Quotes from Dean Ornish

Over half of the American population has type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, at an annual cost of over $322 billion. Yet these conditions are completely preventable in most people today by following the lifestyle medicine program described in this book.

men who have erectile dysfunction are at much higher risk of having heart disease, memory loss, dementia, or stroke as their arteries are often clogged throughout their body.

The best things in life make you sweaty. —Anonymous

In 2018, scientists learned that Antarctica's ice sheet is melting far faster than previously thought, with more than 200 billion tons of ice flooding into oceans annually, according to new research published in the prestigious science journal Nature.

Here's the bottom line: the only diet that has been scientifically proven to reverse heart disease, to slow, stop, or reverse early-stage prostate cancer, and to reverse aging by lengthening telomeres (among other benefits) is a whole-foods plant-based diet low in both fat and refined carbohydrates. No one has ever done a randomized trial proving that a high-fat, low-carb diet can reverse heart disease. It actually makes it worse.

What are you, a Hindu?" he replied, "No, I'm an Undo" (another reason we chose this book's title). "Peace comes not from doing, but from undoing; not from getting, but from letting go. It's there already until you disturb it. The purpose of all spiritual practices is to stop disturbing what you already have.

Real power is ours already—when we stop giving it away. Real happiness is ours already—when we stop believing it's something we have to get from outside ourselves. Real peace is ours already—when we stop disturbing it. Real freedom is ours already—when we stop limiting ourselves.

On the Reversal Diet, most people will be able to eat somewhere between 15 and 35 grams of total fat per day, or between 5 and 12 grams of saturated fat per day. (Most Americans eat over 100 grams of fat per day.)

Or as Swami Satchidananda once said, "We're born fine until we define ourselves, and then we use these definitions to see how we are different rather than how we are alike. So now we must refine ourselves.") Our participants were people who would not have had a lot to do with each other except for the fact that they had all volunteered for an unusual research project. At first it seemed like the only thing they had in common was that they all had heart disease.

In contrast, when a coronary artery in your heart is only 30–40 percent blocked, it is more unstable because it's not calcified, and it has not had time to grow a protective network of collaterals. This is why these are called "vulnerable plaques"—because they are more likely to rupture and cause a sudden total obstruction, known as "catastrophic progression," which is as bad as it sounds.

When the U.S. claims the right to invade any country unilaterally and then defines a country like Iran or North Korea as 'evil,' then it is a rational response for these countries to develop nuclear weapons as the only military deterrent to invasion. We create what we most fear.

Let's all be more humble about the evidence behind medical advice but also respect the challenges to providing accessible lifestyle guidance.

In general, losing weight is a good thing for those who are overweight, but it's important to lose weight in a way that enhances your health rather than one that may compromise it.

When we understand the connection between how we live and how long we live, it's easier to make different choices. Instead of viewing the time we spend with friends and family as luxuries, we can see that these relationships are among the most powerful determinants of our well-being and survival.

Because the biological mechanisms that affect our health and well-being are so dynamic, when people change their diet and lifestyle, they usually feel so much better, so quickly; it reframes the reason for changing from fear of dying to joy of living. Also, the support that patients give each other is a powerful motivator.

Whether it's by helping us search for health-related information, connecting us with doctors through online portals, or enabling us to store and retrieve our medical records online, the Internet is starting to show the promise it has to transform the way people interact with and improve their own health and wellness.

You can meditate on almost anything: a prayer, song, image or word. Close your eyes; sit in a comfortable position. Take a breath, and say the word out loud, emphasizing the humming sound at the end. When you come to the end of the breath, take another one and say the word again. And so on.

It's true, you can lose weight on these high-animal-protein, Atkins-type diets, but you're mortgaging your health in the process.

If you're with a close friend, your anger may raise his blood pressure as well as your own, whereas loving feelings may lower blood pressure in both of you.

When we exercise, it feels like we're really out there doing something, whereas spending a few minutes with your eyes closed in meditation may feel a little, well, wimpy.

Multinational food companies can play a large role in helping to prevent chronic diseases around the world by offering healthier choices in the United States and abroad.

If you're at high risk or are trying to reverse heart disease or prevent the recurrence of cancer, you probably need to make bigger changes in diet and lifestyle than someone who just wants to lose a few pounds and is otherwise healthy. If you just want to lower your cholesterol, weight or blood pressure, begin by making moderate changes.

Small changes in diet don't have much effect on preventing coronary heart disease and cancer. But bigger changes in diet and lifestyle may prevent heart attacks in almost everyone.

Although many people believe that the primary emphasis of my work is about diet, it's not. What we eat is important, of course, but what comes out of our mouth may be more important than what goes into it.