18 August 2025

Many years ago, there was a bright young man who went to a prestigious college in Texas. He was convinced that - if he did well, went on to medical school, became a doctor and a few more steps involving marriage and family - he would be happy. College was tough. He became stressed, lost focus and sleep, became depressed. He understood that nothing can bring lasting happiness, and thought about ending his own life.

This suicidal person met a Swami, who completed the sentence for him: “Nothing can bring you lasting happiness, but you have it already until you disturb it.” This marked the beginning of a transformation for the man, leading him to save, not only his own life, but also the lives of thousands (likely more) people, who would have otherwise died of heart disease.

That man was Dean Ornish.

His intensive cardiac rehabilitation program can be summed up in eight words: Eat well. Move more. Stress less. Love more.

Ornish Lifestyle Medicine has consistently stopped (and, in most cases, reversed) heart disease in all patients who enroll in the intensive nine week program. Between these programs (covered by Medicare since 2011, after 16 years of analysis!), lectures and books, Dr. Ornish’s teachings have likely impacted millions of people.

I had the honor of hearing Dr. Ornish speak last week at the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine. I was excited to hear about the latest research, linking plant based diet and the rest of his program to brain health. What I didn’t expect was his frank discussion with Dr. Neal Bernard on vulnerability and spirituality.

We know that the body has an incredible capacity to heal itself…if we just let it. When we are sick, the suffering is not a punishment - it’s a teacher.

That’s why the Ornish program isn’t just a diet. The mindfulness and relationships are the keys to its success. Fear [of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, prostate cancer] can be a great motivator for brain and body. But a long-term solution requires the [figurative] heart and mind to get on board too.

One of the things Dr. Ornish discussed seemed particularly valuable in this age of polarization. He said, “the way to learn is to look at [something] from as many perspectives as possible.” I love how this applies to diet, but also to all aspects of our lives. It’s impossible to know everything, and there is so much to learn from those whose ideas may differ from our own.

I know that if Dr. Dean Ornish had not met Satchidananda Saraswati and opened his mind to the Swami’s teachings, the world might have suffered a tremendous loss.

Not everything that is valuable is measurable. Discuss.