303 - The Only Side Effects Are Good Ones with Dr. Dean Ornish

According to the CDC,  about 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year. That’s 1 in every 4 deaths. A staggering 100 BILLION dollars were spent several years ago on stents and bypasses. But how effective are those dangerous, invasive, and costly procedures in improving the patient's quality of life? Is there an alternative?

Today's guest is Dr. Dean Ornish, the founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute. He is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of seven books, all national bestsellers. Dr. Dean Ornish has directed revolutionary research proving that lifestyle changes can often reverse or undo the progression of many of the most common and costly chronic diseases and even begin reversing aging at a cellular level. He documented his findings in his landmark book UnDo It!

Dr. Dean Ornish studied medicine under Dr. Michael DeBakey, an American vascular surgeon and cardiac surgeon, scientist, and medical educator known for his trailblazing efforts in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. 

Today, Dr. Dean Ornish is helping people regain their health with his program, The Only Program Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease, which is reimbursed by Medicare from anywhere in the U.S. ’Nuff said! Let's dive into this eye-opening episode and UnDo It!

“When I was in medical school, we were taught that the only way to change your genes is to change your parents, meaning you can't do anything about it. But we did a study with Craig Venter, who was the first to decode the human genome, and we found that over 500 genes were changed in just three months. Same lifestyle changes turning on the good genes, turning off the bad genes in simple terms. And there are mechanisms. There is something called methylation, which is a molecule that's like a switch that can turn on or turn off a gene. Technically, the genes are the same, but the expression of the genes—if you can turn off a gene that causes cancer, then it's as though you're changing your genes. Or different proteins, histone, and non-histone proteins, they act as switches, and sirtuins and others that turn on and turn off the genes. And we found that over 500 genes were changed in just three months.” - Dr. Dean Ornish

What we discuss in this episode:

- Dr. Dean Ornish walks us through that pivotal moment when he met Woodstock Guru Sri Swami Satchidananda and how that encounter changed the direction of his life 

- How stress increases our predisposition to cardiovascular diseases and the worst thing about being depressed

- Is there something wrong with traditional medicine? 

- Dr. Dean Ornish talks about the joy that his work brings, enabling people to have options vs. undergoing costly medical procedures

- How to UnDo It! Eat Well, Move More, Stress Less, Love More

- How comprehensive lifestyle changes influence DNA methylation and gene expression

- Does eating specific foods (sweet potato meals vs. blueberry vs. cheeseburgers) influence cancer genes?

- What hope do we have in getting the message to people about the way we view our health and the overall healthcare system?

- Choosing a plant-based diet - What you gain is so much better than what you give up! Watch The Game Changers, a revolutionary film about plant-based eating, protein, and strength. 

-The Ornish Diet - What you include in your diet is as important as what you exclude.

- The Gut-Brain Connec