Make Lifestyle Changes For Better Heart Health
Leading a healthy lifestyle is the most cost-effective and all-encompassing approach to maintaining one’s health in the long term. This practice is advocated by Dr. Dean Michael Ornish, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco. Thanks to Dr. Ornish, Medicare covers the cost of 18 sessions of four hours each, coaching people to make better choices.
It was an uphill battle for 16 years to get insurance companies onboard, until Sharecare agreed in 2010. After which, the official program was called the “Dr. Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease.” It includes 72 hours of foundational courses that make the patient aware of healthy practices to prevent cardiovascular conditions from escalating.
The extended program offers guided exercise, stress management techniques, meditation exercise and a support group for moral support. About 85 to 90 percent of people undergoing the program continue to follow it one year later and also have reduced health-related costs by half in many cases.
Excerpted from Medical Daily
