Medical science sometimes runs out of options when it comes to critical heart care.
Imagine being told to go home as there is nothing left for the doctors to do.
Wouldn't it be devastating to know that your days are numbered?
But sometimes, the best solutions come from entirely unexpected corners of medicine.
Dr. Dean Ornish had a scientific approach that no other doctor had ever tried. The
whole healthcare system had its eyes on the wrong prize.
But what exactly was the way to reverse heart diseases? Does that mean you have
another chance at life? What would be the quality of life after that?
(pause)
But first, what makes heart diseases so scary?
The heart acts as the pumping unit of the body. The heart sends blood to vital organs.
Without enough circulating, it's difficult for your body to function
optimally. Coronary artery diseases arise from reduced blood supply to the heart.
Statistically, almost 20 million US adults have heart diseases. Some of them undergo
surgeries or have to depend on drugs for a lifetime. But sadly, not everyone can make it.
Heart diseases kill one person every 34 seconds in the United States alone. Poor
heart health alone claims more lives than cancer, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, and accidents.
The skyrocketing number of heart patients alarmed a young internal medicine specialist,
Dr. Dean Ornish. He started his quest for non-surgical and non-pharmaceutical
therapies for controlling coronary heart diseases during his medical training. He
firmly believed there had to be some alternative medical technique for saving lives.
He continued researching and completed his post-graduation from Baylor college
of medicine. He even completed a clinical fellowship at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Ornish went beyond medical school curriculum to develop techniques that would slow,
stop and reverse heart diseases. The method relies on four pillars diet, exercise, stress reduction,
and social support. These techniques are totally inexpensive yet highly effective.
Today Dr. Ornish is a world-renowned professor of medicine at the University of California,
San Francisco, and has been an advocate of this Ornish lifestyle. He was the star physician
and consultant to the US presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and His Royal Highness
Prince Charles. His fame spread like wildfire. Later he started a nonprofit Preventive Medicine
Research Institute in California to reverse heart conditions and other deadly diseases.
He also calls the program participants graduates after they complete their stay in this institute.
(pause)
Let’s learn about these four life-altering solutions.
First is the Ornish diet.
Dr. Ornish prefers a Lacto-Ovo-vegetarian diet to reverse heart disease. He advises having only 10%
of your daily calories from fat. Animal products other than egg whites and low
fat dairy are not allowed. You can have fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes,
nuts, seeds, and other plant-based foods. Refined carbs, excessive oil, margarine,
sugar, and excessive caffeine are prohibited. You can only have two cups of green tea in a day.
The lumen of your arteries is just 4 mm in diameter. So if you continue eating
fatty, greasy, or sugary food, it will not take more than a few years for your
arteries to clog up. These clogged arteries can weaken heart muscle.
(pause)
The next lifestyle modification on his list is exercising.
Did you know having a sedentary lifestyle puts you at a higher risk than smokers of
getting a heart attack? Aerobic exercises, jogging, brisk walking, weight lifting,
and resistance training can lengthen your heart's life. Research says only 53% of
Americans above the age of 18 years get enough physical activity. Being physically inactive
is the biggest hindrance to leading a healthy life. Dr. Ornish recommends reducing the sitting
time. Regular exercise for at least 30 minutes a day or for one hour 3 times a week is a must..
(pause)
Another area of focus is stress management.
The connection between your mind and body is surreal. Your personal problems, family matters,
job, and financial situation can put you under stress. Dealing with chronic emotional
stress can be tiring for your mind and heart. Practicing relaxation techniques like breathing,
yoga, meditation, imagery, and stretching can help your ticker.
Listen to what Jay Fiddle, the host of a chat show: Community Matters,
says about stress management after graduating from Ornish Institute. (Insert clip from The
Omish Program Can Help Us All. Begin at 28.57- I wandered. End at 29.24- for days)
Do any exercise form that appeals to you for one hour every day.
Initially you might have difficulty concentrating for one hour. But reserve
some time from your busy schedule anyway. Consistency is more important than duration.
(pause)
Do you think lack of social support doesn't affect your heart nearly as much?
