reverse heart disease in 4 steps

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Reverse Heart disease

By Carla Waldemar

While the mention of bird flu and AIDS gets hearts fluttering, cardiac disease is the biggest pandemic in history, says Dean Ornish, M.D. That’s the bad news. The good news is that heart disease is reversible, and it can be reversed without costly drugs and surgery.
           
Ornish, director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, has helped patients avoid bypass surgery, reduce chest pain, and lower cholesterol with a four-point program. It’s a self-empowering program aimed at achieving not only a longer life but also a better one.
           
His program starts with heart-healthy eating. He rejects the word “diet” in favor of an eating plan that focuses on trimming the fat and increasing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
           
Ornish, who has been a vegetarian since he was 19, admits that the eating plan can be challenging for some. Reversing clogged arteries and eliminating the pain and immobility of angina are strong motivators, however, and losing weight and feeling better are added benefits. Other components of the plan include moderate exercise, stress management (such as yoga and meditation), and support. Smoking is not allowed.
           
Effective? You bet. Over the past 28 years, Ornish has directed a series of scientific studies and has amassed the statistics to prove how powerful changes in diet and lifestyle can be.