Eric R. Braverman

Eric R. Braverman, M.D.
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Nationality	American
Institutions	PATH Medical; PATH Foundation NY
Alma mater	Brandeis University; New York University School of Medicine
Known for	Brain health checkup and ultrasound physical used in primary care
Website www.pathmed.com

Eric R. Braverman is a physician, researcher, and author. He is the medical director of PATH (Place for Achieving Total Health) Medical and coordinator of clinical research for PATH Foundation NY, both of which are located in New York City. Braverman has published journal articles and popular books on the topics of neurology, psychiatry, internal medicine, bariatrics, and preventative medicine.

Career

Education

Braverman graduated Phi Beta Kappa summa cum laude with a B.A. in general science from Brandeis University in 1979. He received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine with honors in 1983, and obtained internal medicine experience at Greenwich Hospital, a Yale School of Medicine affiliate, and research experience at Massachusetts General Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate.

Braverman has served as clinical assistant professor of integrative medicine in neurological surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College (2008-2013), assistant attending physician at Cabrini Medical Center, instructor in psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, and has trained numerous medical residents and Physician Assistant students at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Weill Cornell Medical College, Touro College, School of Health Sciences, and Life College. Braverman is the founder and medical director of the Place For Achieving Total Health (PATH) Medical. He is also founder and president of PATH Foundation NY, a non-profit clinical research organization.

Braverman currently holds an appointment as Courtesy Assistant Professor at the University of Florida.

Research and funding

PATH Foundation NY is directed towards brain-based research aspiring to develop practical diagnostic and treatment methods meant to improve longevity. He has received research funding grants from Weill Cornell, the Druckenmiller Fund and the Life Extension Foundation. Braverman’s research includes: models for weight control, modulating addictive behavior, early detection of Alzheimer's disease, outcomes of hormone replacement therapy, radiation disaster prevention, and modernizing the selection of neuropsychiatric treatments based on bioelectrical imbalances in the brain using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) methods. Braverman implements this form of brain mapping, called brain electrical assessment method (BEAM), as an extension of topographic brain mapping methods originally developed by Frank H. Duffy. In its clinical use, BEAM constitutes a battery of neurological testing equivalent to tests used in cardiology (in the form of echocardiograms, ECGs, stress tests, and Holter monitors), and is administered alongside qEEG, the Wechsler Memory Scale, Test of Variables of Attention, and personality type classification.

In April 2012, Braverman co-authored an obesity study in PLoS ONE with New York's State Health Commissioner, exposing Body Mass Index (BMI) as an unreliable indicator of obesity at 39% inaccuracy. With the study’s revised BMI cut points (>28 for men, >24 for women) and the incorporation of a leptin blood test, Braverman as co-author developed a leptin-adjusted BMI standard with 91% accuracy. The publication was a number one Google news story and earned media coverage. Weill Cornell Medical College held a conference to discuss the findings and therapeutic implications. As co-author, Braverman spoke about the study and was joined by the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Nora Volkow and former New York State Governor David Paterson.

Work on brain health

Braverman specializes in anti-aging and considers a person to be as "young as his or her oldest body part." He has created a "brain health checkup", which aims to identify early cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and age-related learning differences. He describes the "Edge Effect," as the combined effect of optimizing the neurotransmitters of dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA and serotonin to produce a cascade of wellness. Braverman's work primarily focuses on brain health, promoting the use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, creative implementation of conventional medicine, and personal responsibility.

Braverman's ultrasound-based physical, along with the brain health checkup, is aimed to reevaluate the Flexner Report of 1910 and comprise an integrative model that embodies a "culture of health." In conjunction with his medical practice, Braverman provides dietary supplementation.

Awards and honors

Braverman was awarded the American Medical Association's Physician's Recognition Award in Continuing Medical Education and earned an Honorary Degree as Doctor of Humane Letters at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine in 2010. Braverman has held government service on the Police Benevolent Association as a State Trooper Police Surgeon and is an Ambassador of Goodwill to the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies through the United States Department of Defense, directed Richard Downie,.

