Feed Your Heart: The Secrets to Staying Off the Operating Table | Dr. Philip Ovadia | TEDxJeffersonU
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Published 2024-01-31
Have you ever wondered why, despite medical advancements, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States? With a staggering statistic revealing that 88% of Americans are not in optimal metabolic health, this talk by Dr. Philip Ovadia, a cardiac surgeon and the founder of Ovadia Heart Health shows a transformative journey triggered by the preventable crisis of a patient. Highlighting often ignored indicators like obesity and diabetes, he advocates for a fundamental shift—from treating to preventing heart disease. Drawing from personal experiences, including shedding 100 pounds, the talk challenges listeners to envision a world where proactive measures and seeking root-cause-focused healthcare keep individuals off the operating table. It's an invitation to rewrite the narrative and aspire to a future where heart disease is an avoidable exception rather than an unfortunate norm. After growing up on Long Island, Dr. Philip Ovadia completed an accelerated Pre-Med/Medical School program at The Pennsylvania State University and Jefferson Medical College (now The Sidney Kimmel College of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University). He went on to complete a residency in General Surgery followed by a fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery. Dr. Ovadia has been a practicing heart surgeon since 2005. He has been married to his wife Shelly since 2010 and they have two daughters, Eva (12) and Layla (10). Starting in 2016, Philip started a journey to fix his health challenges, a lifelong battle with obesity and pre-diabetes. He successfully lost nearly 100 pounds and maintained that weight loss. Dr. Ovadia is now on a mission to help as many people as possible to avoid the need for heart surgery. He recently authored the book, “Stay Off My Operating Table.” Philip is excited to be returning to Jefferson to Redefine Possible and educate people to Feed Your Heart: The Secrets to Staying Off the Operating Table. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
All Comments (21)
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The call to action is clear: assess metabolic health, eat real food, move, sleep, manage stress. Simple yet powerful.
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Metabolic health education is crucial. We can't keep ignoring preventable factors like insulin resistance.
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Heart-breaking to hear about that 39 y.o. mother, especially when he goes on to explain how the system failed her but it's a credit to him that he chose to turn that moment into the catalyst for creating change
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I'm 76, and practice all he suggests. I remain pain and meds-free. I totally agree with him.
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Insulin resistance and metabolic health should be part of every heart disease conversation. Such vital information
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Loved what he said about how we need to rethink instead of restrict. Whole foods can be just as delicious as all the fried/processed "treats"
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The simplicity of 'eat real food' is profound. It's time to rethink our relationship with what we eat.
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Walking is a super power Fasting is a miracle
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Probably the first doctor who I actually like and speaks truth literally from the heart. Having been in healthcare for 30 years and seeing a lot of death and healing, my question has always been why aren’t we, as a society, seeking preventative medicine? I don’t like medications although some are life saving. The fact that our food supply has been tampered with by the production companies and industry is very concerning. In foreign countries they buy the same products but the ingredients are different (less artificial or manmade) and more healthy. Why are we being poisoned? He gave wonderful advice on how to be and live better and longer.
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Fantastic. I completely agree. I have eliminated medical conditions by following this advice. Can i add to the list..Eat less or smaller portions, eat less frequently (let your body rest from food) and finally fast. I fast 3 nights a week(by this i mesn i eat breakfast, big dinner and then relax and go to bed early (this allows me to have a fast 4pm to 7am). Its amazing how good your body feels when you rest from food..
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Keep preaching the truth about heart disease instead of what pharma and food industries want us to believe.
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He shows just how important it is to have good metabolic health to prevent heart problems. It's really motivating to see a doctor encouraging people to take steps to avoid needing surgery instead of the usual operate and medicate spiel
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His advice on things like what you eat, how you move, your sleep habits, and managing stress gives a complete approach to keeping your heart healthy, something that's much needed as opposed to taking all sorts of medications to try and manage it
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I think his own transformation (losing so much weight and overcoming pre-diabetes), adds credibility to his message. It demonstrates that positive changes are achievable and can have a massive impact on one's health and quality of life.
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Yesss I love that we're starting to shift our thinking about so many conventional things, this could be huge not just for healthcare but for the wellbeing of so many people
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Dr Ovadia, so glad to see you on a Ted Talk!
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I think finding a GP who encourages this from the get go is what's crucial here. Lots of people need that kind of reframe on their approach to health
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Surrounding yourself with a supportive community is huge. It's so much easier to stay motivated when you've got people cheering you on and holding you accountable.
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Hearing about his own health challenges made his message a lot more relatable and I'm motivated to take charge of my health after hearing this!
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Assess your metabolic health: 1. Eat whole real food 2. Move more 3. Sleep more 4. Manage stress with strong community 5. Find a physician that can manage your health
