HONORING PROMISES
Deborah Ann Ballard, MD, MPH
I
n its mission statement, KentuckyOne
Health promises to “bring wellness, healing and hope to all.” I am grateful I can
say it is honoring that promise by bringing
progressive wellness and healing programs
to our service area. One shining example of
this is the Ornish Reversal Program, a form of
advanced cardiac rehabilitation. The Ornish
Program consists of four equally important
components: a plant-based, very low fat nutrition plan, exercise,
stress reduction and peer support.
The efficacy of the Ornish Reversal Program has been demonstrated over 35 years. The following is a verbatim summary provided
by the Ornish team of the benefits of the program with citations of
supporting published data:
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Regression of coronary artery stenosis using quantitative coronary
arteriography; (1)
•
Decreased size and severity of ischemic myocardial perfusion
abnormalities (blood flow to the heart) using cardiac positron
emission tomography (PET), exercise thallium scintigraphy, and
exercise radionuclide ventriculography; (2)
•
Safe avoidance of revascularization procedures such as coronary
bypass surgery, angioplasty, and intracoronary stents in almost
80 percent of those who were eligible for these procedures, with
comparable clinical outcomes; (3)
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
•
Significantly greater exercise capacity (4)
•
Substantial cardiac risk factor improvements, e.g., reductions
in LDL-cholesterol comparable to what can be achieved with
statin drugs without the costs and potential side-effects as well
as significant reductions in weight, BMI, blood pressure and
fasting blood glucose; (5)
•
Marked, rapid, and often dramatic decreases in the frequency
and severity of angina; (6)
•
Substantial improvements in quality of life by a variety of measures (including decreased emotional stress and depression and
increased vitality, physical function and wellbeing); (7), (8)
•
2.5 times fewer cardiac events. (9)
In addition, the Ornish Reversal Program measured significant
improvements in other chronic diseases prevalent in the population, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, depression, arthritis, prostate cancer and related
illnesses. Follow-up analyses revealed even more reversal after five
years than after one year. In contrast, patients in the usual-care
randomized control group showed worsening (progression) of
coronary atherosclerosis after one year and even more worsening after five years. Also, there was a direct correlation between
degree of adherence to this lifestyle modification program and
changes in coronary atherosclerosis after one year and also after
five years. (10), (11)