studied coenzyme Q₁₀ in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, Sinatra has written on the subject. 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. Sinatra lectures about metabolic cardiology and 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.

Sinatra has been affiliated with Manchester Memorial Hospital (Connecticut), 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 taught at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and is a member of the Board of Scientific Advisors within the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M).

Medical philosophy

In his books, newsletter, and interviews, Sinatra advocates treatment approaches that combine conventional medical therapies with nutritional and mind-body therapies that he thinks enhance the body’s natural bioenergetics and heal the heart. He promotes his ideas of 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 [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.

Sinatra believes in the impact one’s emotions have on overall health and the need to resolve so called 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.” He points to such interconnectedness 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.

Sinatra presented his ideas about "metabolic cardiology" at the American College for Advancement in Medicine’s 2005 Conference on Scientific Integrative Medicine. His proposed treatments include giving patients supplemental doses of substances that occur naturally in the body which he believes enhance metabolic reactions in cells. Sinatra believes coenzyme Q₁₀, D-ribose, and L-carnitine is important in this proposed 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 for women, as he believes it helps the heart pump more effectively. His ACAM presentation also suggested that low levels of coenzyQ₁₀ may result in the development of heart disease.

Sinatra has often been critical of what he sees as, an 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.

Sinatra is also critical of refined sugar, which he has called “public enemy number one when it comes to heart disease, not cholesterol.” 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.

"Grounding"

Sinatra advocates a controversial alternative health practice called "grounding" or "earthing." According to the theory of grounding, the earth's surface is negatively charged and contact with the earth allows electrons to neutralize free radicals in the human body. One study showed a reduction in blood viscosity and blood pressure, a key factor in cardiovascular disease. Advocates say this can be accomplished by lying or walking barefoot on grass, sand or earth, or by lying on a special pad connected to the earth by grounding wires or a rod, or plugged into a wall outlet with a "modern earth ground system."

Commercial interests

Sinatra formulates and sells nutritional supplements under the brand name "Advanced BioSolutions."

Books and publications

Sinatra is the author of the monthly newsletter Heart, Health & Nutrition (ISSN 1554-2467), and has written or contributed to the following books:

Heart MD Institute

In 2009, Sinatra founded Heart MD Institute, a free online educational resource about integrative medicine. Heart MD Institute, or HMDI, is an educational platform through which people can learn about preventive and anti-aging lifestyle habits, nutrition, stress relief, and cardiovascular topics like cholesterol, blood pressure, heart disease, drugs and surgery, and metabolic cardiology, as well as various other topics like EMF sensitivity, obesity, diabetes, and alternative medicine.