Cardiovascular disease is the biggest cause of death worldwide whereas the two main causative factors of it are quite simple. They are ‘Stress’ and ‘improper diet’ or if we say more specifically then mainly ‘overeating’. Heart attacks occur when yellow cholesterol deposits on the wall of coronary artery which delivers oxygenated blood to the heart. This causes a lack of blood in the heart. Angina attack occurs! At that moment the chances of you getting crippled or dying surfaces over your head.

The general treatment for this deposited cholesterol is high-power medicines, angioplasty or bypass surgery which is both risky and expensive. A certain groups of doctors believe that no matter how much high powered medicine you take this cannot inhibit the deposition of cholesterol. So they think of bypass surgery as the best solution. But bypass surgery is expensive and have side effects. Plus, after surgery a person’s working strength almost halves. Till now the patients had no other options for treatment but to go through this risky procedure. But now without medicine or operation and in less expense the heart patients are getting cured. This new and innovative healing therapy was invented by the renowned scientist Dr. Dean Ornish, the founder and president of non-profit Preventive Medicine Institute of California.

In 1995 24th July Newsweek magazine published a report called ‘Going Mainstream’ in which they mentioned clearly that Ornish’s therapy worked successfully to cure heart patients. The report stated:
By changing lifestyle a person not only can prevent heart disease but can also cure it. When the research papers of Dr. Dean Ornish were published, Omahar Mutual Insurance Company inspired hundreds of members of their company who are heart patients to take part in Ornish’s therapy. Among them 200 patients instead of doing 15 thousand dollars angioplasty and 40 thousand dollars bypass surgery took part in the 5 thousand dollars comprehensive lifestyle changing program of Dr. Dean Ornish. The program was held for one year in which there were meditation, exercise, vegetarian diet and group discussions.

At the very beginning of the program people criticized it and said that patients will walk out of this program after a few days and then the insurance company will need to pay for both the Hospital treatment and Ornish therapy! But the outcome was completely different. 95% patients got fully involved with Ornish’s therapy. Among the 200 patients, 190 followed the therapy completely and among those 190 patients 189 got fully cured and only one patient needed operation. When Mutual Insurance Company calculated found that till now they have saved six and a half dollar for every dollar. Since patients need a series of surgeries after the first one so they are assuming that Ornish’s therapy helped them save almost 20 dollar per dollar. After witnessing this astonishing success, 15 other insurance company became interested in using Ornish’s therapy.

Heart specialists from different hospitals in America are now going to Sausalito in California to learn how Ornish’s therapy works. A 50 years old policeman Frank Seboron of Nebesko joined Orish therapy. He already had angioplasty and every month he spends 214 dollars for the two tablets he have to take. But still he was so weak that he couldn’t even cut woods. After following this lifestyle changing program, his artery got repaired and healthy. His cholesterol level fell off to normal and now he is so healthy and energetic that he takes part in bicycle race for fun. The Heart specialists who thought that Seberon will die, now says “We will age together”.
People all over the world are now accepting this new procedure of treatment. So now it is not referred as the optional treatment but considered as an important part of the main treatment against Heart disease. The healing of heart diseases without the use of medication became famous worldwide in 1988. But Dr. Dean Ornish was doing his research for a long time. In 1986, 41 heart patients were divided into two groups for an experiment. In the 1st group there were 22 patients and the second group which was the control one there were 19 patients. These 41 patients all had their artery almost completely blocked with cholesterol and still were not agreeing to do bypass surgery. Some of them already had a heart attack.

Dr. Dean Ornish’s therapy of meditation and changing lifestyle was adopted by the first group. At the beginning they met for weekly ‘attitude changing’ programs. Then after that they took part two times a week in a 4 hours long Group discussion. Dr. Dean Ornish taught them meditation and some yoga postures. Along with everyday one hour meditation and yoga, they were instructed to walk for half an hour. Their diets were changed into a vegetarian one and were told not to use medicine.

The second group was told to follow the treatment procedure of American’s health Association for heart disease. They can use cholesterol inhibitory tablets if they want.
The patients of both groups were kept in keen observation. Whether they are following the instructions, doing exercises and meditations, participating regularly in group discussions were monitored.
After one year they were again examined to see their heart’s condition. The results were surprising. The group which followed Ornish’s therapy had no longer deposited cholesterol in their arteries so blood circulation greatly increased which relieved them from the chest pain they used to have before. Plus their risk of getting heart attack also declined. On the other hand the control group showed no improvement. Their heart condition remained the same.

Ornish therapy was a milestone for the treatment of heart disease. Before Ornish therapy, doctors thought that if your artery starts blocking then there is no reverse way. It would eventually completely block out. But Dr Ornish successfully showed that by bringing discipline in lifestyle and by changing habits you can get cured without the help of medication.
Ornish therapy is simple and not expensive. For a bypass surgery you need 1.5 million but you can do Ornish therapy with only 0.2 million. And in Bangladesh if you follow the rules of Ornish’s therapy it will not take more than 20 thousand taka.

Ornish therapy is divided into 4 parts.

First part is meditation. You may use any meditation process. The actual point here is to relax you mind and body through meditation. Meditation calms your mind and brings out a positive attitude towards life from inside. It reduces unnecessary tension and stress.

Second part is exercise. Dr Ornish encourages light exercise, regular walking and yoga. At the beginning, you may walk for 20-30 mins. Then as your body get used to it you may increase the time. With that, some certain yoga postures and breathing exercise is needed.

Third part is diet. Dr. Dean Ornish gave particular importance to food habits. To reduce fat Ornish asked to take 10% fat of total calorie. Instead of eating meat and non-veg fat he encouraged to eat nuts and vegetable fat. Rice, bread, green leafy vegetable, bean and fresh or dry fruits were added to the diet. You may eat these foods in excess there would be no harm. Everyday there should be yogurt in the food chart. Uncooked salt, tea-coffee, alcohol and smoking were completely forbidden.

The fourth part is Group discussion. One main reason beside heart disease is any mental shock or inner sufferings. The heart patients suffer from a kind of loneliness. They think they don’t have any near one. They feel neglected. A kind of frustration works that there is nothing else left to do. This group discussion helps to cure the loneliness and frustration. Here they share their feelings with each other and get lightened. Stress, inner pains and suffering builds up a pressure inside and thus cause heart disease. When they share their feelings with each other this pressure goes away and they start to get better.

In our country thousands of heart patients are spending millions of taka for treatment. They are getting surgeries, visiting doctors in here and abroad but if they follow Ornish therapy they can get better by following some simple rules at home.