by Chris Lewis, MH, CMT -- www.ChrisLewisMH.com -- 303-973-3163 -- herbteach@chrislewismh.com

Today's class is based on the book Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease by Dr. Dean Ornish. Dr. Ornish's study was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Ornish proved that with only lifestyle changes, it was possible to reverse advanced coronary blockages and heart disease, affecting a complete cure of the leading cause of death in America -- for all those who are willing to do a little homework. I have added to Dr. Ornish's program with information on cleansing and various herbal and nutritional supplements, which I believe will greatly speed up the results that you get from following this program.

Diet -- The diet that Dean Ornish found successful in his study was basically a vegan diet, meaning absolutely no animal products, except that Dr. Ornish allowed his study participants to have one spoonful of cream per day. This was the only cholesterol, they were allowed. It is also important to avoid all sources of refined sugar as this tricks the liver into producing more cholesterol than you need. The only dietary sources of cholesterol, other than sugar, come from animals, so sticking to a plant-based diet will help to remove both the serum cholesterol, and the plaque that has built up on the arteries.

Exercise -- This can be any kind of exercise. Start with what you are accustomed to and work up gradually in intensity and frequency. It doesn't have to be anything intense at first. If all you can do now is walk between the living room and the kitchen, then by all means do so, several times a day. Then do an additional time every day until you feel up to walking around the block. And then around two blocks, three blocks, four blocks, etc. until you're walking several miles a day. If you are confined to a wheelchair or even a bed, you can always move your arms and legs around until you get tired. If you are paralyzed from the neck down, do neck exercises -- stretch and roll your neck around until you get tired, then rest. Everyone can do some form of body movement, every day. Don't use anything as an excuse, as long as you are able to move at all. If you have arthritis and it is painful for you to move, move anyway -- numerous medical studies show that the more you move, the less it hurts, and the less you move, the more it hurts. Regular exercise has been proven to slow down the progression of arthritis. So don't let pain or stiffness be an excuse to not move. Of course, if you feel an abnormal pain that is not due to arthritis, it may be your body telling you that you're causing damage, so stop and try a different exercise or consult someone trained in exercise, like a massage therapist, personal trainer, exercise physiologist, etc. (not a medical doctor, as they are not trained in this area). I once saw a man with no legs who had earned a black belt in karate. There are no excuses. If you find high-intensity exercises to be too much for you, then start with something easy like yoga, tai chi, or qi gong. The public library has all sorts of tapes and DVDs for beginners to these techniques as well as some seated aerobics routines for people who can't stand up. Of course, if you are already a marathon runner, then by all means run more marathons. If you are already a bodybuilder, keep on building. If you've already got three black belts, go for a fourth. Start where you're at and work up gradually from there. I have seen people drop their cholesterol levels anywhere from 30 to 60 points in a couple of weeks simply by exercising several times a week for half an hour.

Relaxation Therapy/Emotional Healing -- When Dr. Ornish was doing his study with heart patients, he noticed that a few patients didn't get the results that the others were getting -- their heart disease wasn't being reversed like the others. He knew that they must be ignoring some part of the program. He initially thought that they weren't adhering to the diet, but when he checked, they were following it faithfully. Then he thought it must be the exercise portion of the program that they were skipping, so he checked, but they were all exercising faithfully as recommended. He was rather surprised to find that the part of the program they were skipping was the relaxation portion. They weren't taking time each day to de-stress. This is an absolutely vital part of the heart-disease-reversing program. By relaxation, of course, I do not mean sitting in front of the television or reading a book, although there is certainly a time and place for those things. The relaxation needed for this program is a deep relaxation that you get from deep breathing, meditation, progressive relaxation exercises, lying on a tropical beach, or sitting in your favorite garden. It is important that you allow your entire body to relax, every muscle, every organ, every thought. It helps to be lying down or reclining in a comfortable position while doing these. Do these relaxation exercises for at least 20 to 30 minutes every day.

It also helps to do a little soul-searching -- forgive yourself and learn to forgive others. The emotion of fear can contribute to heart disease and even cause heart attacks, so it is important to eliminate fear from your life. You may not be able to eliminate the fearful thing, but you can change how you respond to it. I suggest first realizing that whatever it is, even if the worst-case scenario happens, it probably isn't all that bad; and even if it is, the fear you feel towards it is only poisoning you. Facing situations, things, and people with a sense of courage not only helps your reputation, it can also save your life. Also, the emotional freedom technique ("E.F.T.") is useful for overcoming fears. Try an Internet search to learn more about it or contact me.

