OVERLOOKED Signs Of Heart Disease - Dr. G's Quick Health Tip | EP 380.B

Summary

The Dr. Gundry Podcast – Episode 380.B

Title: "OVERLOOKED Signs Of Heart Disease - Dr. G's Quick Health Tip"
Release Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Dr. Steven Gundry (PodcastOne)

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Steven Gundry launches a new mini-series designed to clarify common and overlooked symptoms of cardiovascular disease, drawing on his 40+ years as a cardiothoracic surgeon and cardiologist. The episode aims to empower listeners to recognize hidden warning signs of heart disease—especially those often dismissed or misdiagnosed—and to advocate for actionable, science-based testing and prevention, going beyond Internet myths and textbook symptoms.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Classic vs. Overlooked Heart Disease Symptoms

• Textbook Symptoms:
  • Jaw or neck pain (especially on the left side)
  • Left shoulder and arm pain
  • Chest pain (not always center-chest)
  • Heaviness or tightness in the chest, especially with exertion
• Notable Gender Differences:
  • Women often do not show “classic” signs.

    “Many women never get the typical signs of heart disease, like neck or arm or shoulder pain. ... Their presentation of angina... is [often] nausea or even vomiting.”
    — Dr. Gundry [02:00]

  • Nausea can be a key indicator for women, instead of chest discomfort.

2. Subtle Warning Signs from Patient Stories

• Exertion-Related Heaviness/Nausea:

  “He didn’t get short of breath, he didn’t have chest pain. It was this heaviness that he reported that tipped me off.”
  — Dr. Gundry on his father’s subtle symptom, leading to a positive diagnosis [03:52]

• Everyday Fatigue:
  • Unexplained tiredness doing routine activities may reflect compromised heart pumping capability or valve issues
• Pulmonary Hypertension & Fatigue:
  • Rising prevalence of pulmonary hypertension, sometimes autoimmune-related; manifests as exertional tiredness/shortness of breath

3. Mythbusting: Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease

• Clarification:

  “Google MD says sleep apnea is a sign of heart disease. Wrong. But sleep apnea is a really good cause of heart disease. So heart disease does not produce sleep apnea... but it absolutely can cause heart disease.”
  — Dr. Gundry [05:24]

• Sleep apnea is a major risk factor but not an actual symptom of heart disease.

4. Erectile Dysfunction (ED) as a Cardiac Symptom

• ED as Early Artery Damage:

  “Erectile dysfunction is a very early sign of arterial damage to blood vessels. And what goes on in the lower parts goes on in your coronary arteries.”
  — Dr. Gundry [05:58]

• Clinical Practice:
  • Dr. Gundry requires a stress test before prescribing erectile dysfunction medications due to their implication for underlying heart disease.

5. Peripheral Vascular and Carotid Artery Disease

• Leg Pain & ‘Leg Angina’:
  • Cramps or tightness in calves/feet that fade with rest can suggest narrowed leg arteries (Peripheral Vascular Disease, PVD).

  “It’s the same sort of feeling you get in your heart...leg angina. This is a classic sign of narrowing in the blood vessels to your leg.”
  — Dr. Gundry [08:59]

• Symptoms of Carotid Artery Disease:
  • Amaurosis fugax—sudden "shade" over vision, like blinds coming down briefly; sign of small retinal artery clots

  “It lasts for a few seconds, maybe half a minute or a minute, and then the shade goes back up.”
  — Dr. Gundry [10:12]

  • Dizziness from quick head movement, or hearing a “whoosh” in one ear when lying down may signal vertebral or carotid artery narrowing.

