Esselstyn, are you a threat to the stenting and bypass industry?
CE: Not really. Stents and bypass surgery in an emergency setting are absolutely lifesaving. However, for non-emergency situations an intensive lifestyle trial of 3-6 months would eliminate the need for most interventions. It is of interest that when physicians and some interventional cardiologists themselves develop the disease they come knocking at my door. KF: Why do you think this information on diet and heart disease is not more widely known? Is someone or something blocking your message? CE: The government, drug industry, and some of my own profession. The USDA every five years produces a food triangle which promotes the very foods which guarantee that millions of Americans will perish. The drug industry has a $21 billion dollar income from statin drugs alone. The stent manufacturers make billions more. Neither of these industries would want this epidemic resolved. Physicians who perform stents and bypass surgery earn millions and are hardly clamoring for fewer patients. KF: Any
