Oct 15, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min · 16 segments
Full show notes: BenGreenfieldLife.com/healthyheart In this episode, I’m re-airing my conversation with biochemist and engineer…
Ben GreenfieldHost
So Patrick, welcome to the show, and I would just love to hear your story about what happened to you and your heart to get you interested in this in the first place.
Well, it, it all happened by accident in 2001 when I was getting my Q1 MBA at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School.
One of my classmates was the, um, vice chair of psychology and psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic.
The class in front of us had the head of cardiology, and the three of us got to talking, and they convinced me to get what's called an executive physical, and it's a three-day physical.
Now, mind you, at that time, I was 48 years old, winning 5Ks, 10Ks, still playing ice hockey.
They cajoled me and teased me and all that, so I went there for a three-day physical.
So at the v- and I passed everything with flying colors, as I pretty much assumed I would.
But what was really crazy was my last afternoon, well, my last morning there- My attending personal care physician said, "Is there any other tests that you would like run?" And I had heard about these calcium score tests while driving through Chicago almost six, eight months earlier, and I just said, "Hey, c- do you have a something to do a, a calcium test or a calcium score?" And they said, "Yes, we do, but we don't recommend it."
I said, "Why?" They says, "Because you passed all your tests without a problem." I said, "Okay, but don't you have to give me what I ask for?" "Oh, yeah, we do." I says, "Okay, I want one." Well, she reluctantly gave me one at, like, 11:00 in the morning.
I, I, I re- I had pot roast, potatoes, gravy, some green beans, and a Schlitz root beer.

So Patrick, welcome to the show, and I would just love to hear your story about what happened to you and your heart to get you interested in this in the first place.
Well, it, it all happened by accident in 2001 when I was getting my Q1 MBA at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School.
One of my classmates was the, um, vice chair of psychology and psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic.
The class in front of us had the head of cardiology, and the three of us got to talking, and they convinced me to get what's called an executive physical, and it's a three-day physical.
Now, mind you, at that time, I was 48 years old, winning 5Ks, 10Ks, still playing ice hockey.
They cajoled me and teased me and all that, so I went there for a three-day physical.
So at the v- and I passed everything with flying colors, as I pretty much assumed I would.
But what was really crazy was my last afternoon, well, my last morning there- My attending personal care physician said, "Is there any other tests that you would like run?" And I had heard about these calcium score tests while driving through Chicago almost six, eight months earlier, and I just said, "Hey, c- do you have a something to do a, a calcium test or a calcium score?" And they said, "Yes, we do, but we don't recommend it."
I said, "Why?" They says, "Because you passed all your tests without a problem." I said, "Okay, but don't you have to give me what I ask for?" "Oh, yeah, we do." I says, "Okay, I want one." Well, she reluctantly gave me one at, like, 11:00 in the morning.
I, I, I re- I had pot roast, potatoes, gravy, some green beans, and a Schlitz root beer.
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