Professional activities

Braverman serves on the editorial and peer-review committees for journals, including Life Extension Foundation, Advances in Therapy, Biological Psychiatry, American Aging Association, and the Journal of Neurotherapy. In addition, Braverman actively fulfills government and community advisement roles in the New York County Medical Society, the New York Task Force on Life and the Law under the appointment of Governor George Pataki, and is currently undergoing nomination for membership to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Caveats

Braverman's claims regarding brain health are unsupported by peer-reviewed medical evidence. Some individuals think that Braverman's method of a brain health check-up and ultrasound physical leads to too much testing. This has led to numerous criticisms by medical boards, insurance companies, and medical centers. His argument is that completing one set of EKG's, HDL and cholesterol testing is not sufficient. As long as computerization continues to advance, ultimately, more testing will be done to find disease earlier. He believes that aging cannot be reversed unless preventative tests are performed.

Memberships

Braverman serves as a board member on the Life Extension Scientific Board and the International Hormone Society. He is an active member in other professional societies including the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, the American Neuropsychiatric Association, the Quantitative EEG Board, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Path Medical

Braverman's clinic, The Place for Achieving Total Health, is located in New York City and is where Braverman is the presiding doctor and takes in clients into his private practice. PATH Medical has been investigated by the Office of the New York State of the Attorney General Health Care Bureau for deceptive and misleading business practices due to a large number of complaints to the OAG and disputes with credit card companies. The OAG found that PATH Medical had misrepresented the cost of treatment to patients by claiming insurance would cover as much as 80% of the cost of treatment, even while PATH Medical was aware that insurance was likely to deny claims. The OAG also found that patients were not provided documentation about what testing had been conducted at the time of treatment, and that many patients complained that they were being charged extra to review or discuss the results of those tests. Finally, the OAG found that PATH Medical used insecure methods such as personal email accounts to communicate private health information, including patient records. PATH Medical reached a settlement with the NY OAG in December 2014, called Assurance 14-222, promising to reform its practices to ensure that all consent forms would clearly indicate that patients will likely not receive insurance coverage for their treatment, that patients would receive an itemized receipt with costs and CPT codes before any treatment is conducted, and that PHI would no longer be sent via email.

Publications

Braverman is the author of several books and peer-reviewed papers, each addressing various aspects of neurology and total health meant to improve longetivity. His work includes:

• The Edge Effect: Achieve Total Health and Longevity With the Balanced Brain Advantage, (2004)
• The Amazing Way to Reverse Heart Disease Naturally, (2004)
• Younger (Thinner) You Diet: How Understanding Your Brain Chemistry Can Help You Lose Weight, Reverse Aging, and Fight Disease, (2006)
• Younger You: Unlock the Hidden Power of Your Brain to Look and Feel 15 Years Younger, (2007)
• Younger Brain, Sharper Mind: A 6-Step Plan for Preserving and Improving Memory and Attention at Any Age from America’s Brain Doctor, (2011)
• Younger (Sexier) You: Look and Feel 15 Years Younger by Having the Best Sex of Your Life, (2011)
• Measuring Adiposity in Patients: The Utility of Body Mass Index (BMI), Percent Body Fat, and Leptin, (Nirav R. Shah and Eric R. Braverman, PLoS One, 2012)
• Evoked Potentials and Neuropsychological Tests Validate Positron Emission Topography (PET) Brain Metabolism in Cognitively Impaired Patients, (Eric R. Braverman et al., PLoS One, 2013)
• Hypothesising that Salts of Iodine, Strontium and Caesium Reverse Ageing Induced by Nuclear Radiation, (Eric R. Braverman, Robert J. Baker et al., International Journal of Low Radiation, 2013)
• Managing Terrorism or Accidental Nuclear Errors, Preparing for Iodine-131 Emergencies: A Comprehensive Review, (Eric R. Braverman et al., International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2014)

Media appearances

Braverman has been a radio personality since 1986 and currently hosts Total Health on WABC-770 Sundays at noon, and has also made guest appearances on other radio shows. In the past, he hosted a weekly show on WOR 710 Radio, until his contract was canceled in June 1996 following board action in the state of NJ and PA. He has appeared on television networks and primetime shows including NBC Nightly News, Larry King Live, The Today Show, The Tyra Banks Show, MSNBC, Benny Hinn's This Is Your Day and The O’Reilly Factor. In addition, Braverman's work has been featured in magazines and non-academic publications, including as Elle, Vogue and New York Magazine.

References

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons