Today, most people recognize that comprehensive lifestyle changes can halt the progression of heart disease. Yet, nearly 35 years after the observation was made, heart disease prevalence is still rising. What’s going on?
In 1999, when I was Director of the Ischemia Research and Education Foundation, a cardiovascular disease research organization, I asked the Board of Directors to approve funding to form a new division focused on cardiovascular disease prevention. They said: “We are a clinical research foundation; we study the role of pharmaceutical drugs on heart disease; we don’t fund these types of solutions”. I left.
As early as 1977, dr. dean ornish showed that a comprehensive program of a low fat, plant-based diet, exercise and stress reduction could reverse coronary artery disease. Many studies have subsequently estimated that 80-90% of all heart disease could be prevented by changing lifestyle. Furthermore, it’s critically important when you’re already seriously ill. A recent study involving eight hospitals determined that almost 80% of participants treated with a program of lifestyle modification were able to safely avoid heart surgery or angioplasty.
These successful approaches for heart disease prevention are generalizable to the broad population. That is, if everyone followed the same diet and stress management program, the majority would benefit. Yet, we all know that most patients don’t follow these recommendations because they either find them too difficult or cannot follow them on their own.
Studies have shown that patients are significantly more likely to follow recommendations when they receive personalized information. Engaging patients on a deeper level – through highly individualized diet, exercise and stress reduction methods, and by providing patients with the tools they need to understand their bodies and physiology more intimately, people become more proactive, engaged and motivated to take charge of their own health.