Open Your Heart to others!
Help get the word out! Please cut & post the meeting announcement on this page for others to see at your doctor's office, library, supermarket, etc.
OSGGR
c/o Abby Stern
4 Sand Brook Road
Pittsford, NY 14534
The next Tony Grana Night. . .
• • • will be on Wednesday, July 16th
4:30 - 6:30 P.M.
Bring a friend. Taste special dishes from Ornish Cookbooks. Try Ornish Desserts & Appetizers.
Sit with and meet other Ornish members.
Call for reservations at 467-4360
Located in the Rubino Plaza
1292 E. Ridge Rd., Irondequoit
Join us in the Chandelier Room!!
OSGGR will be meeting at the Monroe Community Hospital on East Henrietta Road beginning in September. The September newsletter will give the details and a map.
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.
OUR SECOND ANNUAL PICNIC!!!
Sunday, August 10th
Perinton Park
Time: From 1:00 p.m. til...
Supper around 4:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Call Bob Klein at 288-6538 to reserve your spot.
Details on Page 6!
(Please Post!)
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/
Eating Out...
by Dale Petschke
...and maintaining the Ornish Program guidelines when traveling can be a challenge. With many of us on the road for summer fun and vacations it may be useful to share with each other restaurants we find that meet our requirements. So here's not one, but a collection of "possibles" for those heading east on I-90. Northampton is a small city just north of Springfield, Mass (I-90 & I-91). It is also the home of Smith, a prestigious women's college--which may somewhat account for the large number of fine restaurants, all within walking distance of each other along Northampton's Main Street. I was able to eat at only one (Paul & Elizabeth's Restaurant), but had an excellent dinner of rice croquettes with shiitake mushroom sauce, baked tofu, and spinach. I counted fourteen others nearby, from Mexican, Greek, Moroccan, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Italian, and plain, home-cooked American, that served at least one vegetarian entree. Of course, having a vegetarian dish is no guarantee that it contains no added fat and meets Ornish requirements of no more than ten percent of calories from fat, but it is a good starting point. With just a couple of exceptions, every restaurant had menus posted outside. One warning if you do stop; also in this area are three coffee shops and three chocolate/sweet shops to tempt you, as well as a large number of interesting shops to spend your money.
If you've found restaurants on the road or locally that you think meet the Ornish Program guidelines, send them to us. When we have enough we'll put out a list to share with others.
Membership Application
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 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.
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
As many of you know I had bypass surgery on June 6th. This story started on May 5th when I learned that my EKG stress test was worse than one year ago. Specifically my ST depression started when my pulse was at 112 vs.123 the prior year and it went as low as 3 mm vs. 2.5 the prior year and my cardiologist wanted to do an angiogram. My initial reaction was a feeling of failure both for myself and OSGGR members. One thing I know about feelings is that they are real and nobody can or should even try to change them.
I had this dream where I would reverse my own heart disease and by my example I would encourage others to follow the Ornish program. The first part of the dream did not work. The angiogram showed 80-90% blocked on the left main artery which even by Ornish's standards is an automatic bypass operation.
Q. How do you feel about the Ornish approach now?
A. The feeling of failure passed quickly. Things could have been worse. The worse case scenario would have been having a heart attack and dying. The second worse case would have been a heart attack leaving me with permanent heart damage. There is a good probability that following the program may have helped prevent those two scenarios.
Q. But what happened to cause these blockages?
A. Per Dr. Lee Lipsenthal, who works for PMRI with Dean, the most likely scenario is that a chunk of plaque came off my artery and relodged itself at another location causing a greater blockage.
Q. What caused it to dislodge?
A. Per Lee it usually comes from cholesterol and/or stress.
Q. How could it happen to you? You were 100% following the Ornish Program.
A. The reality is that it is a four part program and the only part I was rigorously following was the diet. On exercise I substituted singles tennis which is not as good as a continuous exercise as walking. On stress reduction I was averaging about 15 minutes/day versus the hour they suggest. The psychosocial part is a continuing struggle to incorporate day to day.
Q. Any additional thoughts?
A. I feel fortunate to be alive and that I have been given my third lease on life. My first came when I was diagnosed with heart disease 10 years ago and I had a chance to make modification. The second lease came when I discussed the Ornish approach which gave clarity on the specific life style changes required. This third lease, after the bypass, will improve the blood flow to my heart and encourage me to do a still better job on the Ornish program.
###
The reality is that it is a four part program and the only part I was rigorously following was the diet.
