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People who are lonely and depressed are three to 10 times more likely to get sick and die prematurely than those who have a strong sense of love and community. I don’t know any other single factor that affects our health - for better and for worse - to such a strong degree.

Dean Ornish

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Dean Ornish
Age: 71
Born: 1953
Born: July 16
Nutritionist
Physician
Dallas
Texas
Dean Michael Ornish
Love
Single
Factors
People
Dies
Degree
Community
Likely
Times
Lonely
Strong
Degrees
Prematurely
Sense
Worse
Depressed
Three
Sick
Affects
Better
Health
Factor

More quotes by Dean Ornish

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Think about it: Heart disease and diabetes, which account for more deaths in the U.S. and worldwide than everything else combined, are completely preventable by making comprehensive lifestyle changes. Without drugs or surgery.
Dean Ornish
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I've found that if I tell somebody 'Eat this and don't do that,' it's not only not helpful, it's counterproductive because even more than being healthy, we want to feel free and in control, and as soon as somebody tells us to do something, there's a tendency to do just the opposite.
Dean Ornish
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Even more than feeling healthy, most people want to feel free and in control.
Dean Ornish
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The healing power of love and relationships has been documented in an increasing number of well-designed scientific studies involving hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world.
Dean Ornish
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An educated patient is empowered thus, more likely to become healthy.
Dean Ornish
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I grew up in Texas, eating meat five times a day, and I liked meat. But I began being a vegetarian when I was 19 because I found that I felt better.
Dean Ornish
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I'm a big admirer of Walter Willett's work. I think he's done some really important research. He and I agree on most things.
Dean Ornish
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When most people think about my work, they think about diet. To me, diet has always been the least interesting part of it.
Dean Ornish
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With everything that you can imagine at our fingertips, many of the social interactions that help tie people together in a community have faded away. Are communities traditionally built on relationships, trust and familiarity a thing of the past?
Dean Ornish
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Because the biological mechanisms that affect our health and well-being are so dynamic, when people change their diet and lifestyle, they usually feel so much better, so quickly it reframes the reason for changing from fear of dying to joy of living. Also, the support that patients give each other is a powerful motivator.
Dean Ornish
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Real power is not given to us or even created real power is realized. It comes from realizing an inner sense of peace, self-worth, and happiness.
Dean Ornish
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Meaning is malleable: take it out, you get nihilism and despair. Put it in, you get sacredness and something most special.
Dean Ornish
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Although scientists can often be as resistant to new ideas as anyone, the process of science ensures that, over time, good ideas and theories prevail.
Dean Ornish
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Poor health is not caused by something you don't have it's caused by disturbing something that you already have. Health is not something you need to get, it's something you have already if you don't disturb it.
Dean Ornish
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In general, losing weight is a good thing for those who are overweight, but it's important to lose weight in a way that enhances your health rather than one that may compromise it.
Dean Ornish
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I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open and put them on cholesterol lowering drugs for the rest of their lives.
Dean Ornish
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Whether you're six or sixty, if you go on a diet and lifestyle program and feel constrained, you're likely to go off it sooner or later. Offering a spectrum of choices is much more effective then, you feel free and empowered.
Dean Ornish
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Awareness-mindfulness-is the first step in healing. In Counterclockwise, Dr. Ellen Langer eloquently describes how becoming more aware of our beliefs and expectations allows us to powerfully transform our lives for the better. A pioneering, beautifully-written book.
Dean Ornish
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Whether it's by helping us search for health-related information, connecting us with doctors through online portals, or enabling us to store and retrieve our medical records online, the Internet is starting to show the promise it has to transform the way people interact with and improve their own health and wellness.
Dean Ornish
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Our survival depends on the healing power of love, intimacy and relationships. As individuals. As communities. As a country. As a culture. Perhaps even as a species.
Dean Ornish