Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

92 The Cardiovascular System
DISEASE (CAD) and HEART ATTACK. Named for Dean
Ornish, the American physician who developed
the approach, the Ornish program features a strict
vegetarian diet very low in fat along with daily
YOGA, walking, MEDITATION, and participation in
SUPPORT GROUPS. In the early 2000s in the United
States, Medicare approved the Ornish program as
an alternative treatment approach for CAD and
rehabilitation following heart attack. The program
arises from 25 years of clinical research supporting
the effectiveness of restrictive diet to halt and
sometimes reverse CAD. Numerous cardiovascular
rehabilitation centers around the country offer the
Ornish program. It is important to maintain the
lifestyle changes after completing the structured
program.
See also CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE PREVENTION;
LIFESTYLE AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH.