The Power of Mind-Body Medicine: A Conversation with Dr. Alan Rozanski

#podcast podcast Oct 24, 2024

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How can understanding the mind-body connection influence the way we approach our health as leaders? In this episode of Dominate Your Day, Dr. Alan Rozanski reveals how mental and emotional stress can profoundly impact the heart, offering insights that blend cardiology with health psychology.

A Journey from Traditional Cardiology to Mind-Body Medicine

Dr. Rozanski’s path into cardiology started with the influence of his father, a doctor. Following his passion, he pursued a career in cardiology, but it was a chance opportunity to explore nuclear cardiology that shaped the direction of his work. While training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Rozanski found himself entrenched in research, a departure from his initial goal of becoming a private practitioner. 

His pivotal moment came when a psychologist suggested he reach out to the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA to explore the connection between cardiology and mental health. This led to his groundbreaking research on the effects of mental stress on heart function. In his studies, patients would undergo stress tests, and notably, some showed cardiac abnormalities when simply speaking about their stress. This connection between stress and heart disease opened up the door to Dr. Rozanski's lifetime commitment to understanding the mind-body connection.

The Profound Impact of Stress on Heart Health

Dr. Rozanski’s research discovered that emotional and mental stress can have as significant an impact on heart function as physical stress. His work uncovered the powerful role that emotions, social connections, and one’s sense of purpose play in heart health.

In fact, over the years, numerous studies have supported his findings that stress-induced ischemia—heart dysfunction caused by emotional stress—can be as harmful as physical exertion-induced ischemia. This connection laid the foundation for a deeper understanding of how our emotions and mental states influence overall health, especially heart health.

Purpose: The Hidden Key to Health and Vitality

Perhaps the most striking element of Dr. Rozanski’s work is the emphasis he places on finding and fulfilling one’s life purpose. According to him, a clear sense of purpose can dramatically improve a person’s health and vitality. When people align their actions with their inner calling, they feel more energetic, experience less stress, and are at a lower risk for chronic diseases like heart disease.

Dr. Rozanski encourages people to search for their "tuning fork moments"—those moments in life where they feel most alive and in tune with their true selves. By identifying these experiences, individuals can better understand their purpose and use it as a guiding force for better health and well-being.

Moving Towards a Future of Preventive Health

As technology advances and people live longer, the focus on preventive health becomes even more crucial. Dr. Rozanski believes that health is not just the absence of disease but a sense of vitality and energy. Small steps, such as incorporating short bursts of physical activity into the day or focusing on mental well-being, can have strong effects on overall health.

One of the biggest challenges, especially in a fast-paced, data-driven world, is dealing with time stress. With an ever-growing list of responsibilities, finding time to prioritize health can feel overwhelming. However, Dr. Rozanski stresses that even a few minutes of intentional activity can improve health and reduce stress.

Dr. Rozanski’s work is a reminder that health is a complex interplay of physical, emotional, and mental factors. While modern medicine has made tremendous advances in treating diseases, true wellness comes from understanding and nurturing the mind-body connection. Finding purpose, managing stress, and staying socially and physically active are all integral parts of a healthy, fulfilling life.


About Dr. Alan Rozanski

Dr. Alan Rozanski is Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Chief Academic Officer, Executive Director of Cardiac Education and Fellowship Training Programs, and Director of Nuclear Cardiology for the Department of Cardiology at Mount Sinai St. Lukes. 

A graduate of Yale University and the Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Rozanski completed his Internal Medicine and Cardiology Fellowship training at Mount Sinai Hospital and a fellowship in Nuclear Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

While at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Rozanski founded a large multi-disciplinary program in Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiology and initiated research which helped lead to the creation of a new field of Behavioral Cardiology. This led to a prestigious Sabbatical Fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation to study the determinants of health-promoting and health-damaging behaviors alongside many leading behavioral clinicians across the nation.

In 1990, Dr. Rozanski joined the cardiology staff of St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital (now Mount Sinai St. Lukes and Mount Sinai West Hospitals) where he eventually served as Chief of Cardiology before assuming his current positions.    

Dr. Rozanski is noted for his unique clinical and academic focus and novel research that uniquely integrates the fields of Preventive Cardiology with Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. 

In addition, Dr. Rozanski is a leading expert in applying Cardiac Imaging for optimal Risk Assessment and Clinical Decision Making among patients who are candidates for cardiac testing due to risk factors or symptoms which are suggestive of heart disease.   

Dr. Rozanski is the co-author of over 270 peer-reviewed medical articles, book chapters and medical editorials, many of which are considered seminal contributions to the fields of Cardiology and/or Health Psychology.


Episode Minutes:  

  • Minute 4:00 — The Discovery of Mind-Body Connection
  • Minute 15:00 — The Importance of Physical Activity
  • Minute 21:00 — Future of Health and Medicine

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