Can Lifestyle Medicine Often Reverse the Progression of Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease?

This session is a recorded presentation from ACLM’s LM2024 Annual Conference, featuring leading experts and timely, clinically relevant content in lifestyle medicine.

Join renowned physician and researcher Dr. Dean Ornish, for an in-depth exploration of groundbreaking research on how intensive lifestyle changes can impact the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. This session will focus on the recent randomized, controlled clinical trial, Effects of Intensive Lifestyle Changes on the Progression of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Early Dementia Due to Alzheimer’s Disease, which provides compelling evidence that lifestyle interventions—including diet, exercise, stress management, and social support—can potentially slow, halt, or even reverse cognitive decline in its early stages. Dr. Ornish will present the key findings of the study, discuss the underlying mechanisms, and share hope that healthcare providers and individuals can apply these lifestyle changes to improve brain health. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about a promising, non-invasive approach to tackling MCI and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. 

This course expires September 21, 2027 at 11:59 PM PST.  

Target Audience

This course is applicable for the interprofessional healthcare team including physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician associates, registered dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, other health professionals working with chronic disease prevention or treatment, certified health coaches, and clinicians in training.

Learning Objectives

  1. Explain the scientific evidence supporting the potential for intensive lifestyle medicine to slow, stop, or even reverse the progression of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
  2. Compare the changes in the Aβ42/40 ratio, a key biomarker of amyloid levels, between the intervention and randomized control groups in the clinical trial. 
  3. Assess the correlation between the extent of lifestyle changes and improvements in both cognitive function and the Aβ42/40 ratio. 
  4. Interpret the implications of the clinical trial’s findings for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease through lifestyle medicine interventions. 

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Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AAFP Prescribed

    The AAFP has reviewed Can Lifestyle Medicine Often Reverse the Progression of Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease? and deemed it acceptable for up to 1.00 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credit(s). Term of Approval is from 9/22/2025 to 9/21/2026. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. .

  • 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge

    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participation completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

  • 1.00 ABLM MOC

    The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine has approved 1.00 maintenance of certification credits (MOC) for this learning activity.

  • 1.00 ABS Accredited CME

    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

  • 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy

    Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacists.

  • 1.00 ACPE Technician

    Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacy technicians.

  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    Rush Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 ANCC

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 nursing contact hour(s).

  • 1.00 APA

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 CE credits in psychology. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship in the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

  • 1.00 ASWB

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Rush University Medical Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved continuing education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 general continuing education credits.

  • 1.00 CPEU

    This enduring material has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Completion of this activity awards 1.00 CPEUs.

  • 1.00 EthosCE University
  • 1.00 Occupational Therapy CE

    Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.

  • 1.00 Participation (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for non-MDs)

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 Physical Therapy CE

    Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.

Course opens: 
09/22/2025
Course expires: 
09/21/2027
Cost:
$40.00
Part of: 
Lifestyle Medicine Now

Dean Ornish, MD, DipABLM

Dean Ornish, MD, DipABLM, FACLM is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF and at UCSD, an ACLM founding Advisory Board Member, and an ACLM Inaugural Lifestyle Achievement Award Winner. He received his M.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine, was a Harvard Medical School clinical fellow, and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address.

For over 40 years, he has directed clinical research demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. Medicare created a new benefit category, “intensive cardiac rehabilitation,” to provide coverage for this program. He directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may slow, stop or reverse the progression of early-stage prostate cancer. His research showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes affect gene expression, “turning on” disease-preventing genes and “turning off” genes that promote cancer and heart disease, as well as the first controlled study showing that these lifestyle changes may begin to reverse cellular aging by lengthening telomeres, the ends of our chromosomes which regulate aging (in collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine & Physiology). He is currently directing the first randomized controlled trial to determine if comprehensive lifestyle changes can reverse the progression of early Alzheimer’s disease.

He is the author of seven books, all national bestsellers. UnDo It! (co-authored with Anne Ornish) was published by Random House as their lead nonfiction title in January 2019. His three main-stage TED.com talks have been viewed by over six million people.

The research that he and his colleagues conducted has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Circulation, The New England Journal of Medicine, the American Journal of Cardiology, The Lancet Oncology, and elsewhere. A one-hour documentary of their work was broadcast on NOVA, the PBS science series, and was featured on Bill Moyers' PBS series, Healing & The Mind. Their work has been featured in all major media, including cover stories in Newsweek, TIME, and U.S. News & World Report. He has written a monthly column for TIME, Newsweek and Reader’s Digest magazines, is a LinkedIn Influencer, and was Medical Editor of The Huffington Post 2010-2016.

