According to the CDC, about 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year. That’s 1 in every 4 deaths. A staggering 100 BILLION dollars were spent several years ago on stents and bypasses. But how effective are those dangerous, invasive, and costly procedures in improving the patients’ quality of life? Is there an alternative?
Today’s guest is Dr. Dean Ornish, the founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute. He is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of seven books, all national bestsellers. Dr. Dean Ornish has directed revolutionary research proving that lifestyle changes can often reverse or undo the progression of many of the most common and costly chronic diseases and even begin reversing aging at a cellular level. He documented his findings in his landmark book UnDo It!
Dr. Dean Ornish studied medicine under Dr. Michael DeBakey, an American vascular surgeon and cardiac surgeon, scientist and medical educator known for his trailblazing efforts in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Today, Dr. Dean Ornish is helping people regain their health with his program, The Only Program Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease, which is reimbursed by Medicare from anywhere in the U.S. ’Nuff said!Let’s dive into this eye-opening episode and UnDo It!
Listen to Episode 173 with Dr. Dean Ornish:
[Tweet “100 BILLION dollars were spent several years ago on stents and bypasses. They’re dangerous, invasive, and largely ineffective, yet something as simple as lifestyle changes can actually prevent and even reverse disease at a fraction of a cost. The only side effects are good ones.” – Dr. Dean Ornish]
What we discuss in this episode:
Dr. Dean Ornish walks us through that pivotal moment when he met Woodstock Guru Sri Swami Satchidananda and how that encounter changed the direction of his life
How stress increases our predisposition to cardiovascular diseases and the worst thing about being depressed
Is there something wrong with traditional medicine?
Dr. Dean Ornish talks about the joy that his work brings, enabling people to have options vs. undergoing costly medical procedures
How to UnDo It!Eat Well, Move More, Stress Less, Love More
How comprehensive lifestyle changes influence DNA methylation and gene expression
Does eating specific foods (sweet potato meals vs. blueberry vs. cheeseburgers) influence cancer genes?
What hope do we have in getting the message to people about the way we view our health and the overall healthcare system?
Choosing a plant-based diet – What you gain is so much better than what you give up! Watch The Game Changers, a revolutionary film about plant-based eating, protein, and strength.
The Ornish Diet – What you include in your diet is as important as what you exclude.
The Gut-Brain Connection and how our bodies are affected by the food we eat
A plant-based diet has so many health benefits: reduced inflammation, a stronger immune system, and improved gut health, just to name a few. But can plant-based eating also have an impact on addiction and recovery? Could it prevent relapses and increase your resilience to cope with life? These are the questions that today’s guests, Dr. Tara Kemp and Adam Sud, set out to answer in The INFINITE Study, which researches if there are any benefits to plant-based eating in addiction recovery.
On a summer morning in 2001, today’s guest, Michael O’Brien, had what he refers to as his last bad day. While out on a morning bike ride, an SUV traveling at 40 mph crossed into his lane and struck him head-on, forever altering his life as he knew it. Doctors were shocked that he survived and told him that he’d likely never ride again or even walk with comfort. Yet, in 2022, Michael completed a 41-day, 3,600-mile bike ride across the United States, proving all of them wrong.
Today’s guests are on a mission to empower patients and accelerate change in the way medicine is practiced. They are husband and wife practitioners of functional and integrative medicine and experienced huge improvements in their own health by switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet. Dr. Micah Yu is an integrative rheumatologist and he has a unique perspective as both a physician and a patient because he was diagnosed with gout—a form of inflammatory arthritis that’s extremely painful—at the age of 17. Dr. Melissa Mondala is a triple specialist in family medicine, lifestyle medicine, and primary care psychiatry. She’s one of the first and youngest nationally recognized lifestyle medicine fellows and has devoted decades of volunteer work in underserved communities throughout the world.
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