Find expert answers to your health questions

Dr. Dean Ornish, MD

Bio

Dean Ornish, M.D., a Sharecare expert, is president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute & Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF. He received the “National Public Health Hero Award” from the Univ of California; the “TIME 100” in integrative medicine; by LIFE magazine as “one of the 50 most influential members of his generation;” by the Univ of Texas as “one of the 125 most extraordinary alumni in 125 years;” and by Forbes magazine as “one of the 7 most powerful teachers in the world.”

Specialties:

Affiliation:

  • Integrative Medicine Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute Clinical Professor of Medicine. UCSF

Location:

Activity

  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    How can high blood pressure increase my risk for arterial diseases?

    Elevated systolic blood pressure or diastolic blood pressure may cause chronic damage to the lining of your arteries as the blood hits the arterial walls with too much force. Over time, as your body attempts to repair this damage, the arteries may become progressively more clogged. It’s a little

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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    Is it good to exercise?

    If exercise is fun, then you'll do it. If you do it on a regular basis, then you'll feel better, you'll look better, and you may even live longer. But if it's not fun, or if it's not part of your daily activities, then you probably won't do it for very long.

    I mean, let's face it. Exercise is not...  Full Post
  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    In what forms can isolation come in our lives?

    A recurrent theme in the book Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease is that isolation can lead to stress and, ultimately, to illness, whereas intimacy can be healing. Isolation comes in several forms:

    • isolation from our feelings, our inner self, and inner peace
    • isolation from others
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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    Can cholesterol lowering drugs reverse coronary heart disease?

    A pioneering investigation was conducted by B. Greg Brown, M.D., and his colleagues at the University of Washington Medical School in 1990. (Dr. Brown, along with K. Lance Gould, M.D., developed the technique of quantitative coronary angiography, which was the major test used in our research.) In

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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    How can I exercise effectively?

    The most efficient way to exercise is to make it part of your daily activities and routine.

    • Instead of driving, walk or bicycle to work or to the store. If that's not practical, park a little farther away (where the parking places are usually easier to find, thereby also reducing your stress level).
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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    How does regular exercise keep me fit?

    If you'd like to become more fit as well as healthier, you'll receive additional benefits. Your muscles, like your capacity to love, only increase with use. If you want to do more than walk thirty minutes a day, you'll primarily benefit your skeletal muscles used during exercise rather than your

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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    If I exercise daily, does it mean I am fit and healthy?

    Exercise will make you fit, but fitness and health are not synonymous. Exercise alone is not enough to make you healthy. To achieve good health, exercise is an essential part of a comprehensive lifestyle program, such as the Opening Your Heart program.

    “Fitness" refers to your level of conditioning,

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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    Should I do rigorous exercise daily to stay fit?

    The good news is that you don't really have to exercise very much in order to get most of the health benefits. A recent study by Dr. Steven Blair and his colleagues at the Institute for Aerobics Research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, indicated that even a little e

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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    Are relaxation techniques derived from yoga beneficial?

    Drs. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser and Ronald Glaser of the Ohio State University College of Medicine found that medical students who practiced relaxation techniques during exams increased their levels of helper cells that defend against infectious diseases. Those who did the relaxation techniques (which

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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    Is it good to exercise?

    If exercise is fun, then you'll do it. If you do it on a regular basis, then you'll feel better, you'll look better, and you may even live longer. But if it's not fun, or if it's not part of your daily activities, then you probably won't do it for very long.

    I mean, let's face it. Exercise is not...  Full Post
  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    Who can help me if I need more help to quit smoking?

    If you need more help in quitting smoking, the following can help you:

    • Your doctor.
    • The American Lung Association sponsors stop-smoking groups in most cities. It also publishes Freedom from Smoking for You and Your Family, a twenty-day program to help you stop smoking. This book is available from
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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    Can using clonidine for quitting smoking result in any side effects?

    Like all drugs, clonidine has side effects. The most common are drowsiness and a dry mouth. The sedation is mild for some, but for others it can be a problem. Some people report feeling a little "spacy." The sedative effect usually peaks on the third or fourth day and diminishes as the person becomes

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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    What kinds of activities can I do when I feel the urge to smoke?

    Whenever you feel the urge to smoke try the following:

    • If you find yourself smoking, don't berate yourself for being "weak" or "no good." As Dr. Ferguson writes, "A slip or two on the way to eventual success does not make you a failure.  The only real failure would be giving up your efforts to quit."
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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    How does the drug clonidine help in quitting smoking?

    Clonidine, a medicine used to treat high blood pressure, also has been used to help people withdraw from heroin and other narcotics by reducing the physiological craving for these drugs. More recent studies (including one by my brother Steve Ornish, M.D.) have found that clonidine also helps to reduce

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  • Dean Ornish, MD
    Dean Ornish, MD answered:
    Are cigarettes my friends?

    One of the participants in our Opening Your Heart program study described it this way:

    “When I quit smoking, the physical symptoms of withdrawal weren't as hard as the emotional ones. I've always been able to count on cigarettes to be there for me when I needed them-which hasn't always been true

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