Nevertheless, there is emerging evidence that [Dean Ornish], with his noninvasive techniques, is accomplishing the same ends as are his scalpel-wielding colleagues. And although it is too soon to make absolute claims, Ornish personally believes that his way may be longer-lasting.

None of the components of the Ornish program is especially new, but the method of administration and the rigorous standards to which the participants are held plus the high-tech testing, should, Ornish hopes, provide a more definitive answer to whether life-style changes can reduce the amount of plaque in a coronary artery, the blood cholesterol levels and the spasticity of the arteries, all of which contribute to heart attacks.

The entire study will cost about $2.5 million, all but about $700,000 of which Ornish has raised. The protocol was at first shunned by traditional funding sources as "unfeasible," Ornish says. Critics said it wouldn't work, that nobody would adhere to his rigid standards and that surgery and drugs are more cost-effective. Ornish is hoping that when his interim data are published, those criticisms will be dispelled.