I also highly recommend what I call "trashing therapy." This is where you go through your house, and any other property you may own, and throw out, sell, bury, blow up, give away, or otherwise get rid of any object that has a negative emotional association for you, that reminds you of a bad memory or a traumatic time, or that in any way makes you feel less than terrific when you look at it or think. Sometimes there's a strong emotional attachment to these items and overcoming that attachment by getting rid of the item produces a powerful emotional healing that allows you to move forward in your life and has actually cured chronic illnesses in as little as a few hours (in cases where negative emotions were the primary cause of the illness to begin with).

I also highly recommend journaling therapy. This is not the "Dear diary" that most people think of when they hear the word "journal." this is a feelings journal, where you daydream on paper and explore every thought and feeling you have about everything in your life, one at a time. This process creates great emotional cleansings, helps you figure things out in your life, and gives you a profound sense of relief once you have written out every aspect of your feelings about a situation. The technique is simple -- on the paper = off your mind. Anything that's on your mind that you don't want there, you can get rid of by exploring every aspect of the thought on paper. Just keep writing about that topic until you feel like there's nothing more that can possibly be written about it, focusing on your perception and thoughts about it rather than on simply chronicling events. You will eventually reach a point where you feel a lightness and relief as though a burden has been lifted from you. When you feel this, you can stop writing, take a deep breath and enjoy the feeling of renewal. After this, if you feel you need to, you can repeat the process with another thought, or you can just put your journal away and come back to it another day. Use your journal to explore every example of fear and anger in your life. Let it out on paper, just as you would if you were talking to someone. Get it out of your system and feel the improvement in your heart. A good book on this topic, if you'd like to explore further, is Write It down, Make It Happen, available from your public library.

Herbal Super Foods -- In order to heal, your body needs the proper nourishment. Expecting your body to heal without providing you the necessary raw materials is like expecting builders to build your house without allowing them any wood, bricks, mortar, drywall, nails or anything else they need. Vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, etc. are the bricks and mortar from which your body builds new tissues, hormones, blood, immune cells and everything else it needs to function. Without sufficient nutrients, the healing process is short-circuited. This is why many injuries and illnesses remain a long time, when they should have healed quickly. The re-building project has halted because the builders don't have the materials with which to build. Both The Herb Shop and American Botanical Pharmacy have excellent super food products that you can order through the mail. You can also check your local health food store for products that contain alfalfa, spirulina, chlorella, barley grass, wheatgrass, and other pure super food products that don't contain any fillers, preservatives, additives, artificial flavorings or colorings or any other non-food ingredients. Organic is always best. I also suggest some whole food nutritional supplements like nutritional yeast, black strap molasses (unsulfured), flax seed oil, wheat germ oil, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Cleansing -- You know the importance of nutrients now, but did you know that most people have a buildup of fecal matter in their intestines, as hard and as thick as a PVC pipe that prevents nutrients from being absorbed through the intestines? This is why many people crave, much more food than they need -- their body is not absorbing nutrients from the food they do eat, so it keeps telling them they're hungry, because it desperately needs those nutrients. As a consequence, the person continues to eat until they gain a tremendous amount of weight, and still doesn't have the nutrients they need. This build up can be removed through doing a bowel cleanse. For complete detailed instructions on how to do this and several other cleanses, go to my web site at www.ChrisLewisMH.com and click on the link that says "books." You will then be taken to a page where you can order a book called The Foundational Cleansing and Nourishing Program. This will be a tremendous help to you in your healing journey, as the body simply cannot heal, if it cannot get the nutrients it needs.

Distilled Water --Inorganic calcium can build up on the insides of your artery walls causing a sort of shellac effect. This combines with the plaque from cholesterol, and causes hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis). Switching to distilled water as your regular drinking water will go a long way toward removing these calcium deposits in your arteries, thus helping to remove the plaque and allowing your blood vessels to become more flexible and allowing blood to reach their tissues so they are better nourished and stronger.

Apple Cider Vinegar -- Apple cider vinegar asked in a way very similar to distilled water for removing plaque from arteries, except that it works faster and has the additional benefit of helping to lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure. Taking a few spoonfuls everyday can also help you lose weight, which helps take the burden off of your heart. I recommend taking a tablespoonful of apple cider vinegar in a glass of distilled water everyday. You can increase this to several times a day. When you use the vinegar with the distilled water, you get double the benefit. These two things will also help increase your flexibility, get rid of bone spurs, kidney stones, osteo-arthritis, cataracts and other complaints.

Cayenne Pepper -- Cayenne Pepper is the greatest circulatory herb known to mankind. Not only will it help to reduce heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels, strengthened the heart muscle, improve circulation to the entire body, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, it can also be used in first aid to stop bleeding instantly by applying it externally to a wound or taking a large dose internally for internal bleeding. It can also be used to help revive a person who's having a heart attack or stroke by giving a large dose of it internally. A large dose means 12 to 15 dropperfuls of a strong tincture or a heaping tablespoon of the powder stirred in a glass of warm water. A great way to take Cayenne everyday is to get the hottest organic salsa you can tolerate and have some at every meal. Taking Cayenne regularly will also help you lose weight as it boosts your metabolism by up to 25%.

