Ep. 106: Dr. Robert Ostfeld - Miracle at Montefiore
PLANTSTRONG Podcast
Rip Esselstyn
4.8 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 26 August 2021
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We’re calling this episode, “Miracle at Montefiore" in honor of the herculean work Dr. Robert Ostfeld is doing at this Bronx hospital to move the needle on the life-saving benefits of a plant-based diet, especially for cardiac patients.
Inspired by the legacy of his two young brothers who lost their lives to incurable diseases, Ostfeld attended medical school at Yale and went on to get his Masters of Science in Epidemiology at Harvard. Today, he’s a plantstrong non-invasive cardiologist and Director and Founder of Preventive Cardiology at Montefiore.
Knowing that whole food, plant-based nutrition really is the most powerful form of medicine, Dr. Ostfeld was instrumental in getting Montefiore to start offering plant-based meals for people recovering from heart procedures. The documentary, Forks over Knives, is also made available for viewing to any and all patients thanks to his efforts
Dr. Ostfeld also discusses his upcoming research studies on the parallels between lifestyle and erectile dysfunction and why erectile dysfunction is often “the canary in the coalmine” and a surprising predictor for heart disease.
As he says, his work at Montefiore is “a labor of love wrapped in a pit bull,” but with doctors like Dr. Ostfeld on the front lines, we are optimistic that real change can and will happen in our healthcare system.
About Robert J. Ostfeld, MD, MS
Robert J. Ostfeld, MD, MSc, FACC, is the Director of Preventive Cardiology at Montefiore Health System and a Professor of Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Ostfeld treats patients with adult cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and erectile dysfunction with a focus on prevention and treatment through lifestyle change. He works closely with his patients to help them adopt a plant-based diet.
Dr. Ostfeld received his Bachelor of Arts in the Biologic Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa and his Doctor of Medicine from Yale University School of Medicine. He then did his Medical Internship and Residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and his Cardiology Fellowship and Research Fellowship in Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, both teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School. During his Cardiology Fellowship, he earned a Master’s of Science in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Ostfeld’s research focus is on cardiovascular disease prevention and reversal through lifestyle modification. Ongoing topics he investigates include the impact of plant-based nutrition on erectile function, coronary artery disease, angina, and heart failure. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, books, articles, and clinical statements and has been presented nationally.
Dr. Ostfeld is board certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Echocardiography and he is a member of numerous professional societies, including the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine and the American College of Cardiology.
Episode Resources
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | But we were seeing people have their blood pressures come down very quickly. |
| 0:04.6 | It was to have a more typical um, |
| 0:06.6 | nervous diet and they would switch to almost exclusively or exclusively |
| 0:11.3 | plant-based and their blood pressures, their high blood pressure would come down. |
| 0:16.6 | In fact, oftentimes two weeks after they would start eating this way, |
| 0:22.7 | I would get a phone call, a message that's, you know, |
| 0:26.2 | patient so and so is light-headed now. |
| 0:28.4 | Ah, and and what that was was that they were healing themselves so much. |
| 0:32.8 | They didn't need as many blood pressure luring pills. |
| 0:35.8 | So we started peeling off blood pressure luring pills. |
| 0:42.7 | Season three of the Plant Strong podcast explores those Galileo moments where you seek |
| 0:50.0 | to understand the real truth around your health and dare to see the world |
| 0:57.0 | through a different lens. |
| 0:58.5 | This season we honor those courageous seekers who are paving the way for you and me. |
| 1:06.1 | So grab your telescope, point it towards your future and let's get |
| 1:11.3 | Plant Strong together. |
| 1:17.4 | Our 10th anniversary Plant Stock celebration is online and on sale. |
| 1:23.6 | Grab a friend and join us virtually from September 8th to the 12th as we |
| 1:28.2 | honor all the progress that's been made over the last decade with the science, |
| 1:33.2 | with the food and with the movement as a whole. |
| 1:36.4 | It is nothing short of phenomenal what has happened. |
| 1:40.6 | This will be the perfect way to invite that family member who desperately needs |
... |
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