In this video, Dean Ornish discusses a number of big issues. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity are huge killers that are entirely preventable through diet and lifestyle.
Loneliness and depression are also large-scale problems that make people much more likely to smoke, drink, overeat, overwork, get sick and die early. The simple treatment is anything that promotes intimacy: friendship, altruism, compassion and service are just some examples.
A study by David Spiegle of Stanford was published in The Lancet. The randomized study examined the survival rates of breast cancer patients. Those that formed a support group, meeting just one hour per week had twice the survival rate after five years.
Ornish credits his yoga teacher with isolating the key difference between illness and wellness: