SUPPORTING YOUR HEALING SINCE 1994

Heart Health - Research and Resources

By Philip Buttenfield, LCSW, JD

Winter, 2005, Volume 2, Number 1

In 1990 Dr. Dean Ornish captured the attention of the Western Medical community with his Program For Reversing Heart Disease. That year he published a book explaining the methodology and results of his four-year study. What was so revolutionary was that he definitively showed that heart disease can be halted or even reversed simply by changing your lifestyle. Although the medical community was slow to catch on, the general public - perhaps tired of the limited options of drugs and surgery - resonated with the program and made his book a New York Times Bestseller.

Positive results from the Ornish program require a firm commitment by persons having heart disease to participate in activities that change their lifestyle and lower their risk for heart problems. Such activities include yogic stretching, breathing patterns, directed visualization and meditation to 'open your heart to inner peace,' as well as an exercise component and even recipes for changing your diet.

All these components (stress reduction modalities, exercise and diet control) are now considered 'basics' for any preventative heart disease program. Numerous versions of Dr. Ornish's protocol are available in most areas of the US. Programs that strictly adhere to his original design are even reimbursable by many health insurance providers. (See below for local contact information).

For those of us involved in Integrative Medicine, one great result from Dr. Ornish's work is the scientific confirmation that there are psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects vital to healing. Another is that people can be self empowered to change their personal health, and they can do it without earning a medical degree or understanding quantum physics.

We've included a short list of books, Internet web sites, and local contacts you may find useful in your journey to a Healthy Heart.

Books by Dean Omish, MD

Program for Reversing Heart Disease

Eat More, Weigh Less: Ornish's Life Choice Program for Losing Weight Safely

Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish

Love and Survival: Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy

The Healing Secrets of Food: Practical Guide for Nourishing Body, Mind &. Soul

Other Books

Healing From the Heart, Mehmet Oz, MD

Eat to Live: Revolutionary Formula for Fast &. Sustained Weight Loss

Fuhrman &. Oz You: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger

Oz & Roizen (coming in May, 2005) Hands of Life: Use Your Body's Own Energy Medicine for Healing, Recovery and Transformation

Julie Motz Natural Health, Natural Medicine

Andrew Weil, MD Peace, Love and Healing

Bernie Siegel, MD Quantum Healing

Internet Sites

www.clinicaltrials.gov (For most recent studies of Reiki Healing, meditation,Qigong, and other integrative modalities and Heart Disease)

www.reikimedresearch.com (medical research on Reiki Healing, a biofieldtherapy)

www.positivehealth.com (updates on alternative and integrative medicine treatment studies and cardiovascular disease; registration required)

Local contacts for Healthy Hearts

Ruth Rittenhouse, HighMark Co-Director of Stress Management for Preventive Health Services, and sponsor of the Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease 412.344.7434

Working Hearts - a coalition of women and organizations promoting strong women/strong hearts,  See web site for details of their upcoming conference- February 18. (See page 16) www.workinghearts.org; 412.594.2583

Join a Study - check your risk factors

Heart SCORE Study at University of Pittsburgh, Comprehensive Heart Center, 412.648.9516 (study of cardiovascular risk factors in men and women)

The Esther Project at University of Pittsburgh, 412.648.8759 (study of women's health risks for heart disease)

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