In his book Spectrum, Dr. Dean Ornish gently takes you be the lapels, shakes you, looks you in the eye, and, in effect, says, “Get with it!” One point he emphasizes: doctors receive payments for surgeries and medicine instead of preventive measures.
His calm, reasoned report ranges from advice to results of three decades of research by his nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute (www.pmri.org) and other study groups. The cumulative impact is noteworthy.
Clint Eastwood, for example, says, “I’ve been following Dr. Dean Ornish’s program for more than a decade, and I feel younger now than I did ten years ago. Dr. Ornish’s style of eating and living is always delicious and never boring.”
You’ve read or heard about the lifestyle changes Dr. Ornish recommends: eat more fruits and veggies and less red meat; exercise; meditate; drink green tea and less booze; use less salt and eat more fiber; alleviate stress; quit smoking; and socialize. What happens? In groups of people with developing heart and stroke problems, high blood pressure, and at-risk prostate cancer candidates, a large majority of them showed dramatic health improvement.
Walnut Creek resident Paul Hed discovered he had prostate cancer nearly a decade ago, and joined a Dr. Ornish study group. He lost 15 pounds and lowered his blood pressure 20 points in the first three months. His lifestyle changes included a low-fat diet, yoga, stress reduction steps, and weekly sessions with others in the test group, in addition to the changes mentioned above.
For the general population, Dr. Ornish suggests two approaches. You can make small, gradual changes. “Over time, small changes add up and are often sustainable,” he says.
Or “make comprehensive lifestyle changes all at once.” The benefit of this is you’ll experience big improvements—and quickly.
Spectrum (Ballentine Books) includes recipes and tips by noted chef Art Smith plus a CD on guided meditations.
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