This Charlie Rose interview gives an opportunity to hear Dr. Ornish in his own words talking about his work, successes, strategy and goals.

As I watched the interview, the primary messages that came through for me were:

1- the Ornish program works; it has documented success in controlling and actually reversing chronic diseases, like diabetes, heart disease and cancer,
2- the medical community recognizes it works,
3- additional confirmation that it works is — it is being used in hospitals and is paid for by insurance companies and Medicare,
4- the program has a wide range of flexibility – a “Spectrum” of choices,
5- lifestyle changes including exercise, stress reduction and social support seem to be as important as dietary changes,
6- there is considerable skepticism about whether people can actually follow the program; Ornish and his colleges have shown people can actually do it,
7- the strict Ornish Reversal Diet, which has proven heart disease and cancer can be reversed, is not recommended for everyone,
8- the more people are willing to adopt the program and its recommended changes the more improvement they will see in their lives, and
9- Ornish and others present the facts: – the changes required for good health are simple; the recommended changes are powerful; it’s up to individuals to do something about changing their own lifestyles for better health.

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A brief review of Dr. Ornish’s program, The Spectrum, is on the WebMD web site. This is the last paragraph in that WebMD article – “This plan is based on years of research and is also very doable. If you cut through the clutter of diet books on the market and give this flexible lifestyle approach a chance, it may be the last “diet” plan you’ll ever need.”

Dr. Ornish has published several books. His book, “The Spectrum, a scientifically proven program to feel better, live longer, lose weight, gain health”, includes recommendations for diets as well as exercise, stress management, and meditation. It has separate chapters explaining how his program affects and improves weight loss, blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, prostate and breast cancer. It lists foods in 5 different groups ranging from the healthiest to unhealthy, and includes recipes and techniques showing how to prepare meals following his recommended diet strategy. Among other places, Dr Ornish’s books can be purchased here.

Discussion Topics

* – Introduction – Charlie Rose mentions Dr. Ornish has shown they can reverse heart disease. Ornish’s program is in use by dozens of hospitals and is being paid for by insurance companies and Medicare. More recently, he is studying the effects of lifestyle changes, and prostate cancer.

* – Ornish reviews his work for past 25 years

he and his colleges have actually reversed serious illnesses like heart disease.

His work is designed to treat the causes of the disease, not just the symptoms of disease.

High tech measures prove the effectiveness of his program.

importance of exercise and personal and social relationships

* – studies show they could reverse heart disease and now cancer

current criticism is it works, but no body can follow the program. Ornish group is showing people actually can do it.

over 40 insurance companies and now Medicare pay for program – classified as alternative treatment program and not just a prevention program. They found they are saving lots of money with this treatment program

insurance companies were skeptical – didn’t think people could do the program. Ornish has shown people actually can do it.

* – medical community accepts the Ornish program works.

But problem is educating how it works.

* – how do you know what is best for an individual

Atkins program doesn’t work.

Ornish program is documented – it works.

likely outcomes with Ornish changes

Ornish doesn’t tell people what to do. Just tells them the facts, and let’s them decide what they want to do.

presents range of options

Moderate changes don’t do much.

Bigger changes probably work.

* – Ornish gives people full range of options

tells scientific facts

doesn’t try to get people to do anything

American Heart Association diet doesn’t work.

conventional medical treatment knows ADA diet doesn’t work, and suggests you might as well take drugs.

Moderate changes don’t so much.

lifestyle changes work well when people are willing to make big changes

drugs have side effects and are expensive

* – what are big changes?

genetic variations in different people affect how their body works – it’s a bell curve with people on different ends of the bell curve. However, Ornish program works even for people on the inefficient end of the genetic bell curve if they are willing to make big changes

Reversal Diet is not recommended for everyone

* – discusses parameters of Reversal Diet

* – prostate cancer

animal studies show prostate cancer can be turned off with a low fat diet

anecdotal reports suggested same for humans

* – watchful waiting and side effects of conventional prostate cancer treatment – impotence and incontinence.

Ornish study with men in watchful waiting group

* – prostate cancer recurs within 5 years in 30% of patients who had successful radical prostatectomy

why? – microscopic spread of disease throughout body

* – diet and lifestyle – preliminary data is finding support groups, etc. has as much an effect as diet changes on prostate cancer

* – would like to address causes of illness

it’s not all or nothing

would like a full range of options presented to patients

would like people to know how powerful these changes can be