About the skeptical cardiologist
I’m a non-invasive cardiologist.
I'm board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology, echocardiography, and nuclear cardiology.
In September of 2020, I transitioned to Saint Louis University SLUcare after 20 years of private practice in Louisville, KY and St. Louis, MO. For what it's worth I've been named to the Best Doctors in America list annually from 2009 to the present.
Most recently, I’ve transitioned into a hybrid position wherein I see patients in the office and in the hospital in St. Louis for two months in the spring and two months in the fall. For the remainder of the year, I’m in Encinitas, California where I do remote telehealth visits and read echocardiograms remotely. I see patients who live in all the states where I have a medical license, including North Carolina, Missouri, and California.
I've spent time in academic cardiology, done research and teaching, and published more than 100 research papers in major cardiology journals. Most of my research and writing has been in the area of echocardiography, a most amazing tool for visualizing the heart in all its glory. At Saint Louis University where all my medical training happened, I did the first transesophageal echocardiogram in St. Louis in 1988 and co-authorized an early textbook on that now indispensable tool for cardiac diagnosis.
I've been the Principal Investigator on many clinical research studies and I've received honoraria for speaking for multiple different drugs for Big Pharma. (I stopped doing that around the time I started this blog in 2013 and I don't accept snacks, treats, dinners or lunches from pharmaceutical representatives anymore.)
All of these experiences have taught me to cultivate a healthy skepticism for medical and scientific information that has potential bias.
For 30 years I followed and counseled my patients on dietary guidelines that I assumed were solidly based in science. I drank skim milk, ate low or no-fat yogurt, avoided butter like the plague and had egg-white omelets.
One afternoon I started to lecture my lunch companion (formerly known as the eternal fiancee' of the skeptical cardiologist) on her decision to consume a croissant slathered with butter. When she challenged my supporting evidence I went on a quest to discover the scientific sources underpinning my recommendations.
I found that many of the nutritional recommendations I had been making to my patient’s were not solidly based in scientific evidence.
I now consume full-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese as much as I desire and my omelets contain egg yolks.
Although I emphasize the consumption of plenty of fresh vegetables, I'm more concerned about low-quality carbs and hidden sugar in the foods I consume than about the fat.
The major focus of my skeptical cardiologist blog is to look at what we truly know about diet and cardiovascular disease versus what we have been told.
Addendum: Over time I've obviously expanded the topics I bloviate on in a skeptical, critical way. Now, you will find discussions on statins, cardiac testing, good doctoring and new healthcare monitoring devices.
And occasionally I talk about things I love like travel, music, and literature.
Skeptically Yours,
Anthony C. Pearson, MD, FACC
Disclaimer:
This is a personal newsletter, produced in my own time and solely reflecting my personal opinions. Statements on this site do not represent the views or policies of my employer, past or present, or any other organization with which I may be affiliated.
In particular, please note that nothing on this site represents the views or policies of Saint Louis University my current employer.
Also, do not consider anything I write as personal medical advice for your condition. Any decisions you make on your personal health care should be undertaken with the supervision, shared decision-making, and care of your own personal physician.
-ACP
