141: Agenda-Free Info on Covid & Blood Pressure - with Dr. Sanjay Gupta

In this era of medical misinformation and propaganda, we need a voice of reason.

We found one!

Our host Wade T. Lightheart was super excited to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta back on the Awesome Health Podcast because Dr. Gupta is one of the most outstanding communicators for sharing medical information with the public. He has a real knack for presenting scientific knowledge in a simple, straightforward style. Dr. Gupta advocates for the public to have free access to reliable, jargon-free health information.

He delivers once again!

Every time he comes on the show, Dr. Gupta brings level-headed health knowledge, tips, and hacks to help you be healthy and stay healthy.

He is a cardiologist whose specialty is providing patients with non-invasive cardiology and imaging services.

This is a timely podcast, as over half the conversation focuses on the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting mRNA vaccines. Wade asks the doctor some good questions about what's happening out there with the virus and the subsequent vaccines. Dr. Gupta doesn't flinch - he provides straightforward, transparent, honest answers that do not have any hidden agendas.

The other half of this conversation focuses on blood pressure. As a cardiologist who believes in prevention, not just reacting to symptoms, Dr. Gupta reveals some fascinating aspects of blood pressure that many lay people don't know. If you are getting older or deal with blood pressure issues, this information is something you don't want to miss.

Here's a quick overview of what you'll get...

In this podcast, we cover:

• Dr. Gupta's experiences during the pandemic
• How to get solid, accurate Covid information and skip the propaganda
• Recommendations from Dr. Gupta on protecting yourself from Covid
• How Dr. Gupta determines if a patient is ready for major surgery
• Is the push for mass vaccinations in the middle of a pandemic a mistake?
• Why everyone needs easy access to accurate medical information
• Fascinating insights about blood pressure you probably haven't heard
• How to spot heart disease in the eyes and kidneys
• In the context of personal growth, what's the difference between "stretching" and "growing"?

We should never have a society where people are afraid to ask questions.

This is Dr. Gupta's foundational philosophy with his medical practice. His commitment to patiently answering questions for his patients is more robust now as Covid brought new challenges.

Here's some more on this from Dr. Gupta: "This is a fundamental problem. It's clear to me that people are getting sicker. Why? Is it the food? Ingredients in the food? How do we sort out the experiments needed to determine these answers? The problem is this propaganda today. We should never be afraid to ask questions. The answers should be found in properly designed experiments geared to answer our questions."

"However, unfortunately, that isn't allowed to happen because the minute you say something, you get branded anti this or that."

"I think the point is simple: you should be able to ask questions. Then you design an experiment that answers important questions."

"For example: if you have a population of a billion people vaccinated, and then we start seeing things like more chronic fatigue syndrome, or more migraines, or whatever, how do you determine what's going on? It's going to be difficult to tease out."

Dealing with Covid as a young person vs. an older person

At one point in his conversation with Wade, Dr. Gupta said, "This is why the younger, healthier, more independent will cope fine both with some of the social distancing and social isolation. But the older population, the people who have the most chance of suffering if they get the virus, also struggle more with the mental consequences of being trapped in their house. Suppose a vaccination program offers you some hope that you can get out of the house. For an 80-year-old person, quality of life is more important than the length of life. Most 80 year olds will say they want some quality in my last few years. So why deprive them of that?"

"That's why it was important to come up with something like a vaccination program, which gave people hope that they would be okay going out."

"We won't know if the vaccines or social isolation and lockdowns are what's working. How do you tease out whether the effectiveness is from the vaccination or the lockdown as things are opening up? It will be interesting to see what happens."

This is so refreshing to listen to a caring doctor who doesn't like hype or manipulating people. He wants to give you honest facts about Covid and heart disease - not sensationalistic anecdotes. Dr. Gupta keeps it real, and he uses science, level-headedness, and open-mindedness to help people get answers.

And the talk about blood pressure is eye-opening. For example, if a BP reading happens to be on the higher side, you don't have to panic. Retake your BP again 30 minutes later. That higher score might be because you're nervous about seeing the doctor.

Check out this episode - some Covid clarity and heart health hacks could be good for you!

Episode Resources:

Dr. Sanjay Gupta's two main websites: drsanjayguptacardiologist.com
Yorkcardiology.co.uk
Episode 55 with Dr. Gupta: Keeping Your Heart Healthy
Sanjay Gupta YouTube Channel
Sanjay Gupta on Facebook
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