Arlington hospital’s heart rehab program has gentle touch

After a blocked artery required cardiac surgery when she was just 50, Beth Brockenbush knew she had to make serious changes to prevent a future filled with heart problems.

Fortunately, her timing was right for entry into an outpatient program at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital that aims to do just that. On Tuesday, the hospital gathered Brockenbush and other patients from its intensive cardiac rehabilitation to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the hospital’s Dr. Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease.

The Medicare-approved program named for Dr. Dean Ornish is based on research he conducted over more than three decades with the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif. It involves four pillars of intensive lifestyle modification — nutrition, fitness, stress management and love and support — that providers say are scientifically proven to reverse heart disease. A team of Arlington Memorial staff and administrators traveled to California to become certified in delivering the program.

Arlington Memorial was the first Texas hospital to adopt the Ornish method as an option for cardiac patients. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Plano and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth have also been certified in the last couple of months.

Brockenbush, who turns 51 on Thursday, was one of the first patients to sign on to the nine-week treatment course at Arlington Memorial.

“I said, ‘I am too young to have these things happen and I wanted to nip it in the bud,’ ” said the mother of three, who admits she hadn’t paid enough attention to her health before her surgery. After having a stent implanted in March, she made her well-being a higher priority.

It wasn’t easy, of course. The Ornish program’s very-low-fat, vegetarian diet was “quite a leap.”

“This was really hard for me,” said Brockenbush, who has lost 30 pounds. “We are Texan through and through, and we ate a lot of beef.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognizes February as American Heart Month, an observance sponsored by the American Heart Association. One in 4 deaths in the U.S. is caused by heart disease, and it is the leading cause of death for men and women alike.

The Ornish website lists reports of positive results that have appeared in peer-reviewed journals like the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Cardiology.

Traditional cardiac rehabilitation focuses on monitored exercise and some nutritional instruction, said Angela Vizcaino, exercise physiologist at Arlington Memorial. The Ornish approach goes beyond that.

One hour is devoted to each pillar during two four-hour sessions a week. An exercise physiologist, a nutritionist and an expert in stress management techniques like restorative yoga provide instruction and care. A certified social worker also leads a support group.

Vizcaino said patients leave the program with better body compositions, losing inches and gaining muscle. They also seem to have an improved mindset.

“Their skin looks better. They’re glowing. You just see the difference. From even a few weeks in, you see those changes,” she said. “They look really healthy ... it’s amazing.”

Brenda Doughty, cardiac rehabilitation nurse manager at Arlington Memorial, said the program can be challenging, but the results are unquestionable. She’s seen better exercise tolerance, reduced depression and other improvements in quality-of-life measures for patients who have completed the nine weeks. The strides in health often result in less need for medication, she said.

After they complete the program, Ornish alumni meet twice a month for group support and healthy potluck dinners.

“They really form a bond that is amazing,” said Doughty. “It is a family.”

Brockenbush said she was surprised at how comfortable she felt with others in the program and how much their support helped her.

Ada Starrett, an 87-year-old Ornish participant from Arlington with a family history of heart disease, said she’s made meaningful friendships and is feeling better physically and mentally. She’d had eight blockages that required stents and two pacemakers when she learned about the Ornish rehabilitation.

“I’m thankful I went through this program,” said Starrett, adding that she would advise other heart patients to consider it. “It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.”

This story was originally published February 15, 2016 at 4:56 AM with the headline "Arlington hospital’s heart rehab program has gentle touch."