OSGGR
c/o Abby Stern
4 Sand Brook Road
Pittsford, NY 14534

OSGGR will be meeting in the Auditorium at the Monroe Community Hospital on East Henrietta Road on March 9th.

The next RESTAURANT NIGHT. . .

• • • will be at Tony Grana's Restaurant

on Wednesday, March 11th
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Bring a friend. Sit with and meet other Ornish members.

Call for reservations at 467-4360

Located in the Rubino Plaza
1292 E. Ridge Rd., Irondequoit

OSGGR is a nonprofit organization based on Dr. Dean Ornish's book Reversing Heart Disease by diet, exercise, stress reduction and psychosocial methods. Please join us at the OSSGR meetings.

Presenters: Carrie Gaynor, RN/BSN & Mark B. Sandler

and their students will explain and demonstrate the benefits of yoga.

TOPIC:

"Interaction Between Yoga and the Ornish Program"

Monday, March 9, 1998

7:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.

Monroe Community Hospital. (Directions - From 390 go North on East Henrietta Road. Left to MCH. Right to Parking Lot #1. Enter through the "Hope Entrance Center for Lifetime Wellness." Walk straight to end of corridor. Right at end of corridor. Auditorium is on the right.

Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at Monroe Community Hospital. Members - Free Guests -$3.00

For additional information, call Ed Ehlers at 336-9847, or visit our web page at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/2435/

A NEW MEMBER FROM THE WEB

Welcome to new member Walter Jenner. His letter to our group follows:

1/19/98

Dear Ms. Stern,

While taking an Internet basic course I was given time to explore. I was delighted to find your group. I am following Dean Ornish's program and have been since first diagnosed with heart disease over three years ago. I belong to a small support group of people also following his program here in the Hudson Valley. We meet every Tuesday night for two to three hours. Our number ranges from 10-14 people including spouses. I am very impressed with your organizational skills and would like to receive the Newsletter. I enclose a check for fifteen dollars. I would love to come to your monthly meetings but feel the commute could be a little too long.

We are always interested in others and getting the word out about comprehensive life style changes. Any ideas from your group would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps there would be a way to get together, at your annual picnic for example. I grew up on the west side of Syracuse and visit family there. Our group is talking about taking a road trip soon to Kripalu, a retreat center with an emphasis on Yoga and vegetarianism. Would any of your members be interested? Kripalu have welcome weekends three or four times a year. Hope to be on the mailing list soon.

Sincerely,
Walter Jenner
15 Gold Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

Membership Application

The Rochester Ornish Support Group was initially formed by heart patients who had read Dr. Dean Ornish's book "Reversing Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery."

We believe heart patients including people who want to lose weight and reduce their risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. can benefit from our healthy programs and approaches to becoming responsible for their own health.

Membership in the Ornish Support Group is open to anyone who has an interest in improved health through diet, exercise, stress reduction and group interaction.

Membership in this nonprofit group entitles you to a monthly newsletter and invitations to monthly meetings and group events.

The following survey is optional (the intent is to understand our membership and document the beneficial benefits of the Ornish Program):

Name(s)_________________________________

Address__________________________________

City ___________________ State ____ Zip _____

Telephone number ________________________

Individual Membership $15/year
Joint Membership (one address) $20/year
Renewal

Please return your completed application and check to:

The Ornish Support Group
c/o Abby Stern
4 Sand Brook Road
Pittsford, NY 14534

Do You Have Heart Disease? __Yes __No
If yes, your name:_________________________________
When was Heart Disease detected? ___________________
Type of Heart Disease? ____________________________
Operations & dates? _______________________________
Please provide information on the following if you are already on the Ornish diet:
% of days that you completely follow diet _____%
Exercise: Hours/week ___________
Stress Reduction: Avg. Minutes daily _____
Avg Days/weekly_______
Group interaction: Avg. Hours/wk ________
Have you found the Ornish Program beneficial: __Yes __No
Please explain: ____________________________________________________________________________________
If you are not already on the Ornish Program, what do you hope to accomplish? ______________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Ed Ehlers' Corner

Kitchen Table Wisdom

What does Dean Ornish, M.D., Bernie Siegel, M.D., Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., and Deepak Chopra, M.D. all have in common? One answer is their names are all on the cover of Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen's book "Kitchen Table Wisdom." I fell in love with this book both from the wisdom it contains and the way it is written. It is a collection of short stories each about one to three pages long about her and her patient's experiences. I like to read only one story a day because I find the concepts so profound I don't want to digest more than one plus I am enjoying the book so much I don't want it to end. Let me show a few random excerpts from various stories:

Human Being - "is more a verb than a noun. Each of us in unfinished, a work in progress. Perhaps it would be more accurate to add the word "yet" to all of our assessments of ourselves and each other. Jon has not learned compassion......yet. I have not developed courage.......yet. It changes everything."

Just listen - " I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the tissues, until I realized that passing a person a tissue may be just another way to shut them down, to take them out of their experience of sadness and grief. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry, they find me there with them."

Beyond Perfection - "No one is born a perfectionist, which is why it possible to recover. I am a recovering perfectionist."

How It Was - "As a pediatric intern, I was a secret baby kisser. It was just not (considered) professional behavior. I stopped kissing babies then. It did not seem worth the risk. In some ways, a medical training is like a disease. It would be years before I would fully recover from mine."

I hope these inserts give the flavor of Rachel Remen's warmth and wisdom. I feel that reading this book is a positive step toward opening our hearts to ourselves and others.

A copy of the book is in our library and we also have a copy of an audio tape from the July 1996 Ornish Retreat where Rachel speaks on the negative aspect of perfectionism.

