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The Dean Ornish Reversal Program

 

Reverse Heart Disease with Ornish Diet and Lifestyle Program

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is proud to offer Dr. Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease®, the only lifestyle program that's been scientifically proven to slow or reverse heart disease. Rather than relying on medication or surgery to control chronic disease, the Ornish program teaches participants how to make achievable, lasting lifestyle changes by eating healthy, being active and managing stress.

Dr. Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease has more than 35 years of peer-reviewed, published research documenting its proven benefits, which include:

  • Reduced risk of heart-related events
  • Decreased frequency and severity of chest pain
  • Reduced dosage or eliminated need for medication
  • Reduced high cholesterol and blood pressure and lose weight
  • Lost weight and increased ability to exercise

Ornish Lifestyle Medicine

The Ornish program's cornerstone is a nine-week course designed to give participants the tools they need to lose weight and live longer, healthier lives. Course sessions, held semiweekly in small groups, cover nutrition counseling, meal preparation for the Ornish diet, exercise instruction, and reducing stress through yoga and meditation. Participants learn how to adopt the low-fat, whole foods and plant-based Ornish diet; exercise for at least 30 minutes each day; manage common life stresses; and utilize a social support system.

Ornish Named the Best Diet for Heart Health

An integral part of the Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease is the whole-foods and plant-based Ornish diet that it prescribes. Credited with helping combat chronic diseases like heart disease, prostate cancer and Type II diabetes, the Ornish diet was named by U.S. News & World Report as the best heart-healthy diet and one of the Top 10 best diets overall. The report also ranked the Ornish diet plan in the top five diabetes diets.

Insurance Coverage

Dr. Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease has been so effective in undoing years of damage to the heart that Medicare and some major insurance plans now cover it under the intensive cardiac rehabilitation benefit category; it is the first program of its kind to receive this level of support.

Conditions that may qualify you for the Ornish Reversal Program through your insurance include:

  • Heart conditions
  • Heart or valve surgery
  • Angioplasty/Stent Placement

Learn More About the Ornish Diet and Lifestyle Program

To speak with one of Sarasota Memorial’s certified Ornish program specialists, call (941) 917-6139. Click here for a look at the impressive results that cohorts in the SMH Ornish Program achieved. For general information about the Ornish diet and program, visit www.ornish.com.