A growing body of research is now finding that angioplasty and bypass are not the only options for people diagnosed with diseased coronary arteries. In fact, for many people they’re probably not even the best option.

While both angioplasty and bypass surgery appear to reduce angina (chest) pain, at least in the short term, neither does anything to slow, stop, or reverse what causes most heart attacks and strokes. New studies are proving the efficacy of other options, such as medications and lifestyle changes like a heart-healthy diet and exercise. They’re simple, they’re noninvasive, they’re far less costly, and some may even do what angioplasty and bypass have never been able to do – halt heart disease.

So why are bypass surgery and angioplasty so popular? It’s a complicated answer. For starters, they’re profit makers. They help keep many hospitals in the black.

Secondly, as many physicians point out, patients demand them. People have no other ideas, no nothing other than surgery to ‘fix’ their arteries. But even with this intervention, the disease is still there, and still growing.