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
Richard Ludgate,
Advocate
Mark B. Sandler,
Yoga Instructor
Carrie Gaynor, RN/BSN
Ass't Yoga Teacher
Sylvia Schwartzman,
Group Therapist/RN/MS
Barb Kozel,
Membership
Lucretia Davie,
Publicity
Dale Petschke,
Librarian
Gita Chandra,
Cooking Instructor
Florence Kaplow,
Newsletter
Member's Stories
by Robert F. Klein, M.D.
Pat is a 47 year old father, husband and full-time accountant who was first notified that his cholesterol level was elevated to 250 mg% at age 34 when he took part in a cholesterol screening exam offered by his company. In good health at the time, but aware of his father's heart attack, he tried eliminating some high cholesterol foods like eggs and noted a slight reduction in levels of cholesterol. Several more tests showed continued elevation and at age 40 he was advised by his physician to follow a 30% calories-from-fat diet. Pat did so with some weight loss but not much reduction in cholesterol. He was then prescribed a series of cholesterol-lowering medications which produced very bothersome side effects and were discontinued. He also discontinued efforts to change until he experienced some shortness of breath and fatigue while climbing at high altitude with two brothers who had no such difficulty. He also had a coronary artery scan for calcification which showed some evidence of coronary narrowing.
About one year ago Pat learned of the Ornish Heart Disease Reversal book from an older brother with elevated cholesterol who was following the program with good results. Pat's mother sent him a copy of the book. After reading it through and holding serious discussions with his wife, together they started the Reversal Diet with a wholesale cleaning of the kitchen cupboards and refrigerator and a trip to the grocery to stock up on the book-recommended staples. Within four weeks Pat noted several changes but most importantly a good feeling, new energy, and a different sense of well being after meals. His cholesterol dropped to 200mg% for the first time since age 34. He began to follow the stress reduction techniques of muscle relaxation and yoga, taking some lessons from Mark Sandler. Pat's wife is very supportive and was already a student of Yoga.
He travels as part of his work and still experiences some difficulty getting the Reversal Diet on the road. The exercise guidelines have been difficult to incorporate into his program. At this point Pat is a committed vegetarian and feels that the program is producing desirable changes in his attitudes and inner self. He has attended OSGGR meetings since November and has found the informational meetings and newsletters helpful.
Comment:
Pat had 13 years of increasing awareness and concern about his elevated cholesterol and it's implications. He attempted many times and in many ways to reduce his risk, with limited success and a negative reaction to medications. His family introduced him to the Ornish book and program at the time when he had noted some symptoms and learned of some objective evidence of coronary narrowing. With a very supportive wife, he has experienced dramatic reduction in cholesterol and increase in sense of well being since following the program for the past several months.
BOOK CORNER
The Vegetarian Gourmet, by Florence and Mickey Bienenfield was a nice find at L.L. Bean's book counter. It contains over 200 low-fat, sugar-free, low-salt vegetarian entrees, soups, salads, including many healthy, guilt-free desserts. It is endorsed by Dr. Joe Goldstrich, formerly a cardiologist for the Longevity Center in Santa Barbara, California and Director of The Heart Center in Dallas, Texas. Although its recipes appear to be very low in fat and within the Ornish Program guidelines, the book's one weakness is that the recipes contain no nutritional information. This book is in the OSGGR library and is available for loan by members. Publisher: Royal House Publishing - Price: $12.95
The Women's Support Group
by Elaine Vigoda
The Women's Support Group has been meeting once a month. So far they have discussed meditation, exercise, and diet. The lucky spouses were treated to an Ornish Feast last month. The menu included the following items:
appetizers:
Cut up veggies with fat free salad dressing
for dipping.
Mock Liver Pate (recipe follows*)
soup:
Italian Chickpea Soup from
Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook
salad:
Mixed Sprout Salad from "Spicy, Fat-Free Cooking Secrets," by Gita Chandra
entree:
Mixed steamed vegetables
Cabbage stuffed with lentil soup mixture
Bell Peppers stuffed with Ratatouille
Couscous
dessert:
Chocolate Cake with Meringue
Fruit Bowl
If you are interested in finding out more about the OSGGR Women's Support Group, call Elaine Vigoda at 461-9336.