6. Diagnostic Strategies: What to Ask Your Doctor

• Blood Work:
  • Routine cholesterol tests may miss critical information.
  • Gundry prefers markers of inflammation:
    • High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP)
    • LP-PLA2 (plaque test)
    • Myeloperoxidase (Cleveland Clinic-preferred marker)

  “What’s far more important is to look for markers of inflammation.”
  — Dr. Gundry [13:11]

• Stress Tests:
  • Nuclear stress scans common, but not infallible (miss 15–20% of true disease)
• Imaging Advances:
  • Recommends CT coronary angiograms, especially the Cleerly test—leverages AI to spot hidden plaque, minimally invasive

  “The beauty of the Cleerly test is that it uses artificial intelligence to look underneath calcified areas in blood vessels.”
  — Dr. Gundry [14:16]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Nausea as a Heart Symptom in Women:
  “Nausea is frequently one of [women’s] biggest complaints.” [02:00]
• On Erectile Dysfunction’s Surprising Connection:
  “I won’t give a man a prescription for... erection drugs without having them pass a stress test.” [06:09]
• On Ignored Vision Symptoms:
  “People get this experience of literally having a shade come down over one eye... It’s actually a sign of a tiny blood clot.” [10:12]
• On New Technology in Heart Imaging:
  “A CT coronary angiogram is a minimally invasive test that really gives you a 3D picture of what’s going on.” [14:36]

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• Classic and Unusual Symptoms of Heart Disease: [00:25–05:20]
• Sleep Apnea and Heart Health Mythbusting: [05:24–05:56]
• Erectile Dysfunction as a Heart Disease Warning: [05:58–06:34]
• Peripheral Vascular and Carotid Artery Disease: [08:57–11:23]
• Recommended Blood Tests and Imaging for Heart Disease: [13:06–15:28]

---

Tone and Language

Dr. Gundry mixes approachable, candid, and sometimes wry advice (“Son of a…”; “Sorry to use the pun...”) with clear explanations and actionable steps, empowering listeners to notice what their bodies may be signaling—and to push for sophisticated, insightful diagnostics over shallow assumptions.

---

Summary for New Listeners

This concise, practical episode is valuable for anyone concerned about heart health—especially those at risk or with unexplained symptoms. Dr. Gundry’s main message: heart disease often hides behind non-textbook, easily-dismissed symptoms (nausea, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, vision changes). He urges listeners to take such signals seriously, get advanced testing if warranted, and challenge outdated or simplistic advice from the Internet.

Key takeaway:
Be alert to subtle or atypical signs, insist on meaningful tests (especially for inflammation and with advanced imaging), and don’t ignore your body’s “red flags”—they could save your life.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Dr. Gundry podcast, where Dr. Steven Gundry shares his groundbreaking research from over 25 years of treating patients with diet and lifestyle changes alone. Dr. Gundry and other wellness experts offer inspiring stories, the latest scientific advancements, and practical tips to empower you to take control of your health and live a long, happy life.

[B]