He was appointed by President Clinton to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy; by President Obama to the White House Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health; and by Governor Newsom to the Governor’s Brain Trust on Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Preparedness. He is also a member of The Lancet Oncology “Moonshot Commission.” He has been a member of the boards of directors of the San Francisco Food Bank and the J. Craig Venter Institute. Dr. Ornish and colleagues established a lifestyle medicine clinic at the St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Shelter in San Francisco where over 30,000 homeless people were treated.

The “Ornish diet” has been rated “#1 for Heart Health” by a panel of experts at U.S. News & World Report for nine years from 2011-2020. He co-chaired the Google Health Advisory Council with Marissa Mayer 2007-9.

He received the 1994 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the University of Texas, Austin; the University of California, Berkeley, “National Public Health Hero” award; the Jan J. Kellermann Memorial Award for distinguished contribution in the field of cardiovascular disease prevention from the International Academy of Cardiology; a U.S. Surgeon General Citation; a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association; the inaugural “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine; the Beckmann Medal from the German Society for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases; the “Pioneer in Integrative Medicine” award from California Pacific Medical Center; the Stanley Wallach Award from the American College of Nutrition; the Glenn Foundation Award for Research; the Bravewell Collaborative Pioneer of Integrative Medicine award; the Sheila Kar Health Foundation Humanitarian Award from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Plantrician Project Luminary Award; and others. Dr. Ornish has been a physician consultant to President Clinton since 1993 and consulted with the chefs at The White House, Camp David, and Air Force One to cook more healthfully (1993-2000).

Dr. Ornish was recognized as “one of the 125 most extraordinary University of Texas alumni in the past 125 years;” by TIME magazine as a “TIME 100 Innovator;” by LIFE magazine as “one of the fifty most influential members of his generation;” by People magazine as “one of the most interesting people of the year;” and by Forbes magazine as “one of the world’s seven most powerful teachers.” 

Accreditation Statement, Disclosure Information and Credit Designation Statements

Joint Providership Statement: In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by RUSH University Medical Center and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. RUSH University Medical Center is Jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing medical education for the healthcare team.

 

Disclosure Information

Unapproved Uses of Drugs/Devices: In accordance with requirements of the FDA, the audience is advised that information presented in this continuing medical education activity may contain references to unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices. Please refer to the FDA approved package insert for each drug/device for full prescribing/utilization information.

It is the policy of the Interprofessional Continuing Education office at RUSH to ensure that its CE activities are independent, free of commercial bias. Therefore, we manage all financial relationships associated with accredited continuing education activities. RUSH asks everyone who has the ability to control or influence the content of an educational activity to disclose information about all of their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months.

An ineligible company is an entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. There is no minimum threshold; individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. Individuals must disclose regardless of their view of the relevance of relationships to education. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any potential conflicts of interest prior to the planning, implementation, or evaluation of the continuing education activity. If a financial relationship is identified for the person in control of content, conflict mitigation strategies will be used to mitigate the financial relationship before they assume their role.

Individuals in control of content for this activity have the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose and all financial relationships have been mitigated.

  • Rohit Moghe, PharmD, MSPH, CDCES: Member, Speaker's Bureau - Novo Nordisk

All other individuals in control of content have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AAFP Prescribed

    The AAFP has reviewed Can Lifestyle Medicine Often Reverse the Progression of Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease? and deemed it acceptable for up to 1.00 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credit(s). Term of Approval is from 9/22/2025 to 9/21/2026. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. .

  • 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge

    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participation completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

  • 1.00 ABLM MOC

    The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine has approved 1.00 maintenance of certification credits (MOC) for this learning activity.

  • 1.00 ABS Accredited CME

    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

  • 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy

    Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacists.

  • 1.00 ACPE Technician

    Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacy technicians.

  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    Rush Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 ANCC

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 nursing contact hour(s).

  • 1.00 APA

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 CE credits in psychology. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship in the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

  • 1.00 ASWB

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Rush University Medical Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved continuing education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 general continuing education credits.

  • 1.00 CPEU

    This enduring material has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Completion of this activity awards 1.00 CPEUs.

  • 1.00 EthosCE University
  • 1.00 Occupational Therapy CE

    Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.

  • 1.00 Participation (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for non-MDs)

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 Physical Therapy CE

    Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.

Price

Cost:
$40.00
Please login or create an account to take this course.

ACLM member and category discounts are applied at checkout.

Non-memberACLM Members
$40

$30

Access to online material is granted through the term of approval, which ends September 21, 2027.

Participant User Agreement (Terms of Use and Copyright) 

Before registering for a Continuing Education/Continuing Medical Education Course (“Training”) for the first time, carefully review the following conditions of usage at https://lifestylemedicine.org/terms-of-use-and-copyright/

Registering for an American College of Lifestyle Medicine Course indicates your acceptance of the Participant User Agreement and its terms and conditions. 

Required Hardware/software

This course can be viewed on desktop or tablet using a modern browser and most mobile devices. Speakers or headphones are required for this course.