Dr. Ornish thinks otherwise. Having the support of your
loved ones can give you a feeling of being heard and reduce stress.
He believes a lonely person is 3 to 10 times more likely to die prematurely from disease.
Here is what Dr. Dean Ornish has to say on social interactions.
(Insert clip from Davos 2015 - An Insight, An Idea with Dean Ornish.
Start at 3.18 Nicholas Christakis. End at 3.33 even if you have not met them)
When you're social, you feel such a strong sense of connection and belonging that it's hard to feel
depressed. Support groups also motivate people to exercise, eat clean, and pour their hearts out.
He also focuses on intimacy. He believes in the mantra “love more & live more”.
(pause)
Initially, Dr. Ornish faced severe criticism and skepticism from the medical world.
But it did not reverse the course of his will. In 1990 he published the results of
his randomized trial conducted on 28 people. He followed the experimental
group for five years and saw their life change. But since the study's sample size was small,
the critics heavily doubted the effectiveness of the results.
Today Dr.Onish has produced massive data from his foundation that is enough to prove that
aggressive life changes can prolong heart health. His research team uses high-tech,
state-of-the-art scientific diagnostic measures to demonstrate the effectiveness of this program.
Dr. Ornish’s therapy can even reduce your risk of getting diabetes, early-stage prostate cancer,
and breast cancer. The biological mechanism in your body is dynamic,
especially when you make significant changes. Most people feel better in no time.
In the early nineties, none of the insurance companies covered this program, but in 1993
Mutual of Omaha, a giant name in insurance, agreed to cover this program. Dr. Ornish's
program became the first alternative therapy to win insurance reimbursement.
In 2006 Medicare also began covering this program. During the pandemic,
Medicare agreed to cover the expenses via zoom when everything was virtual.
The pioneer of lifestyle medicine went on to write the national bestseller "Undo it."
In the book, he talks in-depth about his proven plan to reverse cancer, diabetes,
heart disease, weight gain, and cholesterol.
Today there are thousands of heart patients who owe their lives to Dr. Ornish. They have
adopted a new way of life after the Ornish program and can lead a perfectly independent
life. They are off medicines and enjoy life to the fullest. Read their heartfelt stories
by clicking the official link of Ornish Lifestyle Medicine in the description box.
Do you think Dr's Ornish’s solutions can't work because of your strong
family history of heart disease? There is no longer any need to be
the victim of your genetic fate. Lifestyle changes can do a lot.
Dr. Ornish further studied how making a lifestyle change could change
genes. He observed cellular changes in the participants who completed a three-month program.
Around 500 different types of genes in their body changed due to chemical reactions. The
genes did not change structurally but just worked more efficiently.
(pause)
Later in 2013, Dr. Ornish also found a way to beat aging.
Are you wondering how in the world this is possible? The answer again is genes!
A peculiar thing about these genes is that they shorten as you age. While studying them with
Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, a Nobel Prize winner in medicine, they found something surprising.
All the aggressive interventions that doctor Ornish made in the participants' lifestyle
helped to make the genes 30% longer in just 3 months' time. It meant that humans could
reverse age. The analysis was path-breaking and peer-reviewed, which left the critics dumbfounded.
This study opened a doorway to another domain of research for Dr. Ornish. Alzheimer's is an
age-related disease that the medical world is still struggling to find a sure-fire cure. The
age-related cognitive decline could be hereditary or acquired. But Dr. Ornish is confident
about seeing positive outcomes in early-stage Alzheimer's after aggressive lifestyle changes.
He thinks the holistic approach should ultimately be the one without drugs, surgeries, and devices.
While the research continues, it wouldn't hurt to start eating healthy. No one has ever complained
of being too healthy. If you want to stay sharp even in your old age, then check out these
9 Daily Habits That Are Linked To Alzheimer's Disease or
Prevent Alzheimer's & Dementia By Eating These 21 Foods That May Improve Memory
Go ahead. Click one. Or better yet, watch both and learn how to choose
the best foods for your brain health. Do you practice any of the lifestyle
modifications given by Dr. Ornish? Let us know in the comments below.