###

CALENDAR

March 9
Mark Sandler & Carrie Gaynor.
Yoga Instructors
"Interaction between yoga & the Ornish Program"

March 11
"Restaurant Night"
Tony Grana's
1292 E. Ridge Rd.

April 13
Wayne Wallace, M.D.
"A cardiologist speaks & answers questions about the Ornish Program"

May 11
Robert Klein, M.D. & David Stern, M.D.
"Two physicians refer to recent studies on homocysteine, cholesterol & the Ornish Approach"

June 8
Dolly Dickson & Allyson Prace
"A survival program for non-cooks on the Ornish Program"

September 26
Our 3rd Annual Picnic
Brighton Town Lodge
777 Westfall Road
4:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

If We Build It, Will They Come? Supply and Demand!

by Ed Ehlers

I have an idea I would like to share. When people first hear of the Ornish program, it can easily seem overwhelming. One can see the benefits but getting starting is difficult.

My idea is to have a one-week program that kicks of with a four to eight hour session where participants will hear about diet and exercise, and participate in group interaction and stress reduction via yoga. At the sessions we would distribute a week's supply of food that meets the Ornish diet and a copy of Dean's book. This is the part that I like. Imagine being new to the program and being able to get and eat great healthy meals without having to figure out how to make them or where to buy them. I would include Veggie Cakes from the Corn Hill Cookery, Sweet Potato Burritos from Mamacita's Cafe, Rice Risotto and Greens & Beans from Tony Grana's Restaurant for dinners. For lunch, I envision hummus one day, Eggless Egg Salad from Gita Chandra's cookbook on another, using bread from Montana Mills, etc.

During the week we would have one or two sessions on the program and at the end of the week a follow-up session to talk about how people feel and about how to continue the program. We could probably do the program for about $75 to $100 per participant plus the cost of food.

The intent of this article is to develop a demand for this idea and if there is one, I think we can supply it. I know of several people who just want to lose weight or lower cholesterol that would be tempted to try the program for a week. Speaking for myself, I had no intention of being a low fat vegetarian but I tried it for a week at the California Ornish Retreat and felt so good I did not want to go back. It can happen to others.

Give the idea some thought and ask your friends. If we build it will they come? Let's kick this idea around at future meetings.

###

OSGGR Steering Committee:

Ed Ehlers,
President

Robert F. Klein, M.D.,
Medical Advisor

Abby Stern, Treasurer

David Stern, M.D.,
Website

Allyson Prace, RN/RD,
Nutrition Advisor

Melissa Cadregari,
Exercise Specialist

Dolly Dickson,
Advisor

Florence Kaplow, Newsletter

Our Next Meeting will be on Monday, March 9th at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Monroe Community Hospital and our presenters will be husband and wife yoga instructors, Carrie Gaynor and Mark B. Sandler and some of their students.

The stress reduction techniques that Dean recommends come from yoga. At the meeting you will learn more about yoga and see demonstrations from professionals and students of various ages and training.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito*

submitted by Elaine Vigoda

2 Sweet Potatoes

1 can (15 oz.) Black Beans, drained and rinsed well

1/2 tsp. salt

1 onion, diced

l large garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. green chile

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves

1 tbsp. lemon juice

8 (8") flour tortillas

fresh tomato salsa

grated low fat Mexican cheese blend (optional)

Preheat oven to 350

Lightly spray a 9 x 12 baking pan

Bake sweet potatoes on bottom shelf of oven until soft.

Combine the onions, garlic and chile, microwave for 2 minutes until the onions are transparent. Add the cumin and coriander and microwave another 30 seconds, until the flavors are blended.

Peel the sweet potatoes, and mash. Add the cilantro, lemon juice, salt and mix together. Add the black beans and the onion mixture and any additional spices. Mix again.

Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture on the left center of a tortilla. Roll it up, and place it, seam side down on a PAM sprayed baking pan. Repeat until all the tortillas and/or sweet potato mixture is used.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes until piping hot.

Meanwhile, heat salsa separately. When burritos are finished baking, place hot burrito on a serving plate, cover each burrito with a large spoonful of salsa and a generous sprinkling of cheese (optional).

SERVE IMMEDIATELY WHILE HOT

*adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-fat Favorites --adjust ingredient amounts according to preference

Pasta with Tomato-Lentil Sauce

submitted by Sylvia Schwartzman

This is a very hearty sauce--works with lasagna as well

1 cup diced onion

1 1/2 tsps. freshly minced garlic

1 1/2 tsps. dried basil

1/4 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup dry lentils or 1 cup cooked

4 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups tomato puree

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 ounces dried pasta per serving

Braise the onions, garlic, basil, and oregano in red wine. (If you are using cooked lentils, ignore the information regarding lentil preparation and omit the bay leaves.) While the onions are cooking, put the lentils and bay leaves into a separate pot with 1 1/2 cups water and cook for 30 minutes, until done. Do not overcook the lentils because they will need to retain their shape.

After the onions have softened, add the tomato puree. Let cook for approximately. 20 minutes, until some of the liquid is reduced and the sauce has thickened.

When the lentils have finished cooking, remove the bay leaves. Drain the lentils and add them to the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water, according to package directions without using salt, until al dente - tender but firm to the bite. Drain. Serve the sauce over the pasta.

Serving size = 1 cup pasta + 1 cup sauce

422 calories

0.9 grams total fat

0.1 grams saturated fat

0 milligrams cholesterol

Yield: 2 1/4 cups sauce (3 to 5 servings)

From "Reversing Heart Disease" by Dr. Dean Ornish