Ask Dr. Ornish

Dr. Dean Ornish is an expert in internal and preventive medicine. For more than 30 years, he has conducted clinical research on how comprehensive lifestyle changes can improve overall health and well-being. Here, he answers your questions so that you can learn to make the most of your own health, and enjoy life to the fullest.

We invite you to submit a question for Dr. Ornish. Due to the high volume of submissions we receive, Dr. Ornish is unable to answer each question personally. We will randomly select questions and update the site regularly with answers from Dr. Ornish. We also invite you to explore our list of resources on Staying Healthy for more information on these subjects.

Popular Questions

How can I get the most benefit out of my relaxation exercises?

There are a number of relaxation techniques that can help you physically and mentally cope with the stressors of your hectic daily life. Consistency is important since stress management techniques are a kind of physical training. Make a habit out of practicing your exercises so they become a part of your usual routine, but take it easy and don’t let your stress management stress you out!

How do I instill healthy habits in my children?

Your home should be a safe haven that enhances your family’s healthy lifestyle and encourages good decisions.

  • Fill your home with a variety of foods and other items that make it easy for you and your loved ones to make good, healthy choices.
  • Keep healthy snacks in your home that are easy for your kids to take with them to school.
  • Regular exercise is a very important form of preventive medicine for heart disease and other ailments. Thirty minutes every day or one hour three times a week is ideal.
  • One great way to guarantee you make time to exercise is to walk your child to school or to the bus stop.
  • You can maximize the enjoyment you get out of your home haven by spending time with your loved ones. Specifically set aside time at home to do fun activities with the people you care about most.

How can I set realistic diet goals for myself?

The key to setting goals is to ensure that they are attainable and thus sustainable. This same “expectation management” is vital when determining dietary goals. It is my opinion that if you go on a diet, chances are you’ll get off a diet, sooner or later. For most people, being on a diet – any diet – is not sustainable. Even the word “diet” conjures up feeling restricted, deprived, controlled – all the manipulative, negative feelings that are not sustainable.

Healthy eating should be about freedom and choice. There is no diet to get on and no diet to get off. Nothing is forbidden. Do an honest examination of your habits and the foods you eat, and determine how far and how fast you wish to shift your focus in a more healthful direction. Remember that sticking to your plan is the most vital element to any goal you set. It’s not all or nothing and only you can decide what’s right for you.

What kind of exercise routine do you recommend?

I encourage people undertaking a comprehensive lifestyle change program to exercise aerobically for a minimum of 30 minutes a day or for an hour every other day. More intense exercise can be incorporated if medically appropriate and if desired by the participant.

Proper aerobic exercise will increase the efficiency of the heart, increase tolerance to stress, increase metabolism and decrease body fat and among other health benefits.

There are four conditions that must be met in order for aerobic exercise to produce the desired cardiovascular training benefits. These conditions are adjusted according to the interests and level of fitness of each individual. They are:

  • Frequency – how often you exercise
  • Intensity – how hard to exercise
  • Time – how long to exercise
  • Type – what kind of exercise

** Before starting any exercise program, remember to always talk to your physician in order to make sure that it is right for you and your body.