Dean Ornish

For more than three decades, Dr. Dean Ornish has been talking about the power individuals have to affect their health, even to the extent of reversing heart disease by changing the way they eat and behave. His prescription for sick people is radical, as he says, "a pound of cure. " But for the rest of us, it's a what he calls a "spectrum program" of choices. Ornish is talking about his ideas at the ninth annual Health Freedom Expo in Long Beach, March 1-3 ( www.healthfreedomexpo.com )

For more than three decades, Dr. Dean Ornish has been talking about the power individuals have to affect their health, even to the extent of reversing heart disease by changing the way they eat and behave. His prescription for sick people is radical, as he says, "a pound of cure. " But for the rest of us, it's a what he calls a "spectrum program" of choices. Ornish is talking about his ideas at the ninth annual Health Freedom Expo in Long Beach, March 1-3 ( www.healthfreedomexpo.com )

Dr. Dean Ornish had a subversive idea: Could severe heart disease be reversed without drugs or surgery? To find out, he asked 22 patients with atherosclerosis to change their diets and lifestyles for one year. A team of filmmakers decided to go along for the ride, trailing four of the patients and their families through a brave new world of clean living. Their fascinating film of Ornish's experiment, "Avoiding the Surgeon's Knife," airs this week as a segment of PBS' "Nova" series.

Five years ago Tom McMahon was diagnosed with prostate cancer. "I got the news and basically withdrew from life," said McMahon, 73, a retired psychotherapist who lives in San Jose. Nonetheless, McMahon actively researched possible treatments for his cancer. He talked with numerous men who had tried surgery (to remove the prostate gland) or radiation therapy. "It seemed every one of them experienced something screwy," McMahon said.

It's enlistment day at cardiac boot camp. Survivors of heart attacks, strokes or bypass surgery have trooped in from around the world to the stately old Claremont Resort and Spa in the hills above Oakland because they are dying. And if there is one thing every decent, self-respecting heart patient knows by now it's that you have to reckon with Dr. Dean Ornish. So 109 mostly middle-aged recruits, or in a few cases their insurers, have paid $3,600 each to learn a completely new way of living.

Making dramatic lifestyle changes, including consuming a diet of less than 10% fat, can lead to long-term improvements in patients with heart disease, according to the latest research by the well-known guru of prevention, Dr. Dean Ornish. In a follow-up to his ground-breaking study published in 1990, which showed a decline in heart disease markers after one year of lifestyle changes, Ornish now has data from a small group of 20 patients who stuck to the program for five years.

It's enlistment day at cardiac boot camp. Survivors of heart attacks, strokes or bypass surgery have trooped in from around the world to the stately old Claremont Resort and Spa in the hills above Oakland because they are dying. And if there is one thing every decent, self-respecting heart patient knows by now it's that you have to reckon with Dr. Dean Ornish. So 109 mostly middle-aged recruits, or in a few cases their insurers, have paid $3,600 each to learn a completely new way of living.

When running down a bumpy hill landed me in the emergency room with a severe ankle sprain several years ago, I vowed to do everything possible to avoid getting injured again. Exercise is my daily sanity break--a moving meditation that boosts my mood and strengthens my body--so being injured has all the appeal of prison. For three years, I stayed injury-free through prevention techniques such as switching from running daily to alternating running with other activities.

Five years ago Tom McMahon was diagnosed with prostate cancer. "I got the news and basically withdrew from life," said McMahon, 73, a retired psychotherapist who lives in San Jose. Nonetheless, McMahon actively researched possible treatments for his cancer. He talked with numerous men who had tried surgery (to remove the prostate gland) or radiation therapy. "It seemed every one of them experienced something screwy," McMahon said.

Former President Bill Clinton is speaking out about his plant-based, heart-healthy diet, saying that he believes the vegan regimen is helping to reverse the damage to his heart and blood vessels caused by cardiovascular disease.   "It's turning a ship around before it hits the iceberg, but I think we're beginning to turn it around," he told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta. It's not the first time Clinton has changed his famously Krispy Kreme-oriented eating habits to improve his health.

Making dramatic lifestyle changes, including consuming a diet of less than 10% fat, can lead to long-term improvements in patients with heart disease, according to the latest research by the well-known guru of prevention, Dr. Dean Ornish. In a follow-up to his ground-breaking study published in 1990, which showed a decline in heart disease markers after one year of lifestyle changes, Ornish now has data from a small group of 20 patients who stuck to the program for five years.

When running down a bumpy hill landed me in the emergency room with a severe ankle sprain several years ago, I vowed to do everything possible to avoid getting injured again. Exercise is my daily sanity break--a moving meditation that boosts my mood and strengthens my body--so being injured has all the appeal of prison. For three years, I stayed injury-free through prevention techniques such as switching from running daily to alternating running with other activities.

It's enlistment day at cardiac boot camp. Survivors of heart attacks, strokes or bypass surgery have trooped in from around the world to the stately old Claremont Resort and Spa in the hills above Oakland because they are dying. And if there is one thing every decent, self-respecting heart patient knows by now it's that you have to reckon with Dr. Dean Ornish. So 109 mostly middle-aged recruits, or in a few cases their insurers, have paid $3,600 each to learn a completely new way of living.

It's enlistment day at cardiac boot camp. Survivors of heart attacks, strokes or bypass surgery have trooped in from around the world to the stately old Claremont Resort and Spa in the hills above Oakland because they are dying. And if there is one thing every decent, self-respecting heart patient knows by now it's that you have to reckon with Dr. Dean Ornish. So 109 mostly middle-aged recruits, or in a few cases their insurers, have paid $3,600 each to learn a completely new way of living.

Dr. Dean Ornish had a subversive idea: Could severe heart disease be reversed without drugs or surgery? To find out, he asked 22 patients with atherosclerosis to change their diets and lifestyles for one year. A team of filmmakers decided to go along for the ride, trailing four of the patients and their families through a brave new world of clean living. Their fascinating film of Ornish's experiment, "Avoiding the Surgeon's Knife," airs this week as a segment of PBS' "Nova" series.

A new study by Dr. Dean Ornish (Dec. 16) finds that heart patients who cut back on fat live longer. Really? Gee, what next? A study that says if you eat less you will lose weight? A study that says less fat and exercise and you will live longer? Boy, who funds people like Ornish? We need more studies like that. BILL SIMPSON Rancho Palos Verdes

The first head-to-head trial of four popular diet plans -- Atkins, Dean Ornish, Weight Watchers and the Zone -- has found that people who stick with any of them for a year lose about 5% of their body weight, fewer pounds than most dieters hope for, and at least a third drop out before the year is up. Researchers announced the results at the American Heart Assn.'s annual meeting in Orlando.