Obituary of Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.

On June 19th, Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.N., C.N.S., C.B.T. peacefully departed this world after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. For 75 years, he lived fully and with tremendous purpose, intellectual curiosity, humility, and spirituality. He was a generous soul with a huge heart, who dedicated his life to protecting and healing the hearts of others. As a cardiologist, educator and author, Dr. Sinatra touched the lives of countless people with his compassionate care, advice and optimism. His open-mindedness, “aha-moment” insights and genuine desire to heal people were “the perfect trifecta” that made him a trailblazer in the field of integrative medicine. Born in New York City to Elizabeth Patricia Kelly and Salvatore Charles Sinatra, Dr. Sinatra grew up loving family, food, dancing, animals, sports, and horseracing. Witnessing his mother’s heartbreaking struggles with type-1 diabetes and blindness inspired him to pursue a career as a healer. He attended Franklin and Marshall College pre-med on an athletic scholarship, competing as a division-1 wrestler. After graduating Albany Medical School, he started his cardiology career at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Connecticut, where he went on to serve as Chief of Cardiology, Director of Medical Education, Director of Echocardiography, and Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation. Once a warrior on the wrestling mat, Dr. Sinatra found himself a “midnight warrior” in the emergency room during his early years as a doctor. He soon realized that conventional treatments weren’t enough to keep cardiac patients from returning to the ER, and dove into research and educational programs on nutrition, mind-body medicine, and numerous other alternative therapies. A true integrative cardiology pioneer, his medicinal protocol soon combined the very best conventional and alternative practices – including clean, phytonutrient-packed foods and psychotherapy. As a bioenergetic psychotherapist, Dr. Sinatra was also able to treat his patients “from the neck up.” He saw the doctor-patient relationship as a partnership where both parties actively participated in patients’ healing, and he treated patients as if they were family members, even attending their weddings and funerals. “Master of the reframe,” Dr. Sinatra believed in perceiving illness as an opportunity to make positive changes in life. No matter how dire the circumstances, he always fostered hope for healing. One of his gifts as a physician was viewing his patients as his greatest teachers. He believed that God’s messengers could be anywhere. He also loved pets and saw animals as powerful healers, especially dogs and horses. To become the best doctor he could, Dr. Sinatra was fiercely committed to continual self-education. Through intensive research, writing and clinical practice, he became a leading expert on metabolic cardiology – the use of targeted nutritional supplements like coenzyme Q10 to improve energy production in the heart and ultimately quality of life. For almost 30 years, he formulated his own line of nutritional supplements to ensure his patients and the public would have access to heart health supplements which met his stringent standards for potency and efficacy. An avid interest in energy medicine also led Dr. Sinatra to take part in the discovery of grounding (absorbing the Earth’s natural electromagnetic energy) as a complementary healing modality. Decades later, the groundbreaking practices of metabolic cardiology and grounding are now commonly employed in integrative medicine and biohacking. Dr. Sinatra loved educating, inspiring and empowering people to live their healthiest lives through his writing and lectures. He was Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of Connecticut, and frequently lectured to health professionals across the country. As of his death, he authored more than 30 books and medical textbooks, over 45 peer-reviewed publications, and hundreds of informational blogs and articles through his newsletter and on his websites. One of Dr. Sinatra’s passions and goals was to see medical schools combine traditional medicine and naturopathy in one program, and he hoped that this life-changing philosophy will one day be embraced by the medical community. Another goal was to live his life to the fullest, which he did with gusto. He especially loved fly fishing, cooking, skiing, and horseracing. Dr. Sinatra is survived by the following family members (and their spouses): his wife, Jan; brother, Richard (Camille); two sisters, Pam and Maria (Jerry); three children, Marchann (Todd), Step, and Drew (Briana); three stepchildren, Donna (Dan), Kristin (Brad), and Greg (Jen); and thirteen grandchildren, Kai, Autumn, Savannah, Luca, Raya, Emma, Claire, Cecelia, Calvin, Evan, Luke, Brady and Austin; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was an exceptional human being who will be wholeheartedly missed and remembered often with profound gratitude. The Sinatra family will hold a private memorial. Arrangements are in the care of the Robinson, Wright, and Weymer Funeral Home, Centerbrook. Condolences may be sent to drsinatrastrong@gmail.com or left on his tribute wall at www.rwwfh.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (curefa.org); two of Steve's grandchildren bravely face life with Friedreich's Ataxia.