Based on your questions about symptoms and possible causes, I'm launching a brand new series daily to help clarify what you might find on the Internet. I'll be reporting the typical textbook symptoms and then the ones that get overlooked, dismissed, or often misdiagnosed. So I'm going to start with my own line of expertise, looking at hearts and arteries and fixing them as a cardiothoracic surgeon and cardiologist practicing for over 40 years. So let's get started with the typical symptoms you might have of cardiovascular disease. And then we'll discuss what tests I use in my practice with my own patients to help determine if someone has heart issues or it's something else. First classic story of heart disease, or even a heart attack is jaw or neck pain, particularly left jaw, left neck pain, and left shoulder and arm pain. Chest pain doesn't always center in the heart and everybody's pretty convinced their heart's right here in the middle of the chest. Many, many times people with heart disease with narrowing of coronary arteries or even having a heart attack don't present with a typical elephant sitting on their chest. Many women never get the typical signs of heart disease, like neck or arm or shoulder pain. Interestingly, many women in my practice, their presentation of angina, which is chest pain, is nausea or even vomiting. Many of my women never get the chest tightness, chest heaviness, but nausea is frequently one of their biggest complaints. On the other hand, heaviness with exertion is usually very useful. It's if you're having trouble climbing that second set of stairs and you get short of breath or the word heaviness is very good cause my patients use it all the time. Or tightness in the chest. Or if you're out doing your usual walking routine and you notice that your chest gets tight or that you feel more short of breath and then you stop and it goes away and then you start going again and then it starts again. That's a typical sign that something is amiss. My own father used to be a fairly decent runner in his mid-70s and he noticed on the hills in San Diego at about mile two, he had this funny heaviness in his chest that he never had before and he'd stop and it would go away and he'd start again and. Son of a. And it would appear again. And to me, that was a tip off. And guess what? We got a cardiac catheterization. And sure enough, he had a narrowing and a coronary artery and he got a stent and went about his business. But it was that story. He didn't get short of breath, he didn't have chest pain. It was this heaviness that he reported that tipped me off. Overall fatigue. Now, there are innumerable causes of fatigue and tiredness, but quite frankly, if your heart is having problems pumping because of lack of blood flow, then less blood flow flows to your lungs and your muscles. And everyday fatigue in doing everyday activities that you used to be able to do is a red flag and needs to be investigated. Now, there's many causes of this. There can be leaks in heart valves, there can be narrowing in heart valves. But this is all part of the heart and it needs to be investigated. Over the last 20 years, I've been seeing, as other people have been seeing a huge increase in pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hyperplasia. This in my practice is an autoimmune disease. But. But this can frequently present with shortness of breath and fatigue and tiredness when going about doing the things you wanna do. Now, Google MD says sleep apnea is a sign of heart disease. Wrong. But sleep apnea is a really good cause of heart disease. So heart disease does not produce sleep apnea. There's nothing in it that will produce sleep apnea, but it absolutely can cause heart disease. Now here's one that I get all the time trouble achieving or maintaining an erection. Now, I know, guys, you don't connect bedroom problems with problems of the heart, but erectile dysfunction is a very early sign of arterial damage to blood vessels. And what goes on in the lower parts goes on in your coronary arteries. I won't give a man a prescription for any of the erection drugs without having them pass a stress test in my office or somebody else's office. It's that important. So the word of warning is if you have erectile dysfunction and you need one of these vasodilating drugs to achieve an erection, that should be the biggest red flag that you have. Narrowings in other parts of your body. And the one you want to worry about most, of course, is your heart. Please, please, please take care and don't use these things without working up the rest of you.

[C]

This holiday season, I want you to think about the people you love, parents, grandparents, even your partner who Say things like I wish I could move, like I used to. Imagine giving them a gift that actually helps them feel stronger, steadier and more.

[B]

Mobile in the new year.

[C]

That's what the Juvent micro impact platform can do. It uses gentle patented micro impacts, the same kind of low magnitude signals studied by NASA to support bone strength, improve balance, reduce stiffness and help the body naturally stimulate healthy stem cell activity. Unlike harsh vibration plates, Juvent is completely safe and smooth. No jarring, no strain, no risk to soft tissue. It's motion the body actually loves. I stand on mine for about 10 to 20 minutes a day while reading or answering emails. It's simple, it's quiet. It's one of the easiest ways to support long term mobility and aging. Well, right now you can give this life changing gift with $300 off when you use code [e-mail] gundry. You'll also get a six week buyback guarantee, financing options and a 10 year warranty. So gifting is totally worry free. Give someone the gift of moving better, feeling better and living better.

You know how some gifts get open and then disappear into a drawer? Cozy Earth is the opposite of that. When I give Cozy Earth, people start using it the same night and they don't stop. Their sheets are one of the most luxurious, practical gifts you can give. They're unbelievably soft, sleep several degrees cooler, and they make winter nights feel peaceful instead of restless. And if you want a gift that becomes the star of every cozy moment, the Bubble Cuddle blanket. It's plush, stylish and instantly turns a living room into a retreat. These are gifts that last long after the wrapping paper is gone. And Cozy Earth backs everything with a 100 night sleep trial and a 10 year warranty. You're giving comfort that truly lasts. Right now is the perfect moment. Go to cozyearth.com and use code GUNDRY for up to 40% off. But make sure you order by December 12th. If you want guaranteed Christmas delivery after that, the code still gets you 20% off year round. Give a gift that actually gets loved, used and remembered.

[B]

Now, there's a form of vascular disease where the arteries to the legs are affected and that's called peripheral vascular disease pvd. This is typically felt when you're out walking or doing strenuous activities and you get tightness or literal cramps in your calves or even in your feet and you stop and it goes away and then you start up again, only to have it start again. So this is the same sort of feeling you get in your heart. And another way of saying it, it is, you know, leg angina. And this is a classic sign of narrowing in the blood vessels to your leg. Now, it doesn't tell you where the narrowing is, although traditionally, if you get cramps in your butt or your thigh, the narrowing is usually up in your belly or right at your groin. If the narrowing is farther down, then the narrowing can be farther down as well. But this is a sign that you need to have studies. We can easily do ultrasounds of the arteries of your legs and pinpoint these narrowings. It's easy to get a CT angiogram of your legs, a CT, an Mr. Angiogram. But if you're getting this, it's time to investigate it. Now, one topic that gets dismissed that I think is really important is symptoms of carotid artery disease. Now, one of the classic symptoms that I see all the time is what's called amaurosis fugax. What the heck is that? Well, people get this experience of literally having a shade come down over one eye. It's almost like somebody pulling the blinds down. And it lasts for a few seconds, maybe half a minute or a minute, and then the shade goes back up. And people rub their eyes. They think they have something in their eyes. This is actually a sign of a tiny blood clot that hits the retinal artery in your eye, shuts off the flow of blood to your retina, and then it dissolves. It's that small. So that's a classic symptom that many, many, many people ignore. That there's a little plaque breaking off from your carotid arteries. What else can change? There's actually four big blood vessels that go up to your brain from your chest. Two in the front called the carotid arteries. That's where you feel your pulse. And two in the back that are small are called the vertebral arteries. Some people get dizzy with a sudden change of their head position or a correct, quick look to the side. And this can actually be one of these arteries that's got a narrowing getting more critically lowered. Particularly typical people who have vertebral artery disease. People who have vertebral artery disease are more likely to say they get dizzy when they suddenly change head positions or look up or look down. Now, this is one that I hear quite a bit, and I, sorry to use the pun. If you hear a whoosh in one ear, almost like a stream and not the other, or you hear a whoosh in one ear when you're laying down on a pillow and not the other. When you're laying down a pillow, this can frequently be a sign that there literally is a narrowing in your carotid artery and it's not your imagination. Now, again, it's easy to get a carotid artery duplex. There's nothing invasive about it. Okay, so these are the symptoms that I want you to look for. These are the symptoms that patients tell me about that usually lead me to further investigation. Okay, so what should you ask your doctors to get? Most doctors are going to get a cholesterol profile on you. Quite frankly, it's really not going to tell you much of anything. Now, cholesterol can be high in my practice, but I use tests to look at whether cholesterol is activated, whether it's oxidized. And I have and treat a number of patients with very high LDL cholesterols who have absolutely no coronary artery disease by CT coronary angiograms. What's far more important is, is to look for markers of inflammation. I measure markers of inflammation, including heart specific C reactive protein. I use the plaque test, the LP PLA2 test, which looks at inflammation on blood vessels. I use myeloperoxidase, which is the Cleveland clinic's favorite marker of inflammation. And yes, I will perform stress tests. Now, there are multiple forms of stress tests. I like to use a nuclear scan in my office. But stress tests are not perfect. Stress tests can miss true coronary artery disease 15 to 20% of the time. And this lecture won't go into why that happens, but they can miss Currently, in the past, the definitive test was a coronary angiogram in the cath lab. Now, CT coronary angiograms, particularly the Cleerly test, is my test of choice. They're becoming much more available. They're becoming much more affordable. The beauty of the Cleerly test is that it uses artificial intelligence to look underneath calcified areas in blood vessels and to see underneath those calcifications. And a CT coronary angiogram is a minimally invasive test that really gives you a 3D picture of what's going on. And I'll often, when I hear these symptoms, I see these complaints. I'll get a CT coronary angiogram for the definitive look at what's going on.

Don't to the world Pluto TV is free with all the best movies the longer days are Pluto so is your feeling frugal string Pluto TV stream Pluto TV stream brutal TV for free stream blockbuster hits like 21 Jump street the Expendables and so much more on Pluto TV stream.

[C]

Now pay Never.

[A]

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Dr. Gundry podcast. If you did, please share this with family and friends. You never know how one of these health tips can completely transform someone's life when you take the time to share it with them. There's also the Dr. Gundry Podcast YouTube channel where we have tens of thousands of free health insights that can help you and your loved ones live a long, vital life. Let's do this together.