Fresh Raw Garlic -- Garlic is an absolute antidote to circulatory problems. It thins the blood safely without over over-thinning it. It reduces total cholesterol levels, while raising the HDL (good) cholesterol. Garlic also dissolves the plaque that sticks to your arteries impairing your circulation, and so could greatly speed up the healing effect of the Ornish program. With garlic, it is vitally important that you use it fresh and raw. Cooked garlic, garlic pills, the odorized garlic, and aged garlic are minimally effective as they have had most of the active ingredients destroyed. The best way to do this is to simply cut up raw garlic on your food after the food is cooked and right before you eat it. Or, even better, put the garlic on top of a raw salad.

Hawthorne Berries -- Extensive studies have been performed on Hawthorne berries affects on the part by scientists all over the world, and they have found that Hawthorne berries and Hawthorn Berry extracts surround heart cells with the protective substance that enables them to withstand more stress and survive with less oxygen than they ordinarily would be able to. People on the Hawthorne berries can have a heart attack and have absolutely no heart cell damage afterward, which is very unusual. Hawthorne berries strengthen the heart and regulate the heart beat.

An Important Note about Cholesterol Tests -- After reading this paragraph, you will know more about cholesterol than your doctor does. It used to be thought that heart disease risk could be determined simply by looking at a person's total cholesterol levels. Then it was discovered that there were two kinds of cholesterol -- good and bad. The HDL (high-density lipoproteins) are beneficial, while the LDL (low-density lipoproteins) are harmful. HDL helps to remove the LDL from the body. So the higher your HDL levels are in the lower your LDL levels are the better off you are. Then another discovery was made the discovery that total cholesterol levels do not necessarily predict heart disease risk. Scientists discovered that people with low cholesterol levels sometimes have heart attacks and people with very high cholesterol levels sometimes never have any sign of heart trouble. The reason for this anomaly, is that blood tests for cholesterol levels only test the amount of cholesterol that is dissolved in a liquid form in your blood (called "serum cholesterol levels"). They don't look at how much cholesterol has solidified in the form of plaque on your artery walls. This plaque is the real threat to your heart health. While high serum levels of cholesterol can make your heart work harder because it is pumping thicker blood, and therefore place greater stress on your heart, it is the plaque buildup in your arteries that can actually kill you quickly. When you start a program like the Ornish program. I highly recommend that you not, repeat NOT go to the doctor for a cholesterol test. The reason for this is because this program removes the plaque from your arteries, and when the plaque melts off of your arteries, where do you think is -- in your blood of course. So even though your arteries are opening a top, and your circulation is improving, and your heart disease beginning to reverse itself, your doctor will see the your serum cholesterol levels are rising and will recommend that you discontinue the program, because he doesn't understand that the rise in blood cholesterol is because the plaque is coming off of your arteries. The cholesterol is actually going not coming. And when you start to clean out your arteries your serum cholesterol level will go very high as all that cholesterol is being eliminated from your body. After it has been eliminated, of course, your cholesterol level will go down quickly until it reaches the normal level of between 90 and 130 (some people may vary slightly from these numbers, but everyone should be in this neighborhood). After you have completed the program, and your heart artery blockage is gone, then it will be safe to have a cholesterol test (even though you won't need one).

An Important Note about Heart Drugs -- The human body can develop a dependence on prescription drugs, particularly those given to people with heart disease, like those that lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, thin the blood, etc. please listen carefully, because this is extremely important -- if you are on any of these drugs do not, I repeat DO NOT stop taking them cold turkey. Sudden and complete withdrawal from these drugs can be fatal. It is important to wean off of these drugs slowly and gradually over a period of about three to four months. This gives your body a chance to adjust to not having the drugs in your system. This is especially important with drugs that lower blood pressure. A good idea would be to start the above program immediately and begin shaving a little bit off of each pill before you take it each week you can shave off a little more and a little more from each pill. After several weeks, you should be shaving off a quarter of each pill. After a couple months you should be taking half pills. After three to four months, you should be taking only a tiny bit of each pill. After this, you can stop taking them completely. Many people prefer to have a doctor's help in weaning off of these drugs, which is fine. Your medical doctor may or may not be sympathetic to your desires to get off of these drugs and use a more natural approach. If he is, great! He can help you wean off of the drugs. If not, I suggest that you grab a phone book and look under "naturopathic doctors" or ask your local health food store for a referral to a local naturopathic doctor. These doctors have a much more natural leaning in their approach and have had training in some natural therapies. They will be more likely to want to help you wean off of the drugs.

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