High blood pressure is one of the most common cardiovascular problems in the world—but what if the number on the blood pressure cuff is only part of the story?
In this episode of The Curious Cardiologist, Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj sits down with Mark Young, a functional medicine practitioner, entrepreneur, and CEO of Zona Health, to explore a different way of thinking about cardiovascular wellness.
Mark shares his journey from academia and health marketing into functional medicine and explains why he became interested in the relationship between endothelial function, circulation, nitric oxide, and blood pressure.
The conversation dives into the concept of isometric exercise—static muscle contractions such as planks, wall sits, and grip exercises—and how Zona Health has developed a guided hand-grip device around this type of exercise.
Dr. Sanjay and Mark also discuss the importance of lifestyle interventions, patient ownership, cardiovascular conditioning, medication conversations, and the challenge of separating evidence-based health information from online wellness noise.
The episode ultimately asks listeners to remain curious, question assumptions, and understand cardiovascular health as a system rather than simply a number on a blood pressure monitor.
The conversation explores:
- Why blood pressure may be viewed as part of a larger cardiovascular picture
- What the endothelium is and why it matters
- The relationship between vascular function and blood pressure
- How nitric oxide contributes to vasodilation
- What isometric exercise actually does
- How grip-based isometric training works
- Why Zona Health developed a guided isometric device
- Cardiovascular conditioning and lifestyle interventions
- The importance of patient education and health ownership
- How to evaluate health information online
- Why Mark believes people need to remain curious rather than blindly accepting health claims
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 — Meet Mark Young: Functional Medicine & Cardiovascular Health 07:37 — Taking Ownership of Your Health 14:30 — The Problem With Treating High Blood Pressure as Just a Number 19:00 — “Question Everything”: Rethinking the Standard of Care 25:09 — What Is the Endothelium? 29:50 — What Is Isometric Exercise? 32:41 — How the Zona Hand-Grip Device Works 40:54 — Sanjay Tests the Zona Device Live 43:02 — What Does the Research Say About Zona?
What is The Curious Cardiologist?
Rethinking heart health, one question at a time.
I’m Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj—interventional cardiologist, functional medicine expert, and lifelong student of what really keeps us well. In this podcast, we go beyond prescriptions and procedures to explore the deeper drivers of health, disease, and healing.
From inflammation to intuition, cholesterol to consciousness, I sit down with doctors, researchers, and changemakers who are reshaping how we think about the heart—and the whole human behind it.
Whether you're a fellow clinician, a health seeker, or someone navigating your own transformation, this show will challenge what you thought you knew—and invite you to stay curious.