* Mock Liver Pate
1 cup lentils
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 teas. black pepper
1 tsp. fat free mayo
1 tsp. salt
Combine lentils and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 1 hour, until lentils are tender. Meanwhile saute onion in 1/4 cup of white wine. In a food processor combine cooked lentils, sauteed onions, and the rest of the ingredients, until creamy, adding a little more water if necessary. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
CALENDAR
July No General Meeting
July 16 Tony Grana
August 13 Tony Grana
Get Together Dinner
1292 East Ridge Road
Call for reservations: 467-4360
No general meeting in July or August
August 10 2nd Annual Picnic
in beautiful Perinton Park
Further info to follow
September 8 General Meeting
Topic To Be Announced
New Meeting Location
Monroe Community Hospital
East Henrietta Road
Have a Great
Summer!!!
See You at the Picnic!!!
We're having our 2nd Annual
Ornish Friendly Picnic
at beautiful Perinton Park.
Directions to the Lodge: Take Fairport Rd. to O'Connor Rd. (There's a Kitchen Concepts sign on the corner. Follow the road past the first parking lot. Turn at the next right into the second parking lot. Go to the indoor lodge.
Call: Bob Klein at 288-6538 Bob will let you know what to bring i.e. salad, or main dish, or dessert.
Drinks, cups, tablecloths, and the wonderful Montana Mills Breads, snacks will be provided.
Please remember to bring your table service, a dish to pass,
& chairs if you want to sit next to the canal.
Supper will be around 4:30 p.m.
During the afternoon, meet friends,
Walk the canal path.
Tennis courts, Basketball Hoop,
playground for the kids , and bocci ball are all available.
Yoga relaxation techniques.
Bring your favorite board game,
i.e. chess, checkers, scrabble.
Come rain or shine. The picnic lodge is protected.
For Our Crowd Mixer--How good are you
at hiding the obvious?
Choose from a paper clip, safety pin, rubber band, toothpick, or twister for pastic bags. Just incorporate any one of these items somewhere on you but not under your clothing. Then, others will try to find it.
A New Feature
This newsletter will begin to feature a list of restaurants where you can get interesting meals that meet the Ornish guidelines. The key words are interesting meals that are always on the menu. As an example you can usually get vegetables with marinara sauce at most Italian restaurants or steamed vegetables with rice at most Chinese restaurants.
By publishing this list we want to encourage our members and friends to frequent these restaurants and tell other restaurateurs that if they add an entree that meets our criteria we would be happy to add their names. If you know of additional, interesting Ornish meals contact any steering committee member.
Restaurant Menus - Interesting Ornish Meals
Mamacita's - Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritto - hold the cheese
Tony Grana's - Vegetable Rice Risotto - option side Marinara sauce
- Beans and Greens over pasta
Mamasan's - Vegetable Soup
Little Theatre - Vegetarian Chile
Ciao - Zero Fat cheese on pizza is available
MISSION STATEMENT OF OSGGR
(Ornish Support Group of Greater Rochester)
We of the Ornish Support Group of Greater Rochester believe the results of the Ornish study are important and that heart disease can be reversed by following the four areas discussed in Dr. Ornish's book:
1. Diet 2. Exercise 3. Stress Reduction 4. Psychosocial Support
It is our intent to proactively share with members of the Greater Rochester Community who can benefit from the healing importance of the four areas, our success stories, our healthy programs, and our approaches to taking responsibility for our 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 includes a monthly newsletter and invitations to monthly meetings and group events.
Goal: To have 100 members by the end of 1996 and eventually have over 1,000 members. This force can initiate change in Rochester and create unlimited opportunities for improved health of our population.
Goal: To have 100 members by the end of 1996 and eventually have over 1,000 members. This force can initiate change in Rochester and create unlimited opportunities for improved health of our population.
Objectives:
1. Have a steering committee that includes the following professionals: Nutritionist, Physician, Exercise Specialist, Yoga Instructor, and Group Support Specialist
2. Have interesting monthly meetings with expert speakers in one or more of the four areas
3. Publish monthly newsletters
4. Obtain favorable publicity from the news media
5. Inform physicians and other health practitioners about our group and encourage them to refer their patients to our meetings
6. Document and publish the success stories in our group through both anecdotal and statistical data
7. Encourage medical insurance companies to support our efforts
8. Develop programs with restaurants to increase their selection of low fat vegetarian meals
9. Encourage smaller individual groups to form and follow the four basic guidelines
10. Work closely with the Vegetarian Society and other non-profit groups that have similar agendas
11. Encourage cooking classes and have recipes on low fat vegetarian cooking
12. Develop a library of related books and tapes to lend and sell to our membership at monthly meetings
13. Conduct lectures on our programs and our successes to other groups, such as, senior citizens, church groups, retirees, etc.