Larry Scherwitz, Ph.D., is an international research scientist who specializes in mind-body medicine and lifestyle and their link to preventing and reversing heart disease and obesity. Trained in psychophysiology (mind-body medicine) at Harvard Medical School, his remarkable record as a behavioral scientist includes Director of Research on Dean Ornish, M.D.’s program for reversing heart disease through lifestyle changes (diet, stress management, exercise, social support) alone—without drugs or surgery; and pioneering research that revealed “7 newly identified eating styles linked with overeating, overweight, and obesity,” the results of which were published in Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.
Dr. Scherwitz has been on the faculty of various medical institutions including Baylor College of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, California Pacific Medical Center, and the Preventive Medicine Research Institute. His research has been published in a plethora of prestigious medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, and Psychosomatic Medicine. A highly skilled health strategist and Cardiac Coach, he is co-author of The Enlightened Diet. Larry and his wife, Deborah Kesten, MPH, have a coaching practice to help clients lose weight as well as prevent, halt, and reverse heart disease, and related conditions, such as diabetes and stress. Larry also consults with clients to help them design studies to evaluate the efficacy of complementary and alternative practices.
On June 8, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gardasil, a vaccine created by the pharmaceutical giant, Merck, to protect girls and young women from specific human papillomavirus ...
July 30, 2009 - 10:28am
Several years ago, psychologist Elissa Epel posed an interesting question to her much-honored colleague, biologist Elizabeth Blackburn: “Why do people under stress tend to look haggard?” Replied ...
May 18, 2009 - 5:54pm
If you’ve had an especially stressful life event lately, you may be at increased risk for breast cancer. When a team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University compared 225 women younger than 45 ...
May 4, 2009 - 4:13pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains if women are capable of decreasing their anxiety and depression.
May 1, 2009 - 2:27pm
Research highlights the health benefits of dining with others
Do you ever eat alone while working at your computer? Have you had the experience of heating up a favorite frozen meal in the ...
April 20, 2009 - 4:17pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains if a woman's lifestyle changes affect her risk for heart disease.
April 17, 2009 - 4:07pm
Dr. Scherwitz recalls if there is a genetic test for heart disease.
April 17, 2009 - 4:02pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains the tests women should get if they have multiple risk factors for heart disease.
April 17, 2009 - 3:57pm
Dr. Scherwitz describes if supplements are capable of preventing heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 3:40pm
Dr. Scherwitz recalls how beneficial heart-healthy exercises are for women.
April 14, 2009 - 3:36pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains if exercise can benefit a woman's heart.
April 14, 2009 - 3:32pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains how social support can benefit a woman with heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 3:21pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains how women can decrease their feelings of anxiety and depression.
April 14, 2009 - 3:07pm
Listen, as Dr. Scherwitz describes the role of apolipoprotein E.
April 14, 2009 - 3:03pm
Dr. Scherwitz describes how a woman can lower the stress in her life.
April 14, 2009 - 2:56pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains how stress can affect a woman's heart.
April 14, 2009 - 2:52pm
Dr. Scherwitz shares if there is a relationship between heart disease and negative emotions.
April 14, 2009 - 2:43pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains the heart disease risk factors that are commonly overlooked by women.
April 14, 2009 - 2:35pm
Listen, as Dr. Scherwitz recalls the risk factors for heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 2:29pm
Dr. Scherwitz informs women on how they can prevent heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 2:23pm
Dr. Scherwitz describes if a woman's genes can be altered through lifestyle changes.
April 14, 2009 - 2:17pm
Dr. Scherwitz shares how genetics relate to a woman's risk for heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 2:14pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains if just one, high-fat meal can kill a woman with heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 2:10pm
Listen, as Dr. Scherwitz recalls the good fats that benefit a woman's heart.
April 14, 2009 - 1:49pm
Dr. Scherwitz describes why high-fat foods are a problem for women.
April 14, 2009 - 1:44pm
Dr. Scherwitz recalls the high-fat meals that can increase a woman's risk for heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 1:40pm
Dr. Scherwitz explains how a woman can prevent a heart attack if she already has coronary artery disease.
April 14, 2009 - 1:32pm
Dr. Scherwitz describes how a woman can discover the cause of her heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 1:27pm
Dr. Scherwitz recalls the most important lifestyle changes when a woman is trying to lower her risk for heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 1:21pm
Dr. Scherwitz shares what one means when referring to lifestyle changes.
April 14, 2009 - 1:17pm
Dr. Scherwitz tells women what heart tests they should ask for if they follow healthy lifestyles and do not have a family history of heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 1:11pm
Dr. Scherwitz introduces himself and shares how a woman can lower her chance of getting heart disease.
April 14, 2009 - 1:00pm
Exhilaration, well-being, accomplishment: these aren’t words we often associate with exercise. But if you exercise regularly, and you take the time to tune in to your emotions while you’re in ...
April 6, 2009 - 2:23pm
Exhilaration, well-being, accomplishment: these aren’t words we often associate with exercise. But if you exercise regularly, and you take the time to tune in to your emotions while you’re in ...
April 6, 2009 - 2:14pm
Did you know that depression is a member of a family? Most of us don’t, but it is! Its mother is called “negative thinking,” its father is called “harsh judgment,” and its siblings are anxiety, ...
March 23, 2009 - 4:06pm
More and more studies are revealing that if you’re an adolescent girl, you’re at greater risk for being depressed than if you are an adolescent boy.
A sampling:
• Pre-adolescent boys and ...
March 17, 2009 - 5:38pm
The heart-health connection is clear: The more you self-reference, meaning, you use the pronouns, “I,” “me,” “my,” and “mine” during conversations more often than “other-oriented” pronouns, such ...
March 11, 2009 - 2:22pm
Have you ever tried to talk with an excessively self-involved person? If so, then you know that the conversation typically turns toward her or him-—with little or no interest in you or ...
March 3, 2009 - 3:42pm
It’s a fact: Consume a lot of fiber (also call roughage or bran) each day, and you’ll lower the odds of heart disease. But while the suggestion seems simple, filling up on foods high in fiber is a ...
February 23, 2009 - 8:49pm
There’s no denying the strong relationship between blood cholesterol levels and the extent of cardiovascular disease(s), including atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart attack ...
February 16, 2009 - 1:07pm
If you think animal foods, such as fish and meat, when you consider foods high in protein you’d be right. But these foods don’t necessarily contain protein that lead to a healthy heart. ...
February 10, 2009 - 6:06pm
Heart healthy advice used to be so simple: Make smart food choices and exercise. “But,” says Time Magazine, “these easy guidelines have given way to a bewildering—and at times ...
February 5, 2009 - 4:07pm
Holly’s heart disease reversal story
When she was in her 50s, Holly’s doctor told her she was a “high risk” candidate for a heart attack. Her cardiologist said this because a scan of her heart ...
January 26, 2009 - 11:38am
Has your doctor ever told you to lose weight, but when you leave the office, you’re not sure where to turn? Or perhaps you’ve been told that your heart disease has progressed, or that you’re “in ...
January 22, 2009 - 4:42pm
"My physical life is upside-down," our friend, Alison*, said when she called to explore coaching with us.
"I want to change my habits and get back to the health-filled, dynamic life I used to ...
January 19, 2009 - 3:00am
Since its seeds were planted 4000 years ago in ancient Babylon, the New Year has been a time both of celebration and introspection, when thoughts turn to wishes for good things in the coming year. ...
January 12, 2009 - 4:02pm