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Saturday, January 18, 2020

UndoIt!


I recently read Undo It! How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases by Dean and Anne Ornish (2019). 


Few researchers on the topic of nutrition are better known or more respected than Dr. Dean Ornish.  In this book, he and his wife, Anne, make a compelling and comprehensive argument that, with rare exceptions, our health and wellbeing (physical, mental, emotional-spiritual) is in OUR OWN hands and can be adeptly optimized through the lifestyle choices we make.

The four Ornish health pillars:  eat well, move more, stress less, love more.  In this book, DO/AO provide concrete strategies and advice for accomplishing all four.

Some of my biggest takeaways:

> In the U.S., 5% of the patients account for 50-80% of all healthcare costs.
> Our health is a holistic construct, and can only be optimized through a holistic approach.
> The Ornishes advocate for a whole-food, plant-based diet.
> Us humans are really mostly microbes, having over 100 trillion non-human organisms growing inside our bodies.
> Over 50% of the current U.S. population either has Type 2 diabetes or are pre-diabetic.

My favorite quotes:
“By analogy, if you have a rock in your shoe, don’t blame the stone, use painkillers or surgery to cut the affected nerves, or wear thicker socks — just take out the rock!.” (p. 19)

When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need. —Ayurvedic proverb

“…our natural state is to be in a state of ease; when we disturb this, we become dis-eased.” (p. 243)

If you care about your own health, and that of your family and employees, this book is a most worthy read.


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