If you know family history might be a problem, you may be more motivated to maintain a program as disciplined as Dr. Ornish's. The Ornish program is not harmful. However, it might be difficult for all but the most highly motivated. It is unwise to make only those changes which are convenient. Some changes are more important than others.
Smoking cessation is the most important.
Treating high blood pressure and controlling serum lipids is also very important. It might be insufficient to undertake some parts of the Ornish program such as meditation and exercise without stopping smoking and making dietary changes to reverse or control the progression of heart disease. Here is a comparison of the two regimens with recommendations to help choose the program that can work best for you. The research team concluded that subjects who follow Dr. Ornish's comprehensive and restricted lifestyle approach experienced a regression of coronary atherosclerosis compared with a control group of 15 subjects following traditional AHA dietary guidelines. The American Heart Association concluded that the Ornish program is too restricted and difficult for the majority of people to follow long-term.