Louisville Medicine Volume 63, Issue 10 | Page 9

The evidence supporting the Ornish Program is so convincing that CMS, Anthem, and Aetna all pay for the program, so unlike many integrative medicine services, it is accessible to most people with health insurance. While people may have concerns about the Ornish Reversal Program dietary recommendations, they should recognize that this way of eating is the only one shown to reverse heart disease. While others like Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic argue for the Mediterranean Diet to primarily prevent heart disease, we must remember that the Ornish Reversal nutrition program is the only one shown to secondarily prevent heart disease AND reverse actual blockages in the coronary arteries. In an era where only 15 percent of eligible patients complete traditional cardiac rehabilitation, (12) many physicians do not even consider the Ornish Reversal Program. Some doctors justify their refusal to refer patients by saying, “my patients will never go for that diet.” After all, they have been recommending better diet and exercise to their patients for years, and observed that