The OSGGR Web Site has been in existence since February 1997 and is maintained by David Stern. Because he has limited time to develop the site, he is seeking an interested volunteer to share in updating the site at least weekly, sprucing up its design and adding some graphics and photographs, adding a listing of local support groups throughout the country, and responding to email queries.

Please contact David at osggr@geocities.com if you have some experience with Web Site design, or if you have internet access and are interested in helping respond to messages from site visitors.

(see the March 1998 Newsletter for a copy of our Membership Application)

Ed Ehlers' Corner

Is YOGA WORK OR A JOY?

What never ceases to amaze me is that every time I do yoga I seem to forget how much I enjoy it until I do it. Dean recommends one hour a day and one would think that if one enjoys it so much it would be easy to do it that often. How could something that is a joy feel like work to get started? When I say yoga, I mean the five aspects Dean pushes in his book: Posture, Relaxation, Visualization, Deep Breathing and Meditation. Work is harder to define. My Webster's Unabridged Dictionary has 53 different definitions from drudgery, to a work of art, to one's life's work.

Since being semiretired from Kodak I have always hated the question, "What do you do?" I think the word do implies the word work and I know I go to bed every night and wake up every morning so I must be doing something, but sometimes I am not quite sure What. (What is used to inquire or identify the nature of something.)

However, I have an excellent handle on Where my time goes because to motivate myself to do "work" when I sit at my desk I log the time that I start and end working. Originally, I started calling work the time I spent on the part time business my wife and I manage and then I started to incorporate the time spent on OSGGR activities. Logging my time never stopped but the concept of work kept changing. Now I even incorporate chores around the house, yoga and even some personal conversations. The word work is evolving into the word do and it seems everything one does is done for a reason that we may or may not understand.

The purpose of yoga is to reduce stress and the guy that literally wrote the book about stress is Dr. Hans Selye.

In his book, "Stress Without Distress," he defines distress as what we normally call stress which is an unhealthy state. What is interesting is he defines stress as "the nonspecific response of the body to any demand on it." Per Selye zero stress takes place when you are dead. Too high of a price to pay. The body is in a constant state of adapting to stress which is normal and healthy. Nothing can get done without stress.

The word distress is the culprit which is excessive stress that harms the body and that word over time got shortened and is now commonly just called stress.

To get back to my original question, "Is Yoga Work or Joy," everything you do requires some effort (or stress) and depending on how you define work there could be no difference between work and joy.

See You at Barnes & Nobles on May 12th...
...from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. where Dr. Bob Klein will be reviewing Dean's latest book Love and Survival.

Other Ornish related books also will be reviewed by Ed Ehlers and Gita Chandra as well as questions from the audience. Barnes and Nobles has already begun advertising this event and we expect a nice size crowd.

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

Ciao! Italian Cafe in Pittsford joins OSGGR's Restaurateurs as Partners program.

by Natalie Gennett, Dietician

Restaurateurs as Partners is a unique program designed to unite OSGGR with select Rochester restaurants to provide low-fat vegetarian fare created specially for followers of Dr. Dean Ornish's Heart Reversal Diet. Education is an important component: each participating eatery is trained in Ornish food preparation and assisted with the selection and modification of menu items. OSGGR members benefit because this kind of partnership increases the selection of restaurants and menu items to choose from. The kickoff celebration for Ciao! and OSGGR will be the May 13 Restaurant Night, with Ornish friendly fare menus being available thereafter. Ciao! management and chefs are putting forth superb effort to prepare menu favorites that meet Ornish guidelines and surpass your expectations. Here is a selection of tantalizing cuisine on the menu May 13:

• PASTA MEDITERRANEAN-artichokes, mushrooms, spinach, and red onions sauteed in a garlic sherry-marinara sauce over pasta.

• PASTA CIAO!--Tomatoes, portobella mushrooms, asparagus and garlic in a lemon white wine sauce over pasta.

• ESCAROLE AND BEANS--escarole and beans sauteed in a special white wine and vegetable sauce with seasonings.

• FRESH SALADS with fat free dressings and vinegars.

Please join us.

Our Next Meeting...
...will be on Monday, May 11th at 7:30 P.M. in the auditorium of the Monroe Community Hospital and we will have two doctors, both of whom are also on our steering committee, as presenters.

Bob Klein is our medical advisor and one of the original founders of OSGGR who also has heart disease. Prior to retirement he had his own practice and taught Psychosomatic Medicine at the UR Medical School. Psychosomatics is the interaction between the mind and body which plays a huge role in the Ornish approach.

David Stern runs our Website which is a story unto itself with over 1,800 hits to date. Our newsletter and other Ornish related material is on our site.

David, Thank God, does not have heart disease, but was drawn to the Ornish approach because it made sense to him and his wife, Abby.

A phrase I always liked is "Physician Heal Thyself." In its original context it came from the bible where I believe its original meaning was that a physician or spiritual leader should take care of themselves before advising others. In today's vernacular they should "Walk the Talk".

In its current context I think all of us are interested in how physicians perceive the Ornish program for themselves and their patients.

The news media will publish any study related to heart disease. Some contradict each other while some, such as on homocysteine, folic acid or the need for omega-3 fatty acid, may hold our interest.

Come to the May 11th meeting and hear Bob and Dave talk about cholesterol, homocysteine and some of the recent studies, and take questions from the audience.

At Our Last Meeting...

Dr. Wayne Wallace, a cardiologist, was supposed to be our main speaker but had to cancel. Wayne said that he "had so many things going on that if he didn't back off from speaking, he would have had a heart attack at our meeting."

I think all of us can take a lesson from Wayne in knowing when to back away from stress.

At the meeting we had small group discussions which went well. We hope Wayne will be interested in speaking to our group in the fall. Those of you with medical questions, see article on Our Next Meeting.

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

Mark B. Sandler,
Yoga Instructor

Carrie Gaynor, Cardiac Rehabilitation RN and
Ass't Yoga Teacher

Barb Kozel,
Membership

Dale Petschke,
Librarian

Gita Chandra,
Cooking Instructor

Florence Kaplow
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