FIRST AND FOREMOST I need to acknowledge the utterly brilliant people whose writings on the subject of the cholesterol myth paved the way for this book. Without them, this book would very likely not have been written—or at least would not have been nearly as good: Dwight Lundell, M.D.; Anthony Colpo; Russell L. Smith, Ph.D.; Malcolm Kendrick, M.D.; Ladd R. McNamara, M.D.; Duane Graveline, M.D.; Ernest N. Curtis, M.D.; and of course, the king of the hill, Uffe Ravnskov, M.D., Ph.D., whose pioneering work started it all. An additional shout-out to Chris Kresser, L.Ac., and Chris Masterjohn, Ph.D., for consistently thoughtful and intelligent work.
I’d also like to acknowledge my brilliant and dedicated coauthor, Steve Sinatra. Steve has been a leading light in the integrative medicine community, and has the distinction of being board certified in both cardiology and nutrition, not to mention his training in psychotherapy. He’s always been outspoken, on the right side of issues, and is one of the most knowledgeable and compassionate practitioners I know of. It’s been a joy and a pleasure to collaborate with him.
And a special thanks to Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D., and John Abramson, M.D., who were kind enough to read “The Statin Scam” and offer much–appreciated suggestions. A special thanks also to Karger Publishing, which graciously donated invaluable texts for our use in preparing this book.
To Will Kiester, my visionary publisher who saw the value of this controversial book; to Jill Alexander, who first proposed it; to my inveterate, much-beloved, and underappreciated editor, Cara Connors; and to my magnificent agent, Coleen O’Shea.
Christopher Loch has been a rock and an anchor through nearly a decade, helping to shape my Internet presence, overseeing everything from Web design to marketing to joint ventures, and always being there when I needed him, which has been frequently. Enormous thanks are due. So thank you. Many times over.
I’m thankful on a daily basis for the outstanding work of nutritionist Jason Boehm, M.S., C.N.S., and the tireless efforts of “the hardest working man in PR,” Dean Drazin, and his staff at Dean Draznin Communications.
A number of years ago, I found myself crossing paths with a brilliant and talented man named Marc Stockman and frequently told my friends, “I wish I could work with that guy!” Five years and several successful projects later, we now own a company together: Rockwell Nutrition. I could not ask for a better partner.
There’s no way to express adequate thanks to this incredible brain trust of medical and scientific star power that I have been able to count on—year in and year out, book in and book out—to respond swiftly, graciously, and generously to my every-email, question, or phone call: Larry McCleary, M.D.; Mike Eades, M.D.; Mary Dan Eades, M.D.; Mark Houston, M.D.; Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D.; Beth Traylor, M.D.; Barry Sears, Ph.D.; C. Leigh Broadhurst, Ph.D.; Jeff Volek, R.D., Ph.D.; John Abramson, M.D.; Keith McCormick, D.C.; and JJ Virgin.
To my friends and family, blood and chosen: my brother Jeffrey, my sister-in-law Nancy, my nephew Pace, and my niece Cadence; my L.A. family: Sky London, Doug Monas, Bootsie, Zack, Lukey, and Sage Grakal; my son Drew Christy; and my friends—lifelong and new—Peter Breger, Jeannette Lee Bessinger, Susan Wood, Christopher Duncan (and Charlie Ann, Brock, and Miles), Janet Aldrich, Lauree Dash, Randy Graff, Kimberly Wright, Scott Ellis, Ketura Worthen, Ann Knight, Diana Lederman, Gina Lombardi, Kevin Hogan, and Jerry White. Oh, and Sky again, just for good measure.
And to two little girls who completely own my heart: Zoe and Jade Hochanadel.
And to my beloved canine family, Emily Christy-Bowden, Lucy Bowden, and Bubba Mosher.
And to the writers: Robert Sapolsky, whose science writing remains the impossibly high standard by which I judge my own work; William Goldman, who is constitutionally unable to compose an uninteresting sentence; and to all the rest of my favorites who frequently have me shaking my head at the sheer wonderfulness of what they put on the page: Ed McBain, Jess Walter, Adam Davies, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Merrill Markoe, Lee Child, James Frey, Jim Nelson, Gail Collins, Peggy Noonan, and Aaron Sorkin.
To Howard, Artie, Gary, Fred, and Robin for putting a smile on my face daily for more than fifteen years—and with undying gratitude for September 11. Thank you again.
To Werner Erhard, who contributed more to my life than he will ever know, and to Robyn Symon for rescuing his reputation in her wonderful movie, Transformation: The Life and Legacy of Werner Erhard. See it.
Lots of thanks to Richard Lewis, Ph.D.
And most of all, to three incredible women without whom I can’t imagine life:
Amber Linder, my assistant, right-hand (and left-hand!) person, and dear friend;
Anja Christy, my best friend, soul mate, muse, and advisor; and . . .
Michelle Mosher, my life partner, lover, and friend. Now I finally understand what “made for each other” really means. Thank you.
—Dr. Jonny